Getting Started With Python Data Analysis Phuong

Voth Martin Czygan download

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-data-
analysis-phuong-voth-martin-czygan-49052760

Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com

Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be
interested in. You can click the link to download.

Practical Python Data Wrangling And Data Quality Getting Started With
Reading Cleaning And Analyzing Data 1st Edition Susan E Mcgregor

https://ebookbell.com/product/practical-python-data-wrangling-and-
data-quality-getting-started-with-reading-cleaning-and-analyzing-
data-1st-edition-susan-e-mcgregor-36558596

Getting Started With Streamlit For Data Science Create And Deploy
Streamlit Web Applications From Scratch In Python 1st Edition Tyler
Richards

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-streamlit-for-data-
science-create-and-deploy-streamlit-web-applications-from-scratch-in-
python-1st-edition-tyler-richards-34081822

Getting Started With Python And Raspberry Pi Dan Nixon

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-and-
raspberry-pi-dan-nixon-55324472

Getting Started With Python Thomas Theis

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-thomas-
theis-58667974
Getting Started With Python Fabrizio Romano

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-fabrizio-
romano-29872470

Getting Started With Python And Raspberry Pi 1st Edition Nixon

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-and-
raspberry-pi-1st-edition-nixon-54981210

Getting Started With Python 1st Edition Thomas Theis

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-1st-edition-
thomas-theis-58649780

Getting Started With Python For The Internet Of Things Leverage The
Full Potential Of Python To Prototype And Build Iot Projects Using The
Raspberry Pi Cox

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-for-the-
internet-of-things-leverage-the-full-potential-of-python-to-prototype-
and-build-iot-projects-using-the-raspberry-pi-cox-10422168

Getting Started With Python Fabrizio Romano

https://ebookbell.com/product/getting-started-with-python-fabrizio-
romano-48506680
Getting Started with Python
Data Analysis

Learn to use powerful Python libraries for effective

data processing and analysis

Phuong Vo.T.H
Martin Czygan

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Getting Started with Python Data Analysis

Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy
of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is
sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor Packt
Publishing and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages
caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: October 2015

Production reference: 1231015

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78528-511-0

www.packtpub.com

[ FM-2 ]
 Credits

Authors Copy Editors

Phuong Vo.T.H Ting Baker
Martin Czygan Trishya Hajare

Reviewers Project Coordinator

Dong Chao Sanjeet Rao
Hai Minh Nguyen
Kenneth Emeka Odoh Proofreader
Safis Editing

Commissioning Editor
Dipika Gaonkar Indexer
Priya Sane

Acquisition Editor
Harsha Bharwani Production Coordinator
Nitesh Thakur

Content Development Editor

Shweta Pant Cover Work
Nitesh Thakur

Technical Editor
Naveenkumar Jain

[ FM-3 ]
 About the Authors

Phuong Vo.T.H has a MSc degree in computer science, which is related to

machine learning. After graduation, she continued to work in some companies
as a data scientist. She has experience in analyzing users' behavior and building
recommendation systems based on users' web histories. She loves to read machine
learning and mathematics algorithm books, as well as data analysis articles.

Martin Czygan studied German literature and computer science in Leipzig,

Germany. He has been working as a software engineer for more than 10 years. For
the past eight years, he has been diving into Python, and is still enjoying it. In recent
years, he has been helping clients to build data processing pipelines and search
and analytics systems. His consultancy can be found at http://www.xvfz.net.

[ FM-4 ]
 About the Reviewers

Dong Chao is both a machine learning hacker and a programmer. He’s currently
conduct research on some Natural Language Processing field (sentiment analysis on
sequences data) with deep learning in Tsinghua University. Before that he worked
in XiaoMi one year ago, which is one of the biggest mobile communication
companies in the world. He also likes functional programming and has some
experience in Haskell and OCaml.

Hai Minh Nguyen is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University.

He focuses on studying modified nucleic acid and designing Python interfaces for
C++ and the Fortran library for Amber, a popular bimolecular simulation package.
One of his notable achievements is the development of a pytraj program, a frontend
of a C++ library that is designed to perform analysis of simulation data
(https://github.com/pytraj/pytraj).

Kenneth Emeka Odoh presented a Python conference talk at Pycon, Finland, in

2012, where he spoke about Data Visualization in Django to a packed audience. He
currently works as a graduate researcher at the University of Regina, Canada, in the
field of visual analytics. He is a polyglot with experience in developing applications
in C, C++, Python, and Java programming languages.

He has strong algorithmic and data mining skills. He is also a MOOC addict, as he
spends time learning new courses about the latest technology.

Currently, he is a masters student in the Department of Computer Science, and will

graduate in the fall of 2015. For more information, visit https://ca.linkedin.com/
in/kenluck2001. He has written a few research papers in the field of visual analytics
for a number of conferences and journals.

When Kenneth is not writing source code, you can find him singing at the Campion
College chant choir.
[ FM-5 ]
 www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

For support files and downloads related to your book, please visit
www.PacktPub.com.

Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF
and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.
com and as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy.
Get in touch with us at [email protected] for more details.

At www.PacktPub.com, you can also read a collection of free technical articles,

sign up for a range of free newsletters and receive exclusive discounts and offers
on Packt books and eBooks.
TM

https://www2.packtpub.com/books/subscription/packtlib

Do you need instant solutions to your IT questions? PacktLib is Packt's online digital
book library. Here, you can search, access, and read Packt's entire library of books.

Why subscribe?
• Fully searchable across every book published by Packt
• Copy and paste, print, and bookmark content
• On demand and accessible via a web browser

Free access for Packt account holders

If you have an account with Packt at www.PacktPub.com, you can use this to access
PacktLib today and view 9 entirely free books. Simply use your login credentials for
immediate access.
[ FM-6 ]
 Table of Contents
Preface v
Chapter 1: Introducing Data Analysis and Libraries 1
Data analysis and processing 2
An overview of the libraries in data analysis 5
Python libraries in data analysis 7
NumPy 8
Pandas 8
Matplotlib 9
PyMongo 9
The scikit-learn library 9
Summary 9
Chapter 2: NumPy Arrays and Vectorized Computation 11
NumPy arrays 12
Data types 12
Array creation 14
Indexing and slicing 16
Fancy indexing 17
Numerical operations on arrays 18
Array functions 19
Data processing using arrays 21
Loading and saving data 22
Saving an array 22
Loading an array 23
Linear algebra with NumPy 24
NumPy random numbers 25
Summary 28

[i]
Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Data Analysis with Pandas 31

An overview of the Pandas package 31
The Pandas data structure 32
Series 32
The DataFrame 34
The essential basic functionality 38
Reindexing and altering labels 38
Head and tail 39
Binary operations 40
Functional statistics 41
Function application 43
Sorting 44
Indexing and selecting data 46
Computational tools 47
Working with missing data 49
Advanced uses of Pandas for data analysis 52
Hierarchical indexing 52
The Panel data 54
Summary 56
Chapter 4: Data Visualization 59
The matplotlib API primer 60
Line properties 63
Figures and subplots 65
Exploring plot types 68
Scatter plots 68
Bar plots 69
Contour plots 70
Histogram plots 72
Legends and annotations 73
Plotting functions with Pandas 76
Additional Python data visualization tools 78
Bokeh 79
MayaVi 79
Summary 81
Chapter 5: Time Series 83
Time series primer 83
Working with date and time objects 84
Resampling time series 92

[ ii ]
 Table of Contents

Downsampling time series data 92

Upsampling time series data 95
Time zone handling 97
Timedeltas 98
Time series plotting 99
Summary 103
Chapter 6: Interacting with Databases 105
Interacting with data in text format 105
Reading data from text format 105
Writing data to text format 110
Interacting with data in binary format 111
HDF5 112
Interacting with data in MongoDB 113
Interacting with data in Redis 118
The simple value 118
List 119
Set 120
Ordered set 121
Summary 122
Chapter 7: Data Analysis Application Examples 125
Data munging 126
Cleaning data 128
Filtering 131
Merging data 134
Reshaping data 137
Data aggregation 139
Grouping data 142
Summary 144
Chapter 8: Machine Learning Models with scikit-learn 145
An overview of machine learning models 145
The scikit-learn modules for different models 146
Data representation in scikit-learn 148
Supervised learning – classification and regression 150
Unsupervised learning – clustering and dimensionality reduction 156
Measuring prediction performance 160
Summary 162
Index 165

[ iii ]
 Preface
The world generates data at an increasing pace. Consumers, sensors, or scientific
experiments emit data points every day. In finance, business, administration and the
natural or social sciences, working with data can make up a significant part of the job.
Being able to efficiently work with small or large datasets has become a valuable skill.

There are a variety of applications to work with data, from spreadsheet applications,
which are widely deployed and used, to more specialized statistical packages for
experienced users, which often support domain-specific extensions for experts.

Python started as a general purpose language. It has been used in industry for a
long time, but it has been popular among researchers as well. Around ten years
ago, in 2006, the first version of NumPy was released, which made Python a first
class language for numerical computing and laid the foundation for a prospering
development, which led to what we today call the PyData ecosystem: A growing
set of high-performance libraries to be used in the sciences, finance, business or
anywhere else you want to work efficiently with datasets.

In contrast to more specialized applications and environments, Python is not

only about data analysis. The list of industrial-strength libraries for many general
computing tasks is long, which makes working with data in Python even more
compelling. Whether your data lives inside SQL or NoSQL databases or is out there
on the Web and must be crawled or scraped first, the Python community has already
developed packages for many of those tasks.

[v]
Preface

And the outlook seems bright. Working with bigger datasets is getting simpler and
sharing research findings and creating interactive programming notebooks has never
been easier. It is the perfect moment to learn about data analysis in Python. This
book lets you get started with a few core libraries of the PyData ecosystem: Numpy,
Pandas, and matplotlib. In addition, two NoSQL databases are introduced. The final
chapter will take a quick tour through one of the most popular machine learning
libraries in Python.

We hope you find Python a valuable tool for your everyday data work and that we
can give you enough material to get productive in the data analysis space quickly.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introducing Data Analysis and Libraries, describes the typical steps involved
in a data analysis task. In addition, a couple of existing data analysis software
packages are described.

Chapter 2, NumPy Arrays and Vectorized Computation, dives right into the core of
the PyData ecosystem by introducing the NumPy package for high-performance
computing. The basic data structure is a typed multidimensional array which
supports various functions, among them typical linear algebra tasks. The data
structure and functions are explained along with examples.

Chapter 3, Data Analysis with Pandas, introduces a prominent and popular data
analysis library for Python called Pandas. It is built on NumPy, but makes a lot
of real-world tasks simpler. Pandas comes with its own core data structures,
which are explained in detail.

Chapter 4, Data Visualizaiton, focuses on another important aspect of data analysis:

the understanding of data through graphical representations. The Matplotlib
library is introduced in this chapter. It is one of the most popular 2D plotting
libraries for Python and it is well integrated with Pandas as well.

Chapter 5, Time Series, shows how to work with time-oriented data in Pandas. Date
and time handling can quickly become a difficult, error-prone task when implemented
from scratch. We show how Pandas can be of great help there, by looking in detail at
some of the functions for date parsing and date sequence generation.

Chapter 6, Interacting with Databases, deals with some typical scenarios. Your data
does not live in vacuum, and it might not always be available as CSV files either.
MongoDB is a NoSQL database and Redis is a data structure server, although many
people think of it as a key value store first. Both storage systems are introduced to
help you interact with data from real-world systems.

[ vi ]
 Preface

Chapter 7, Data Analysis Application Examples, applies many of the things covered
in the previous chapters to deepen your understanding of typical data analysis
workflows. How do you clean, inspect, reshape, merge, or group data – these are the
concerns in this chapter. The library of choice in the chapter will be Pandas again.

Chapter 8, Machine Learning Models with scikit-learn, would like to make you familiar
with a popular machine learning package for Python. While it supports dozens of
models, we only look at four models, two supervised and two unsupervised. Even if
this is not mentioned explicitly, this chapter brings together a lot of the existing tools.
Pandas is often used for machine learning data preparation and matplotlib is used
to create plots to facilitate understanding.

What you need for this book

There are not too many requirements to get started. You will need a Python
programming environment installed on your system. Under Linux and Mac OS X,
Python is usually installed by default. Installation on Windows is supported by an
excellent installer provided and maintained by the community.

This book uses a recent Python 2, but many examples will work with Python 3
as well.

The versions of the libraries used in this book are the following: NumPy 1.9.2,
Pandas 0.16.2, matplotlib 1.4.3, tables 3.2.2, pymongo 3.0.3, redis 2.10.3, and
scikit-learn 0.16.1. As these packages are all hosted on PyPI, the Python package
index, they can be easily installed with pip. To install NumPy, you would write:
$ pip install numpy

If you are not using them already, we suggest you take a look at virtual
environments for managing isolating Python environment on your computer.
For Python 2, there are two packages of interest there: virtualenv and
virtualenvwrapper. Since Python 3.3, there is a tool in the standard library called
pyvenv (https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html), which serves the
same purpose.

Most libraries will have an attribute for the version, so if you already have a library
installed, you can quickly check its version:
>>> import redis
>>> redis.__version__
'2.10.3'

[ vii ]
Preface

This works well for most libraries. A few, such as pymongo, use a different attribute
(pymongo uses just version, without the underscores).

While all the examples can be run interactively in a Python shell, we recommend
using IPython. IPython started as a more versatile Python shell, but has since
evolved into a powerful tool for exploration and sharing. We used IPython 4.0.0 with
Python 2.7.10. IPython is a great way to work interactively with Python, be it in the
terminal or in the browser.

Who this book is for

We assume you have been exposed to programming and Python and you want
to broaden your horizons and get to know some key libraries in the data analysis
field. We think that people with different backgrounds can benefit from this book.
If you work in business, finance, in research and development at a lab or university,
or if your work contains any data processing or analysis steps and you want know
what Python has to offer, then this book can be of help. If you want to get started
with basic data processing tasks or time series, then you can find lot of hands-on
knowledge in the examples of this book. The strength of this book is its breadth.
While we cannot dive very deep into a single package – although we will use Pandas
extensively - we hope that we can convey a bigger picture: how the different parts
of the Python data ecosystem work and can work together to form one of the most
innovative and engaging programming environments.

Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between
different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an
explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions,
pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"We can include other contexts through the use of the include directive."

A block of code is set as follows:

>>> import numpy as np
>>> np.random.randn()

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the
relevant lines or items are set in bold:
>>> import pandas as pd

[ viii ]
 Preface

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ cat "data analysis" | wc -l

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the
screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "clicking
the Next button moves you to the next screen".

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

Reader feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about
this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us
to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to [email protected],

and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing
or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

Customer support
Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to
help you to get the most from your purchase.

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased
from your account at http://www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book
elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have
the files e-mailed directly to you.

[ ix ]
Preface

Errata
Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes
do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in the text or
the code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing so, you can
save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this
book. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.
com/submit-errata, selecting your book, clicking on the errata submission form link,
and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission
will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded on our website, or added to any list of
existing errata, under the Errata section of that title. Any existing errata can be viewed
by selecting your title from http://www.packtpub.com/support.

Piracy
Piracy of copyright material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media.
At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you
come across any illegal copies of our works, in any form, on the Internet, please
provide us with the location address or website name immediately so that we can
pursue a remedy.

Please contact us at [email protected] with a link to the suspected

pirated material.

We appreciate your help in protecting our authors, and our ability to bring
you valuable content.

Questions
You can contact us at [email protected] if you are having a problem with
any aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.

[x]
 Introducing Data Analysis
and Libraries
Data is raw information that can exist in any form, usable or not. We can easily get
data everywhere in our lives; for example, the price of gold on the day of writing
was $ 1.158 per ounce. This does not have any meaning, except describing the price
of gold. This also shows that data is useful based on context.

With the relational data connection, information appears and allows us to expand
our knowledge beyond the range of our senses. When we possess gold price data
gathered over time, one piece of information we might have is that the price has
continuously risen from $1.152 to $1.158 over three days. This could be used by
someone who tracks gold prices.

Knowledge helps people to create value in their lives and work. This value is
based on information that is organized, synthesized, or summarized to enhance
comprehension, awareness, or understanding. It represents a state or potential for
action and decisions. When the price of gold continuously increases for three days, it
will likely decrease on the next day; this is useful knowledge.

[1]
Introducing Data Analysis and Libraries

The following figure illustrates the steps from data to knowledge; we call this
process, the data analysis process and we will introduce it in the next section:

Decision making

Gold price will slightly

Synthesising Knowledge
decrease on next day
Analysing
Gold price has risen
Summarizing Information
for three days
organizing

Data Gold price today is 1158$

Collecting

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Data analysis and process

• An overview of libraries in data analysis using different programming
languages
• Common Python data analysis libraries

Data analysis and processing

Data is getting bigger and more diverse every day. Therefore, analyzing and
processing data to advance human knowledge or to create value is a big challenge.
To tackle these challenges, you will need domain knowledge and a variety of skills,
drawing from areas such as computer science, artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning (ML), statistics and mathematics, and knowledge domain, as
shown in the following figure:

[2]
Random documents with unrelated
content Scribd suggests to you:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Saturday Night
Thoughts
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Saturday Night Thoughts

Author: Orson F. Whitney

Release date: March 6, 2018 [eBook #56691]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by the Mormon Texts Project

(http://mormontextsproject.org), with thanks to Jenna
Dilts
and Villate Brown McKitrick

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SATURDAY

NIGHT THOUGHTS ***
SATURDAY NIGHT THOUGHTS
A Series of Dissertations on Spiritual, Historical
and Philosophic Themes

BY ORSON F. WHITNEY

Of the Council of the Twelve, Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH:

THE DESERET NEWS
1921
 FOREWORD
Most of the contents of this volume appeared originally as a series of
articles in Saturday issues of the Deseret Evening News, beginning October
26, 1918, and ending May 31, 1919. As stated by the News, these articles
"were designed to fill in some degree a spiritual void and meet a special
need of those who were in the habit of attending Sunday services, but were
denied that privilege by the prevalence of the influenza epidemic." That
epidemic caused a suspension of public gatherings for several months, and
even made necessary the postponement of one General Conference of the
Church.

It was during this period of suspension that these contributions to the

Church organ began. They were given place on the editorial page, and
subsequently the News said of them: "These 'Thoughts' have subserved a
far more than temporary and passing purpose—they have stimulated study
and deep reflection, and they have been greatly enjoyed and prized by the
thoughtful reader everywhere."

Among those who uttered similar sentiments was President George H.

Brimhall, of the Brigham Young University, who, in a letter to the author,
expressed the hope that provision would be made for publication of the
essays in book form, "thus adding one more choice volume to Latter-day
Saint literature, especially suited to the needs of students at home and
missionaries abroad." Like expressions came from President Heber J. Grant,
Senator Reed Smoot, President John A. Widtsoe, of the University of Utah,
and many other prominent people.

In response to this cordial, widespread sentiment of appreciation, and under

the sanction of the General Authorities of the Church, the "Saturday Night
Thoughts" were compiled for republication, and the result is here presented.

May, 1921
THE AUTHOR.
 CONTENTS

Part One—Our Place In History

Article One: The Saturday Evening of Time

Article Two: The Watch On The Tower

Article Three: Concerning Names and Vocations

Article Four: The Choice Seer

Article Five: The Land of Zion

Part Two—Seership and Prophecy

Article Six: What Joseph Beheld

Article Seven: What Joseph Foretold

Article Eight: Looking Westward

Article Nine: The Place of Safety

Part Three.—A Marvel and a Wonder

Article Ten: The Wisdom That Perishes

Article Eleven: The God Story

 Article Twelve: The Great Vicissitudes

Article Thirteen: The Gospel Dispensations

Part Four.—A Glance Down the Ages

Article Fourteen: The Adamic Age

Article Fifteen: Enoch and His City

Article Sixteen: Noah and the Deluge

Article Seventeen: Abraham and the House of Israel

Article Eighteen: Moses and Aaron

Article Nineteen: To the Ends of the Earth

Part Five.—In Time's Meridian

Article Twenty: The Lamb of God

Article Twenty-one: The Special Witnesses

Part Six.—The Era of Restitution

Article Twenty-two: The Call of the Shepherd

Article Twenty-three: The Zion of Latter Days

Article Twenty-four: Redemption by Power

Article Twenty-five: Clearing the Way

Article Twenty-six: God's Hand Upon the Nations

Article Twenty-seven: The Consummation

Part Seven.—Powers and Principles

Article Twenty-eight: The Priesthood

Article Twenty-nine: Church Government

Article Thirty: The Law of Obedience

Article Thirty-one: The Divine Doorway

Article Thirty-two: The Second Birth

Article Thirty-three: Meaning and Mode of Baptism

Article Thirty-four: The Gospel's Accessories

Article Thirty-five: What Are Miracles?

Article Thirty-six: The Mainspring of Power

Part Eight.—Beyond the Horizon

Article Thirty-seven: The Spirit World

Article Thirty-eight: Spirit Promptings

Article Thirty-nine: Do the Dead Return?

Article Forty: The Goal Eternal

 NAMES AND ABBREVIATIONS

The usual Bible abbreviations are retained.

Hist. Ch. stands for History of the Church.

D. & C. for Doctrine and Covenants.

Nephi, Jacob, Omni, Mormon, Mosiah, Alma and Ether, will be recognized
as names belonging to the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Moses, shortened to Moses, and the Book of Abraham,

abbreviated to Abr., will be found within the lids of the Pearl of Great Price.

Other abbreviations, such as vol. for volume, p. or pp. for page or pages, v.
or vv. for verse or verses and ib. for ibid (the same) are in such common use
as scarcely to require mention.
 PART ONE
OUR PLACE IN HISTORY
Saturday Night Thoughts
 ARTICLE ONE.
The Saturday Evening of Time.

The Sixth Day.—Saturday, in Christian lands, is a day set apart for house-
cleaning, a time for "putting things to rights," in preparation for the
Sabbath, the sacred day of rest. Preliminary to the condition of purity, order
and quietness especially desirable on that day, the house, in domestic
parlance, is "upset"—"turned topsy-turvy." Furniture is moved and dusted,
floors are scrubbed, windows cleaned, and stoves polished; the body is
bathed, all rubbish burned, and everything done that ought to be done, so
that when night is past and glorious morning dawns, the rising sun can
smile approvingly on a renovated, sweet and wholesome scene, and the
Lord's Day be kept, as He intended it should be, in cleanliness, which is
"next to godliness." Is there not something symbolical in all this—
something suggestive of things higher?

All Things Symbolical.—"All things are in a scale," says Plato; "and begin
where we will, ascend and ascend. All things are symbolical; and what we
call results are beginnings."[1] If this be true, then is there a symbolism in
small things as well as in great, in endings as well as beginnings, including
the ending and beginning of the week. Saturday and Sunday are both
symbolical, each suggesting and pointing to something above and beyond.

The World's Sabbath.—Who among men first recognized in the seventh day
a symbol of Christ's Millennial reign, I know not. The reign itself was the
theme of a revelation as early as the days of Enoch.[2] But it is obvious that
the symbolism of the seventh day does not stand alone. The idea of a
greater Sunday carries with it the idea of a greater Saturday, of which all
lesser Saturdays are typical; a time of agitation, of strenuous toil and strife,
during which all will be made ready for the blest sabbatic era, the period of
universal peace. The World's Saturday Night must necessarily precede the
World's Sunday Morning.[3]
The Apocalyptic Book.—The symbolism of the Sabbath, and the symbolism
of other days as well, is plainly indicated in the writings of Joseph Smith. In
one place he says—or the Lord says through him: "All things have their
likeness, and are made to bear record of Me."[4] We need not be surprised,
therefore, to find among the Prophet's teachings this—I quote now from his
Key to the Apocalypse:

"What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed
on the back with seven seals?[5]

"We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and
works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth
during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal
existence.

"What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in

the 8th chapter of Revelations?

"We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the
seventh day he finished his work and sanctified it, and also formed man out
of the dust of the earth; even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand
years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of
man, and judge all things—unto the end of all things; and the sounding of
the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work
in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way
before the time of his coming."[6]

Seven Great Days.—The "days" here referred to were not ordinary days of
twenty-four hours each, based upon earth's diurnal revolutions. He who
"made the world" before placing man upon it, had not then appointed unto
Adam his reckoning.[7] They were not man's days, but God's days, each
having a duration of a thousand years.

"The book which John saw" represented the real history of the world—what
the eye of God has seen, what the recording angel has written; and the
seven thousand years, corresponding to the seven seals of the Apocalyptic
volume, are as seven great days during which Mother Earth will fulfill her
mortal mission, laboring six days and resting upon the seventh, her period
of sanctification. These seven days do not include the period of our planet's
creation and preparation as a dwelling place for man. They are limited to
Earth's "temporal existence," that is, to Time, considered as distinct from
Eternity.

According to Kolob.—The Prophet's translation of the Book of Abraham

explains that these greater days are "after the time" or according to the
reckoning of Kolob, a mighty governing planet nearest the Celestial Throne,
a planet revolving once in a thousand years.[8] This period, then, is a day
upon Kolob. One might well suppose such a day to have figured in the
warning given to Adam: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die;"[9] for Adam, after eating of the forbidden fruit, lived on to the
age of nine hundred and thirty years.[10] St. Peter may have had the same
thing in mind when he wrote: "One day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day."[11]

At the Week's End.—According to received chronology—admittedly

imperfect, yet approximately correct—four thousand years, or four of the
seven great days given to this planet as the period of its "temporal
existence," had passed before Christ was crucified; while nearly two
thousand years have gone by since. Consequently, Earth's long week is now
drawing to a close, and we stand at the present moment in the Saturday
Evening of Time, at or near the end of the sixth day of human history. Is it
not a time for thought, a season for solemn meditation? Morning will break
upon the Millennium, the thousand years of peace, the Sabbath of the
World!

House-Cleaning in Progress.—Marvel not, therefore, that all things are in

commotion. War, famine, pestilence, earthquake, tempest and tidal wave—
these are among the predicted signs of the Savior's second coming.[12]
Tyranny and wickedness must be overthrown, and the way prepared for
Him who, though gracious and merciful to all, and forgiving to sinners who
repent, "cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance."[13] Earth
must be freed from oppression and cleansed from all iniquity. It is God's
House; and He is coming to live in it, and to make of it a glorified mansion.
House-cleaning is in progress, and Saturday's work must be done and out of
the way, before the Lord of the Sabbath appears.
 Footnotes

1. "Plato," Emerson's "Representative Men," Altemus edition, 1895, p. 71.

2. Moses 7:48, 61, 64.

3. "Rabbinical commentators have expressed the opinion that after six

millenniums of years, there will come a seventh, with rest and peace. Paul
(2 Thess. 1:7) points to the coming of Christ as the time when the Saints
would find 'rest;' and he also argues (Heb. 4:1-11) that there remaineth a
'rest' to the people of God. The word he uses means a 'sabbathism' or
sabbath observance, and he refers to the coming of the Lord."—J. M.
Sjodahl.

4. Moses 6:63.

5. Rev. 5 and 6.

6. D. and C. 77:6, 12.

7. Abr. 5:13.

8. Abr. 3:4.

9. Gen. 2:17.

10. Ib. 5:5. This, of course, refers to the temporal life. Adam died spiritually
as soon as he had transgressed the divine command. Shut out from the
Heavenly Presence, he was dead as to the things of the Spirit. (D. and C.
29:40, 41.)

11. 2 Peter 3:8.

12. Matt. 24; D. and C. 87, 88.

13. D. and C. 1:31, 32.

 ARTICLE TWO.
The Watch on the Tower.

"Haunted Houses."—Several years since, a learned gentleman was

lecturing in some of our Utah towns, taking for his theme "Haunted
Houses." That was his way of describing the situation of those who put faith
in prophets, visions and revelations, as among the means whereby God
communicates with man. He invited all such to come out of their "haunted
houses," and build for their souls "more stately mansions," founded upon
the rock of reason and scientific truth. The lecturer had special reference, of
course, to the followers of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

A Fundamental Belief.—A belief in prophets and in spiritual gifts, whereby

come visions, revelations, and miraculous "signs," following and
confirming full and true belief,[1] is fundamental with the Latter-day Saints.
We regard the founding of our Church as a fulfillment of prophecy,[2] and
recognize in the decadence of long established systems of religion, a result
of failure to be guided and governed by the teachings and warnings of men
divinely inspired. "Where there is no vision, the people perish."[3] Where
there is no revelation, spiritual darkness reigns.

Not a Chance World.—We are not living in a world of chance. Things do

not occur haphazardly, without the care or cognizance of the omniscient and
omnipotent Ruler. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice.
Design, not accident, governs the universe. Neither man nor Satan, though
exercising to the full his free agency, can possibly thwart the Divine Will.
With all their schemings and strivings, they are powerless to destroy or
disarrange God's Plan, or to hinder the fulfillment of prophecy. All things,
both the evil and the good, are overruled in a way to subserve one and the
same great end—What Eternal Wisdom decreed before the foundation of the
world.
The Function of Prophecy.—The need for prophecy must be evident to any
pious and reflective mind. Prophets are as watchmen on the tower, noting
the time of night, telling of the approaching dawn. "Surely the Lord God
will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."[4]
This means, as I interpret it, that the all-wise Dispenser of human affairs
will neither cause nor permit any event to take place, concerning which the
world need to have fore-knowledge, until he has communicated with his
chosen servants, his oracles among men, and has given them due notice of
its approach.

To warn mankind of impending judgments; to prepare His people, and

through them the world at large, for changes that must come in the carrying
out of the divine program—changes necessary to human progress—is the
function of those who see into the future and make known the word and
will of the Universal Father.

Time for Preparation.—Even without the Prophet Amos and his inspired
utterance, we have every reason to feel assured, from what we know of the
divine attributes, that God, in his dealings with man, harbors no intent to
take what is known as "a snap judgment." His object being to save, not to
destroy, it is very far from his design that the world shall be caught
unawares, that men or nations shall be involved in trouble of which they
have had no warning, and for which, consequently, they could make no
preparation. The promised sending of Elijah the Prophet "before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," was in order that certain things
might be done which, if left undone, would cause that "coming" to "smite
the earth with a curse."[5]

Not that the Lord wishes to curse. His object, even in chastisement, is to
bless.[6] But a want of preparedness can change a blessing into a curse.
Messiah's glorious appearing will be a wonderful blessing to the earth and
its inhabitants, provided they are made ready for it. But a lack of readiness
on their part would convert the boon into a calamity. Hence the need of
preparation and of previous notice. Whether weal or woe is wending its way
earthward, it is only fair that men should be told of it in advance.

The Supernatural Discredited.—But there is a proneness in human nature to

discredit the Heaven-sent messenger. Almost invariably the supernatural is
discounted, if not derided, by ultra-practical minds. All miracles are myths
to the agnostic intellect. "The natural man is an enemy to God."

Dead Prophets Preferred.—Even those who revere the prophets of the past
are tempted to ignore the prophets of the present. It seems natural to turn
from What Is and bow down to What Has Been. Not only prophets, but
poets, philosophers, and other wise and worthy teachers have been treated
in this manner.

"Seven cities claimed the birth of Homer, dead,

Through which the living Homer begged for bread."

The Savior reproved the pious unbelievers of his generation for "garnishing
the sepulchres of the righteous," the dead seers and revelators, and at the
same time rejecting the living worthies, as their fathers had done before
them.[7] A professed reverence for Moses and the old-time prophets was a
prominent characteristic of those who spurned the greatest of all prophets,
the very Son of God, concerning whom Moses and other seers had testified.
And this same spirit, the spirit that crucified the Christ, has caused the
martyrdom of His servants in all ages.

Counterfeit and Genuine.—For the widely prevalent distrust felt toward

men who come burdened with a message from on High, false prophets and
the mischief they have wrought are largely responsible. But distrust, no less
than credulity, can be overdone. Caution against imposition is
commendable, but doubt that rejects truth is to be deprecated and
condemned. All prophets are not false. There can be no counterfeit without
a genuine; and to proclaim against the one is virtually to concede the
existence of the other.

A Test of Prophecy.—A simple and sure test of prophecy is furnished in the

following passage of Holy Writ: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of
the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which
the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously."[8]
By this standard of judgment can be tested all that prophetic inspiration has
ever uttered. Given enough time, "the thing" will clearly demonstrate
whether or not it was "spoken presumptuously."
A Serious Situation.—Ponder upon this, ye who hear the testimonies of the
Elders of Israel, preaching the restored Gospel of the Kingdom as a final
witness to the nations. And when you see coming to pass, in these days of
war, pestilence and calamity, the predictions of ancient and modern seers,
give a thought, a serious thought to the situation. Ask yourselves if you can
afford to be classed, either with those who look upon believers in spiritual
gifts as deluded dupes living in "haunted houses," or with those who extol
the prophets of former ages, and persecute or ignore the prophets of the
present time.

Footnotes

1. Mark 16:17.

2. Isa. 29:14.

3. Prov. 29:18.

4. Amos 3:7.

5. Mal. 4:5, 6.

6. Prov. 3:11, 12.

7. Matt. 23:29.

8. Deut. 18:22.
 ARTICLE THREE.
Concerning Names and Vocations.

Is Not This The Farmer's Son?—Some such paraphrase was probably in the
mind, possibly upon the lips, of more than one opponent of the religion
termed "Mormonism," when its supposed author, Joseph Smith, started out
upon his remarkable career. And it was deemed by them, no doubt, a
sufficient answer to his extraordinary claims.

True and False Standards.—"A tree is known by its fruit." This proverb,
accepted by the wise and just almost as a truism, seems to have no place in
the philosophy of some people, especially when a servant of the Lord is the
object of their critical contemplation. "What do men say of him?" is
frequently the only criterion by which such a character is judged. And is it
not manifestly unfair? When a prophet comes from God with a message for
mankind, what matters the name given to that message, or to that
messenger, by those unfriendly to the cause he represents?

"The Carpenter's Son."—Those who rejected the Man of Nazareth when he

proclaimed himself the Son of God, doubtless thought they had disposed of
him effectually by referring to him sneeringly as "The carpenter's son;" this
slight, with others put upon him by his neighbors, causing Jesus to remark:
"A prophet is not without honor save in his own country and in his own
house."[1]

Effect of Nearness.—His nearness was against him. There was no

"distance" to "lend enchantment to the view." His name and humble
vocation made his marvelous claims seem impossible. It could not be that
God would make a prophet out of a carpenter's son—a prophet mightier
than Moses or any of the ancient seers—and give to him such a common
name as Jesus, another form of Joshua.[2] It was unbelievable, absurd, to
most. Therefore were they justified, as they supposed, in withholding from
him recognition and honor. "And He did not many mighty works there,
because of their unbelief."

History Repeats.—As with the carpenter's, so with the farmer's son—each

was objected to upon similar grounds. Nor was it a new thing in human
experience. That which called forth criticism had occurred many times in
other ages when God had raised up prophets and seers. Probably most of
them were selected from among the plain people, and were comparatively
unknown to men when the Lord called them.

Moses an Exception.—Moses was a signal exception. He had been reared as

a prince in the palace of the king of Egypt; but that was because Pharaoh's
daughter, having found the homeless infant at the water's edge, thenceforth
had charge of him and his education. Prince he was, regardless of that
princely training; but he was not the only prince in Israel. They were "a
nation of kings and priests," though most of them walked in ways that were
lowly.

A Herdsman Prophet.—Prophets are not chosen for their worldly culture or

their social position. A plain-going farmer, no less than a college professor,
may be gifted with prophetic power and be called to exercise it for the good
of his fellows. Amos, according to his own statement, "was no prophet," nor
"a prophet's son." That is to say, he had not been trained in any school of the
prophets, such as existed in Old Testament times.[3] He was not, like
Jeremiah, the son of a priest.[4] He was a herdsman and a fruit-gatherer
when the word of the Lord came to him: "Go, prophesy unto my people
Israel."[5]

Prophets Foreordained.—A prophet's name, his place of birth, and the

character of his everyday calling, are matters of little moment compared
with other things pertaining to him. What of his state and standing before he
came on earth? This is a far more important consideration. God's prophets
are chosen before they are born,[6] and are sent into the world as He needs
them. Their aims are high and holy. They desire the welfare and happiness
of the race. Yet almost invariably their motives are misunderstood, and they
and their followers are opposed and persecuted.
The Vital Question.—Does this man come from God? That is the only
question worthy of immediate attention, when a prophet, or one professing
to be such appears. And his word alone need not be taken as conclusive.
There are ways and means of testing a prophet's claim—and that, too,
without awaiting the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of some prediction by or
concerning him. Honest, prayerful men and women, with even moderate
discernment, need not be deceived by any pious or impious pretender. God
would not leave his children at the mercy of imposters. The sheep have a
right to be protected from the wolves.

"Try the Spirits."—"Many false prophets are gone out into the world."[7] But
there is a Spirit that discerns between true and false, between spurious and
genuine, and anyone who seeks it aright may have "the inspiration of the
Almighty," which giveth to the spirit of man "understanding."[8] Moreover,
the Letter as well as the Spirit is a guide. What has been revealed in times
past helps to interpret what is now revealed. Truth is always consistent with
itself. Heaven-inspired men do not contradict one another. Their teachings
harmonize and are dependable. The spirit of contention is essentially evil.[9]
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in them."[10]

"Old Joe Smith."—Were these tests applied to Joseph Smith in the early
part of the nineteenth century? Yes, by some; and they received the
promised testimony of the Truth, the absolute evidence of the divinity of
this Prophet's mission. But by far the greater number of those to whom he
fain would have ministered, rejected him summarily and without
investigation. To them he was only "Joe Smith"—"Old Joe Smith"—old
indeed in wisdom, though young in earthly years, yielding up his life as a
martyr at the early age of thirty-eight. His claim to being an oracle of God
was deemed preposterous, blasphemous; and his religion, the pure Gospel
of Christ, was denounced as the world's worst delusion and snare.

Badges of Honor.—But bad names, wrongly bestowed, hurt the giver, rather
than the receiver. Blame and ridicule, when applied to the righteous, are
badges of honor, worn by true prophets and true principles in all ages. It
does not do away with a man of God to pelt him with nicknames and
opprobrious epithets. Persecution may end his earthly career, but it cannot
confute his claim nor invalidate his testimony. The name of the martyred
modern Seer, despite the clouds of calumny enveloping it, shines out from
amidst the darkness that comprehended him not. His glorious Lord and
Master, crucified as an imposter, put to death for maintaining that he was
more than the world believed him to be, gave the only Name given under
heaven whereby men can be saved.

Footnotes

1. Matt. 13:55-57.

2. "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua," frequently met with in
Ezra and Nehemiah. It was pronounced "Joshua" by the early Jews. Other
forms of the name are "Hosea" or "Hoshea," "Oshea" and "Jehoshua."

3. 1 Sam. 10:10; 19:20. 2 Kings 2:3; 4:38; 6:1.

4. Jer. 1:1.

5. Amos 7:14, 15.

6. Abr. 3:23; Jer. 1:5.

7. 1 John 4:1

8. Job 32:8.

9. 3 Nephi 11:29, 30.

10. Isa. 8:20.

 ARTICLE FOUR.
The Choice Seer.

A Prenatal Naming.—Let us now take a closer view of this marvelous man,

Joseph Smith, the most extraordinary character that has appeared upon our
planet in the past two thousand years. His coming into the world fulfilled a
prophecy uttered many centuries before his birth—a prophecy concerning
"a choice seer," to be raised up "out of the loins" of Joseph who was sold
into Egypt. The seer's name was likewise to be Joseph, and this also was to
be the name of his father.[1] That prophecy was fulfilled in Joseph Smith, Jr.,
the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Joseph the
Seer"—so is he designated by divine revelation.[2]

Like great Cyrus, who liberated the Jews from their captivity in Babylon,[3]
the Lord's anointed in modern times, raised up to begin the work of Israel's
final and complete redemption, was named and his mission outlined long
before he had tabernacled in the flesh. Why he came gifted with the power
of seership, was made manifest at the very beginning of his career.

Birth and Parentage.—Joseph the Seer was born at Sharon, Vermont, two
days before Christmas, in the year 1805. When only a lad, living with his
parents, Joseph and Lucy Smith, honest farm folk in the backwoods of
Western New York, his career as a prophet began.

In Quest of Wisdom.—Partly from the effects of a religious revival held in

his neighborhood, he became much concerned upon the subject of his soul's
salvation, but was bewildered and unable to make choice of a church or
creed, owing to the diverse and conflicting claims of the various Christian
sects. While in this mood, he chanced upon the following passage of
scripture: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."[4] Deeply
impressed with the sacred words, he forthwith resolved to ask from God the
wisdom of which he stood in need.
The First Vision.—Retiring to a grove near his father's home, he knelt in
prayer to the Most High; but had scarcely begun his humble and earnest
petition, when he was seized upon by a power that filled his soul with
horror and paralyzed his tongue so that he could no longer speak. So
terrible was the visitation, that he almost gave way to despair. Yet he
continued to pray—in thought, with "the soul's sincere desire"—and just at
the moment when he feared he must abandon himself to destruction, he
saw, directly over his head, a light more brilliant than the noonday sun. In
the midst of a pillar of glory he beheld two beings in human form, one of
whom, pointing to the other, said: "This is my beloved Son, hear Him."[5]

All Churches Astray.—With the appearance of the Light, the boy found
himself delivered from the fettering power of the Evil One. As soon as he
could again command utterance, he inquired of his heavenly visitants which
of all the religious denominations was right—which one was the true
Church of Christ? To his astonishment, he was told that none of them was
right; that they had all gone out of the way. Their creeds were an
abomination, and their professors corrupt. "They draw near to me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrine the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the
power thereof." So spake the Son of God concerning the churches.[6] He
declared that he did not recognize any of them; but was about to restore the
Everlasting Gospel, with the powers of the Eternal Priesthood, and establish
his Church once more in the midst of mankind.

Such was Joseph Smith's first vision and revelation. It came in the spring of
1820, when he was but a few months over fourteen years of age.

The Divine Personality.—The greater part of this wonderful manifestation

was the part that did not speak—the silent revealing of the personality of
God; a truth plainly taught in the Scriptures, but ignored or denied by
modern Christianity. The object worshiped by the sects was defined in their
theology as a being "without body, parts or passions."[7] That was the
popular concept of Deity throughout Christendom when Joseph Smith and
"Mormonism" came forth. In line with this tenet and teaching, an English
poet of the eighteenth century had represented God as a "Mind" or "Soul"
that
 Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,
Lives through all life, extends through all extent,
Spreads undivided, operates unspent.[8]

These beautiful couplets admirably describe the Spirit of the Lord—that all-
pervading energy or essence which proceeds from the Divine Presence, fills
the immensity of space, is everywhere present, and is immanent in all
creation. But they give no adequate idea of the Great Creator, "the father of
the spirits" of men,[9] who sent into the world his Beloved Son, "the
brightness of his glory and the express image of his person",[10] that men
might see in him the Father and worship God aright. The Son of God,
walking as a man upon the earth, plainly indicated what kind of a being
God is; and when his disciple, Philip, said to him, "Lord, show us the
Father," Jesus replied: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."[11] Could
anything be plainer?

But these teachings were lost upon the modern Christian world. They had
turned from the truth "unto fables",[12] forsaking the God of their fathers,
and substituting for him as an object of worship, an ideal of their own
creation. And it devolved upon Joseph Smith to shatter the false doctrine of
a bodiless, passionless deity, and bring back the lost knowledge of the true
and living God.

The True and Living God.—What is meant by that? Who is "the true and
living God?" He is the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, the God of Adam, of Enoch, of Noah, of the patriarchs and prophets
and apostles of old—the God described by Moses in the first chapter of
Genesis, where it is written: "God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him, male and female, created he them." This is
equivalent to saying that God is in the form of man, and that we have a
Mother as well as a Father in Heaven, in whose image or likeness we are,
male and female.

Of the divine Three who hold supreme power and preside over the universe
—three distinct personalities, yet one God or Godhead, one in will, wisdom,
power and authority—of these, the Father and the Son, according to Joseph
Smith, are personages of tabernacle. They have bodies "as tangible as
man's;" while the Holy Ghost "is a personage of spirit."[13]

The Idol of the Sects.—Proceeding forth from them, is that all-pervading

essence or influence which is immanent in all things—the light of the sun,
moon and stars, the light also of the human understanding, quickening and
illumining, in greater or less degree, "every man that cometh into the
world." In it we live, move and have our being; for it is the principle of life
throughout creation. This is what the poet was describing, when he
portrayed Deity as a "Soul" that "warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,"
etc. And this is what the Christian sects were worshiping at the beginning of
the nineteenth century. Not God, but a spirit sent forth from God; not
Divinity, but an emanation from Divinity. In a word, they were practicing
idolatry—or something dangerously akin to it.

What Constitutes Idolatry?—"Idolatry is every worship that stops short of

the Supreme."[14] It is "the paying of divine homage to false gods or images;
also, adoration of created or imaginary beings or natural objects or forces."
[15]
This is precisely what the ancient world was doing when the book of
Genesis was written. The Canaanites worshiped the sun and moon—Baal
and Ashtoreth—ascribing to them the powers of creation. The Egyptians
adored the crocodile, the bull, the goat and the beetle (scarabeus). Among
the Hindus the seasons were deified—spring, summer, autumn, winter; as
were also the passions—love, hate, fear, anger and revenge. All these were
revered as deities. Then came Moses, who had seen the living and true God,
and had conversed with him face to face, receiving from him the Decalogue
or Ten Commandments unto Israel. The first commandment reads: "Thou
shalt have no other gods before me."

Modern Christendom's Position.—The world in Joseph Smith's day—the

Christian world at least—did not worship the heavenly bodies; did not deify
beasts and reptiles, did not regard the seasons and passions as divine. Yet it
had turned from the true God, ignoring or misinterpreting what Moses and
the prophets had written concerning him. According to its dictum, the age
of miracles was past; prophets were out of date, and angel messengers
obsolete; the heavens were sealed, the canon of scripture was full, and God
would never again communicate with mortals. Then came the vision of the
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

ebookbell.com