The First Vision

THE FIRST VISION. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE SPEAKERS' CONTEST, Y. M. M. I. A., SALT LAKE STAKE OF ZION. BY ALMA 0. TAYLOR. In order to appreciate the force of the light of a Gospel dispensation, it is necessary to understand a little, at least, regarding the spiritual condition of men before the bursting forth of that light. Therefore, I desire, in a few words, to give an idea of the religious condition of mankind at the opening of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. In searching the sacred and profane history of the world, we discover the fact that the period when human sacrifices were offered to Roman gods, and the laws of morality were buried beneath the debris of Pagan licentiousness and sin, is the only time when the inhabitants of the earth were in greater spiritual darkness than they were during the eight hundred years previous to the spring of 1820. That period when the great Catholic Christendom smiled upon the atrocious deeds of the Spanish Inquisition; that time when the state religion of England became so oppressive that the Puritans and Quakers were forced to leave their native land in quest of new homes where they could exercise religious freedom; those early days of the nineteenth century when religious revivals and Christian discord were raging in America; all these, do but show how in the long years of human wandering, the principles of per-

THE FIRST VISION. 683 suasion, brotherly love, and liberty, taught by the Savior, had been changed into the low doctrines of compulsion, strife, and serfdom. From the abundance of the heart the mouths of men ceased to speak. And the great Judge who had been merciful, until men showed by their acts that they preferred darkness rather than light, called home his ministers of salvation, and shut the doors of heaven against the appeals of mocking lips which came from hypocritical hearts. Not led by the "pillar of cloud by day" nor the "pillar of fire by night;" without the ministration of angels or the voice of the Good Shepherd, the souls of men wandered, unnourished, in a world of wickedness and sin. For centuries, men were left alone with the testimony of the scriptures, which they trampled under their feet in favor of doctrines as far from truth as the worshiping of idols or the divinizing of planets. During this period of time, rulers, by force, gained power which made them intolerent and cruel; nations rose and crumbled; generation after generation passed away; discoveries were made and inventions wrought, important to their age; new theories in the known sciences were advanced; new ideas of God were formed; and the ways to salvation became as numerous as the dispositions of men. It was in the midst of this confusion of religious thought that the light of a new dispensation burst forth; that the silence of heaven was broken; and the veil covering the true Gospel, was torn away. Those immortal words of James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him," had appealed with great force to the young mind of Joseph Smith; so great, indeed, that his faith was implicit in the promise thus made. With all confidence he sought, in humble prayer, the God of ancient Israel to reveal to him, where, in all this chaos of religious strife, he could find the truth. He hoped for truth, he longed for truth, but the cries "lo here is truth, and lo there is truth," had so confused his young mind, that he decided to appeal to his God who knoweth all things, that he might gain the wisdom which he then lacked. Never before had he poured out his soul in vocal prayer, but so earnest were his desires that he sought the solitude of the woods, where

684 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the voices of nature joined in beautiful harmony, as his petitions ascended to God. Consider for a moment the grandeur of the scene. History records how kings and emperors live in courts and palaces, surrounded by all the luxuries which their vast resources afford; how justice has stepped forth to check the progress of tyranny and crime; how single men have stirred the hearts of nations to war or peace; and how the strong arms of victorious soldiers have swept away the rule of oppression, and established the freedom assured by the flag of liberty. But the beauty of the imagination of all these scenes, is lost in the conception of that lovely spring morning when the Savior gave instruction to the unlearned boy in the woods of Manchester. The sun shone clear and bright, and the birds sang as though inspired to use the full sweetness of their voices. The crowning branches of the gigantic oaks, swaying lightly in the gentle breeze, nodded nature's welcome to the heavenly vision, while the grass, still wet with the dews of night, bowed in reverence to the sacred scene. In the midst of this picture which nature had created, a boy of fifteen years, knelt in humble devotion, praying in tones which indicated the earnestness of his soul. His face was raised toward heaven, and upon his countenance there was reflected the brightness of the vision which his eyes beheld. He was not arrayed in purple robes nor clothed in garments of scarlet, but clad in the daily apparel of a common farmer boy. The simplicity of his raiment and the humility of his spirit, as he bowed in the midst of the woods in prayer to God, brings before us that period in the life of John the Baptist which was spent in the mountains of Judah, where he became familiar with all the changeful aspects of oriental nature, and still more in the high converse of his soul with God, in the reading of his word and in prayer. The altar before which he knelt was not amid the burning tapers of a great cathedral, but in the grove, "God's first temples." He knocked, and the portals of heaven were opened; he sought, and the Father and Son were revealed to him; he asked, and the heavenly messengers answered. What rapture must have filled his bosom when he saw the heavenly personages, and heard the voice of the Father say,

THE FIRST VISION. 685 "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son, hear him!" With what force must the teachings of the Savior have impressed themselves upon his mind, and after the vision had passed, what comfort must there have been in the words which promised that the true and everlasting Gospel would be revealed to him at a later time. But he need no longer have any doubt in his mind regarding the spiritual condition of men, for the God of heaven had now said that all creeds were an abomination in his sight, that they had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. The manifestation passed, and Joseph was left alone amid the dense shades of the forest. Had he fallen asleep and been dreaming, or was it possible that what he had seen was indeed real ? The world answer these questions by saying he was mad, dishonest, deluded or insane. But like Paul of old, who proclaimed in the face of scorn, derision, and mockery, that he had seen a vision, Joseph Smith denied not the truth of his revelation, though it cost him the friendship of many dear to his heart. Despised and shunned, Joseph was left alone, an outcast to all but his father's family. With regret for lost companions bringing sorrow to his heart, but with the glorious hope in the promise of the Savior giving joy to his soul, he spent the next three years of his life in serious reflection. Then another light appeared, another voice from heaven spoke, and his young heart was encouraged by the instruction of the angel Moroni who came as a heavenly teacher to an earthly youth. These visitations when announced likewise called forth the ridicule of men. So long had the heavens been closed, so long had they been as brass above the heads of men, so long had the human race groped in darkness, that well might they exclaim, insanity, delusion, when once the light was restored. Well might the Christian world mourn the fact that such a chosen spirit did not come and sanction one, if not all, of the religious dogmas of the age; and to justify themselves in rejecting his testimony, they cry insanity, delusion. No more sane was Enoch who looked upon the face of the Lord for a period of one hundred and twenty years; no more sane was Abraham when the Father appeared unto him and gave promise concerning his posterity; no more sane was Moses when he turned aside to examine the burning bush and talked with God, than was Joseph Smith when he conversed with the Lord in this

686 IMPROVEMENT ERA. age. No more real was the angel with whom Jacob wrestled for an entire night, than was the angel of these times unto the Prophet Joseph Smith. No more beautiful were the words which introduced the Savior to John the Baptist, on the banks of the Jordan near Bethabara, than were the words of the Father which introduced the Son in this century, in the woods near Manchester. The fact that Joseph, though persecuted until death, held fast to his testimony, gives greater light and increased force to his wondrous vision. Although it came to an unlearned boy living in obscurity, yet the force of its light puzzles the intelligence of the wise, attracts the attention of the student, and is gradually becoming a theme which places in the hearts of earth's great men, thoughts upon which their souls delight to brood. To the minister, it had the force of the cyclone, which swept away his doctrine of revelation to him no longer being necessary, and started the structure of belief in a God with body, parts and passions. It placed a stumbling block in the path to impede the progress of Satan, and so well did the evil one understand the strength of this new antagonist, that he tried his utmost to destroy Joseph Smith, whom God had called to build the fortress of righteousness, and to throw up the earthworks of love. But the window of the ark had been opened, and the dove sent forth where it found lodgment in the hearts of men. The brightness of its light dazzled the eyes of the simple follower; it gave food to the skeptic; it became a more valuable study to the scientist than the mere disciple; and as the gentle rains of April give beauty and freshness to the new life of spring, so the vision of the boy Prophet gave glory to the birth of a new dispensation of truth. Upon the dark sea there fell a light of hope, which the hearts of honest men recognized as a means to help them reach the distant harbor, from which they had been driven by the storms of unbelief. A new star appeared in the heavens, which was to guide all who chose to follow toward the home of the risen Lord. The vision was indeed the earthquake which dried up the rivers of unbelief, which started the fountains of truth, and which shook the mountain, from whose side the little stone rolled forth to accomplish its destiny of filling the whole earth with the Gospel of purity,