Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-08

And It WAS given unto him TO make
war with the saints and to overcome
them. And power was given him over
| all kindreds and tongues and nations.
So general should this power be that IL
should overcome the saints completely
but In the next chapter, In the FOUR
tcenth chapter of john we are told;
And ] saw another angel fly In the
midst of heaven. having the everlast-
| ing gospel 10 preach unto them that
| dwell on the earth, and to every nation
| and kindred, and tongue and people.
| saving with Il loud voice, Fear God ana
| give glory to him. for the hour OF MS
| judgment is come, and worship MN
| that made heaven and earth and the
sea and the fountains of waters
In the thirteenth chapter | read to
| Won how that the saints should be over
| come and that this calamity should
| extend to all nations. In The fourteenth
| chapter the glorious announcement Is
| made that an angel should come with
| the gospel and restore II. and just as
universal as the overcoming and the
falling away had been, so should the
proclamation be made. that is. 1t should
be given. to all people. to every nation
and kindred and tongue and people,
showing that the message which the
angel should bring was not for one par
tlcular locality, but it was for all ma
tions.
BIRTH OF PROPHET JOSEPH
We celebrate today the birth of the
Prophet Joseph Smith. 1t took place
lO4 years ago last Thursday, the 2Srd
of December and what John saw
should happen we declare unto men
has happened: that an angel has come
and that this man Joseph smith was
used as an instrument in the hand OF
GoG to establish his Church here upon
the Garth. the Church of Jesus Christ
When the apostasy had reached It's
darkest period the heavens are again
opened. the light OF the gospel is shin
ing and darkness is being dispersed. |
have many times thought that the date
of the birth of the Prophet was sym
bolical OF his mission. The 23rd OF
December follows the darkest night of
the year, and is succeeded by brighter
and longer days. His mission was to
establish the gospel that Its light
might spread among the nations ana
that darkness might be driven away.
He was born In Vermont of eoodlE
parents 1t has been said that his an
cestors were shftlcss and unreliable,
but examining the parish records and
town registers OF New England, we
find that his ancestors were prominent
men in society and took great part
in building up the country and that
they were industrious, frugal people
and generally prosperous. When Joseph
was 10 years old he moved with his
father to New York state, His father.
through too much confidence in others,
lost his property In trying to help
them, so that he became poor and had
to sustain his family by manual labor.
FIRST VISIONS.
Joseph was a good, obedient son. He
was a great thinker. and at Ia he felt
much concerned about his salvation.
There was then a babel OF religions.
much religious strife and contention
and he did not know which OF the DIFF
fcrent sects he should join He went
by himself To pray. he asked the Lord
for wisdom that he might know what
he should do to be saved The answer
was given. Two heavenly Beings stood
In glory above him. one of them SAID
This is my beloved Son; hear him
Thus the heavens were opened and the
Father and the Son appeared to him
They told him not TO join any OF the
sects and parties. for they had not the
authority OF the priesthood; they were
not acceptable In the sight of the Lord
Joseph was then but Ii. When IL years
of age he had another vision. The
angel Moroni appeared to him and
spent the night In teaching and in
structing him. The angel visited him
three times that night. and repeated
the same Instructions each time. so
that they were indelibly written on
the tablets of his heart
He tells us what these instructions
we're. The angel read to him tho fourth
chapter OF Malachi, and also the
eleventh chapter of Isaiah, The chapter
In Isaiah tells that the Lord should
the second time undertake the work OF
gathering mis- people. II sets forth the
principle of gathering. which has been
Il principle unique In cur faith. Those
who accept the message that the
elders bear get the spirit Of gathering
with the people of God. that they may
fulfil the prophecy Of Isaiah which
says:
MANY people shall go and say Como
we and let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord to the house of the God
OF Jacob. and he will teach us Of his
ways, and we Will walk In his paths
for out OF Zion shall go forth the law
and the word of the Lord from Jeru>
salem"
1t is remarkable that these teach
ings about the gathering should be
given a young man Ii years old: and
the chapter in Malachi in which he Is
instructed about the work for the dead
Is still more remarkable. These two
principles Joseph could not have taken
from any sect cXtant They were re-
Vcaled to him
We have seen the fulnlment OF
these principles Though 1t took some
years before the gathering commenced,
and several years more before the
principle of baptism and salvation for
the dead was taught. The angel also
instructed him In other things per-
tanning 10 the gospel, and informed
him that in n certain hill were plates,
golden plates on which were engraved
The history of the people who had liv-
ed upon this continent. Four years
later the plates were delivered to him
them with the Urim and Thummim,
years later, OF In the early part of
1880. before the Church was organiz-
ed the book was published and the
world could read ii, and that book
has been the means. through the
power Of God, to convince many
souls. The world sneer at this. They
say 1t Is so contrary to their expert
encc that 1T cannot be true. But VIC
are not dependent alone on the tcsti-
mony Of the Prophet Joseph. The Lord
helped him and gave him others that
should know for themselves that he
spoke the truth. There were II Wit
nessess that saw the plates, and
published this to the world. namely
the three witnesses who saw them
first, the eight afterwards and Of
course the Prophet himself These men
testify 10 the world that they saw
| tho plates, and II is not In vague
| words, but in the clcarcst of language: