Joseph Smith, Jr., . . . became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and [the Lord] informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong; that they were following the precepts of men instead of the Lord Jesus; that he had a work for him to perform, inasmuch as he should prove faithful before him.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 96.
Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President of the Church, 1995–present
I thank my Father in Heaven for the testimony I have of the reality of the First Vision. I have stood among the trees where Joseph knelt as a boy, and heard the whisperings of the Spirit that it happened as he said it happened.
Ensign, Nov. 1993, 51.
Thomas S. Monson, Apostle, 1963–present
The Prophet . . .
declared that as he retired to the grove to pray, this
was the first time he had attempted to pray vocally to his
Heavenly Father. But he had read the scripture [James
1:5], he had understood the scripture, he had trusted
in God his Eternal Father; and now he knelt and
prayed, knowing that God would give him the enlightenment
which he so earnestly sought.
Ensign, June 1994, 4.
