--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Snow, Lorenzo collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 22 number: 8 published: 1919-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Snow, Lorenzo, "Devotion to a Divine Inspiration," *Improvement Era* 22, no. 8 (June 1919): 653–661.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2208unse 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: improvementera2208unse start_page: 653 end_page: 661 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1919-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2208unse publication_year: 1919 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 1919, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Devotion to a Divine Inspiration DEVOTION TO A DIVINE INSPIRATION. 655 also the fact that he is now being revealed to the children of men, and communicating knowledge, the same as in the apostolic times. I was perfectly satisfied, as well as I might be, for my expectations were more than realized, I think I may safely say in an infinite degree. * * * That night as I retired to rest, the same wonderful manifestations were repeated, and continued to be for several successive nights. The sweet remembrance of those glorious experiences, from that time to the present, bring them fresh before me, imparting an inspiring influence which pervades my whole being, and I trust will to the close of my earthly existence. This heavenly vision so enlightened his mind and opened the eyes of his understanding that Lorenzo Snow began to comprehend the remarkable promise made to him by the Patriarch of the Church, in the Kirtland temple before his baptism. He continued to dwell upon the thought of the possible progress of man and his destiny. A few months later, during the same year, another inspired blessing was pronounced upon his head by the Patriarch, Father Joseph Smith, in which miraculous promises were made. The following is quoted from the blessing: Brother Snow, in the name of Jesus Christ and by authority of the holy priesthood, I lay my hands upon thy head and give thee a father's blessing. I ask God to have mercy upon thee who art but a youth. Thou hast been diligent in thy application to learning. God has looked upon thee from all eternity and has been bountiful in gifts; he has given thee intelligence, tal- ent, and great faculties of mind that thou mightest be useful in his cause. Thou hast a great work to perform. God has called thee to the ministry; thou must preach the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. Thou shalt become a mighty man. Thou shalt have great faith, even like the brother of Jared. Thou shalt have power to translate thyself from one planet to another, * * * power to rend the vail and see Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father, * * * there shall not be a mightier man on earth than thou, thy faith shall increase and grow stronger till it shall become like Peter's — thou shalt restore the sick; the diseased shall send to thee their aprons and handkerchiefs and by thy touch their owners shall be made whole. * * * Thou shalt have long life; * * * yet not be old; age shall not come upon thee; the vigor of thy mind shall not be abated and the vigor of thy body shall be preserved. * * * No power shall be able to take thy life as long as thy life shall be useful to the children of men. * * * — Given in the Kirtland temple, December 15, 1836, by Joseph Smith, Sr., Patriarch. There is little wonder that Lorenzo Snow was amazed at this extraordinary blessing and promise, especially in the face of the predictions of several noted physicians who had shortly before told him that he could not live more than a few years. But here again the great thought was emphasized the pos- — sible progress and development of man through obedience and faithfulness to the gospel. This truth was being grounded deeper 656 IMPROVEMENT ERA and deeper into his soul, and it was constantly upon his mind. In the spring of 1840, just before leaving on his first mission to England, Lorenzo Snow spent an evening in the home of his friend, Elder H. G. Sherwood, in Nauvoo. Elder Sherwood was endeavoring to explain the parable of the Savior about the husbandman who sent forth servants at different hours of the day to labor in the vineyard. While thus engaged in thought this most important event occurred, as told by President Snow himself: While attentively listening to his (Elder Sherwood's) explanation, the Spirit of the — Lord rested mightily upon me the eyes of my understanding were opened, and I saw as clear as the sun at noon-day, with wonder and astonishment, the pathway of God and man. I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation, as it was shown to me, and explains Father Smith's dark saying to me at a blessing meeting in the Kirtland temple, prior to my baptism, as previously mentioned in my first interview with the Patriarch: As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be. I felt this to be a sacred communication which I related to no one except my sister Eliza, until I reached England, when in a confidential, private conversation with President Brigham Young, in Manchester, I related to him this extraordinary manifestation. Soon after his return from England, in January, 1843, Lorenzo Snow related to the Prophet Joseph Smith his experience in Elder Sherwood's home. This was in a confidential interview in Nauvoo. The Prophet's reply was: "Brother Snow, that is true gospel doctrine, and it is a revelation from God to you." Let us understand clearly that while Lorenzo Snow, through a revelation from God, was the author of the above couplet expression, the Lord had revealed this great truth to the Prophet and to Father Smith, long before it was made known to Lorenzo Snow. In fact, it was the remarkable promise given to him in the Kirtland temple, in 1836, by the Patriarch that first awakened the thought in his mind, and its expression in the frequently quoted couplet was not revealed to President Snow until the spring of 1840. We cannot emphasize the fact too strongly that this revealed truth impressed Lorenzo Snow more than perhaps all else; it sank so deeply into his soul that it became the inspiration of his life and gave him his broad vision of his own great future and the mighty mission and work of the Church. Four years after this revelation to Lorenzo Snow, and more than a year after he related it to Joseph Smith, the Prophet himself expressed the same idea in a public sermon. This was during the General Conference, Sunday afternoon, April 7, 1844. : DEVOTION TO A DIVINE INSPIRATION. 657 In referring to the death, a short time before, of Elder King Follett, the Prophet preached a general funeral sermon. This was one of his last sermons, as the martyrdom occurred less than three months later. This sermon was first published, in part, about six weeks after the martyrdom, in the August 15, 1844, issue of the Times and Seasons, and seventeen years afterward, in 1861, it appeared in Vol. 23 of the Millennial Star. It was also printed in the January number of the Improvement Era, in 1909, with explanatory footnotes by Elder B. H. Roberts. The King Follett sermon, as it is called, was reported by Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock and William Clayton in longhand. After its first publication, in 1844, it was revised and corrected before its publication in 1861. While absolutely no change is made in this thought of the destiny of man, the later wording is clearer and better and is a result of careful comparison and consideration by those who reported and heard the discourse. (For further explanation, see History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 556; Vol. 6, pp. 248-54.) There are two references in this sermon to the idea of the possible progress and development of man, which I quote both from the Times and Seasons and from the Millennial Star, the words in italics having been added in the later publication Times and Seasons, Aug. 15, 1844. Millennial Star, 1861 First, God himself, who sits en- God himself was once as we are throned in yonder heavens, is a man now. And is an exalted Man, and like unto one of yourselves, that is sits enthroned in yonder heavens! the great secret. If the vail was That is the great secret. If the vail rent today, and the great God, who were rent today, and the great God holds this world in its orbit, and who holds this world in its orbit, upholds all things by his power; if and who upholds all worlds and all you were to see him today, you things by his power, was to make would see him in all the person, — himself visible, I say, if you were image and very form as a man; for to see him today, you would see him Adam was created in the very fash- like a man in form — like yourselves ion and image of God; Adam re- in all the person, image, and very ceived instruction, walked, talked form as a man; for Adam was creand conversed with him, as one man ated in the very fashion, image and talks and communes with another. likeness of God, and received in- struction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another. These are incomprehensible ideas These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are the simple and to some, but they are simple. It is first principles of the gospel, to the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character know for a certainty the character of God, that we may converse with of God, to know that we may and him as one man with another, and converse with him as one man conthat God himself, the Father of us verses with another, and that he was all, dwelt on an earth the same as once a man like us; yea, that God Jesus Christ himself did, and I will himself, .he Father of us all, dwelt show it from the Bible. on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did; and I will show it from the Bible. 658 IMPROVEMENT ERA In President Snow's own copy of the Times and Seasons, which I now have, he drew more particular attention, with his own indelible pencil, to this part of the Prophet's King Follett sermon than to any other reference in all the six volumes. This great hope in man's destiny, through strict obedience to the gospel, was in his mind so constantly that he frequently referred to it in the home circle, in his public discourses, both when addressing aged parents and when talkng to little children, and many of his intimate friends know that it was a favorite theme in private and confidential conversations. Few comparisons were more frequently repeated by President Snow in his public speaking than the following: As an illustration, here is an infant upon its mother's breast. It is with- out power or knowledge to feed and clothe itself. It is so helpless that it has to be fed by its mother. But see its possibilities! This infant has a father and a mother, though it knows scarcely anything about them. Who is its father? Who is its mother? Why, its father is an emperor, its mother is an empress, and they sit upon a throne, governing an empire. This little infant will some day, in all probability, sit upon his father's throne, and govern and control the empire, just as King Edward of England now sits upon the throne of his mother. We should have this in mind for we are ; the sons of God, as much so and more, if possible, than we are the sons of our earthly fathers. You sisters, I suppose, have read that poem which my sister, Eliza R. Snow Smith, composed, years ago, and which is sung quite frequently now in our meetings. It tells us that we not only have a Father in "that high and glorious place," but that we have a Mother, too; and you sisters will become as great as your Mother, if you are faithful. Only a short time before his death, President Snow visited the Brigham Young University, at Provo. President Brimhall escorted the party through one of the buildings; he wanted to reach the assembly room as soon as possible, as the students had already gathered. They were going through one of the kindergarten rooms; President Brimhall had reached the door and was about to open it and go on when President Snow said: "Wait a moment, President Brimhall, I want to see these children at work; what are they doing?" Brother Brimhall replied that they were making clay spheres. "That is very interesting," the President said. "I want to watch them." He quietly watched the children for several minutes and then lifted a little girl, perhaps six years of age, and stood her on a table. He then took the clay sphere from her hand, and, turning to Brother Brimhall, said: President Brimhall, these children are now at play, making mud worlds, the time will come when some of these boys, through their faithfulness to : DEVOTION TO A DIVINE INSPIRATION. 659 the gospel, will progress and develop in knowledge, intelligence and power, in future eternities, until they shall be able to go out into space where there is unorganized matter and call together the necessary elements, and through their knowledge of and control over the laws and powers of nature, to organize matter into worlds on which their posterity may dwell, and over which they shall rule as gods. Every one present was deeply impressed, and President Brimhall says that he will never forget the thrill of the spirit of inspiration which filled his soul at the time. We should realize clearly that Lorenzo Snow was not only deeply impressed by this revelation in his youth, but let us grasp the even more important fact that this impression remained fresh in his soul throughout his long life. It is my purpose, as stated before, to point out the motive or incentive which did most in President Lorenzo Snow's life to develop his character, in the hope that we might learn a practical lesson therefrom to apply in our own lives. We here have a splendid example of the effect and results in one man's life of the inspiration of a great ideal or hope; but we must know that the memory of this first impression was ever kept fresh, and not only the memory of it, but he proved his faith by his works, for President Snow realized fully that the great destiny of man was predicated entirely upon the condition of faithfulness to the gospel teachings. This he ever kept in mind and, I am sure, it was the deciding factor in his every act throughout his long and beautifully faithful life. He taught that a man approaches godliness as fast as he approaches perfection; that a sinner cannot be saved in his sins; that the reward for righteousness is exaltation. He often quoted the words of the Lord to John: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21). So, in journeying along this "pathway of God and man," President Snow always had these two thoughts in mind: the great destiny of man, and the necessity of cleansing one's self — from sin living a pure life, in strict obedience to the gospel of Christ "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (I John 3:2,3). President Snow composed the following beautiful poem about ten years before his death. It expresses these two thoughts, and is the result of a life-long obedience to the teach- — — 660 IMPROVEMENT ERA in^ revealed to him about fifty-two years before. The poem is addressed to Apostle Paul, and was written in reply to the apostle's epistle to the Philippians: Man's Destiny* "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (Philippians 2:5, 6). Dear Brother: Hast thou not been unwisely bold, Man's destiny to thus unfold? To raise, promote such high desire, Such vast ambition thus inspire? Still, 'tis no phantom that we trace Man's ultimatum in life's race; This royal path has long been trod By righteous men, each now a God: As Abra'm, Isaac, Jacob, too, First babes, then men —to gods they grew. As man now is, our God once was; As now God is, so man may be, Which doth unfold man's destiny. For John declares: When Christ we see Like unto him we'll truly be. And he who has this hope within, Will purify himself from sin. Who keep this object grand in view, To folly, sin, will bid adieu, Nor wallow in the mire anew; Nor ever seek to carve his name High on the shaft of worldly fame; But here his ultimatum trace: The head of all his spirit-race. Ah, well: that taught by you, dear Paul, 'Though much amazed, we see it all; Our Father God, has ope'd our eyes, We cannot view it otherwise. *This poem was composed by President Snow in Brigham City, dated January 11, 1892. This is its first appearance in print. Elder LeFoi C. Snow has the original manuscript along with about fifty other origin?l poems, from his father's pen, which have never been published. Editors. — bEVOTION TO A DIVINE INSPIRATION. 66l The boy, like to his father grown, Has but attained unto his own; To grow to sire from state of son, Is not 'gainst Nature's course to run. A son of God, like God to be, Would not be robbing Deity; And he who has this hope within, Will purify himself from sin. You're right, St. John, supremely right: Whoe'er essays to climb this height, Will cleanse himself of sin entire Or else 'twere needless to aspire. Lorenzo Snow. About three months before President Snow's death he said, about the couplet: As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be. That fulfilled Father Smith's declaration. Nothing was ever revealed more distinctly than that was to me. Of course, now that it is so well known it may not appear such a wonderful manifestation, but when I received it, the knowledge was marvelous to me. He was in his eighty-eighth year when he made the above statement. Sixty-six years before, at the age of twenty-two, he received the Patriarch's blessing and also his first vision. The inspiration of that great truth was just as bright and clear in his old age as it was when he received it in his youth. It had been his constant light and guide on this "pathway of God and man;" it had been that "still, small voice" which had ever warned him of sin and evil and whose promptings he always obeyed and followed. This thought in the breasts of men, filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, will purify them and cleanse them from every improper ambition and every unholy desire. Let me plead with every young man in Israel to take this lesson to heart, let it be the inspiration of our lives as it was the inspiration of President Snow's life. It was a bright, illuminating star before him all the — time in his heart, in his soul, and all through him. I have endeavored to show how deeply this revelation from God burned into my father's very being when but a young man, and how true and faithful he remained to that early inspira- tion; and now, in conclusion, I wish to quote from one of his last statements, a testimony given but a short time before his death. His work on earth was nearly done, his mission was almost finished; he was about to return to his Maker, and with all 662 IMPROVEMENT ERA the remaining strength of his soul he testified concerning the divinity of the work in which he and the Prophet Joseph Smith commenced their life's work when young men: * * * A word or two about Joseph Smith. Perhaps there are very few men now living who were so well acquainted with Joseph Smith the Prophet as I was. I was with him oftentimes. I visited him in his family, sat at his table, associatedwith him under various circumstances, and had private interviews with him for counsel. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God; I know that he was an honorable man, a moral man, and that he had the respect of those who were acquainted with him. The Lord has shown me most clearly and completely that he was a Prophet of God, and that he held the holy priesthood and the authority to baptize people for the remission of their sins, and to lay hands upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost, that they might receive a knowledge themselves in relation to these things. I am one who has received from the Lord the strongest revelation concerning the truth of this work. That manifestation was with me powerfully for hours and hours, and whatever circumstances may occur in my life, as long as memory lasts this perfect knowledge will remain with me. * * * A Testimony By Robert Collingham I am proud that I can say within my heart and soul that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the true Church, teaching the same gospel that our Redeemer taught in former days, and for which he gave his life that we might live. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to my mind the greatest organization on earth, because it was organized by our eternal Father and our elder brother, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for the sins of the world, that men might have joy, and gain an exaltation in our Father's kingdom. gained a knowledge of the gospel by a close investi- I have gation and study, for I inquired of the Lord in faith and prayers, with a desire to know. Prayer is the key note that connects the human soul to God. If we have no faith in prayer, we can not have faith in God. I have done what the Savior taught us to do in Matthew 7:7, 8; and 6:19-25. I have learned to love the Lord with all my heart, mind and strength. I have learned not to be ashamed to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things. He has blessed me beyond measure, with many of the good things of this world, and the greatest of all blessings is that A TESTIMONY 663 I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which has given me a better understanding of things pertaining to life. It has caused me to have greater love and appreciation for my beloved brothers and sisters and friends. Man is my brother, woman is my sister, and I owe them as much respect as I would owe my sisters and brothers of my own kin. Why? Because they are my brothers and sisters in the Spirit of the Almighty. For the glorious opportunity that I have had to gain a beautiful testimony I am thankful. On account of my affliction, I have been taken through many trials and tribulations. I have been made to humble myself before God, and I have let him know all about my sorrows and my desires. He has comforted my aching heart with his Holy Spirit. I was the first one in my father's family to go down into the waters of baptism; others have followed me. I have heard the testimony of the servants of the Lord, and of some of the old pioneers. ! I honor those dear old pioneers who laid down their lives for the gospel, and for their children and their children's children, that they might enjoy the gospel and gain salvation in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. I honor them because they builded homes, canals, roads and bridges, in these beautiful valleys of these everlasting hills. I honor the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. I love to sustain and know the leaders of our Church of today, because they are inspired men of the Lord, to lead and direct the Church. I love Old Glory because she is the banner of the greatest Nation in all the world, and I love and honor the boys who have been fighting for Liberty and Freedom. I pray that we may all live so that we can be worthy Latterday Saints, and good, loyal American citizens.