Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-26
REMARKS
AXE Conference in the Tabernacle Salt Lake
F''' civ sunday Afternoon. March 18th 1898 by
ELDER HEBER j. GRANT

obtaining a testimony as to the diyin-
ity Of this work.
| We find that Oliver Cowdery. one of
he witnesses TO the divinity of tn,
Book of Mormon, fell by the wayside,
after having signed his name, in con
rection with the other witnesses, to
he testimony which is contained in
this book:
BE 1t known unto all nations, kin
dreds, tongues, and people unto whom
TINS work shall come. that we, through
the grace of God the Father and our
Lord Jesus Christ have seen the
plates which contain this record.
which is record of the people of
! Nephi. and also of the Lamanitcs.
! their brethren, and also of the people
of Jared, who came from the tower
| of which hath been spoken: and We
| also know that they have been trans
lated by the gift. and power OF God
| for His voice hath declared 1t unto us:
! wherefore we know of Il surety that
| the work Is true. And we also testify
! that we have seen the engravines
| which are upon the plates; and they
| have been shown unto us by the power
! of God. ana not Of man And we de-
J clare with words of soberncss. that
| an angel of God came down from
| heaven, and he brought and laid before
| our eyes, that we beheld and saw the
| plates, and the engravings thereon,
| and we know that 1t is by the grace
| of God the Father. and our Lord Jesus
! Christ that we behpld and bear record
that these things are true; and 1t IL
marvellous in our eyes. nevertheless
| the voice of the Lord commanded us
| that we should bear record of II,
| wherefore. to he obedient unto the
commandments of God, we bear testi-
mony of these things. And we know
a. 10 fntt al Ia, tot
shall rid our garments of the blood
of all men, and be found spotess he
| fore the Judgment seat of Christ. and
shall dwell with Him externally In the
heavens. And the honor be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the
| Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER, COWDERY,
DAVID WHITMER,
MARTIN HARRIS"
oliver Cowdery. the chief scribe for
the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the
leading witness here fell by the way
side. Not only did God reveal to him
and declare by His voice that this is
a correct record, translated by the
power of God, but this same man.
the Prophet Joseph Smith. had be-
slowed upon him the Aaronic Priest
hood by John the Baptist, the man
who baptized our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. He also had bestowed
upon him the Melchisedek or Higher
Priesthood by Peter James and John,
the three Apostles of our Lord ana
Savior Jesus Christ. And although he
turned away from the Church, he
never failed TO the day OF his death.
to bear witness Of these things.
An incident recently came to my
notice through Elder C. NJ. Nielsen of
this city. Brother Nielsen was on n
mission In the Eastern states After
trying In vain, at several places u Sc
cure entertainment. he asked man !
who was just stepping Into his wagon.
to take him for n ride. The man |
turned around and asked him a num-
Der of questions. Finally he asked |
him where he was from, and he told |
him he was from Utah. and that ne |
was Mormon, The man invited him !
to get into his wagon and go home |
with him. When he got home the |
man related the following incident In |
the life of Oliver Cowdery, after he |
had left the Church: This man one
day was at the county seat Gas ] |
remember, 1t was Springfield, Illinois), |
and there was trial for murder going |
on. He dropped in Just as the attor-
ney for the defense was making his
plea. This attorney, instead of de-
Tending the prisoner, took II upon
himself to ridicue the county prose
cutting attorney, who was none other
Oliver Cowdery to tell the jury what
he knew about the "Mormon Bible"
about the golden plates" about odd
Joe Smith" and about the lie he had
signed his name to regarding the di-
vinity of the Book Of Mormon. After
the attorney had finished oliver Cow
derry arose. and In the presence of the
court and the assembled multitude
1.-THE courthouse being fulD he declared
in the most solemn manner that every
word written in this testimony to the
divinity of the Book of Mormon was
true. He declared that upon his head
Peter, James and John, the Apostles
of the Lord Jesus Christ, had laid
their hands, and he had received from
them the Melchisedek Priesthood; that
upon his head John the Baptist also
had laid his hands and ordained him
to the Aaronic Priesthood. Said he.
II bear witness before the court and
the assembled multitude that the only
reason that | today am not in Utah
with the body OF the people called
Mormons is because have committed
sin. and I have fallen by the wayside;
but the one ambition OF my life is that
may before | die regain my standing
in the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter-day Saints" This man testified
to Elder Nielsen that that testimony
had made such a vivid impression up
on his mind. although 1t had been
some twenty or thirty years before.
that he had never been able to get
away from it. and from that day un-
I'll the day he met Elder Nielsen he
had desired to meet n Mormon Elder
He expressed delight Mt meeting Elder
Nielsen, and he entertained him; and
the result was that this man and all
his family embraced the Gospel Of
Jesus Christ.
Oliver Cowdery himself bears testi-
mony In the following language with
reference to his receiving the Aaronic
Priesthood:
These We're days never to be for
gotten-to sit under the sound of a
voice dictated by the inspiration of
heaven, awakened the utmost graft
tude of this hosoml This was when he
was acting as scribe for the Prophet
Joseph.l Day after day continued.
to write from his
mouth. as he translated with the
urlm and Thpmmim. or, as the Ne
phites would have said. Interpreters,
the history or record called The Book ,