A Testimony of God and the Divinity of the Church

A TESTIMONY OF GOD AND OF THE DI- VINITY OF THE CHURCH.

BY PROFESSOR W. H. CHAMBERLIN, OF THE BRIGHAM YOUNG COLLEGE, LOGAN, UTAH.

I shall never forget the day in which I received what seems to me the strongest witness I have ever had, or perhaps could have, in regard to the existence of God and the divinity of The Church of Christ. This witness came to me just two years to the day from the time I first set foot on the islands of the sea, as a servant of our Lord. Before entering the missionary field, I had read much, and had had many experiences which satisfied me that our people had the truth. I had evidence which sufiiced for my daily walk, in the midst of a people full of faith, and under circumstances which rarely brought trial in my way. But things were far different out in the world. Trials of faith of a new character often came to me, and I had to teach the doctrine of Christ to those who had been trained in another gospel. In conversing with such, I could only compare their notions with the truth the scriptures teach, and earnestly speak of my own convictions. But I could not speak with the confidence of one having authority; and often, in my reflections, the cold, and dreadful thought that I might be teaching that which is untrue would creep in and chill me. The idea that I might be helping to perpetuate an imposition on the deepest feelings of poor humanity, on those I had forsaken all to enlighten, and whom, in many an exalted moment? I loved with a love that could only have been born of Heaven, was, at times, very uncomfortable.

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Impelled by such feelings, as well as by a desire to be what I was really sent out to be, a special witness of the Lord and the truth, I reflected upon such criteria of truth as I knew, and decided as well as I could upon what would be the most perfect witness of the truth one can receive, and, thereafter, I sought the Lord earnestly and often with fasting for this witness. For months, I sought for this blessing, and strove to make myself worthy of it. All this time, I performed my duties, sincerely believing that I was right, and that our labors would result in good. At length, a time came when I was asked, point blank, if Iknew that I was engaged in the true work of God. I had to confess I did not, and left the person with whom I was conversing, and I felt bad and ashamed, too, that I did not stand on a firmer footing, for I believed that there was such a footing, and that I ought to be standing upon it. I now determined to seek more earnestly than ever a knowledge of the truth. The morning after the above conversation, I felt so depressed that I could hardly go out to teach. I was on the island of Tahiti, at the time, and it was our custom to go out each morning, call upon the natives, and seek to converse with them on the Gospel. That morning, I went out fasting, but with no energy for the work. I felt an unearthly depression. So,,

instead of calling on anyone that day, I turned aside, and, going into a grove of palm trees, I gave myself to intense prayer for a.

witness. Not being successful, I decided to continue fasting. The next day, I sought an accustomed place of prayer. It was a beautiful opening in the luxuriant tropical vegetation, and it lay by the side of a crystal stream flowing down the canyon at

whose entrance is our mission home. There I knelt, and as I began to appeal once more to the Lord for knowledge, my soul wasfilled with light, darkness fled, and a profound feeling of mingling, peace and joy welled up within me, together with such a feeling of devotion to an Almighty Power that no possible doubt of his existence could be entertained, nor of a marvelous answer to my prayer. With such profound feelings as I then had, I could not doubt that all the forces of nature, seen and unseen, would support the thoughts or truths that were wrapped, as it were, within, them.

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While filled with that spirit, my mind was led to reflect upon my mortal weaknesses, and I felt the strangest sorrow, for, with it, were hope and peace and a feeling of assurance that a Being of

perfect love had forgiven past transgressions. Glimpses of our Father's love were given me such as no scripture had ever imparted. My duty in preaching the Gospel to the natives was shown to me, and, in thinking of their lack of interest in our message, I had also presented to me the charity that God would have for them. Finally, I was led to compare the transcendent joys of the Spirit, the rich heritage of all who devote themselves to God, with those arising in the pursuit of any earthly thing. The manifestation now ceased, and the cold feelings of life took the place of the heaven which had been in my heart. I know the intense pleasure which comes when, after many hours of earnest effort, one reaches a correct solution to a mathematical problem. I once stood on the banks of the Yellowstone, my heart filled with emotions of beauty, as the waters of a great river plunged three hundred and fifty feet and burst in clouds of spray, in the canyon below. I know the feeling that comes to one who, having struggled for hours along the steep mountain's side, has reached the summit, and suddenly beholds the yawning chasms and rugged peaks about him, with beyond, and far below, a great valley and island-begemmed lake. But all such feelings are commonplace when compared with the happiness I experienced during

the moments when I received the above testimony. Having received the desired witness, I, before the proper persons, often spoke of the truth with a power and effect which surprised me. Since that time, I have had some trials, and have passed through hours of darkness, and even of doubt; but in the darkest hours, the remembrance of the above-mentioned manifestation has never failed to dispel evil, and restore faith and peace to my mind.