HERAT HUE TUT TURRETS LI Hh i HAM i ili i Ua Hiatt Dat! Hehe ya cedpedunniievdsipabtinesttaien sacri oer 6, 3.< LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. PURCHASED BY THE a MRS. ROBERT LENOX KENNEDY CHURCH HISTORY FUND. Divisioi.....h.24.... Section...a.m.¥. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library ‘https://archive.org/details/ourchurchpeopleO0evan Joseph Smith, the Prophet tO PAE Pes ae '$p JUN 8 1925] Kogien sewed Our Church and People Written for the Deseret Sunday School Union By John Henry Evans Author of “One Hundred Years of Mormonism’’ ats ae Published by THE DESERET BOOK COMPANY 2 Salt Lake City, Utah 1924 Copyright, 1924 By David O. McKay For the Deseret Sunday School Union Printed in the United States of America By Tue Deseret News Press TO THE TEACHER This book, as stated on the title page, was written for the Deseret Sunday School Union of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its general pur- poses is ‘suggested in the title, “Our Church ° and People.” That purpose is to give the young persons for whom it is intended such information concerning the organization to which they may belong and the men and women who aided in establishing it as will create in them a just pride in both the Church and its people. In accordance with this general aim a careful. selection of the material used has been made, and this has been presented in such a form, it is believed, as will be both interesting and understandable. Thirty-six chapters are provided. The first chap- ter aims to create a forward look in the reader. It gives reasons for the study of the material that fol- lows. The last chapter suggests a means by which this material may be tested—workability and personal revelation. The matter in between these sections 1s divided into three parts—the preliminary chapters, the period of beginnings, and the period of expansion and growth. The main point in the first chapters is that true priesthood, or divine authority, was lost during the Middle Ages, which accounts for the unauthorized changes that took place in the church. In the second part emphasis is thrown on the ideas revealed to the Prophet, together with the incidents leading to the revelation of these ideas. And in the third part stress is placed on the development of the truths treated in the second part. It is believed that more attention has been given to this last period than is usual in our books, emphasis being given to character and the elemental struggle involved in this development. The figurative sentences introducing each part will, it is 4 lO. THE TEACHER hoped, point the way to the heart of the discussions that follow. : All through the work attention is directed to fundamentals rather than incidentals, and such funda- mentals too as will be helpful to present-day living. This fact will explain the absence of topics that have occupied in other books on the general subject a very considerable amount of space—the “persecutions” in Missouri and Illinois and in early Utah, and the doc- trine of plural marriage with the difficulties involved. These are now of only historical importance even to adults. In the table of contents the topics of the chap- ters have been arranged so as to stand out, each by itself. It is believed that this will prove helpful to both teachers and pupils in locating and following the central thread, not only of the chapters taken separately, but of the book as a whole. Following each chapter are two or more questions. These do not aim to test the knowledge of the pupils concerning the text, but rather to set their minds to work on matters involving both the text and their own individual experiences. These questions may be discussed in the class without previous preparation other than the reading of the lesson, or they may be assigned to individual members of the class to be discussed first by those to whom they have been as- signed and afterwards by the class generally. Attention may here be called also to an attempt made at the beginning of most of the chapters to hitch up the lesson material to the experiences of the pupils, as the best preparation for the reading of the . chapter. Whether or not this has been effectively done in this book, it is at any rate the secret of good teaching everywhere. This is what is known in edu- cational books as the “point of contact.” It is what makes the material in a lesson take hold. Jesus never neglected this pedagogical principle in his teaching. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY : Chapter I. A Wonderful Story of Our Own Day 1. Why one should study about the CBT iteh tae ae cs vce et ee ek je PMO PDLCOaLe MOL a -tltssiOMe poe 14 3. To know what it has done for you...... ie pemlovleatietne purpose ofeliie =... AG, PART FIRST: Sea otcio lism neWorks omtneshoads 4. ces 1 Onatiakines decisions: Sa wige © eee 20 2. On the great number of churches.......... 21 3. On why we have so many churches....22 Chapter III. The Way out of the Woods............ Peiaosioorandiiindinesthings.| et 26 Paewy hat wasilostain, the apostasy.) 2... 26 BeeViicanifio olepriestnOOd.eceee oo cee 2h 4. How the priesthood was lost................ 2° De PuEpOSer cue them estOoration gal aiih tac. 30 Chapter IV. A New Message to the World ........ 1. To warn the world of impending htagegagtcraqeces 0 ee ate reas EN y tT os 32 2. To prepare the world for the Second POTTY ET LO taste pee ot eke 1, Susie ue ee Gre 34 PART SECOND: PhApter yee poyedt thesCross. ROadsiiat Ls ME SenSatlonnol nA Pecillo elOSt so. ee ee 38 2. Birth and boyhood of Joseph Smith.... 39 DeMOSeDMiSPaNGesti ym akonsst omit) LLG 40 AY, GES MM Zee SllrehAG Fras Seva uly gare eend tay (ae MS 41 Deetoseph-andttherevivalyes Lae ae 42 Chapter VI. Light that Never Was on Land or ST PI eS U Rarer? howls eee aeeale eae es beam (Peay Sig ladie taper i tag OR ly os 5 44 Zia Neanassac Cait ames wee sie. .. 45 Reel thes NaI SICT eee wien etme boca. re tae 46 13 TABLE OF CONTENTS A, Aitertthe: Visiotr c= sche ee 47 5. Joseph’s reflections on the Vision... 48 Chapter VII. The Personages of the Vision...... 1. Various ideas about God i Oe 52 2. Importance of correct ideas about GOS Acts este ea a 53 3. Ways in which we may know of God.. 54 a. Through Nature. b. Through the word of God. c. Through a study of Christ... 55 (1) Jesus had a body. (2) He had all power. (3) He had courage. (4) He had universal love. Chapter VTS God's Wireless) ea ee 1. The vision shows necessity of prayer.. 59 2. Ways in which prayer may be ATS WOT "cee ve eekeeee tee eae hea PhDs. 61 Do) SU OUMNSeOL I prayel ie ee Ne Se UA 62 a. Public prayer. b. Family Prayer. ce. oecret prayer: #/ Prayer a safeguard "in lieu eee 62 5. How God may answer prayer ........-. Za f Chapter IX. The Book with Golden Leaves... libre Sacred shoo es ee oe 67 2A second svision 42 eo 67 3. Moronisiméssage-e se. nee Pa ee 4. Joseph views the Plates. 7.22.3... ae 5. he nextournsyears (i.e 71 6. Joseph. obtains the Plates scene 72 Chapter X. Through Urim and Thummim ........ 1. Difficulties in keeping the book... 73 2. Removal to Pennsylvania ‘.2.4........ 74 Gio. tasislatiOn aber Ute meee 74 4. Progress of the work of translation... 76 5. How the book was translated _............. 76 6. Publication of the book Mei 7h 67 TABLE OF CONTENTS hapten. |e liheskedvMan‘s Bible ti. )2 2 sae: 1, Pame ot the ‘Book of Mormon...16.-... 78 2. Contents of the Book of Mormon.......... 78 ave Lheslaredites: b. The Lehites. (1) ‘The Nephites. (2) The Lamanites. 3. Purpose of the Book of Mormon.......... 82 aisle pales mt hicemetOphetarotm: iis WOT Keres! Attar cur Faria bre 82 b. Informs the Indians of an- GEStOlS Bayes Fie Ms She 83 Ged eaches vospel inj plainnessi223 83 4. Witness to the authenticity of book.. 84 a. Three witnesses. b. Eight witnesses. iaatce. | lea) itomtienVWilderness: 05. at), PpelDivttlesatitherity necessatys was are = 87 @mevatonicy priesthood restored 222)... 87 Oraalioher priesthood. restored) 214... 88 4. “Mormon” Church independent ’of Gtherspet te eee ee OE NaN oe 88 ee aticeOrstie: Onc ims eee. 89 me nuuchgorcanizedss) ae ees Bee 90 deepishvextitstamitacle meee ee Sar 91 Chapter XIII. Some Foundation Stones ............ lee emocracyotethe Ghurchiewss ot 04 ZOIstriDUniOn Opa pricstuOOd! aware. 95 OUTS TED UII CL) CS amie! mea 1k Aneta oe 96 aaelaithe b. Repentance. c. Baptism. d. Confirmation. ie liag (ete lV VOL er suinethegoilencen sees ae 1. A girl’s question about tongues _..... 102 eV ilateantiiraclesismeeen ye. ooeels to soar 104 Dee vidraclesssiansyatglait gore eg sols se 106 4, Miracles common in our age _...........107 87 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter X.V~ iHeralds, ottSalvatron. .. ees 1. What missionaries say of missions._._.... 109 2. First, mission in the Chirehs te 2s 109 3. Interest-in Missottri 35.28 ee ee 110 4° Changes ‘in the Ghurchs ioe eee 112 > Wission (o"Canaa a weer eee LES 6. First. mission tosEnsland Ai een, 113 Chapter X VI. Not of the World 22.20 ee ]. Value ‘er opposition: 2 2) fee 115 2. Barly -opposition 2:1: 5 4280, eee iis 3. Early deféndersi2 3 ae to wees 117 4. Growth of Church in Missouri ............ 118 5. Expulsion of Saints from Missouri....118 6. Elfortsto reinstate Saints. eee 119 7. Expulsion trom ~Niissouri ee eee 121 Chapter XVII. Rising’ from the Ashés,_.... 1. Picture of a house ESTE TiT © ae on ee eee 122 2. Condition of the Saints in Illinois....125 O. LaSenof The SInilis 2 nee eee 126 A: Makino the New Home oa. ter an eee 127 Chapter X VIIT. Over the Great Waters, 3a 1. Your nationality ..... ty aceite 130 2. Mission tos-Palestine se 2g eee 130 a. pecond mission to Enclanies see 132 ioe Growth of ttissiotys ones eee re Chapter XIX. Two Worlds to ne itis E it l. The living: anditheweads i. 22 ee 136 2; Our spirit. gd <4<, ea eee 137 3.(Lhe spirit worlds..2. =e eee 139 4, Condition: there...22.22 2 ee ee 139 3, -Lhe resurrection’: 224.2... 52s ee AED 6. ‘The.three kinodoms-= cornea 141 Chapter XX. For Time and Eternity2_.20.....2.2e 1, “Phe lonelinéss*of'Grusoesiiine 2.7 s 142 2. Companionship necessary . iene 2): 3. Home the center of our life here... 143 4. Conditions ofa good homei:iz_:.usiex 144 a TaApsbE we Or CONTENTS 9 Beep SGI plomeMatt la Ces ia eetss ee es ce 145 Crp shinie sa Vou tid yd OnNeheg taut tte 145 saa e me ety ea linoe a) estan y auu, oe 69.4 148 ikneestipreme téstcomiaitineeas (2). 148 zZ:-Gause ofthe Prophet s murder. ...02. 148 OeayGoIMOUitiOns OL Ceathp aut eles 150 PRePIBLVONGEA SCO Vem Une ite ee Aes ae ee oe Jee pm oueuetatiic’ Lr aOed yaa ee kee 152 Chapter XXII. Side-lights on the Prophet.......... 1s 1. Personal appearance of the _ Pro- 1) ETE ENG Say Seto eager eee Ye ea 153 Pemba tiie (tlt ote suger memes te fea 154 ee Pia Pec ality cee ate ene ee 2 aye Chaptecux «lL iowiithy tleetine Days... = ae 158 1. Two problems before the Saints....... 158 PRA We OLiStCCeSsIO Nigh eres. a 160 Bem rOrcehroulleste.aten rset a nao. toe 161 Prasat UaAy SOU NAUVOO), act etna tee E162 PARTALHIRD: Ci banten iia Covered mWasons (ince. ee 166 [db secant dau y ryote: OP. senna SAE ae Sete aaa 166 Zagilievoreat: West then wee tn toa nc): ee LO/, om oamizationy a: Ne Catipeviss tee a 168 AMATO SL VID) Stee itis Pe te eerie tee wale 169 PSL ODP ITOy! Did Ces conn te ba eS Fay co L/L Giapter xX. %V...lm the -Wialdernéss...0. of2 2s! ac (Pane On. thes WidssOUri «2... cal i 2. Towns in the wilderness _....... AS 3 Wditemin the wilderness... beste bes rs 175 ea uney Lotion meaty alicia ment ses 177 Ghaptctases vio Lheslcone one Prail 2 ee 180 Me ioncers com patiy see fe. otd 5 ilk eas 183 ZepmALeT DIQUCCT SWate a, Mik ertc ae (2 beet oa 184 eat Cart ecOm Dati yrctcm unset oe tn a 187 4, Pleasant and unpleasant features _...... 188 Chapter, XXV Il 7 The -Battleswith: the 'Soil)..: 192 1. The sea-gull monument’s meaning....192 ee xppeatdice omUtahwihen’ 01 6: 195 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. fo rstiwintet, setae wee es 2 eee 196 A OTHE Crickets a ee eee 199 >». Unexpected'supplies 223s Behe lt 200 Chapter XX VIII. How Firm a Foundation........ 201 lo Lavine théstemplesstonce-.6. es eee 2. Gretting ail tLitiG Cae eee eee 205 3. How ie landiwas:divideds ase 205 4) LayingsOutioalt™ Laker Cine eee ye LLOMie, midtish GS). nti sae eae 207 6. Value of the work of the pioneers......209 Chapter XXIX. Team-work in Community Building. 3.6.0 e ee ee ee Zit 1. Veam- work inatn eticss ges ee Zit 2. LEXDlOTAUONSS = em a ee ee ee 212 3. How colonization was done ................... 215 4 Political eovernments se Pc: ae Ly, Chapter XOUX.-An Ensien to, the Nations 22x. 220 Lee hesseen “andethesun-cene. eee 220 2.1 Be pioneers weremrelicigus 22. ae Zak Dac lL heyowere Ora yertile. | he, eee 22 4. hey helped one another (22 eee S. hey? were” Church-océrere on ees Boo 6. They established orderly com- MUNItiES <8 eke eee ee 224 Chapter iA 20) hes lion. Git hegicot Gane ee 225 1. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young ...225 2. Birth and boyhood of Brigham........... 228 3.) PersOnallappedt ance: ..ae ie ee ieee A MO Gal itieS eerie been ip ag Aa ee 230 2. A trip (South 2 oe. eee eee Zao Chapter XXX Ties that Bind gee eee oe Pie, lL. Guriosity abot the templeqisee ae Za9 Zao temp lesbuildinesneonlenees a) 239 3. What temples areata = ee ee B39 4. Church teachings concerning man _..240 ). palvationdorthe déadea dees 241 Chapter XXXIII. Branches that Run over the TABLE OF CONTENTS WECM ALTS SE lt oo 3 er ROR AVIORE SRRe ND a Ana eee iPeLLOWALILINS SeOTOW ie eer soe Oh 249 Comlilien @ itr CHS0 TO Wis g aeeteee getter 250 3. ihe early Church had difficulties_..... 250 SENT Lysetll 1S O10 LL St aimee a oe ta Re Nae ers 252 De OLOTAUIIUSSI OILS mies tee ae eee 205 OmlLiometmissioiatryework’s (20 ss. 254 Pe Doin oeteGrLOryer eae are 255 Chapter XX XIV. How the Church Is Governed 256 Pe Cedeo te Gro aniza tiOliw eats Cie eee oct 256 2. The Church a great organization........ 256 SALMO SANIZ AON te ee eae ede ae ae) Ame uherstake organization. ee 203 OMe ola gett ISI ON Su see ce cafe Nae eae 264 Oe nceGiiinehuasenew lOler. ste? sas 11 mee 2O/ yaelloverandsservice the ideal), <4 2... 268 Chapter XXXV. Climbing the eae Heights 270 1. Incident of the farmer and the oil cia ERE 2 nae oe ene 8 ae ce od Ae aS 270 Pelayo, Kindstuienich es sea 2/3 SMO Mpominiticonalimapout yOu. ao. 274 a. In the auxiliary organizations b. In the Church generally 4. Making the most of what you have....282 CONCLUSION: Chapter XXXVI. How You ya snes the SISCIiL Ligeerenaareter cy ke fos type eee. 1h 109): PeOnabeamiosastestiinonyu fe 283 Dee Nate artesti OTL aia ree eee ae e2s3 SelwOnway.s CleKNOW (N08. vs eee eee: 284 Gee VAKHOWAN Oe bUey pa ttc re cceg es 284 Dap veensSpltation mee. Vac Sener 286 ZOD Stay yourselves and wonder. Cry ye out, and cry, “They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.” For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, “Read this, I pray thee;’ and he saith, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And the book is delivered to him, that is not learned, saying, “Read this, | pray thee;” and he saith, “I am not learned.” Wherefore the Lord said, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept: of men, therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a mar- velous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” The Lord to the Prophet Isaiah. Our Church and People habee es Mele A WONDERFUL STORY OF OUR OWN DAY Have you ever stopped to ask yourself the question, “Why should I know something about my Church?” If Wie Rouliee 2G have not, now is a good time to do so, you study as you are on the threshold of that study. your Church? Qf course, there are many reasons that could be mentioned, but three will be singled out in this chapter. One reason lies in the fact that it may be your good fortune some day to preach “Mormonism” in a foreign SS: a land or in one of the States of our own wish to go country, and certainly you will wish to do ona mission. that in a way that will reflect credit on your Church as well as on yourself. You will not want to put yourself in the position of the young missionary whom we heard of the other day. The boy A good enough boy in his personal habits, who did he had neglected at home to pay much not know. attention to religion. But he went on a mission. Once, while distributing tracts he came upon a man who seemed to know a good deal about the “Mor- mons,” but who wished to have it appear that he was seeking information. So he asked the young man many questions. How did Joseph Smith get his authority to 14. OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE set up a Church, when he had never been a member of any? In what way did the “Mormon” Church get money to support itself with? He had noticed, he said, that the Saints used water for the sacrament instead of wine. What authority did they have for this? These and a score of other such questions he fairiy flung at the nissionary’s head. The poor boy was so confused and embarrassed that he did not know what to do. He floundered about in his attempt to answer, like a drowning man, who grasps at straws and shadows in a supreme effort to save him- self from death. It was all to no purpose. Presently the man said to him rather savagely: “A fine missionary you are! There you stand, unable to answer the simplest questions about a religion you say you have come seven thousand miles to teach. Better go home and learn it yourself first.” He did not go home to study his religion, but you may be sure he studied it. He might, however, have saved himself this humiliating experience if only he had tried to prepare himself before leaving home. Rather would you wish to be in the position of the young man who had just the opposite experience. It happened that this second missionary was the companion of the one we have just spoken of. Also he was a few years younger —a mere stripling, in fact. But he had prepared him- self for a mission. Indeed, he had looked forward to one ever since he could remember anything. Before he received his call, besides attending his meetings with considerable regularity, he had read the Old Testament through and the New Testament twice from Matthew The boy who knew. WONDEREUL STORY OF OURL,OWN DAY 15 to Revelation, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, many sermons of the Church leaders, and the history of the Church—a hard task, you may easily guess. As a result, you could hardly ask him where anything was in any of these books but he could tell you. He was able to converse with intelligence on most of the principles of “Mormonism.” When he went on his mission therefore he had no need to spend time in first learning what to preach. Another reason why you should study the teachings of your Church is that you may the better be able to appre- Th hse done ciate what it has done for you. You may great things not know it, but you would not be where for you. you are to-day and what you are had it not been for “Mormonism.” Listen ! Many years ago, long before even your father or mother was born, there was a man who lived in England. He was poor and had a large family. Every nae day, before it was dawn, he took a coarse ; lunch and went into a shaft, which dropped down hundreds of feet underground. Here, with a heavy pick, and lighted only by the flicker of a dim miner's candle stuck in the front of his cap, he dug coal all day and every day, including Sunday. At night, after it was dark, he came up out of the mine and walked home, where he took a bath in a tub of tepid water to rinse off the coal-dust, and sat down to another inexpensive meal, but the best he could afford. Then he went to bed, tired to the bone, to sleep like a log. Once he had known how to. read, but that was when he was a boy. Now, how- ever, it was as if he had never learned the alphabet, for 16 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE work, hard work, had crowded out of his life all leisure, and therefore all desire to read. Year after year of darkened days, this had gone on, till now he was getting old. As his sons grew big enough to wield the pick, they, too, descended into the earth to dig coal, following in the footsteps of the father. When they married and had sons of their own, these again would do as their fathers and their grandfather had done—learn to read and then to forget it, load trams with hard, black coal, eat the coarsest fare, wash the coal-dust off their bodies, and go to sleep on a springless bed! This was all their hope and promise. But there came a change. One day a “Mormon” missionary from Utah came to this humble home. He told how the Lord had revealed Himself to a new Prophet in America, how the Book of Mormon had been made known to Joseph Smith, how the Church of Christ had been reestablished on the earth, with its ancient blessings, how the priesthood had been Siven again to men, and, finally, how the Lord had taken His people to “the tops of the mountain” and “exalted them above the hills.’ And the man believed and presently was baptized with all his family. Then the spirit of gathering took hold of him. The Church lent him some money to come to “Zion,” as Utah was known in those days. Here the family prospered as they never could have done in their native land. As time went on, they became well-to-do. The father and mother both learned to read, for they had time to do so. The children received what is equal to a high school education, and three of the boys were graduated from college. And the sunshine and WONDERFUL STORY OF OUR OWN DAY 17 the mountains and pleasant surroundings everywhere made all their hearts glad. He is a very, very old man now, and the sons are about the same age he was when the gospel found him and picked him up, but his voice is not too feeble to be lifted in praise for what “Mormonism” has done for him and those who are to come after him. What is true of this man and his family is true of thousands of other families in all the places where the Latter-day Saints have settled. Where would you have been now, if your parents or grandparents had not joined the Church? What would have been your lot then? You may easily find out by asking your fathers and mothers where their parents lived before they joined the Church. Your parents can help you to imagine the rest. But the greatest reason why you should study all that It teaches concerns your Church is that you may know the value and the purposes of life and how to make your urpose of , : life here. life count-for the most in the long run. When Christianity was introduced into England in the days of Eadwine, by a missionary from Rome, the question as to whether the people of England should join the new faith was put up to the wise men of the land. One of them said, “So seems the life of man, O King, as a sparrow’s flight through the hall when a man is sitting at meat in winter-tide with the warm fire lighted on the hearth but the chill rainstorm without. The sparrow flies in at one door and tarries for a moment in the light and heat of the hearth-fire, and then flying forth from the other vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it came. So tarries for a moment the life of man in our sight, but what is before it, what after it, i8 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE we know not. If this new teaching tell us aught certainly of these, let us follow it.” And this is true. Our life is a mystery to us. We see it only for a moment, as it were. But it comes from somewhere, and it goes somewhere. But where? ‘That is the question that has come down to us through the long past. Who can answer it? The surgeon who dissects the human body can not, for life hides itself from his keenest blade. And he who studies the work- ings of the mind is also at a loss to find its source and hiding place. Nor is the teacher with his powerful microscope any more likely to locate the secret as to our past and future. There is only one way by which it is possible to learn about the things of the spirit, and that is from God, who is the Father of spirits. And this information comes mainly through the Church. So if we would know who we are, where we came from, and where we are going, we must study the gospel. And so, too, if we would understand anything about God and what He wishes us to do while we are here in the flesh. QUESTIONS 1. After talking with your parents about where they and their parents lived before they joined the Church, make a list of the things and opportunities you now enjoy which you would not have but for the Church? 2. What can you do now in return for this benefit (a) to yourself, (b) to your relatives, (c) to the Church? In the olden times when the men of to-day were the boys of yesterday, when one lad played marbles with another lad and found, as it came his turn to shoot, that there were obstacles between his “taw” and the marble he had intended to hit; he cried, “Clearance!” And if that other boy had not already shouted, “Vent clearance!” he proceeded to brush away the obstacles so as to leave a clear path from his hand to the marble in the ring. This is something like what has to be done in this book before we can come to the history and teachings of the Church in the present age. Some obstacles have to be cleared away. Why should there be another Church, when we already had so many? If “Mormonism” is a Restoration, what is it a restoration of? And what is wrong with the numerous divisions and subdivisions of what has come to be called “Christianity ?” CHAPTER II THE FORKS OF THE ROAD No doubt you have on more than one occasion in your life stood at a point where two roads met, wondering Some com- Which of them you ought to take. It may mon decis- have been dark with not even the light of Sie the inconstant moon or the stars to help to make. you; or there may have been dangers to terrify you—wild beasts or an approaching storm. The difficulty would be increased if there were several roads from which to choose instead of two. And you may also, most likely, have been in a situation where you had to decide between two or more lines of conduct, as, for instance, whether you should finish your high school course or engage in some business, and, in that case, what occupation you ought to follow in life. This, too, is a very common experience. It is often a trivial matter that we have thus to decide for ourselves, as whether we should go fishing to-day or stay at home. But sometimes it is a matter of very grave importance, choosing an occupation, for instance, or getting married. One of the most important concerns in life that many have to decide one time or another is, “Which church shall I belong to?” It is a question that most people find very puzzling. And no wonder, for there are so many different churches in the world. If. you look at the directory of Salt Lake City, you will find there the names of sixteen different churches. THE FORKS OF THE ROAD 21 What a city With one or two exceptions, they go by the directory name of Christian. Yet they differ from reveals about : : the churches, One another in many particulars. There you will see the name of the Roman Catholic Church, for instance, which teaches that its authority has come down to the present time from the Apostle Peter through nineteen hundred years of popes and cardinals. There also you may find the names of the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, the one with its bishops and the other with its elders as the main mark of difference. There too appears the name of the Methodist church, with its different “method,’ or way, of doing things from the church of England, out of which it came. And there finally you may pick out the name of the Baptist church, so called because its members believe in and prac- tice baptism by dipping the whole body in water instead of pouring or sprinkling it on the head, as in most other churches. But what is true in this respect of Salt Lake City is just as true of almost every other large town in the United States, or, for that matter, in the world, and the bigger the city the greater the number of churches to be found there usually. The directory of San Francisco, or Chicago, or New York, or of Paris or London, would reveal a list that would run up into the hundreds, may be. To be sure, some of these might prove to be what we have come to call pagan—that is, religious bodies or persons that do not accept Christ— but most. of them, you would discover, claim to believe in the teachings of the New Testament. Indeed, there are, all told, several hundred different religious organ- izations in the world. 22 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE This condition, you may well imagine, proves extremely puzzling to those who are inclined to think at all seri- The question OUsly about religion. It is like standing at of which the forks of a road in a strange country and ere being told that any of them will take you to puzzling. your destination, when you know, as a mat- ter of fact, that they will do nothing of the sort, if they are at all like the roads you have been accustomed to. No wonder a pagan of higher intelligence than the aver- age of his race, on being urged to become a Christian by missionaries of several different churches and being in doubt as to which of them he should join, advised all the men to go home first and settle on some one denomi- nation, and when they had done that to come back to him and he would see about it. A great many persons in Christian lands also are per- plexed when they wish to become members of a church. If they believe that all churches are equally good, they embrace the one that is handiest. But if they look upon the churches as all equally bad, they may turn from both churches and religion and become atheist or I-don’t- knows. Of course, this is not a very sensible thing to do, for religion is too important a matter to be either ac- cepted or thrown aside in this careless fashion. Still, what is one to do when one is confronted by so grave a question ? How is it, anyway, that we have so many different brands of Christianity? Jesus established but one church. That is as clear as anything from the New Testament, where we have an rr acane account of His earthly life. The Apostle have so many Paul denounced in strong terms the idea of churches. splitting up the church and naming the parts THE FORKS OF THE ROAD 23 now for this man and now for that one. Yet, as time went on, differences arose among the leaders of Christian- ity, with the result that those who were in the minority and could not have their way, ended by forming churches of their own. One of the first of these divisions took place in the ninth century after Christ. On account of some dis- agreements with the head of the Church The first over whether officers should marry, and division. : : : ; other points, a man named Photius set him- self up as the head of the church in Eastern Europe. This act, you see, gave the world two Christian churches—the Eastern, which centered in Constantinople under a Patri- arch, and the Western, which had its headquarters in Rome under a pope. Later, in the sixteenth century, a kind of revolutionary — spirit in Europe turned out a group of sects, or branches, of the Christian church in the West. These Bones and their offshoots are termed Protestant ; churches, because they protested at one time or another against something done by the Church of Rome. This religious revolution, commonly known as the Re- formation, was begun by a German monk, named Martin Luther. One day a friar, whose name was Tetzel and who had a keener eye for business than for religion, came into the home town of Luther, peddling indulgences. That is to say in order to raise money to build St. Peter’s cathedral in Rome, he went about Europe telling the people that if they contributed to this cause, their sins would be forgiven and their dead friends and rela- tives, who might be in purgatory, would straightway be released from their sufferings and go up to heaven, 24 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE This greatly shocked Luther. So he protested against this selling of spiritual values on the street. On the rahe _ door of the church where he was wont to and the preach he nailed ninety-five objections— Reformers. “theses” they are called. At once, of course, there was trouble, for Tetzel had been given permission by the pope, the head of the church, to sell indulgences. An effort was made to get Luther to take back these objections, but, being a man of great sincerity and cour- age, he refused to do this. So he was cut off from the church. Nothing disheartened, however, he set up a church of his own, which was called for him the Lutheran church. This action on the part of the German monk and the success he met with among the people encouraged others in Europe to rebel, who had a grievance against the pope or the church, for the spirit of revolt was in the air. In England King Henry the Eighth got his chief minister, the bishop of Canterbury, to revise the beliefs of the English church and to bring about a separation from the mother church. Thus arose the Church of England, or the Episcopal church. A similar thing took place in Scot- land under Knox, in Switzerland under Zwingli, in France under Calvin. And so in these countries Protes- tantism was established. These Reformers, as they are called, did not reform the Church to any considerable extent then, as they are What the often thought to have done. And certainly Reformers they did not restore the religion of Jesus, did. nor did they give us a new revelation from heaven. They did, however, correct some abuses in the Church, like the selling of indulgence. The principal THE FORKS OF THE ROAD 25 work of these men lies elsewhere. They broke the terrible power of the Romish church over the minds of men, for one thing; and, for another, they placed the Bible in the hands of all who could read, as the light by which they should walk, with the advice to study it and to act for themselves, without waiting to be told what to do in religious matters. After this, men arose who protested against the forms and teachings of some of the Protestant sects. John Wesley, for one, wanted to change certain things in the Church of England, of which he was a preacher, but he wished to do so with the approval of that denomination. When he was refused this privilege, he taught on the highways and byways of England. During his long and really useful life he won a great following, which, after his death, was organized into the Methodist church. But division, once having got such a good start, kept on apace. For now we have seventeen different kinds of Baptists, twenty-one of Lutherans, and twenty-two of Methodists. So you see that in the field of religion people are, more than ever, standing at the forks of the road in a very real sense these days. To be sure, there is a way in which each one may find an answer to his question as to which of the churches he should join, just as the Prophet Joseph Smith found out. For the Lord has made it clear in our day which of the many roads, religiously, we ought to take, as we shall learn farther on in this book. QUESTIONS 1. Does it make any difference whether one belongs to a church or not? Why? 2. Does it make any difference which church one belongs to? Why? 3, What difference did it make to Joseph Smith? CHAPTER III THE WAY OUT OF THE WOODS In one of those wonderful parables in the New Testa- ment Jesus tells us of a woman who had ten pieces of Tas money, and lost one of them. The loss dis- osing and ' : finding tressed her greatly. Lighting a candle, she things. swept the house thoroughly, searching ev- erywhere for the missing coin. No nook or crevice escaped her attention. At last she found the money. So great was her joy that she “called her friends and neigh- bors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found that which I had lost.’ ” We have all had an experience of this kind. It may have been money, or it may have been something we prized more highly than money. Whatever it was, we were troubled over the loss, and we hunted for the object everywhere, hoping to find it. And when we found it, if we did, our joy went beyond all bounds. We prized the thing far more highly, very likely, than before we lost it. Tor that is the way with us. Now, the world, between the days of our Savior’s personal ministry in the flesh and the opening of the nineteenth century, lost something of far greater worth than money or what money can buy. Do you know what that is? It is the Priesthood, the power by which men are saved. And the strange thing about this loss is, that only a comparatively few even discovered the loss or made an attempt to replace it. Of course, the world lost a great many things besides the Priesthood, such as the correct form of baptism, the healing power, the form THE WAY OUT OF THE WOODS 27 of government which the Lord instituted in the Church, and its essential offices; but by far the most important of these losses was the Priesthood, for with true priest- hood every other spiritual loss can be easily replaced. What is priesthood? If you were going into a distant country with the in- tention of staying there for some time, you would most likely ask a friend to transact your business Paani ig, for you while you were away. You would perhaps give him a letter of instructions to guide him, telling him what to do under this or that circumstance. Whatever your friend did, as long as he followed your instructions, would be as binding as if you did it yourself. This we call “power of attorney.” If, however, he should disregard your directions in a par- ticular case and you should therefore withdraw his author- ity, he could no longer act in your name with any bind- ing effect. After that, nothing he did for you would be valid, as we say. Again, to take another case, suppose you were born and grew up in a foreign country, say England or France, and afterwards came to the United States. Suppose further that you wished to be admitted to citizenship in this country. Now, everything would depend on what court you went into for this purpose and what you did there. For you could not go into any court; you would have to go into some particular court. If you went before a judge who had received his authority from the proper source and if you took the necessary oath and signed the necessary papers, you would thereafter be a full-fledged citizen of the American nation. But if you went before a judge who had not been given the necessary authority, or 28 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE if you should go before a judge who had received this authority and afterwards been deprived of it, it would be of no avail whatever, when you came to exercise the rights of citizenship, even though you had taken the proper oath and signed the proper papers, following the usual practice in every detail. It is something like this in the Church of Christ. The Lord at various times appoints men to act in His name— to baptize, to lay on hands in ordination and healing, to appoint others to act in His name, and so on. To be sure, the Lord would not recognize any act by persons so appointed unless it was in itself a good act or unless it was done in a spirit of “persuasion, gentleness, meek- ness, kindness, love, and pure knowledge,” but if it was performed in accordance with these principles, it would be as valid as if it were done by Him in person. This divine authority is known as “priesthood.” It is the means through which men may communicate with God, obtaining instructions as to what to do and how to do it. Here we are, on the one hand, in the world of the flesh. Our spirits, the eternal part of us, is in a cage, the body, where it can see only a certain distance out, through the windows of the cage. There, on the other hand, is the world where our Father, the father of our spirits, dwells, and where the spiritual forces of the world about us have their center. In order for us, here to know any- thing about Him, there, He must impart the information to us; we cannot otherwise gain any knowledge of Him. Now, priesthood, whether in us or in other men in our world, is the channel through which this communication is possible; just as, to compare small things with great, a wire or the air may be the medium through which the THE WAY OUT OF THE WOODS 29 human voice may be carried from one point to another. That is how important priesthood, divine authority, is to the human family. Now, this priesthood Jests gave to His apostles in the days of His personal ministry on earth. They were Priesthood to perform ordinances, and to establish the given in the Church everywhere. His commission to days of ; : . Christ. them, which you may read in Saint Mark, is: ‘‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these 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 lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” The twelve apostles, with Peter at the head, did as they were instructed. They preached the gospel to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. And the signs promised by Jesus followed believers everywhere. As the apostles died, one ~ way and another, such men as Paul and Matthias and Barnabas took their places. The Church grew by leaps and bounds in spite of persecution. Presently, however, a different spirit came over the Church. We do not know exactly when or how it first ee ane appeared, but when we see the changes that priesthood took place, we are sure that it came. The was lost. quorum of apostles was not continued. The signs not only ceased, but were not considered necessary any more. Various ordinances, like baptism and the sac- rament, were altered so that the first teachers of the Church would not have been able to recognize them. For 30 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE instance, sprinkling water on the forehead of infants took the place of dipping the whole body of the adult in water ; and the simple eating of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of Christ’s death was displaced by what came to be called by the long name of “transubstantia- tion”’—that is, the belief that the bread and the wine of the sacrament became, after the blessing of the priest, the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. Then too the priesthood, which was intended for every man, came to be possessed by only a few—a trained clergy. During the Middle Ages, the Church leaders ruled with force and threats instead of with gentleness and love and persuasion. Thus by slow degrees the Church, long before the di- visions took place of which we have spoken, lost all semblance to the organization that had been formed by the apostles of Jesus. It lost not only the priesthood, but the very spirit of the religion of Jesus. It answered perfectly to the description given by the Lord to Joseph Smith: The people “draw near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men; they have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” The great purpose of the Restoration, therefore, was to bring back the true priesthood. Through this power Parnes and light would come not only the spirit of of the the gospel, but also a knowledge of God to- Restoration. gether with the correct forms of worship, ordinances, principles and whatever else may be necessary -for man’s salvation. How happy the world should be, then, that in this age God has again spoken to men and restored “that which was lost” through negligence and sin. Over this fact THE WAY OUT OF THE WOODS 31 there should be universal rejoicing on the earth, as over something that has been found again—‘‘the pearl of great price.:’ QUESTIONS 1. Do any of you hold the priesthood? 2. What difference should there be between a boy who holds the priesthood and one who does not? CHAPTER IV | A NEW MESSAGE TO THE WORLD If you saw a man going toward a high precipice which he did not know was there and it meant certain death Purpose for him if he went on, you would exert of the : ‘ Rettoration ae oe effort in your power to save him, two-fold. would you not? So, too, if you should see a young man, full of the promise of great things, suddenly take to swearing and smoking and drinking and stealing and otherwise leading a bad life, you would be glad to warn him of the end he would surely come to if he persisted, and to point out a way by which he might realize the best that was in him. And what a wonderful act it would be on your part if you could only pursuade - either of these persons to alter his course and to take up a better way! ; | Indeed, God has often done this very thing. He is in a position to know what lies at the end of our path much better than we are, because He knows all things, both past and future. In the days of Noah He saw which way the people were going, that they were in the ways of wickedness. So He warned them through Noah that destruction awaited them if they did not repent. They did not repent, and the threatened destruction came upon all but the patriarch Noah and seven others. On another occasion God called Jonah to warn the inhabitants of Nineveh, one of the great cities of the ancient world. In this case the people mended their ways and were spared. On our own continent, when the Lord saw how the Jaredites were living and knew they were going to- A NEW MESSAGE TO THE WORLD 33 ward the precipice, He reached out his hand to save them. But they would not stop nor alter their course, and they fell headlong over the edge of it. When we pause to reflect on the condition of the Jews at the time of Christ, we can easily believe that one of the \purposes of the ministry of Christ was to save the people from the terrible things that awaited them if they did not repent. Now the Lord has a message for the world to-day. This message is double. On the one hand, it is one of warn- ing as to what will befall the inhabitants of the earth if they do not repent, and, on the other hand, it is one of admonition to prepare for some very important events in the future. Let us take up each of these separately. In many passages of the revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith God has expressed his displeasure at the Warnings of way people live nowadays. He is repre- eave sented in one of these as being “angry” with to-day. them and as having a “sword” ready to let fall on “them that dwell on the earth.’ The reason is that men have strayed from the path of righteousness, that they are following their own bent instead of the still small voice within them. They think more of dress and money and property and what people say of them than they do of what is for their best good in the long run. Although in some respects we are to-day far in advance of anything the world has ever known before,— for we have railroads, automobiles, telephones, telegraphs, radio, airships, and machinery for almost everything we need,—still in matters that count much more than these things people are in much the same class as those who 34 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE lived in the days of Noah, who were destroyed on ac- count of their wickedness. | Nothing can show more clearly the sad state of things in the world than the great war through which the na- tions have just passed, where whole peoples What the spent all their energy in killing one another, war shows. ‘ : when they might have occupied themselves in some good work; and in the further fact that the na- tions of the earth, now after the war (1924), refuse to get together in any really helpful way, so full of jealousy and suspicion are they. It is not a good thing to dwell too much on this dark side of the world. But once in a while it is necessary to know the facts if we would really improve. At least, we must see things as they are, especially when the Lord points them out to us in order to have us improve. As a result of this state of affairs in the world the elders of the Church are commanded by the Lord to “warn sinners unto repentance.”- It is even made the duty of “every man who -has been warned to warn his neighbor,” in order that every one may be “left without excuse.” [or there are some terrible things to fall upon mankind unless they repent. Nor is any one to escape who does not do so. For only through repentance is there any way of salvation. That is the ugly side of the picture. But there is a beautiful side too. For the message of the gospel as revealed to the “Mormon” prophet, like that of the ancient apostles, is one of “glad tidings.” You have often heard, no doubt, of the Millennium. This is a period to which the saints of every age have A NEW MESSAGE TO THE WORLD 35 The looked forward with joyful anticipation. It Restoration— js to be a thousand years in length, the sab- per hearse bath, or rest-period, of the earth. During this period there will be universal peace—no hatred be- tween man and man or between man and beast. The lamb and the lion, as the hymn declares, shall “lie down together without any harm.” Swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning-hooks. Satan - shall have no power to tempt people as he does now, and so our desires will be more inclined to good. The earth will be sanctified for our benefit, men’s salvation will there be completed, and all will be judged according to their deeds. Precious knowledge of the past and the present and of the heavens and the earth, will be revealed in abundance. The whole world will be a universal brotherhood. But the human family must be prepared for that won- derful period. It cannot come on us suddenly in a night. For it is indeed a far cry from our present time of strife and selfishness and hate to a period of universal peace and love. Now, the means by which men are to be pre- pared for the Millennium is the gospel that Jesus taught nineteen hundred years ago and that He revealed again to Joseph Smith, with its priesthood to keep open con- tinuously the line of communication between God and man. It is a good thing once in a while to ask ourselves, “In which direction are we headed? Are we going to- ward the precipice or towards the meadows and the clear streams? Is there anything in our life of which we have cause to repent? Are we looking forward anxiously to the time when we shall live with Christ on the earth a 36 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE thousand years? And are we doing our share in pre- paring the world for that reign of universal peace and brotherhood ?” QUESTIONS 1. What is a message? Give instances. 2. How important is a message the Lord has for mankind as compared with a message one man may have for another, - or a ruler for his people? There is a time when the ground is being cleared and plowed and harrowed; when the tender seed, of what- ever kind, is being planted in the soft, warm earth; when, under the influence of the gentle rain and the coaxing stn, the green blade peeps through and shoots up into the receiving air; and when the growing crop needs all the watchcare of the eager husbandman, during the days of the spring floods and the summer’s scorching heat. There also is such a time in the history of the Latter- day work which God, the great Husbandman, wrought— days of preparation, of planting, of great solicitude, of patient waiting. This is the period when the world and a prophet had to be prepared to receive the Truth, when new ideas had to be made known and old ones restored, when these must be taken care of till they grew and became thoroughly established in the hearts of men. It is the period of late spring and early summer in church history. CHAP DE RaW A BOY AT THE CROSS ROADS There are few sensations more distressing than that of being lost in a great city. You wander about seeking The some clue by which you may escape from sensation of your strange surroundings. You ask now being lost. this person and now that, some of whom are as unfamiliar with the streets as you are, and others of whom either give you wrong directions or directions you cannot understand. With what relief you at last find a map of the city or a guide-book, something you can rely upon. This was essentially the situation in which the boy Joseph Smith found himself a little more than a hun- dred years ago. Only, it was not in a great strange city. but in the midst of a rather large number of churches. This chapter tells how he experienced that feeling of being lost and of finding his directions from a wonderful Guide-book. By birth Joseph Smith the “Mormon” Prophet, was a New England lad, having been born in Vermont two Bias ae before the Christmas of 1805. His boyhood of parents had brought the family of ten from Joseph Smith. Sharon, where Joseph was born, first to Palmyra and then to Manchester, when the Prophet was in his tenth year. The journey had been made in a rude wagon, perhaps covered, the mother taking complete charge, because the father had gone before to prepare a home. A BOY AT THE CROSS ROADS 39 When Joseph was a child he had typhus fever, of which he was sick for two weeks. One day while recov- ering from this illness he suddenly cried out in great distress from a pain in his shoulder. It was produced by a fever sore, which, when lanced by a doctor, discharged about a quart of pus. Then the pain shot down into the leg, which began to swell and to give him much agony. An operation was decided upon. Several pieces of bone were extracted, and thus the leg was saved. As there was no way in those days of deadening pain during an> operation, you may imagine that Joseph must have suf- fered greatly. The physician wanted to tie him down after the fashion of the time, but this the patient refused to have done. . Joseph learned at school to read, to write, and to do simp!e problems in arithmetic. The schools were not such as we have to-day in the United States, even in towns far removed from the large cities. Usually they were held in small log cabins. There were but three subjects taught—reading, writing, and arithmetic. Few books were in use there, the teachers were poorly pre- pared, boarding ’round with the families according to the number of children attending the school. As Joseph lived in the country where there was farm work to do, he did not attend school for more than a few weeks in the year, and that during the winter months. For his father was a farmer during the greater part of his life. The family was never very well off as to this world’s goods. It was a large family, even as families went in those days, and Joseph and his brothers had to work hard to help their father clear the land of trees and brush and to plant and harvest the crops. The 40° , OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE mother painted and sold oilcloth coverings for tables, stands, and other household articles, to help out the family purse. The Prophet’s father and mother were named Joseph and Lucy. They were married at Tunbridge, Vermont. The early home of the Smiths was in Massa- Joseph’s chusetts, that of the Macks—the mother’s ancestry. ; ; : family—was in -Connecticut, from which States both branches had been driven by financial re- verses. Failure of crops for three successive years in Norwich, their last home in Vermont, caused the Smith family to move to Western New York, which was then a pioneer district. Joseph’s ancestors were humble. On neither side of the house, it seems, was there any ambition to cut a figure in the world. Simple farm-folk in the main, they were content to live a simple life. Lucy’s grandparents had been tolerably well-to-do. Her father, Solomon Mack, wrote a narrative of his mil- itary exploits, in a rather entertaining style. His mother’s. Her brother, Stephen, helped to found Detroit, Michigan, where he became a pros- perous merchant. War heroes abounded in her family. Lucy herself appears to have been a woman of consid- erable energy and common sense. The father, a mild-tempered, thoughtful man, was a descendant of Robert Smith, who came to America from England before the middle of the seven- His father’s, teenth century. Asael Smith, grandfather of the Prophet, had more than the average of both means and character. The son, father of the Prophet, now a farmer, had once engaged in trade with A BOY AT THE CROSS ROADS 41 a firm in China, but left commerce when he was swindled out of his earnings by his partner in business. The Smiths, too, could boast of some veterans of the wars in which the country had been engaged. Both the Smiths and the Macks, it appears, were of a strongly religious bent; and although some of them held views very different from their neighbors, they were devout believers in God as the Father of all men, in Jesus as the Redeemer of the world, in the Bible as the word of God, and in the church as a means of salva- tion. It was therefore a religious home into which Joseph Smith was born and in which he was reared. During the winter of 1819-20, when Joseph was in his fifteenth year, there took place in Manchester and the neighborhood what was called a religious an vane revival. If you have never been at any such gatherings, you will be interested in know- ing what one is like. In those days, as always, there were ‘‘backsliders” from the church. These it was necessary to bring to the fold again in some way. The usual way then was to hold a series of religious meetings, where the most famous revivalists did the talking. Sometimes a single denomi- nation engaged in this work, but generally several churches conducted it jointly. The purpose of such meet- ings was to rouse the feelings of the people to a high pitch, and the preachers who could do this were in most favor. And such gatherings! People came from great distances to them, often leaving their work and staying till they were over and everybody had “got religion.” The torments of sinners after death were depicted in the most vivid and terrifying manner, so as to scare the 42 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE erring into joining the church and forsaking their sins. As a result of these lurid descriptions people did the most unseemly things. They shouted their amens to whatever they approved, they often cried and laughed in the same breath, as the saying goes, they sighed, they groaned, they prayed that God would not damn them forever, they prostrated themselves on the floor in their humiliation, they sometimes fell in a trance from which they did not recover for a long time. These trances were looked upon as great gifts of the Lord, given only to those whom He viewed with special favor. Then came the mourner’s bench, to which the converted were led, where they were supposed to say whether they were “‘saved” or not. It was this sort of revival that occurred in Manchester at this time. Three churches joined in carrying it on— the Methodists, the Presbyterians, and the Baptists. There was great excitement. Every one became concerned for his soul. When the revival ended, and only then, the converted selected their church. It was at this point that difficulty arose, not only among the converts but among the ministers as well. For the preachers of the various denominations clamored in an undignified way for their share of the converts, while the converts became more and more perplexed to know which church to join. Most of them, however, found their way into some religious fold. The young Joseph was one of those who were ex- tremely puzzled. Both he and the other members of the family had taken a deep interest in the re- Joseph and vival, When it was over, four of the fam- the revival. ee . , ily, including Joseph’s mother, became Pres- byterians. Joseph, himself, was somewhat partial, he tells A BOY AT THE CROSS ROADS 43 us, to the Methodists. But he could not make up his mind to join them. He turned the question over and Over again in his mind, without apparently being able to come to a decision. ‘Considering that all could not be right,” he says, speaking of the churches, “and that God could not be the author of confusion, I determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a church, it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way and administer in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another, principles which were diametrically opposed.” In the midst of his perplexity, however, he took up one day the family Bible, that great Guide-book of Life, and there he found the plainest kind of directions by which he was enabled to clear up all his doubts and place in their stead an absolute certainty of the truth. QUESTIONS 1. Tell of an incident that happened either to yourself or to someone else of being lost. 2. In what way can one be lost religiously? How was the young boy, Joseph Smith, “lost” religiously? 3. Have you found your way religiously? Explain how you have done so, if you have, or how you may do so, if you have not. (Remember, Joseph Smith was not yet fifteen when he had his first religious experience. ) ELA bel tee “THE LIGHT THAT NEVER WAS ON LAND OR SEA” Two girls, one very black night, were driving in an automobile through a dangerous canyon. They were ... alone, and had never been that way before. The necessity of having Over narrow dugways that looked down a light. hundreds of feet into a roaring stream, past giant boulders and huge pine trees, the car wound its uncertain way upward round sharp curves. Only one thing saved the girls from a horrible death, and that was a spotlight, which one of them kept flashing here and there so as to show now a rock, now a precipice brink, now a dangerous curve ahead. Life is very much like this canyon road. It is full of dangers and pitfalls. The way is new to all of us. More- over, our own lights are too dim to enable us to see the things that may lure us to certain death. Besides, many objects are not what they seem. The shadow on this side may be hiding a yawning cavern or, on that side, a granite wall against which we may dash out our brains. And here too there is but one light that can save us—the Light of the Christ. This is the light that Joseph Smith saw and heeded on that memorable occasion of the First Vision, to which we have now come. Joseph Smith, as we have said, was born and reared in a religious home. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that the boy, during his moments of doubt, Joseph reads went to the Scriptures for light. And this the Bible. ? ei : is the less surprising when we consider that THE LIGHT 45 he was always looked upon by his relatives as a quiet, thoughtful boy. One time during his reading he came upon the follow- ing words in the Epistle of James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men lib- erally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” It appeared that this happened when his doubts had reached the climax, and his perplexity was the greatest. The effect of this passage was like an electric shock. He paused over the divine words. It was as if they had been written with his condition in mind. Nothing could fit his case more perfectly. He lacked wisdom, for which of the churches in his neighborhood he should join, he did not know. And he was encouraged to ask by the promise that his request for light should be answered and that he would not be upbraided for the asking. But he hesitated. Who was he that he should go before the Lord? Besides, he had never in all his life prayed aloud, as many of those had who had “got religion” at the revivals. Still, the more he thought over the matter, the more he decided to put to the test the sacred words. Accordingly, one beautiful, clear day in the early spring of 1820, more than a hundred years ago, he retired to a small grove near his father’s house, determined to pray for an answer to his question. He had selected this secluded spot beforehand. Not for a moment did he doubt that his petition for light would be granted. In the words of James, which he must have read before the passage just quoted, he was going to the Lord “‘in faith, nothing wavering.” Arriving at the place where he had decided to pray, he Effect on him. 46 OUR CHURCH AND PEOPLE looked around him to see that he was alone, and finding that he was, he knelt down and “began to A vision. offer up the desires of his heart to God.” He had no sooner done so, however, than he was seized by some power which entirely bound his tongue so that he could not speak. Moreover, thick dark- ness gathered round him. It appeared for a time as if he were doomed to destruction. He was grappling with the power of “some actual being from the unseen world,” a power such as he had never felt before in his life. Exert- ing all his strength, he called silently upon the Lord to deliver him from this enemy of his soul. At this moment of greatest alarm he saw a pillar of light exactly over his head, more brilliant than the brightness of the sun. This pillar gradually descended till it enveloped him in its glo- rious light. At this moment, too, the darkness dis- appeared, and with it the power of evil. As the light approached him he beheld in it two per- sonages standing above him in the air. The brightness of them was beyond all description, exceeding anything he had ever seen before. These two glorious personages “exactly resembled each other in features and likeness.” One of them, pointing to the other, said, “Joseph, this is my beloved Son, hear Ham.” His object in coming to this place to pray was, as we have said, to inquire of the Lord which church he should join. As soon therefore as he could collect himself, he asked the momentous question. The answer must have surprised him somewhat. For he was told that all the churches were wrong and that he must not join any of them. He was further informed that all their creeds were ‘“‘an abomination” in the sight of the Lord, that they THE LIGHT 47 had “the form of godliness” but denied the power thereof, and that they “taught for doctrine the commandments of men.” A second time he was forbidden to join any of the churches.» Among the things he was told on this occasion was that “at some future time the fulness of the gospel should be made known” to him. When the vision closed and the Personages had dis- appeared together with the light, Joseph found himself lying on his back, looking upward. He was After the utterly exhausted. On recovering himself vision. ; somewhat he went to the house, the condi- tion of his body showing in his face. As he leaned up to the fire-place, his mother’s quick eye detected that something was the matter, and to her inquiry he answered that he was ‘well enough.” A moment later he added, “T have learned that Presbyterianism is not true.” This was, as you may remember, the church his mother had joined after the recent revival. A few days later Joseph happened to be in the com- pnay of a Methodist minister, one who had been very active in the religious revival just closed. They con- versed on the subject of religion. The boy very nat- urally related the vision he had received. No doubt he imagined that his friend would be greatly pleased that Joseph had had a religious “experience,” for that was what every one converted at a revival was supposed to have in order to be “saved.” But to his great surprise the preacher treated his communication not only lightly but with great contempt. “It is all of the devil,” he said. “There are no such things as visions and revelations in these days, they ceased with the apostles, and there never will be any, more of them.” 48 OUR CHURCH’ AND PEOPLE Joseph found that his telling the story of the vision subjected him to “great persecution” in the neighbor- hood. No one, of course, believed it, outside of his own family. Every one else ridiculed the idea.. Nevertheless it created a deal of excitement, especially among the re- ligious. Although the converts of the various churches — were, a little while before, quarreling about which was the true church, still just now they were united as in a common cause to embarrass an innocent country boy, who was without. wealth or influence in the world. Some of those who thus harassed him were “of high standing” in the community. “It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since,” he said in after years, “how very strange it was that an obscure boy of a little over fourteen Joseph’s years of age, and one, too, who was doomed reflections. . Nie : to the necessity of obtaining a scanty main- tenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter perse- cution and reviling. “However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had be- held a vision. I had seen a light, and in the midst of the light I saw two personages, and they did in reality speak to me. And though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speak- ing all manner of evil against me, falsely, for so saying, I was led to say in my heart, Why persecute me for tell- ing the truth? I have actually seen a vision, and who, am I that I can withstand God? Or why does the world The Sacred Grove, Where the First Vision Took Place 4 aa “1 ee het rn - : J 4 2 = am @ 4 ¢ _. >} S - : ee a. : he a a 7, oe - , | é ‘ : ' * ‘ . e . 6 ° ry a ‘ ‘ > - , . a ne Pee ven Sort Oo ee So @ ae = » qiw a bic a be a ra is ’ a 4 58 Ss re 2 , a Aes ys it . ¥ 4 ely 94s 3 * a = Liat eas t 4 Maid 3 : =e" td's i ® , os , a ha eh EE a wll. ce , 7 (> ik: @ . 2 | an ; sob® bad ©, st =" ae es if ia r 77 : Few at aa Coody ? ia - 9 a —_ a a < “Pk, } ‘ oo a i" =| PS Lelie > ’s a ae 2 bat. 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