Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-03

'"rhc prophet who shall presume 10
speak n wori In my name which have
not commanded him to speak
even tina, probho, shall die. Aud II thou
say In thine heart. How shall We know
the word which tho Lord iu,-l not spoken?
When prophet Spcakaih In tho name or
the Lord, II the thing follow not, nor
come TO pass, that Is the thing which the
Lord hath not spoken; bat the prophet
hath spoken II prcsumptuou.lyi thou
shalt not be afraid Of him" Deul. xviii
2O-22.
The passage which have read may
he taken as a key by which TO jistin-
guish a true prophet from false one.
Tho flnt definition of the word
prophet according 10 the standard die
tionaries Is, cone who prophecies; one
who forolclls future events; prciiclcr;
a fore.ellcr; a seer" Ia this light VI.
shall proceed 10 test the claims OF
Joseph Smith, whom the La,tof-,lay
Saints claim 10 be- the great Prophet
Of tho Nineteenth Century. We claim
for him that he was visited by holy be-
ings, who restored 10 him the fulncss
VI the gospel OF Jesus Christ, with
authority ~ administer In all the onii.
nanccs Of tho same; that he received
from the angel M0rOni certain gold
plates that Ind been hidden In the
earth for fourteen hundred year., and
that he translated the engraviugs upon
these plates Into tho English language
by the gift and power Of God, the ~.
suit Of which was the Book OF
Mormon. We further clnim that
lie organized tho Church OF
Christ once more upon the earth,
and that hc received by direct r,vcl-
alton q code OF laws and command.
monts by which 10 govern the anain
Of that Church, according 10 the
original pattern given by Jesus aud
His Apostles eighteen hundred year
ago. We further claim that IL IL VI the
utmost importance ior all people who
dosire eternal salvation 10 know
whether these things are true or not.
IL Joseph Smith l. what he protested
90 be-. A true Prophet Of God, no one
can reject his testimony without being
condemned, while on the other hand,
II he was an lmp0stor, or q false proph.
et. VIZ can reject him without fear of
Divine punishment, and the condem-
nation viii rest upon the man who as
suines 10 speak IN the name Of the
Lord prcsumptuOusly. In this lecture
shall coniine myself TO his prophetic
and Inspired ut,emnces by proving
their mldllment and truthfulno-~
mostly from historic standpoint.
Jogrii's riRsr VISION.
One Of the iirst declarations made by
Joseph Smith, when he was ooly n boy
between fourteen aud fiiecn years 81
age, was, that the whole Christian
world hal gone asiray, aud TINT the
true Church Of Christ was not 10 be
found upon the earth. What a start
ling declanti0nl Could any thing lie
more pf.sumpti0us ON the part " n
common uncducatcd farmers 10y than
such nm assertion. Preachers Of the
various denominations IN the ncighbor.
hood where the boy rcaidcd became
exasp.ratcd and at once denounced
him as an imposior or fraud. A boy
who Ind seen nothing Of the world,
save the tract OF country In Vermont,
where he WINS born. and the western
wilds OF the state Of New York, where
he now resided with his parents. A
boy who had perhaps never been even
introduced 10 nny OF tho prominent
divines OF the day, who had never cross
ed the threshold OF any important
Institution OF learning, who had never
thoroughly examined the creed OF any
one denomination, much les having n
know edge OF them all, who had
never crossed the ocean 10 acquaint
himself with the great learning Of
Europe, with H. thousands " prtnch.
ers and ilr universities aud institute
lions Of learning. What did he know
about the crc.,is and organizations cx.
istlng among the millions Of Christians
Ia Europe and America, thus 10 de-
nouncc them all without further cere.
mony. Why, oven Lulher, tho great
reformerof the sixteenth century, with
his profound learning and thorough
knowledge OF tho Catholic creed, did
not denounce the Roman Catholic
Church In such n manner IN that. He
did not say II was rejected as n whole
and that Il wnr not the Church OF
Christ; he simply contended that II had
Incorporated Into its system doctrines,
sarraments and ordinances which were
not true aud not warranted In the
Blble. i.uther simply desired to re.
form the Church, TO purge II and
remove from II erroneous doctrines
aud wicked practices. But Joseph
Smith without any more knowledge OF
the religious Of the world than what
opportunities his attendance Of the
numerous revival meetings held Nv his
Immediate noighborhood had given
him, denounced them all Ms false.
Whence, then, his authority for the
swoeplng declaration he made M 10 tie
condition " the sO-cllled Christian
churches. His story II u simple, plain
AMI unlmbelllshed one. He tells Ia
his own Straightforward manner how,
after attending the different revival
moetlngs without being able 10 con.
cIude which OF the denominations was
the right ono for him 10 join, went
into the woods 10 pny 10 the Lord for
that wisdom which the Apostle James
promises shall be given the honest
believer. Tho result was an attack Of
Tho power Ofdsrkness which threatened
him with desiruct.oD, thon a light far
above him In the sky, then an evelop.
ment In that light which descended
upon him, then vision OF two glOn.
Gus personagsa standing above him la
the air, one Of whom speaking 10 him,
while pointing 10 the other, said "flils
is my beloved son, hear HIM" Here,
then, was Jesus Christ hning In
trodueed by His Father To Joseph
smith. the praying boy, who next was
Informed by the Great Rodeemer II im-