Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-22


very frequently" all this appears ~
the Herald's own references,
In the Tabernacle on Sunday, Presl.
dent Smith remarked they wanted mC
to say that God had given to me a rev.
citation upon some new doctrine, OF
theory or principle, or precept or any
thing TO be written, to be observed u
handed down as guide to the Church
! could not have said that for he has
not done this. hut has God revealed n
me Ills mind and His VIM Has He
made manifest to me knowledge o'
Ills truth by and through the Spirit OF
| revelation? Did you ever hear OF ny
denying that? No; no man has ever
heard me deny that"
1t was clearly pointed out on sun
day that there are differences Of mani
festatlon and revelation from God 20
man. Moses TALKED with God face to
face. Joseph smith, the Prophet. be-
held the Father and Son, who conversed
with him. lie and other prophets re-
! celyed ystations from angels and he
and they heard the voice Of God speak.
Ing TO them. These were pointed out as
remarkable and exceptional revela-
tions from Deity But II was also ex-
planned that the Holy Ghost manifested
the things OF God to mankind and that
these were In one sense revelations,
though not OF the same kind as those
mentioned previously President JOS
eph i, Smith testified to having re-
ceived that inspiration needed to guide
the Church in his capacity as its Presl-
dent but stated that he had not
claimed 10 have received that closer In
tercourse with Deity vouchsafed 20
Moses aud to the Prophet Joseph Smith,
In revelations that were written and
delivered TO the Church with a Thus
saith the Lord
Every Latter.day Saint can under
stand this distinction. President Smith
testified that he had not received such
revelations from God as were given by
open intercourse with the Most High,
nor any communication TO be delivered
to the Church TO be recorded az a writ
ten revelation; but he did not deny that
he had received the revelations Of the
Spirit OF God, such as may be had by
every member Of the Church for himself
and his own affairs, and by the man
who stands at the head Of the Church
for the guidance and benefit Of the
whole body.
The trouble Is that his critics and
accusers are among those persons de-
nouneed IN Holy Writ as Making
man and offender for a word" Now In
order TO show clearly what President
Smiths "inquisitors" understand by the
term revelation" about which they
qulzzed him and pestered him and bad
gered him, as may be seen I'm the re-
cord, we quote the following excerpts
from the argument Of Robert w. Tay-
Ter, attorney for the professors, as Civ
en- In the Official report:
II should like that every word say
ilbii iON OH hUOulu ne tOISl0eItU III
View OF the fact ana in constant APP
prehension OF the fact, that revelation
runs through the Mormon mind and is
the basis Of the Mormon religion, and
OF It's hold on the Mormon people of to-
day--revelation by actual contact with
the Almighty
let us examine this subject OF reve-
lation, as applied 10 Senator Smoot as
"A "A Ia "a 10 IA a
made lucid by It's manifest meaning
when Interpreted by the admitted facts
OF his Church's history and doctrines.
According to his own view he Is capa-
Bile of holding immediate Intercourse
with God"
Seven hundred thousand sincere men
and women have believed and now be-
leve, as they believe In their own ex-
istenoe that Joseph smith Jr., received
revelations direct from God, and II
anyone ever believed that we must as
sumo that Senator Smoot believes IT,"
ANY man who believes himself to be
In personal relation TO Almighty God,
80 that he is capable OF receiving
through a conscious fellowship and in
tercourse face TO face with God, either
by hearing his voice or by seeing his
mand OF a God OF infinite goodness,
wisdom, and power Is constitutlonally
incapable OF being a part OF a man
made government.
Assuming the possession by Senator
| Smoot OF the power OF personal inter-
course with Almighty God, with the
certainty on his part that that Will
may be revealed to him, not as an in
| spraton, not rs a general and elusive
and peryaslye effulgence of truth,
| whereby he apprehends, as It were, by
some inner mental operation that the
| truth Is with him, but that by coming
| face to face with God and receiving HIS
word, hearing His voice. he knows
| what our Mormon friends would de-
| scribe that II Is thing that comes
thus saith the Lord with the same
| kind Of certainty that you now have
| Of my addressing you, then | do not
care whether man Is a Mormon or
| what he "a; he may be a good citizen,
but he should have no part in legsla-
ton"
IL Ia easy for anyone who has given
attention to the drift Of the investlsa-
ton before the committee, to see what
! kind Of trap" was being set for
President Smith, and this is not said
concerning that body In It's entirety,
but in reference to such "lnquisitors'
as Dubois and Tayler They wished to
make It appear that President Joseph
f. Smith and Apostle Reed Smoot
claimed to receive revelations by per
sona contact with God, face 10 face
and mouth TO mouth" and that be-
cause Of such claim. or even belief,
Reed Smoot could not properly be per-
mitted to occupy seat in the United
states Senate,
The logic. the doctrine. the declarn-
tons OF the casuist on this matter are