First counselor in the First Presidency George A. Smith preaches: "When Joseph Smith was about 15 years old there was, in the western part of the State of New York, a considerable excitement upon the subject of religion . . . .Joseph reflected much upon the subject of religion . . . . He was led to pray upon the subject in consequence of the declaration of the Apostle James: 'If any of you lack Wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.' He sought the Lord by day and by night, and was enlightened by the vision of an holy angel. When this personage appeared to him, one of his first inquiries was, 'Which of the denominations of Christians in the vicinity was right?' He was told they had all gone astray, they had wandered into darkness, and that God was about to restore the Gospel in its simplicity and purity to the earth; he was, consequently, directed not to join any one of them, but to be humble and seek the Lord with all his heart, and that from time to time he should be taught and instructed in relation to the right way to serve the Lord."
[Source: On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com, based on Michael Quinn's Mormon Hierarchy vols 1 & 2]
No comments:
Post a Comment