argument. They have only to be stated, and they confute themselves."

Learning's Lack of Knowledge. And these are some of the views that learned men take of "Mormonism." With all their learning, they are not able to come to a knowledge of the Truth. They do not begin to dream of the greatness of God's work, the grandeur of Christ's cause. They comprehend but in part its real aims and attitude. Even the most conservative assume that Joseph Smith stumbled upon something of which he did not know the true value, and that it was sheer luck which gave to this religion its vantage ground, its recognized strength of position. Never was there a grosser error. There are concepts as much higher than these, as the heavens are higher than the earth. The "Mormons" are not the "ignoramuses," when it comes to a consideration of the Gospel's mighty themes.

Joseph

have a

Spiritual Illumination.-Yet it is not because of native "smartness'-not because the followers of Smith are brainier than other people, that they greater knowledge of God and are capable of loftier ideals in religion. It is because they have received, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, a perceptive, power, a spiritual illumination, which the world, with all its learning, does not possess, and without which no man can comprehend Divinity or divine purposes. It cannot be had from books or schools. Colleges and universities cannot impart it. It comes only in one way-God's way, not man's. The Latter-day Saints possess it because they have bowed to the will of Heaven and rendered obedience to its laws, thus mak

a, For further particulars of the epileptic theory, see Woodbridge Riley's book, "The Founder of Mormonism,” and Robert C. Webb's admirable answer thereto in Chapter 26 of "The Real Mormonism."

ing themselves worthy of the inestimable boon. All men may have it upon precisely the same conditions.

Still Another Misconception. My Episcopalian friend said to me on another occasion: “My main objection to Mormonism is its narrowness, its illiberality. You Mormons are not interested in anything going on outside of your own social and religious system. You are insulated, wrapped up in yourselves, you take no note of what other peoples are doing, and you give them no credit for the good they accomplish. "For instance"-he went on "the Bible is retranslated, with a view to making it plainer and more intelligible; but you attach no importance to work of that kind. Ancient ruins are uncovered, buried civilizations brought to light, mystical inscriptions on old-time obelisks deciphered and interpreted, in order to acquaint the present with the past; but you put no value upon such enterprise. Hospitals are founded; missions maintained; Christ's name is carried to the heathen; the Bible is published by millions of copies, and persistent efforts are made to place one in every home. But you take no account of these things; you do not commend such labors you deem them all vain and of no worth."

Not Narrow and Illiberal.-The Bishop's remark surprised me. I was astonished that one so well informed in other ways could entertain such an opinion of the Latterday Saints. There may be such a thing

as a narrow

"Mormon;" there may be such a thing as a narrow notion in the mind of some "Mormon;" but there never has been and never will be such a thing as a narrow "Mormonism." To those who know it best, it is a synonym for largeness and liberality, another name for all that is generous charitable and sublime.

Takes Note of All. So far from ignoring what other

peoples and other systems are doing, the typical "Mormon" takes careful note of all that happens; and the spirit of his religion, "the Spirit that searcheth all things," enables him to assign events and achievements to their proper place in the universal scheme. He appreciates and applauds every step in the march of progress. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." So says the Church in its Articles of Faith.

The Fruit of Falsehood.-How, then, do such gross misunderstandings arise? They spring from prejudice and faulty inference. They are the fruit of falsehood, and of that propensity in most people for allowing themselves to be influenced by a one-sided statement-too often by mere rumor and hearsay. Confounding principle with practice, they mistake the conduct and expressions of individuals connected with a cause, for the cause itself, its character, its spirit, and the ends at which it aims.

Translation and Discovery. Contrary to my Christian friend's erroneous deduction, the Latter-day Saints are interested in the retranslation of the Scriptures. And why should they not be? Joseph Smith was a translator. Did he not translate the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham? We believe the Bible to be the word of God only so far as it has been translated correctly. Our Prophet also revised, by the Spirit of Revelation, the English version of the Hebrew Scriptures, making it in many respects more comprehensible, and at the same time restoring to it many "plain and precious things" that had been taken away. Why should we not attach importance to work of that kind?

As for archaeological discoveries, we hail them with joy, especially those that throw any light upon the Book of

b, Hist. Ch. Vol. 1, p. 132. 1 Nephi 13:35, 40.

Mormon, that silent witness "whispering from the dust" of America's "buried civilizations."

Christian Endeavor and "Mormon" Propaganda.-Go on, good Christian brother! Build as many hospitals and found as many missions as you like. Spread the glad tidings over the world, and sound the Savior's name from pole to pole. You cannot blazon the fame of Jesus Christ too far or too widely to suit us. You cannot publish too many Bibles, nor place them in too many homes. Such enterprise. makes the follow-up work of the "Mormon" missionary just that much less difficult. It virtually introduces the message that he comes to proclaim. The Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah are "one in the hand of Ephraim,"d Latter-day Israel, chosen and commissioned to prepare the way before Messiah's coming.

c, Isa. 29:4.

d, Ezek. 37:16-19.

ARTICLE ELEVEN.

The God Story.

Greater than it Appears.-"Mormonism" is a much bigger thing than Catholic scholars or Episcopal bishops imagine. It is only a nickname for the Everlasting Gospel, restored to earth in the nineteenth century, that it might be preached "to every nation and kindred and tongue and people."a as a warning to the world that the end of wickedness is nigh, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and that the Lord whom the righteous seek is about to "come suddenly to his Temple."

The Antiquity of the Gospel.-The Gospel originated in the heavens before this earth was formed, and was revealed from God out of Eternity at the very beginning of Time. It was the means whereby our great ancestor, Adam, after his expulsion from Eden, regained the Divine Presence from which he had been banished; and it is the means whereby his posterity, such as are obedient to the Gospel's requirements, may follow him into the Celestial Kingdom. The same ladder that he climbed, until beyond the reach of the fatal consequences of his transgression, the whole human race, inheriting from him the effects of the fall, must also climb, or they will never see the face of God in eternal glory.

The Path to Perfection. But the Gospel is more than a means of escape from impending ills. To all good Christians it is as a life-boat, or a fire-escape, a way out of a perilous situation. To the Latter-day Saints, it is all this

a, Rev. 14:6.

b, Mal. 3:1.