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Show i THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES I OF iRllllOTinmCAL A SERMON DELIVERED BY PRES.I JOS. F. SMITH IN THE LOGAN TABERNACLE, MARCH 12, 1911, AT TUO P. M. I Tho question Is, who were these personages who visited him. How did they come to visit him? And did ho see them, and did ho hoar them4 as he dclares that ho did? My contention Is and the contention of Joseph Smith, of Brlgham Young, of John, Taylor, of Wllford Woodruff, of Loronzo Snow, nnd all of tho twelve) apostles of tho Church of Jesus Christ of Lntterdny Saints was, and wo still hold to that, truth, that God Almighty and Jesus, Christ, His only begotten Son In the fleshr, did como In person and manifest mani-fest themselves In open day to Joseph Smith, tho boy prophet. But somo will say "but It Is only an apparition, this was only a vlslon.'Joseph Smith does not Bay It was only an apimrjt'on lie said that he saw those two personages descending In a pillar of light, until they came very nenr to thu earth, 'and thero they stood near tho oa'tb, JuBt abovo him In tho air, nB he described de-scribed it, and thoy spoko to him. Tlio Father said, "this Is my Son, my Beloved Be-loved Son, Hear Htm," and thon tho Son spoko and told Joseph that the thing ho sought was not to bo found then In the world that not one of tro denominations existing then In the world wns accepted by Illm; that thoy taught the doctrlno tho precepts o' man, they worshipped their God with their lips, but that their henrtj woro far from him. Thoy hod tho brain and lungs but did not havo tho power, and for him not to Join any of them. Well, Bays some, "this was Imaginary; this was n mtro conception, concep-tion, a moro vision upon the mind of Joseph Smith, that he did not really hear tho volco of tho Savior telling him this, nor of tho Father Introducing In-troducing tho Son to him; thU was only a mental Impression that he received. re-ceived. We deny that, and wo deny it absolutely; wo say that It was a reality re-ality Well, bow can you Illustrate a reality like this? Lot us go back a little whllo, a few hundred years I'hu i Lord roealed by the Angel Gabriel, that a cortnln young virgin called Man wns to conceive a mini child, and she should bear that man child mid his namo Bhould bo Jesus. Jesus wns born of his mother Mary. There H nothing extraordinary about that. I do not think Mary felt or thought that that was u more vision or nppar-ltlon. nppar-ltlon. I rather think sho felt tho pains of mothorhood, and that Bho suffered the pangs and tho anguish of tho birth of her Son, Just as much, my. dear mothers, as you suffered when you hnvo borno your children Into tho world precisely the same. You havo no doubt about that. And then when wo think about tho account of John's birth, nnd tho promise the Lord mado to his father, Zachnrias; of his wife Kllzabeth, who was qulto old, and when ho was told that his wlfo should have a child and he should namo him John, nnd that ho said, "Whereby shall I know this, for 1 am an old man, and my wlfo well stricken In years?" And the angol said, "And, behold, thou shnlt be dumb, and not able to speak until tho dny that these things shall be performed;" that Is until tho child was born. Thoy woro going to namo him after Kacharlas, but no, Zachnrlas wroto that hla nnmo should bo John, and thou ho received his speech again .Now, thoy sny, theso things wero Just as liable to be n mere Imagination, a mere fantasy, n niero psychical appnratlon, or something some-thing of tho kind. But tho conceiving, the bearing and tho birth of Josus and John wero not myths. Thoro wns nothing fantastical about that. Thero was Bomuthlng physical about It, something very tool, vory natural, and something, that you, am, i, mid all of us can fully and fairly comprehend, because It Is In the natural way. Tho Goapol of Jesus Christ, tho testimony of Josus, who was tho Son of God, tho testimony of Zacbarlas and tho testimony of John who was tho faro-runner faro-runner of Christ, all has bcon boforo tho world, will stand boforo tho world now and forover, from that time to this, that thtsu things woro Continued on Pago 0, H" THE FUNDAMENTAL PRIHCIPLES I f MORMONISM HOI MYTHICAL B Continued trom I'ngo l, M ! real, absolutely. Thoro is no doubt H nbout It. It was a tanglblo fact that BBB Alary concolvcd nnd boro Jesus; it BBB viob not only a tanglblo fact thnt H John wnH visited by an angel, (lint B .Alary was visited by n messenger from B 'j iod Almighty, and was told what B , should como to pass, and what alio BBH l' , -would roncclvo nnd what she should BBC lmrc, just aB suro as you llvo; and If HBb 7011 do not bcltovo It, do not acopt HH ' it, then you dispute Christ; yom dip- H vuto John, tho linptlst; yoif dlsputo BBH , nil tho prophets who have toHtiflod of BB thcKo things, for thoy aro not Imag- K inary; thoy nro nbsoluto, tVal facts. BBH Jobus grow to bo a man; Ho la- BBBJ ' ltorcd among tho Jews; ilo preachod BBBJ , Ills gospel; Ho confounded tho wis- B j I lom of tholr wlso men, In His child- B I I hood; thnt is, Ilo commoncod ques- BBBJ 1 tlonlng tho lawyers nnd tho Judges BBBJ nnd tho teachers of Israel, and thoy BBBJ marveled at his wisdom nnd Josub BBBJ wns n man, born of Mary. Hut who BBVJ was Ills father? How was Ho begot- BBbM ' ton? Well, shall I nppeal to tho sense, BBBB tho common sense, tho common Intel- BBBm , I llgonco of mortal man, Christ wiih ho- BBbB 1 cotton by Ills father Just as truly, as BBBb literally, and aB absolutely as I wns BBBV' : begotten by my father. Can you doubt BBBm It? Jesus came Into this world to do 1 1Mb Fathers' will. You all know that H I He camo to lay down Ills llfo and H' take It up again, after. Ho had rccolv- BBpB sl that commnndment of Ills Father. H I For UniH Ho says to Mary, "Touch mo BBBVi l not; for I have not yet ascondod tin- BBBB 1 to my Father; but go to my brethren, BBBV nnd sny unto thorn, I ascend uutu my BBBV Kathor, nnd your Father; and t my BBBm tlod and your God." Now, Jobub was BBBV'r cruciricd, put to death, In n most BBBW , rnicl manner, In a most Iguomlnlous BBBfl' way, and Ills body was laid away In BBBBs ' '- t tomb nnd bound with franklnconso BBBk ,f b wns tho custom of tho Jews. Tho H; -. third dny nftcr crucifixion Ho nrosnl H j I" from tho dead. Is this a myth? Ir this BBBB a chimera of tho brain; Is this a BBBB fancy, an apparition, a vision? No. It BBBB' ( was ,1 reality. There wo find tho Son BBVBl of (!xl, JesuB of Nazareth, born of BBBV ' his mothor Mary, a man like you and BBBB u like me. And when he snld, ' I go BBBat ' to my Father, and your Fathor, to BBBBT 'iny Cod nnd your Cod," was thin n BBBBJ myth? Is this all fancy? Where wan BBBB Ho going? To whom wns Ho going? BBBB) Was ho going to hlmBolf? WaH Ho go- BBBBY lug to somo Imaginary thing, or bo- BBBBT ing? Or was tliuro u father and a BBBBe mother to whom Ho was going as BBBBi j tanglblo as Ho Himself was? Why, It BBBB there Is anything In our religion; it BBBBJr there Is anything in tho resurrection E thero Is anything in tho rosurrootlon BBBBV ' ,'" from tho dead, In tho immortality of BBBBJ tho soul, and tho cxlsteuco of tho BBBBJ Fathor and tho Son, then Christian. K ity is true, nnd all theso nro facts, B which cannot bo falsified away, and BBBhh which cannot bo sterilized away. Thoy BBVBfj art actual, Indestructible, truo facts. BBbBei And then ngaln ,Jcsus ascemlod to Ilia BBBBBVF. Fathor. Not only did Ho ascend but BBBBJ I vtlo Uien descended nnd nppoarod on B j . this continent In Ills glorlflod con. SBM illtion and visited tho Nephllos here. f i, and cstablshod Ills i;ospol araouj; H' 1 'j men tho snmo no Ilo bad done upon H. 'f' 'tho other continent. Ho conforre and (' , fi ordained upon thorn Ills prtroUiood BBBBT hv .and conforrod upon thorn tho Holy H'i Bk -Ohost, tho Bbmo as Ho did la f oru- BBBB (BBBBBk HBBBBBBBBBJBl nniBBBawRianm snlcm. Wo lmvn tho proof of it hero In tho Hook of Mormon. Now, did ho como horo In tho imagination, merely, of tho nnclent Nophitcs7 Was It only a fantastical feeling which arose In tholr minds; generated in their minds thnt Christ camo thero among thorn? Not much-, Jesus went thoro Just an tangibly nnd as literally as Ho aroso from tho dead, Ho preached to His disciples on moro than one occasion, and conferred tho priesthood upon thorn nftcr Ills resurrection from tho dead. Thoy wero endowed with tho Holy Qhost after tho resurrection of Christ. After Ills resurrection Ho laid Ills hands upon thorn and conferred upon them tho Holy Ghost, and said, "recolvo yo, tho Holy Ohost" and told them to go, until they should bo endowed en-dowed with power from Cod; thnt Is, until tho Holy Spirit of God should ilosrend upon them, which it did on tho day of I'ontecost, "and appeared unto them in clovou tongues llko as of fire, and It sat upon each of them" nnd each of them preached tho gospel to tho people who woto assembled, to each nation and to each Individual In his own name. Now, Is It not Just as easy for Christ to como ngaln to Josoph Smith, to como and walk on this earth, where Ho walked before; Is It not Just as natural to suppose; Is It not Just ntf leal, and as Just to admit, and to claim that Jesus will come again In theso Inttor-days? Why Is It that God cannot como to tho earth, that He cannot visit His chlldrou, to whom Ho has sent Ills gospol and His messengers? mes-sengers? Will poople bo so obtuso, so unbelieving, so faithloss, or so Ignorant, Ignor-ant, If you will, ns to Imaglno or suppose that It Is lmposslblo forGod, to whom tho earth and tho fullness ot It belongs, or Is a disgrace for Him to como hero, If Ho chooses to como? Oh, what uonsonso. Why, they say, "God has too much to do; Ho Is too great a being; Ho has too many greater things to attend to than to como horo and talk to a little boy, ot to reveal anything to tho world." Well, that Is all theory; that Is "fried froth." I fear tlmo will not permit mo to road, but I will refer you to Vhut Joseph Smith snys and Oliver Cow- dory now Joins with Josoph hi a statement state-ment to tho world, that thoy went mil and prayed, and at this time It was not tho Father nnd tho Sou who camo to visit them, but it was another an-other personage. An angel. Well, what Is an nngol? Thoro nro two kinds of angels, nt least. Thoro may bo three, but thoro nro two kinds that wo know of. Thoro nro tho angels who are res-urroctod res-urroctod inon nnd resurrected women, and thoro aro angels who nro disembodied disem-bodied spirits, who are not resurrected. resurrect-ed. And then thoro may bo another kind of spirits who havo uovor been ombodlod In mortal flosh. Thoy wIP como by nnd by nnd receivo tabor-naclca. tabor-naclca. So thoro may bo throo kinds of angels, but tho kind that camo to tho Prophet Joseph Smith nnd to Oliver Ol-iver Cowdory on this occasion was n rosurrectod angel, n resurrected man and his niuno was John tho n.iplist, who was tho son of Elizabeth nnd Zac-niios, Zac-niios, and ho was ine foruruunei o' tbo Lord boToro Ills tlret coining, and Ho was to tomo ngaln as tho foro-runnor foro-runnor ot Christ bofaro His second coming. Ho laid his hands upon Josoph Jo-soph Smith and Oliver Cowdory and said to thorn, "upon you. my fellow sorrants, in tho nama.of Mosslsh, I confer tho prloathoodf .Aaron, which holds tho keys or tho saiaistorins ot angels and of tbo gospel ot ropentanco find baptism by immersion for tho to-tnlcslon to-tnlcslon of Bins. This priesthood shall never bo taken from tho oarth again until tho sons of Levi shall offer unto un-to mo a sacrifice In righteous." Was this Imagination? Was this nn apparition? appar-ition? Not much. - I want to impress upon tho ml mis of 'tho mutual improvement worker-j that God is real. Wo read In the book of Doctrine nnd Covenants, that God Is n personage of flesh and bonn.i, as tangible as man. Jesus Christ Is- a personage of flesh nnd bones ns tanglblo tan-glblo ns His Fathor, and as tangible as man; and John tho Daptlst, tho messenger of the Fathoi- nnd of tho Son wns In the likeness of God nnd of Jesus Christ. You cannot sterilize John tho Baptist nway; you cannot the Father and tho Son. Another messenger was sent to tho Prophet Joseph Smith and ho became be-came familiar with Joseph Smith, talking talk-ing with him from tlmo to tlmo, and visiting him four years In succession, each tlmo impressing upon his mind tho tiaturo of his mission and calling, to lay the foundation of God's work nnd church on tho earth, 'that should never again cense, never agnlu bo left to another people, nnd this messenger mes-senger also delivered Into tho hands of tho Prophet Joseph Smith tho golden gold-en plates from which tho Hook ot Mormon was trnnslatod. Now, this nngel was not a spirit, but ho was Moroni, one of the nnclent prophets, resurrected from tho load, nnd had his resurrected body Just as tanglblo ns Christ, and Just as tangible as God. You ennnot sterilize thoso things nway; but you can teach them to your children. Thoy aro truo, and upon theso trutliB hangs tho plan ot llfo and salvation. And if theso things aro not truo, then Christ's mission Is not true, nnd tho doctrines Ho taught are not truo, for tho same doctrlno thnt Jesus Christ taught was also taught by Joseph Smith, Now, regarding regard-ing tho plntes from which the Book of Mormon wns translated. Wero they only Bterlllstlc? Well, thoy wore never weighed, I do not think. Hut we Have tho testimony of living witnesses, who lived nt tho tlmo, who testified und their testimony Is In print ,thut thoso plates would weigh about fifty pounds. Wo havo tho testimony of OK.er Cowdory, of David Whltmer, and Martin Mar-tin Harris that those plates wero not mythical; thoy wero not Imaginary plates; thoy wero real. Thoy woro plates that had been molten out ot gold, probably with somo nlloy In them to mako them more enduring and hardor, thnn It they woro tho .pure gold. Hut thoy wero real plates, nnd thoy hod been eugrnved by tha hand ot man, nnd Joseph Smith was given powor to trnuslato them through tho Urlm Tbummln, and by tho power pow-er of God. Theso men tostlfy thnt they saw theso plates, and thcreforu thoy left tholr testimony with tho world. Who will say that thoy wero myths? Or imagination? Tho Prophet Josoph Smith never lraoglued that ho saw thoso plates, that ho translated thoso plates, bocauso ho had them In his hands and under his caro. Ho had thom burled In a barrel ot boans In order to savo them from thoeo who woro seoklng to tako possession ot thom and to destroy thorn, when ho was traveling trom ono placo to another. an-other. And on another occasion beforo tho translation was completed while ho was going from PonnBylraala to Now York In company with David Whltmer-and Oliver Cowdory and Km- ton Smith, whllo traveling along tho road thoy saw a man traveling In tho road and ho had something on his back, described to bo wolghtcd with something, something that looked llko an old-fashioned army knap-sack, nnd ho described his dress, his clothing, tho color of tho clothing he wore,. Tho man saluted tho peoplo who wero traveling In tho wagon, and thoy wondered won-dered whero ho had been coming tiom, slnco thoy wero trnvollng In hn o.ne; country, nnd thoy had not sot 11 him In their advance, nor behind them, nor on either side, but he was Btand Ing thero In their presence, und tho Ptcphct Joseph Smith askoJ him to rido; he replied "no, thamt you; I am only going over to Cumorah." 'To Ctimcrnh," says David Whltmer, 'wlint does thnt mean?" Joseph says "that is tho namo ot tho hill whero tho plates woro concealed, nnd this man Is Moroni, tho man who is in chnrge ot these plates, and that hundlo which ho had on his back were tho plates, and he 1b taking thom across this Journoy so thoy will bo vilo from thoso who seek their destruction, destruc-tion, nnd ho will deliver them to 1110 when wo reach your father'a house In Now York." So, Moroni was .not ti spirit, nor was ho a ranlastlcnl apparition appar-ition In tho Imagination ot thoso men. Ho was a man resurrected from tho dead, cqunl with Christ, equal with John tho Daptlst, equal with Peter and James, who wero also resurrected being possessing- tholr earthly tabernacles, taber-nacles, mado eternal by Iho power of the resurrection from tho grave. Then, also wo havo hero tho testimony of Christian Whltmer, of Jncob Whltmer, Whlt-mer, Peter Whitmcr, Jr., John Wit-nier, Wit-nier, Hyrum Paine, Joseph Smith, Si-., llyrura Smith and Sumue) II. Smith, who dcclaro that they saw the plates and handled them and exam'ried tho engravings upon thom .How arc jpii going to dlsput it and say that It was nn apparltlan that mado thojo plate, that brought thoBO plates then), thai theso living witnesses could oiumlnc them, nnd also ozamino the engravings engrav-ings upon tho platos? You tell mo thoy wero myths? Not much. Thoy woro of tho earth, and earthly, and theso men wero immortal men raised from the (load. I tell you that this to me Is a gospel of truth, and I say It Is tho powor of God unto salvation. That what wo havo learned from Joseph Jo-seph tho Prophet by revelation from God, and what was taught to this people was truo. Thoro Is nothing BJ mythical about this gospel to me; fl) thero la nothing Imaginary about it. S It is all truo, and to many ot us, It will bo too truo, I fear, and wo had BJ better got hitched to it whllo wo aro H in tho way, learning llttlo by little, as BJ Hrothor Wtdtsoo has said, precept BJ upon precept, until wo leant tho truth BJ as it is in Christ Josus, nnd wilt be deemed to bo worthy to bo exalted In BJ His presence, whon wo shall have flj finished our mission upon tho earth, BJ which God grant to all of us, Is my BJ prayer in the namo of Jesus Christ, BJ Amen. BJ |