Side by side with all these facts consider how fatal to Joseph Smith's claims as a divinely commissioned prophet of God would have been the failure of his prophecies! After all this is carefully considered, without prejudice and with a candid desire to know the truth, let each for himself answer these questions: Does not the fulfillment of the prophecies of Joseph Smith furnish a volume of testimony sufficient both as to quality and quantity to convince a reasonable mind that he was a divinely inspired prophet? If he was not a divinely inspired prophet, on what hypothesis shall we account for this remarkable list of predictions here set forth and their marvelous fulfillment?
Footnotes
1. The writer saw a copy in the Church Liverpool Office Library, in 1887, while acting as assistant editor of the Millennial Star. See Millennial Star, Vol. xlix: p. 396.
2. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 448.
3. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 451.
4. See Cooper's American Politics, Book I, p. 33.
5. Millennial Star, Vol. xx, p. 728.
6. Cooper's American Politics, Book I, p. 88.
7. Cooper's American Politics, Book I, p. 88.
8. Ibid.
9. Cooper's American Politics, p. 88.
10. Lossing's History of the United States, p. 546.
11. Cooper's American Politics, Book I, p. 88.
12. Lossing's History of the United States, p. 547, note 2.
13. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 604.
14. See War between the States, Vol. II, pp. 346-7, et seq.; also Appendix N. Stephens' Hist. United States. There the correspondence on the subject is given in extenso.
15. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 609.
16. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 610.
17. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 837-8. The figures of Mr. Stephens are sustained by the report of the Surgeon-General, U.S.A.; and also by Mr. Stanton's report for 1866. Mr. S. was Secretary of War.
18. It will be observed that there is a slight disagreement between Mr. Stephens and the Gazette Compilation in this item; the former putting the number of prisoners who died in Confederate hands at 22,576, the latter at 26,000.
19. Lossing's History of the United States, p. 723-4, note 3.
20. Stephens' History of the United States, p. 838.
21. Cooper's American Politics, Book I, p. 99.
22. Lossing's History of the United States, p. 559 and note I.
23. Cooper's American Politics, Bk. I, p. 197.
24. Many believe this part of the prophecy was fulfilled during the war of the Southern Rebellion, when many colored men formerly slaves were enlisted in the Union service. We have already seen that of the 2,653,000 soldiers enlisted in the Union army 186,397 were colored.
25. In a second volume in which the Book of Mormon will be the subject—the witness for God—the author will consider many prophecies contained in the Book of Mormon which will not only tend to prove the truth of that book but will also establish the inspiration and divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE CHURCH FOUNDED BY JOSEPH SMITH A MONUMENT TO HIS INSPIRATION.
The church founded by Joseph Smith is of itself a monument to the inspiration of the prophet. It embraces a scheme of ecclesiastical government so comprehensive, so effective in its administration, and at the same time so protects the members of the body religious from priestcraft, by which I mean here the oppression of ecclesiastical rulers, that none who become acquainted with its organization and the spirit of its administration can doubt that a deeper wisdom presided at its creation than that possessed by Joseph Smith uninspired of God. It must be borne in mind that the prophet during the development of the church organization was but a mere youth; unschooled in history, untaught, save by God, in the science of government; and I say that a man who had lived in the midst of such environments as those which surrounded Joseph Smith would be utterly incapable—if you deny to him divine inspiration—of bringing into existence such a system of government as that which obtains in the church he founded.
It will be said by some that he founded this church government on the pattern of that described in the New Testament, and thus attempt to dispose of his achievement. But the outlines of church government that may be traced in the New Testament are so faint that they can scarcely be defined, and have led the most learned of our Christian scholars to diverse conclusions. One sees in the New Testament authority for the Episcopal form of government; and a gradation in the orders of the ministry. Another sees in the New Testament authority for the conclusion that there is a perfect equality in the Christian ministry, no gradation of officers, but a government through synods, assemblies and councils of these officers of equal rank. And still a third finds in the same book authority for the idea that each congregation within itself constitutes an independent Christian church, subordinate to no other organization, self-governing, and only bound to other like societies by sympathy which springs from faith in a common doctrine and common aims. Such is the confusion into which the learned are thrown by considering alone the data that exists in the New Testament for a church government.
Although I have once before briefly sketched the organization of the church from such data as exists in the New Testament, I find it necessary again to go over the ground that we may see how meagre the materials are; and how utterly impossible it would be for Joseph Smith to frame such an organization as he established from such materials.
Jesus called twelve men whom he named apostles and conferred upon them divine authority, by which they were to preach the gospel, administer its ordinances and proclaim the kingdom of heaven at hand. He also called into existence quorums of seventies to aid them in this ministry, and conferred upon them like powers. These are the only church officers called into existence, so far as we are informed in the New Testament, previous to the crucifixion of Jesus. But after his resurrection from the dead, he was with his disciples forty days "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."1 It was during that interesting period of his association with his disciples that he doubtless gave those instructions by which their actions were governed in organizing churches after the gospel began to spread abroad.
Wherever people were found who accepted the gospel an organization was effected. In some instances elders2 were appointed to preside over these organizations, and in other cases bishops were appointed, and were assisted in their labor by deacons.3
In his description of the organization of the church, which the apostle never pretended was complete, Paul in one instance enumerates among the offices first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers.4 In another instance he enumerates apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.5 The same writer holds that the whole organization constitutes but one body though consisting of many parts, that there is a relation of all the parts to the whole, and a sympathy which binds all together.6 He enumerates the object of this organization to be, the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, edifying the body of Christ, and to preserve the saints from being deceived by cunning men who lie in wait to deceive.7
There is also a hint at some kind