Excerpt from The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 101: November 2, 1939

But the boy knew that he could not be persuaded to deny what he had actually seen and heard. No man or influence of men could change his mind. In respect to this matter of the Word, what was it that aroused faith in the minds of men as also in the mind of the boy? It was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And in this Gospel of Jesus Christ was to be found divine authority.

That is what prompted him to seek the Lord in prayer which was followed by the manifestation and the inquiry by the Son, who said: What do you want? He had come into the Sacred Grove to pray and to ask a vital question because of the con fusion that existed in the minds of men at that time.

In answer to the boy's question, he was told to join none of the various sects of the day. Although they might have some truths in their tenets, yet they nevertheless lacked very much in having. The fulness of the Gospel. This resulted in dissen sion, hard feelings and bitterness. This condition was not approved by the Lord and was not therefore acceptable to Him. The young man was thereupon told he must join none of them.

Now, that was the substance of the wonderful manifestation given to the young man, Joseph Smith. It was some time after that before he could be designated a Prophet of God, or, in other words, before it could be said of him that he was an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was but a boy, and he was very much amazed with his experience. He took it to his father and mother and the first thing he said to them (four members of the family had joined the Presbyterian Church) was that he now knew that the Presbyterians did not have the Gospel in its fulness. As I have said, they may have had some truths, and so long as they refrained from engaging in the evils and dissension and fault-finding, etc., they were accept able to the Lord, but otherwise He could not receive them.

Could any man at that time have been justified in saying that Joseph Smith was called of the Lord to go forth and organize the Church of Christ because of this great manifesta tion? No, no, he did not go for the purpose of ascertaining, whether he could organize a church. He went with the idea. That one of these various denominations was the true Church. Which one he did not know. However, no authority, no power was given him beyond the condescension of the Father and the Son to manifest themselves in person to him.

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