the Baptist, who declares that after he had baptized the Christ the heavens opened, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him, and a voice was heard from heaven saying: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." In a careful study of the life, works, and words of Jesus, as recorded in the gospels, there comes to the unprejudiced mind, to the mind enlightened by the Holy Spirit, a sure testimony that Jesus Christ was more than man, that he was, and ever shall be, God. But we have other scriptures besides the Bible which testify of the divinity of Christ. The Book of Mormon contains prophecies concerning His birth, His mission on earth, and His death. It also gives an account of His visit to the Nephites after His resurrection. The Book of Mormon also testifies that God should come to earth and dwell among men and atone for the sins of the human race. In the Book of Ether we have an account of the brother of Jared desiring the Lord to touch the stones which he had prepared that they might give light in the barges which he had built to carry them across the great waters. So great was his faith that when the Lord touched the stones he saw the Lord's finger, and afterward the Lord showed Himself unto him and said: "Behold I am he who was prepared from the foundations of the world to redeem my people. Behold I am Jesus Christ, I am the Father and the Son." What further proof do we require that Jesus Christ is God? Then we have the Book of Doctrine and Covenants which contains a number of revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith by Jesus Christ Himself, in which He declares Himself to be "your Lord and your God." While the sectarian world is divided upon this subject, while its ministers are striving to dethrone Jesus, the saints of God, believing both ancient and modern revelation, accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior, the Son of the Eternal Father, and unite with all true believers in singing: All hail the power of Jesu's name, Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem And crown Him Lord of all. ALFRED GLADWELL. A WORD IN SEASON. A LEARNED writer has said, "A word is a winged seed--none can tell when once it has gone forth what its harvest may be." I am going to tell the readers of the STAR how a few words, spoken at the right moment, wrought a marvelous change in my life and brought to me exquisite joy and happiness. Yes, a few simple words were primarily the means of my conversion to the gospel of Christ; they led me to investigate the principles of eternal life taught by the Latter-day Saints, which terminated in my becoming a member of the true Church of Christ. For four years I was a member of a Wesleyan Church in Derbyshire. During that time I became acquainted with all the members, and felt satisfied with the doctrines advocated by the preachers. In 1903 I came to reside in London. Seeking a Wesleyan Chapel, I began attending the meetings there. I was surprised at the coldness and apparent formality of the worshippers. No one spoke to me; I received no kind invitation to "come again." The people seemed to be perfect strangers to each other, and, after attending a few meetings, I withdrew. I felt that I could not worship God there, as the spirit of love and unity was not found among the worshippers. For two years I did not attend any place in which religious services were held. One day I was having a little argument with my father over some trivial matter, and in order to try and prove that I was correct I said, "Well, I know I am right, for everyone says the same as I say concerning the matter." "But," replied my father, "you cannot always depend on what people say. Nearly everyone says the 'Mormons' are a bad people, but I know otherwise." That was the first time I had heard of the Latter-day Saints or "Mormons," and I became curious to know something about this peculiar people who are everywhere spoken against. My father possessed a book-"Mr. Durant, of Salt Lake City, That Mormon,"which he gave me to read. I read a few pages, but they did not make any impression upon me. One Sunday evening I was sitting at home alone, when I felt impressed to take this book out of the bookcase and read it. I did so, and there seemed a strange power behind its simple words. The more I read of the little volume the more fascinated I became with it. I tried to get rid of its fascination but could not. When my father returned from work the following evening I asked him where the "Mormons" held their religious services, and he told me they conducted a Bible class at Larkbere Road, Lower Sydenham. I decided to attend one of the meetings. I prayed to the Lord to direct me and to plant my feet in the straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal. Two weeks later an Elder called at our home and left a gospel tract which I read with profit. I continued my investigation and also attending the meetings. I confined my study to the first principles of the gospel, leaving more advanced doctrines till a later date. Becoming convinced of the truth of the gospel, I expressed a desire to be baptized into the fold of Christ, but for some time my parents would not give their consent. I had purchased a copy of the Book of Mormon and had studied it carefully. I told the people with whom I came in contact about the gospel which I had learned to love so well. One day a lady who had read several tracts, and also a few chapters of the Book of Mormon, and who I thought would soon come to the meetings, came to me with the Book of Mormon in her hand and said: "See here, this book is too modern altogether. When Joseph Smith wrote it he overdid it; he put 'And it came to pass,' too many times in it."" This worried me a great deal, and I realized then that I did not have an actual testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I believed the gospel with all my heart, but I did not possess that actual knowledge which Christ said would be given to those who did the will of His Father in heaven. I thought over this for several days, until one morning I felt that I could not bear to live in such doubt, so taking the Bible in one hand and the Book of Mormon in the other, I went to my room and prayed to the Lord with all the earnestness of my soul to reveal to me if the gospel were true and the Book of Mormon a divine record. On finishing my prayer, I felt impressed to open the Book of Mormon, and the first words that caught my eyes were the following: "Behold there are, save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil." (I. Nephi 14: 10.) As I turned over the pages I seemed to see in large, bold letters the words, "Thus saith the Lord, this is my church." Doubt fled from my heart, and in its place came satisfaction and peace. On the 14th of April, 1907, I was baptized into the Church of Christ, and that was the happiest day of my life. I know as I live that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God, and that through him the gospel has been restored. That many others may obtain a like testimony is my earnest prayer.-ALICE BULLIN. THE PRAYER ANSWERED. He answered my prayer abundantly, And crowned the work that to His feet I brought, I stood amazed, and whispered "Can it be O faithless heart! He said that He would hear FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1908. WHAT IS RELIGION? THE annexed paragraph is taken from an editorial in The Outlook, a religious magazine published in New York City, and edited by the celebrated Dr. Lyman Abbott, to which we take some exceptions, as follow: man. "Religion is a life springing up within the soul-the life of God in the soul of If this definition seems too vague, then let us say that it is the life of faith, reverence, conscience, hope, love; or, to borrow Edward Everett Hale's definition, Religion is to look up, not down; forward, not backward; out, not in; and to lend a hand." This is indeed "too vague." both in the first sentence and the explanatory phrases. It is the reverse of the dictionary definition, which is: "A system of faith and worship; pious practice; piety." Take the two together and the explanation of the term becomes more complete. The religious sentiment, which is so natural as to be almost universal, springs, no doubt, from within the soul of man, and proceeds outward and looks upward; but religion comprehends more than mere impulse, emotion, desire and elevation of feeling. It is something communicated from the outside to the inner consciousness, and includes rules, principles, exterior influences, ceremonies and powers. There are various forms of religion, some of them ancient, some modern; many of them human, but one of them Divine. The religious sentiment in the soul of man is not a true guide to religion as a system. It is exhibited in various forms, and of itself has no standard of principle or doctrine; it does not enlighten the individual concerning God, His will, His powers, His purposes or His commandments. It is something to be acted upon from the outside; of itself, it accomplishes nothing further than to be receptive; it does not bring mankind to the unity of the faith; it is individual, not collective. Religion formulates, imparts information, directs worship and organizes religious people. Human religions differ in constitution as they do in organization, but all of them proceed on something believed to be of Divine origin. They conflict because they do not come direct from the Fountain Head of truth, but depend upon human conceptions or interpretations of that which was once revealed from Deity. They are not to be depended upon as sufficient guides because they are of man, and their very diversity proclaims this and makes it beyond rational question. True religion must come from God to man. The beginning of it is faith in the true God; the worship of a false god must necessarily lead into error. The true God must be worshipped, not only "in spirit," but "in truth." How can man "find out God"? Not by "searching," not by simple sentiment or religious instinct or human reason; not by the finite reaching out to the infinite, but by Deity condescending to humanity; in other words, by Divine. revelation; that is, by God speaking or manifesting Himself to man by personal communication, or by the ministration of His agents, or by the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost. Humanity cannot comprehend Deity by its own effort, but Deity can unfold Divine truth and the Divine personality to human beings. History shows that in early ages of the world Divine communications were received by mortals, and that these were repeated at different periods, and by and through them true religion was established among mankind. But the freedom of thought and will being a universal heritage, human beings have taken their own course, and while a few comparatively have been guided by Divine communications, others have followed their own inclinations and each others' notions and opinions concerning religion, or have repudiated Divine guidance, and even stifled the religious sentiment in their own souls. Hence the religious conflicts that have convulsed the world, and the irreligious influence that so widely prevails. The great error of modern times, that the time for Divine revelations has long since passed and that there is no need for anything of that kind now, has shut off the means by which such communications have always been obtained when received from on high. People have not asked and therefore they have not received; that is, they have not asked expecting or believing that there would be any response from Deity as in times of old. Therefore, neither the voice of Deity, nor angelic ministrations, nor the manifestations of the Holy Ghost in a "Thus saith the Lord" have been expected or enjoyed. Religion, then, has become just what men have made it among themselves, and of course it is seen in a variety and conflict of systems and opinions. God has, at different periods in the history of the world, raised up exceptional men whom He has inspired to bring forth religious truths and regulations and ordinances, for the benefit of mankind, and to lead them as near to Deity as was possible according to their conditions and qualifications. All that He revealed was true, but it was not the fulness of truth, because the masses of mankind were not sufficiently advanced to receive more than a degree of |