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Show SMITH EXPLAINS HIS TESTIMONY AS TO THE ABSENCE OF REVELATIONS 00 2 PRESIDENT SMITH'S TESTIMONY. i () Following is an extract from President Joseph F. Smith's testimony be- w) fore the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections In the Smoot case: W (a) "Senator Dubois. Have you received any revelation from God, which has (V () been submitted by you and the apostles to the body of the church in their W () neml-annual conference, which revelations has been sustained by that con- 5) ference through the upholding of their hands? () "Mr. Smith. Since when? () "Senator Dubois. Since you became president of the church. (?) "Mr. Smith. No, sir; none whatever." ( fe' His Enemies Prepared a Trap, and He Aroided It by Saying What He Did Before the Senate Committee. President Joseph F. Smith at the regular Tabernacle services yesterday afternoon,, explained his testimony before be-fore the United States Senate Committee Com-mittee on Privileges and Elections, in Washington last winter, and said that he had repeatedly received revelations from God, and that he still continues to receive them. lie declared that h had denied this fact before the committee, "as they were trying to lead him into a trap." He spoke of those who had criticised him harshly as "antl-Chrlsts," and warned his followers to beware of mem. The sermon created a profound impression im-pression on the minds of the 4000 persons per-sons who attended the service. Two Apostles Speak. Apostle Charles W. Penrose was the first speaker of the day, and he was followed by Apostle Francis M. Ly- man. The attendance of the high officii! offi-cii! Is of the church, and of men prominent promi-nent in the affairs of the church, was larger than usual, and the closest attention at-tention was paid to all of the speakers. Apostle Penrose gave a long and thorough explanation of the Mormon idea of revelation, and showed that the meaning of the word, from the Mormon standpoint, differs from the meaning conveyed In the Old Testament. Testa-ment. He said that Moses received revelations from God. who spoke face to face and lip to lip with him. The Mormons, he said, do not believe that revelations are so received today. A Mormon revelation is "the spirit of God working within you." Joseph Smith's Revelation. "As the prophets of ancient days had revelations of one kind," he said, "the prophets of these latter days have revelations of another kind. Joseph Smith believed the living God, as his successors have done. "They themselves have been and are the prophets "of the Most High God, as were those of the Eastern hemisphere. When President Joseph F. Smith said that he did' not have revelations, it was in answer to questions of men who would not understand the meaning mean-ing of the word revelation. They were trying to lead him into a trap. They meant revelations such as Moses had." Apostle Lyman's address was confined con-fined almost wholly to the goodness and powers of President Smith. He said in part: '"Whatever th I)rd has to say. he will have no difficulty In speaking through President Joseph F. Smith." Earnest attention was given the speakers, and the audience felt prepared pre-pared for something unusual and Important Im-portant when President Smith arose. President Smith's Speech. "I feel very grateful to the Lord and to my brethren," he said, "for the kind way they have spoken of their fellow servant. I desire to bear my testimony to the purity of the lives and works of the men who have spoken here today. to-day. I have known them since I was a boy, and know that they are men who possess in their souls the spirit of God. Their lives are an open Dook to the Latter-day Saints, aad t all men. Vhey are men of honor, men of (.led. and 3 was said by President Lyman, they have never had to be whitewashed or cleaned. .or covered up. As 1 said before, their lives have been open and clean. "With reference to revelation, it may be appropriate for me to say a few words while on my f-et. In Washington I refused re-fused to say what my Inquisitors wanted ine to say in order to get me into a trap; that is, to say that (J.xl had given me a revelation on some new law or precept which was to be included and written in the laws of the church. Did you ever hear me deny that I had been guided by God? No. no man ever heard me gay this. "When 1 was first baptized as a child Ood revealed io me lhat I had done an act which be approved. (Jod also revealed to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet f God. raised lip by the power of the Almighty. Al-mighty. He revealed to me in terms Incontrovertible In-controvertible lhat Brigham Voting succeeded suc-ceeded lawfully to the presidency of the lunch by the will of the Almighty. I would not be without that testimony for all tin- nold in the world, lie revealed to rue that John laylor was a prophet of Sod. and the divine successor of Hrigham Yi i.ng lie revealed to ir.j that U ilfcid Woodruff was the divine successor of John Taylor, lie revealed to nie that Lorenzo Lo-renzo Snow wes the divine successor of Willord Woodruff. I leave it to you to say whether it is lawful and right for me to be in this position. "1 shall not try to defend myself. You peed never fear, my brothers and sisters. If you never receive very wonderful manifestations man-ifestations from God. If you only live so that God can reveal himself to you when be Is ready. That's enough. I fervently believe that God had manifested to me many glorious things, and much more wisdom wis-dom than is Inherent in myself, and will continue to do so as long as 1 am ready to listen when be speaks. "Did you ever hear of a good mun, an honorable and upright man, with whom Satan was pleased? When the devil speaks of good men. it Is to destroy them, to dishonor that which is honorable, tu defame that which Is sacred in the sight of God. You need not mind when men say of you, as they did of Christ, that you are the friends of Heelzebub. To my mind, one of the strongest evidences that appeals to me of the divine mission of that which we are engaged in, is that those who are evil, thoeie who are ready to sponk against those who are doing right, are those who defame the Latter-day Latter-day Saints. - ,:I do not fear to be JikIroJ by my friends, and by the juKt. But I hardly think that any of us arc willing to ! judged by our enemies: but we are willing will-ing to submit to the judgment of fJod, and of righteous mn, whether they believe be-lieve with us or not. From time to time there may arise. antl-Chrlts, apostaU-H. men who have corrupted themselves to that they are no longer tit for the spirit of God. You need not be surprlneci. It has always been o. We will not fellowship fellow-ship antl-Chrlsts. ungodly men. and those who raise up their hands ugalnst the servants of God. "We do not Interfere with free speech. We give those we excommunicate more freedom." We let them go. 1 am not a free man. I have chosen to follow this course. The Lord bless and help you to help each other to be pure and unspotted from the world. Do good and no evil, and do according to what we have espoused, called 'Mormonlsm,' Is my prajer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." At the conclusion of I'resldent Smith's speech. Elder Brigham H. Roberts offered of-fered prayer, after which the choir ani congregation sang. "We Thank The"e, O God, for a Prophet." |