--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - J. L. Townsend collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 6 number: 11 published: 1903-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'J. L. Townsend, "Meditations on the Power of Man. A Poem", *Improvement Era* 6, no. 11 (September 1903): 809–810.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0611unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0611unse start_page: 809 end_page: 810 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1903-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0611unse publication_year: 1903 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1903, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Meditations on the Power of Man. A Poem MEDITATION ON THE POWER OF MAN. 809 that a man is a prophet than the fulfilment of his predictions. Long ago, God pointed out this truth to ancient Israel, "And if thou thalt say in thine heart," said the Lord to his people, "How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him" (Deut. xviii: 21, 22). Conversely, it follows that if the thing which the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord comes to pass, then undoubtedly the prophet hath spoken the thing commanded bim by the Lord. He has not spoken presump- tuously, and the people are under obligations to respect his mes- sage, since he has furnished them the highest possible evidence of his divine inspiration. The claims of the prophet Joseph Smith, submitted to this test, are daily receiving confirmation; and es- pecially this year, in the events I have pointed out. MEDITATIONS ON THE POWER OF MAN, [For the Improvement Era.] BY J. L. TOWNSEND, OF PAYSON, UTAH. Because I can not build a ship To sail the air and keep its course; To raise at will, to glide, to dip, Overcoming all opposing force; 'Tis not for me to blindly say Another may not know the way. Because with God I cannot walk And see him daily face to face; And with him as did Enoch, talk And learn the myst'ries of our race; Another may: 'tis not for me To say God's will shall never be. Because I can not build an ark By the Chief Architect's command, And in it with my all embark Should floods again come o'er the land, 310 IMPROVEMENT ERA. As Noah did; another can, IfGod again selects the man. Because I can not found a race - To keep it's lineage sublime; And through its bards and prophets trace Both back and forth the trend of Time; Yet Abraham this power could sway, His race remaining to this day. Because I can not take the rocks That nature scattered o'er the sod, And from a score of unhewn blocks Erect an altar to my God, And down bring heaven's altar fires; Another may, if God inspires. Because my staff I can not take And cast it down upon the earth, And make a pulseless rod awake With life that knew not laws of birth, Another may. The Magi knew How Moses could their works out-do. Because no angel comes to me The keys of priesthood to restore, To tell the future's mystery, And what has been in days of yore* Why should I say it is not true A prophet God may thus indue? For God pursues his own clear plan: He recks not of man's fruitless dreams, And from the ranks ordains his man To carry forth predestined schemes: And calls, ordains, his chosen men With priesthood and his power again. And so today the present speaks As with the voices of the past; And God in man communion seeks: The seers are first the seers are last, Another may some truth declare I can not reach, but only share!