Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 1/Number 9/Faith of the Church No. XIV

Faith of the Church. [No. XIV]

That part of the work of the work of the Holy spirit in the salvation of men, which consists in giving them vision, forms one of the most important parts (of the Spirit's work) in the salvation of men, and it is one that was always performed by the Spirit, as far as we have any account of the people of God in his revelations. There is no society of which we have an account in the revelations of God, that he acknowledged as his own, except they had visions among them, and that as long as they continued to walk according to the directions of the Holy Spirit: indeed it was essential to their character as saints; it would be a marvelous thing to find a body of saints on earth and yet there would be no visions among them; we will venture to assert that such a thing was never seen since the world began. We readily admit that a corrupt religion can exist, and false prophecies exist, and sectarian dogmas abound; men-made worshipers increase, and the world abound in a religion that the Lord was not the author of, and yet no visions be among them; but wherever the truth of heaven abounds, there will visions abound also; for it is a part of heaven's scheme to save men, and without it, we are not authorized to say there is salvation; for all the people who were saved of whom we have an account, were of the number who saw visions; and such was the importance which the sacred writers attached to the seeing of visions, that Solomon says, in Proverbs, chap. 29: ver. 18, that where no vision is, the people perish. But in direct opposition to this, the people of this generation say, that where no vision is, there truth reigns and prevails; and where vision is there error and delusion abounds; but whether we should believe God or man, judge ye.

It requires but a limited acquaintance with the Bible to see that, the highest degree of knowledge which was among the former day saints was by reason of their seeing visions. It was by visions by which they were made acquainted with the deep things of God, and visions was a part of the work of that spirit which searched all things—"yea," as says Paul, "the deep things of God," 1st Corinthians, 2d chapter, 10th verse. No person can reflect on the great priviliges [privileges] which the saints enjoyed in receiving visions without being filled with desire: there was no end to the knowledge which they acquired; there was no bounds to their discoveries; they reached far into futurity and comprehended the things of both God and man for many generations; they looked to the things within the veil, and saw the things of God, of angels, and of men in the unseen world. It was visions which gave them the greatest confidence in their religion, and which enabled them to endure as seeing him who is invisible. They knew their religion to be true; for, through visions they had seen with their eyes, heard with their ears, and understood with their hearts. In their visions they conversed with angels, the spirits of just men made perfect; were made acquaint-ed with the glories of the eternal world, and obtained the most perfect knowledge of future things. By reason of this they became exceedingly bold and testified of the things of God without fear; seeing, hearing, and handling of the word of life, and became swift witnesses against the generation in which they lived; for no man can be a witness for God until he can bear testimony of what he has seen and heard; no man can bear witness of what another has seen and heard; but of what he has seen and heard himself. So that all the witnesses that God has ever had on earth were those who had obtained visions; for without them, they could not be witnesses for God. Nor did the ancients ever pretend to be witnesses of any thing but of what they saw and heard themselves. When God went to raise up witnesses for himself, he did so by giving them visions.

There is something in relation to the revelation of Jesus Christ when understood, which sets this subject in a very forcible point of light, and establishes beyond a doubt the necessity of visions; indeed one of the great objects to be obtained by raising up a church would be lost, and the Lord could not have a great object in view in so doing. The apostle Paul said concerning the apostles, "that they were a savor of life unto life or of death unto death," 2d Corinthians, 2:16.—The reason of this is, because they (the apostles) were God's witnesses unto all men, and as such they were a savor of life unto life or of death unto death; for those who received their testimony concerning Jesus and obeyed their teachings would be saved, but all others would not be saved; and the reason that they were a savor of life unto life or of death unto death, was because they had the testimony of Jesus; and no people ever had or ever will have, the testimony of Jesus, but those who receive visions. For unless they actually have visions, they cannot see the Lord; and if they cannot see him they cannot bear testimony of him. For, a man to be a witness for either God or man, he must have something to which he can testify; and no man can testify to what another sees and hears; but to what he sees and hears himself. In order, therefore, for a man to be a witness for Jesus Christ, or for God the Father, he must have more testimony than any man or all the men of the world combined could give; he must have it for himself from God, that he can say like Paul, the things which I declare unto you I have not of man, neither received I them of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. On this principle, and on this only, can a man be a witness for Jesus Christ.

When the Savior began to raise up a church, it was to get witnesses for himself: those who could testify of him, and declare that he lived. Such was the case with the former day saints as far as our account of them extends, and we are told by their historian Luke, that they gave forth their testimony with great power, and they declared that they had seen Jesus after he arose from the dead, and Paul among the rest said, that last of all he appeared unto me, as one born out of due time. They went from place to place, and from land to land declaring as they went that, that same Jesus who was crucified on Calvary by the Jews; God had raised from the dead; had exalted at his own right hand and made Prince and Saviour; and even in the very article of death they would bear the same testimony as did Stephen, who said at the time the Jews stoned him to death: "I see the heavens opened and the son of man sitting at the right hand of power."

These men bore this witness, because they had the testimony of Jesus, and were by virtue of their obedience to him made acquainted with the truth and actually knew the truth, as Jesus had said those should, who would continue in his doctrine, and the truth had made them free. See John's gospel, 8:31, 32.

The object in raising up these witnesses was, that through their testimony, the world might be judged. Hence it was that they were a savor of life unto life or of death unto death to all men, because they were to be witnesses either for or against all men, and this is the reason that it was necessary that they should have visions; for without visions they could not see any of the things of the eternal world, and could not have any thing to testify of; but receiving heavenly visions they beheld the things of heaven, and beheld and understood the things of eternity, and went forth and testified of what they saw and heard; and by this means God would judge the world. When they had this great witness of the things of God & would not believe it, they were to be damned, because they had the testimony of living witnesses that the things of which they testified were realities; for these men had both seen and heard them for themselves, and hence it was that those who would believe on Jesus through their word would be saved; and those who would not would be damned.

Take visions away therefore, from the scheme of heaven, and God must cease to judge the world, because he would have no witnesses, and he could not condemn a people for not believing when they had not testimony in which they were justified in believing; but when they had as strong testimony as they had to prove other things which they believed and then would not believe, they stood justly condemned, and there is no candid being in the world but would condemn them, for their inconsistency; because they required greater evidence to believe one thing than they would require to believe another.

And thus by reason of visions the world will be judged, and by them condemned; for it is visions which makes a man a witness for God, and without them he cannot be a witness; for there is not any thing of which he could testify; but having visions he can testify of what he both sees and hears, and thereby condemn those who will not believe.