Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. SmithSmith, Joseph F. (Joseph Fielding)
Religion
Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith
Smith, Joseph F. (Joseph Fielding)
Latter Day Saint churches
It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, the duty of those auxiliary
organizations of the Church, all and each of them, to teach to the
children that are brought within our influence and care the divinity
of the mission of Joseph Smith, the prophet. Do not forget it. Do
not let him perish out of your thoughts and minds. Remember that the
Lord God {166} raised him to lay the foundations of this work, and
the Lord did what has been done through him, and we see the results
of it. Men may scoff at Joseph Smith and at his mission, just as they
scoffed at the Savior and his mission. They may ridicule and make
light of and condemn the mission of the Christ, and yet with all their
condemnation, their scoffing, their ridicule, their contempt and
murderous persecution of the Saints of former days, God's name, the
name of the lowly Nazarene--he that had not where to lay his head,
he that was scoffed at, abused, insulted, persecuted and driven into
concealment and into exile, time and again, because they sought his
life; he that was charged with doing good, by the power of Satan; he
that was charged with violating the Sabbath day, because he permitted
his disciples to gather ears of corn and eat them on the Sabbath; he
that was called a friend of publicans and sinners, he that was called
a friend of winebibbers, and all this sort of thing; and at last was
crucified, mocked, crowned with thorns, spat upon, smitten and abused
until he was lifted upon the cross, as they shouted: "Now, if thou be
the Son of God, come down!"--even the thieves crucified with him mocked
and ridiculed him, and asked him, if he were Christ to come down and
also deliver them--all this happened to Jesus, the Son of God; but what
is the result? Look at the so-called Christian world today. Never has
there been a name brought to the intelligence of the human race since
the foundations of the world that has accomplished so much, that has
been revered and honored so much as the name of Jesus Christ--once so
hated and persecuted and crucified. The day will come--and it is not
far distant, either--when the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith will
be coupled with the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God,
as his representative, as his agent whom he chose, ordained and set
apart to lay anew the foundations of the Church of God in the world,
which is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ, possessing {167} all the
powers of the gospel, all the rites and privileges, the authority of
the Holy Priesthood, and every principle necessary to fit and qualify
both the living and the dead to inherit eternal life, and to attain
to exaltation in the kingdom of God. The day will come when you and I
will not be the only ones who will believe this, by a great deal; but
there will be millions of people, living and dead, who will proclaim
this truth. This gospel revealed by the Prophet Joseph is already being
preached to the spirits in prison, to those who have passed away from
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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