The Restoration and Divine Authority

I have been profoundly impressed, my brethren and sisters, with the proceedings of the Conference. From the beginning until the present one thought has been uppermost in my mind, a thought so fundamental in the Church that I have written some notes from which I wish to call your attention to it. At this time, when moments are so precious, I have endeavored to concentrate, and for that reason, as I say, I prepared these notes. ¶

JOSEPH smith's first vision ¶

It was in the early spring of 1820, one hundred and thirteen years ago, that Joseph Smith, who at that time was in his fifteenth year, received his first heavenly manifestation. In the vision he saw the Father and the Son, and as one of those glorious personages pronounced his name the boy heard that divine injunction, given nearly two thousand years before to the people of the American continent: "This is my1 beloved Son. Hear him." ¶

He had gone to the Lord for a specific purpose. He was in doubt as to which of the conflicting creeds, each professing faith in Jesus Christ, was accepted by the Lord and which he should join. ¶

The answer to his question was definite. The personage addressed said to him that he was to join none of them; that they had all gone astray ; that they worshiped him with their lips, but their hearts were removed far from him, and they taught for doctrine the commandments of men. ¶

A Messenger Sent from God

Three years elapsed. The boy was approaching manhood. During the years which had passed, in the face of persecution and ridicule, he had maintained that he had seen a vision and had heard the voices of the Father and the Son. ¶

On the twenty-first da}- of September, after Joseph had retired for the night, he again engaged in prayer to his Father in heaven. In response to his petition he says : ¶

"While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of exquisite whiteness. * * * His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist ; so also were his feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles. * * * His whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning." ¶

He spoke to Joseph telling him that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God, and that his name was Moroni.; that the Lord had a work for him to do, and that his name should be had for good and evil among all nations. ¶

The messenger declared the existence of a book, written upon plates of metal which contained the history of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent — the Book of Mormon. ¶

Quotes Prophet Joel

Among other scripture quoted by the messenger was the following from the prophet Joel, which he said had not yet been fulfilled, but was soon to be : ¶

"I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions ; ¶

"And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. ¶

"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. ¶

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. ¶

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever, shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered ; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." ¶

Receives Plates

Four years after the visitation of Moroni on September 22nd, 1827, the plates referred to were entrusted to Joseph Smith, and on April 7th, 104 years ago, he began the translation of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery acting as his scribe. ¶

Authority Restored

As the translation proceeded it was discovered that the people to whom the record referred practiced the ordinance of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Following his usual custom, Joseph Smith, with Oliver Cowdery, retired to the woods and they engaged in prayer. The answer came in a flood of light from heaven. John the Baptist stood bef ore them, and laying his hands upon them said : ¶

"Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins ; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." ¶

He told them that this Aaronic priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred later. ¶

With the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood and the greater Melchizedek priesthood, which was later conferred as promised, authority to speak and act for God was restored, with all of the keys which existed in the primitive church. ¶

The Church Organized

On the 6th day of April, 1830, one hundred and three years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was legally organized as the law required that it should be, and the proclamation of the restored Gospel was heralded to the people of the world. ¶

One of the chief criticisms which opponents of the Church have advanced in their opposition to it is that it claims authority which comes direct from God and that this authority was restored by men who had lived and passed from mortal existence long ago. ¶

By Divine Authority

Xo objection can be advanced by a person who is familiar with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible, to the doctrines taught by the Church. It is the declaration which the Church makes that it is by divine authority that it came into existence and continues to exist, authority which came direct from God our Father through Jesus Christ his Son, the agency employed in the restoration being messengers sent from the presence of our Father in heaven to Joseph Smith, the medium through whom it was carried to the people of the world. ¶

Why should the manner of the restoration appear a strange thing and be a stumbling block to people who profess acceptance of the Bible as the guide by which their faith and the conduct of their lives are to be governed? Has it not always been so? Is the manner of the restoration different from that which the Father has always adopted in communicating his will to his children here upon earth? Let us examine and see. ¶

Heavenly Messengers Sent to Earth

To refer to the number of times and the various purposes for which the Lord has spoken to the inhabitants of our earth, to the occasions when messengers, referred to as angels, have been sent to earth, would require much more time than is at my disposal. ¶

From Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Christ, the Lord has at divers times and under different circumstances spoken to us, always calling us back to him, warning us to beware of the seducing influence of Lucifer, the son of Perdition, the Devil, who was cast down from the presence of God, who is the enemy of all that is good, and who is here upon earth, his sole ambition being to lead men and women away from Christ and reduce them to his own miserable condition of unhappiness. ¶

Accompanied by Light

It will be observed that where the presence of the Lord is manifested it is accompanied by light; it is the brightness of the sun, the glory of, a perfect day. The presence or influence of the tempter brings with it darkness, clouds, depression and ultimate death, for he is the author of death. ¶

The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a bush which appeared to burn but was not consumed. It was a living light which radiated from the glory of the person, and not a consuming fire. ¶

The angel who appeared to Zacharias and announced the birth of John the Baptist, declared himself to be Gabriel who stood in the presence of God. The Bible tells us that this same messenger — Gabriel — was sent from God to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she was to become the mother of the Redeemer of the world. ¶

On that eventful night, while the shepherds watched over their flocks upon the hills of Judea, light suddenly appeared in the heavens, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them and they were sore afraid. But the angel said unto them : ¶

"Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¶

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, * * * ¶

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¶

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ¶

We are told in the Bible that "after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. ¶

"And was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. ¶

"And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. ¶

"Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." ¶

In passing let me remark that Moses lived more than 1500 years before the birth of Christ, and Elias nearly 1000 years. ¶

"While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them : and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." — That same eternal message. ¶

"And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. ¶

"And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid." ¶

Paul's experience ¶

The Apostle Paul was an educated Jew. He tells us that he had taught and had lived the life of the s'trictest sect among the Jews, a Pharisee. He was a persecutor of the church, even consenting to the death of some of its members. He tells us that as he journeyed to Damascus, with authority and commission to proceed with his plan of persecution, he saw a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining about him and those who journeyed with him. And when they had all fallen to the earth he heard a voice from heaven saying in the Hebrew tongue: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Paul answered, "Who art thou, Lord ?" and the answer came : "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." ¶

Again the light from heaven, again the prostration of those upon whom it fell, again the voice of Jehovah revealing the truth to an unbelieving world through one whom he had chosen, unconsciously to Paul, to be his special witness to the Gentiles. ¶

An Angel Appears Unto John

Among the more important revelations given by God to man is that known as the Apocalypse, or Revelation of St. John, the divine, the beloved disciple of our Lord. John was on the Island of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea, at the time, where he had been banished by decree of Rome and made to work in the mines or stone quarries. It was under these circumstances that this sublime revelation was given. It is : ¶

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John." ¶

Then follows this wonderful revelation, which makes known the past, deals with the present, and foretells the future as no other revelation in the Bible does. When the messenger had concluded his errand, John says: ¶

"And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. ¶

"Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and, of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book : worship God." ¶

Divine Communications Foretold

My purpose in referring to the various scriptures from which I have quoted — and there are many more of them — is to call attention to the fact that communication between our Father in heaven and his children who are here upon earth, is not an unreasonable thing ; in fact, in consideration of the words of the prophets and the Redeemer himself, it was to be expected. ¶

Jesus, when asked by his disciples, What shall be the sign of thy coming ?, declared that before his coming the gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world as a witness to all people. ¶

John, the beloved disciple, to whom reference has been made, definitely declares the manner in which the restoration is to be effected in the following words : ¶

"I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue, and people." ¶

In a Flood of Light

One of the peculiarities attendant upon the appearance of a messenger sent from the presence of God is that he comes in a flood of heavenly light. ¶

As Moses tended the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro, on Mount Horeb, the Bible tells us, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush, and the bush burned with fire and was not consumed. ¶

As Paul journeyed toward Damascus, a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, descended upon him and those who were with him, and they fell to the earth. From the midst of the light he heard the voice of the Lord. ¶

As the shepherds kept watch over their flocks by night on the hills of Judea, a light — the glory of the Lord — shone around them and they were sore afraid as the angel of the Lord announced to them the birth of a Savior, who was Christ the Lord. ¶

Let us return for a moment to Joseph Smith. As he offered his first prayer, when about to succumb to the powers of darkness which sought to overwhelm him, he says that a pillar of light, above the brightness of the sun, fell upon him, as he saw and heard the Father and the Son. When the vision terminated he says: "When I came to myself I found myself lying upon my back, looking up into heaven." ¶

Again with the appearance of the Angel Moroni the room in which Joseph slept became lighter than at noonday. With the departure of the messenger the room again became dark. ¶

John the Baptist, who restored the Aaronic priesthood, descended in a cloud of light. ¶

In Harmony with Reason and Truth

It was not because of his familiarity with the scriptures that Joseph Smith was capable of formulating a plan of restoration, organization and administration so completely in harmony with the revealed word of the Lord. The knowledge came to him little by little, line upon line, precept after precept, as the Lord revealed it to him. The story of the restoration has withstood the ridicule of the ignorant and the criticism of the learned for more than a century, without detection of an error in the plan. It is in harmony with the revealed will of God and the reason of man. In humility and with full consciousness of the responsibility involved we reaffirm that the manner of the restoration as referred to is true. ¶

Truth Unchangeable

Truth remains the same throughout the ages. Our surroundings may change, as they have done during the past century — a century which has brought to us development in science, in invention and worldly knowledge greater than all the centuries that have preceded it, until we find ourselves living in a new world. But God's revealed truth is the same, and it will be unchanged through the eternities to come. He is the same good Heavenly Father who walked and talked with Adam, who preserved the human family through Noah, who called Abraham and entered into covenant with him. The same who sent his Only Begotten Son to earth, with power to break the band of death with which Lucifer held us bound, and redeemed us to everlasting life. ¶

It is through God our Father that the gospel of salvation has been restored, Christ our Lord, his Only Begotten Son, being the agent through whom he acts, and he in turn communicates the will of the Father to us by messengers sent from his presence. He is the author of this intricate and yet simple organization which we refer to as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is by authority from him that we exercise the gift of the holy priesthood. ¶

Founder of the Government

Just as our Father in heaven, through Christ his Son, is the founder of the Church, so is he the founder of the government by which we are — or should be if we are not — controlled in civil affairs. He it was who brought the Pilgrim fathers and those who followed after to the shores of New England. He has said that he established the Constitution of our country by the hands of wise men whom he raised up for that very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. ¶

Both the Church and the government have experienced periods oi deep affliction since their establishment. Both have been assailed by enemies from without and foes within which have threatened disruption. Each in time of trial has found strong hearts and arms to sustain it. ¶

Confusion Reigns

Never before has either the state or the Church been confronted with circumstances more pregnant of good and evil than at the present time, when more ominous clouds have hung over a troubled world. Confusion reigns among the nations, our own included. The very elements combine to add to the uncertainty and distress. ¶

To refer in detail even briefly to the present condition of the people of this troubled world of ours and the causes which have brought us to our present condition of tribulation, is not my intention. The great World War, the most wicked, unjustifiable, unnecessary war the world has ever known, laid the foundation for it. The monetary cost of the war left the world bankrupt. In our own country it was followed by an era of extravagance, selfishness and money madness, the like of which had never before been known. And the war still goes on. Not a war of swords and bayonets, but a war of the nations for possession of a small pile of gold, inadequate if we possessed it all, to pay the mortgages on the farms of our country and the debt of the men who owe them, and yet that pile of gold is the only money of ultimate redemption recognized by the civilized nations today. ¶

Deliverance Will Come

You need not call our attention to our unfortunate condition, you are saying to yourselves, we are all too well aware of that. Tell us how to extricate ourselves from it. If I had the wisdom to do that I would be the happiest man in the world. That we will survive and emerge from it a wiser, happier and better people I am confident, whatever our suffering may be before we win the victory. It will not come through the Sovietism of Russia, the Socialism of France, the Fascists of Italy, nor the Nazis of Hitler. It will not come by the brewing and disposition of more beer or the manufacture and drinking of more wine. It will not come from the manufacture and distribution of more cigarets for our boys and girls to smoke. It will come to our country, if it is to come at all, through the united effort of the American people, whose soul I believe will turn to the Lord. ¶

Deliverance will not come by a miracle from heaven, but I believe the Lord will endow us with wisdom and with his help we will work out our deliverance. If the Lord for the sake of ten righteous men would spare Sodom and Gomorrah, will he not spare this government, which he declares he has established, for the sake of the many thousands of honest souls which make up its citizenship? ¶

Concerning the Church

What of the Church? We call upon its members, as we have always done, to turn to the Lord for succor. Remember the words which I have quoted from the Prophet Joel, words which had not been fulfilled at the time, but were soon to be. He has promised that if we will do this he will return to us. ¶

In the words of the Prophet Joel which I have quoted : "In Mount Zion" — which is here in this land of Joseph — "and in Jerusalem deliverance will be found," and his word will not fail. ¶

My faith in the membership of the Church is unshaken. By faith, with works added, we will carry the Church through to glorious triumph, regardless of the sacrifices which may be required. We dug ourselves into our present condition and with the help of the Lord and the loyal support of the government, both Church and state will emerge stronger in faith, and more powerful in influence than we have ever before been. ¶

These are the, thoughts which have been running through my mind, my brethren and sisters, during these services. I bear witness to you that the story I have told is true. The restoration was by divine interposition of God our Father. It will persist, it will not be destroyed again as has been the case in ages which have passed. God grant that we may have faith to hold fast to the "rod of iron," give our loyal support to the government ; and as I said last night at the priesthood meeting, the government needs us and we need the government. Both are everlasting truth. ¶

God bless you, I pray, through Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶