| OCR Text |
Show (2 6 OVcwso UVC& EDITORIAL PAGE Josephs Martyrdom Last Wednesday marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Patriarch Hyrum Smith. It reminds us once again of the tremendous sacrifice that has gone into the work of this latter-dachurch. Never let us forget it! Do we remember what led up to the martyrdom? Glorious revelation! Rapid growth! Extensive missionary work! Mobbings;, Erection of new communities; More mobbings; Migrations; More mobbings; Dissentions; Betrayals; Martyrdom. But with it all, there was preserved a solid core of devotion and loyalty among the Saints, hardly ever matched. It was this devotion which finally brought them west and established them in the manner the Prophet had predicted, as a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. The way of the Prophet Joseph was both sublime and difficult. He saw each extreme in the life of a great seer the ecstacies of communication with heaven, even the presence of the Father and the Son and the cruelties of persecution, ending with a testimony sealed in the blood of martyrdom. IN THE DEPTHS of persecution, the Prophet maintained his complete sense of balance. He saw all things in their true perspective. Referring to his persecutors, while still in Liberty Jail, he wrote: We consider that our condition is better, notwithstanding our sufferings, than that of those who have persecuted us, smitten us, and y ... borne false witness against us . God shall reward them according to all their abominations He hath made broad our shoulders for tne burden. We glory in our tribulation because we know that God is with us, that He is our friend and that He will save our souls. It hurt him deeply to see seme of his trusted brethren turn against him as traitors to the cause. The hurt was deeper because of his love for those men and his fear for their future as they aligned themselves with the enemies of .... God. How sad is the state of a traitor! How frightening the judgment .that awaits him! THERE ARE TRAITORS today as there always have been. There are those who prefer the ranks of the enemy. How they will rue it throughout eternity! Is it for some immediate personal gain that they cross over the line and thus join the enemies of God? Or through selfishness or amibition have they allowed hate to enter their souls, to destroy them? Can they ever forget the example of Judas? Dare they sell their birthright for a mess of pottage, whether that be the philosophies of uninspired men, or wealth, or worldly prestige, or the plain enjoyment of filth? Joseph and Hyrum showed that greater love hath no man than this: That he lay down his life for his friends. They loved the Saints, they loved the Lord. They loved His restored work. And so must we. Devotion is the price of salvation. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven! The Head of the Family FOR SOME YEARS NOW, both in and out of the church, there has been a movement to put Father back as the head of the family. One commentary on the subject is interesting as it came in a letter from a mother to the editor: 0, Im in full agreement, that father should be the head of the family. But I resent the assertions that mother has usurped that If she is on the throne it isnt because she sought the position. It is because father has abdicated! po-siro- Maybe I know the wrong people, but none of the husbands I know spend much more time at home than is necessary for eating and sleeping. IF THE HEAD of any institution or firm attempted to run his business in the same amount of time comparable to what he spends with his children, he would soon lose his position entirely or some other person would have to take over for him and run things. This is precisely what the average wife is doing. I love, admire and respect my husband, and I am immensely proud of the work he 16 - CHURCH WEEK ENDING JUNE 30, 1973 does. Our six youngsters feel the same way and none of us would dream of questioning his decisions, nor do we challenge his right to make them. But the fact remains that he is home for a very, very small percentage of their waking hours, and I am about 99 disciplinarian in our home whether I like it or not and I dont. And neither does any other mother. Nuff said! Searching for God It has been said that we cannot find God by searching. But is that true? Is not the opposite the fact? Can anyone find God WITHOUT searching? Did not the Savior command us to search the scriptures, and learn of Him? Did He not command us in modern revelation to study and learn from the best books. It is a fallacy to suppose God without effort. that we can find MISSION EXPERIENCES A Year In India Hindoostan? Richard Ballantyne shook his head in bewilderment. Where in the world was Hindoostan? He soon foupd out. It was in India, and that, was where Brigham Young wanted him to go and serve as a missionary. Totally devoted to the cause of the church, Richard Ballantyne, 32 years old, married, establishing a home in Salt Lake, was called in 1852 to go to India. Until then his assignment had been teaching children. It was a work he had learned as a member of the Relief Presbyterian Church in Scotland. After he joined the church, immigrated to Nauvoo, cross the plains, and established a small Sabbath Day school for children, he remembered: I was early called to this work by the voice of the spirit, and I have felt many times that I have been ordained to this work before I was born, for even before I joined the church, I was moved upon to work for the young. And now he was asked to give up that work and travel half way around the world to teach a people. But true to his total committment to the Lord, he made the long and perilous voyage and arrived in Calcutta July 24, 1853, in company with 12 other missionaries. n Successful in proseylting.He helped to organize a small branch of the church in St. Thomas Mount, near Madras less than a month later. Richard Ballantyne spent a year in India, laboring as a missionary and publishing the Millennial Star and Monthly V'isitor. He sailed for England July 25, 1854, and arrived four and one half months later, where he was given charge of a company of immigrating Saints whom he led to St Louis by way of New Orleans. The following spring he led a company of 500 to Salt Lake City. Upon arrival. President George A. Smith of the First Presidency met the missionary and noted: You have accomplished a journey around the world without purse or scrip and brought in your company with a band of music and flags flying." It was a first in the history of the church. (Another in a series) |
