Chapter II. The Government of Man.
Chapter III. On the Incompetency of the Means Made Use of by Man to
Regenerate the World.
Chapter IV. What Is Man? What Is His Destiny and Relationship to God?
Chapter V. The Object of Man's Existence on the Earth; and His
Relationship Thereto.
Chapter VI. Man's Accountability to God.
Chapter VII. The Lord's Course in the Moral Government of the World.
Chapter VIII. Whose Right Is It to Govern the World? Who Has Governed
It?
Chapter IX. Will Man Always Be Permitted to Usurp Authority Over Men,
and Over the Works of God? Will the World Remain for ever Under a
Curse, and God's Designs Be Frustrated?
Chapter X. Will God's Kingdom Be a Literal or a Spiritual Kingdom?
Chapter XI. The Establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the Earth
Chapter XII. The Effects of the Establishment of Christ's Kingdom, or
the Reign of God upon the Earth.
Preface
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It was Elder Taylor's intention to superintend the publishing of _The
Government of God_ in person, previous to his departure for Great Salt
Lake City last spring; but the numerous cares attending the French and
German Missions, of which he was President; the translation of the Book
of Mormon into the French and German languages; the establishment of
_L'Etoile du Deseret_ at Paris, and _Zions Panier_ at Hamburg; together
with a multitude of other business connected with the welfare of the
Kingdom of God, rendered it impossible.
The manuscript was therefore handed to me by Elder Taylor, with a
request to superintend the printing of the work, which I have done to
the best of my ability.
Considering the disadvantages arising from the Author's absence during
the reading of the proofs, I believe it is as correctly rendered, as
was possible from a manuscript copy.
The Work is now before the Public, and from one portion at least it
will meet with a cordial reception, treating as it does upon the theme
most dear to their hearts--the Reign of Righteousness and Peace.
From other portions it will meet with varied reception, but will
nevertheless lead the minds of all to contemplate the glory of that
time when the Messiah, even Jesus, shall come with all his holy angels,
and sit upon the throne of his glory, and govern all nations upon earth.
James Linforth.
Liverpool,
August, 1852.
Chapter I.
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The Wisdom, Order, and Harmony of the Government of God.
The Kingdom of God is the government of God, on the earth, or in the
heavens. The earth, and all the planetary systems, are governed by
the Lord; they are upheld by his power, and are sustained, directed,
and controlled by his will. We are told, that "by him were all things
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers; all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before
all things, and by him all things consist."[A] Collos. i. 16, 17. If all
things, visible and invisible, are made by and for him, he governs and
sustains all worlds to us known, together with the earth on which we
live. If he governs them, they are under his dominion, subject to his
laws, and controlled by his will and power.
[Footnote A: I wish here to be understood, that at present I am writing
to believers in the Bible. I may hereafter give my reasons for this
faith; at the present I refer to the Scriptures without this.]
If the planets move beautifully, and harmoniously in their several
spheres, that beauty and harmony are the result of the intelligence and
wisdom that exist in his mind. If on this earth we have day and night,
summer and winter, seed time and harvest, with the various changes
of the seasons; this regularity, beauty, order, and harmony, are the
effects of the wisdom of God.
There are two kinds of rule on the earth; one with which man has
nothing directly to do, another in which he is intimately concerned.
The first of these applies to the works of God alone, and His
government and control of those works; the second, to the moral
government, wherein man is made an agent. There is a very striking
difference between the two, and the comparison is certainly not
creditable to man; and however he may feel disposed to vaunt himself of
his intelligence, when he reflects he will feel like Job did when he
said, (xlii. 6.) "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
In God's government there is perfect order, harmony, beauty,
magnificence, and grandeur; in the government of man, confusion,
disorder, instability, misery, discord, and death. In the first,
the most consummate wisdom and power are manifested; in the second,
ignorance, imbecility, and weakness. The first displays the
comprehension, light, glory, beneficence, and intelligence of God; the
second, the folly, littleness, darkness, and incompetency of man. The
contemplation of the first elevates the mind, expands the capacity,
produces grateful reflections, and fills the mind with wonder,
admiration, and enlivening hopes; the contemplation of the second
produces doubt, distrust, and uncertainty, and fills the mind with
gloomy apprehensions. In a word, the one is the work of God, and the
other that of man.
In order to present the subject in a clear light, I shall briefly point
out some of the leading features of the two governments.
The first, then, is that over which God has the sole control, such as
the heavens and the earth, for "He governs in the heavens above, and
in the earth beneath." It may be well here to say a few words on His
moral government, in the heavens. All we can learn of that is very
imperfectly set forth in the Scriptures. It would seem, however, that
all was perfect order, for "He spake, and said, Let there be light,
and there was light; and He divided the light from the darkness."
"He spake, and the waters were gathered together, and the dry land
appeared." And in the creation of the fish, the fowls, the beasts, the
creeping things, and man, it was done in the councils of God. The word
was, Let us do this, and it was done. It would seem, then, that that
government is perfect in its operations, for all the mandates of God
are carried out with the greatest exactitude and perfection. God spake,
chaos heard, and the world was formed.
We find also that transgression is punished; when Satan rebelled he was
cast out of heaven, and with him those who sinned.
Here, then, in these things consummate wisdom was manifested, and power
to carry it out.
The plan of redemption was also made thousands of years ago. Jesus is
spoken of by the prophets as being "The Lamb slain from before the
creation of the world." The future destiny of this earth is also spoken
of by prophecy; the binding of Satan; the destruction, and redemption
of the world; its celestial destiny; its becoming as a sea of glass;
the descent of the new Jerusalem from heaven; the destruction of
iniquity by a power exercised in the heavens, associated with one on
the earth; and a time is spoken of where John says--"Every creature
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as
are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Rev. v. 13. But I shall let this
pass for the present, and content myself with saying on this subject,
that in the councils of God, in the eternal world, all these things
were understood: for if He gave prophets wisdom to testify of these
things, they obtained their knowledge from Him, and He could not impart
what He did not know; but "known unto God are all his works, from the
beginning of the world." Acts xv. 18. God, then, has a moral government
in the heavens, and it is the development of that government that is
manifested in the works of creation; as Paul says, "The invisible
things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead." Romans i. 20.
But when we speak of the heavens, we mean also the planetary system;
for the world, and other worlds are governed by principles independent
of man. The power that causes this earth to roll on its axis, and
regulates the planets in their diurnal and annual motions, is beyond
man's control. Their revolutions and spheres are fixed by nature's
God, and they are so beautifully arranged, and nicely balanced, that
an astronomer can calculate the return of a planet scores of years
beforehand, with the greatest precision and accuracy. And who can
contemplate, without admiration, those stupendous worlds, rolling
through the immensity of space at such an amazing velocity, moving
regularly in their given spheres without coming into collision, and
reflect that they have done so for thousands of years. Our earth has
its day and night, summer and winter, and seed time and harvest. Well
may the poet say that they--
"Proclaim for ever, as they shine,
The hand that made us is divine."
And here let me remark how different is this to the works of man.
We see, then, the power of God manifested in their preservation
and guidance; but when we reflect a little further, that while our
planetary system rolls in perfect order round the sun, there are other
systems which perform their revolutions round their suns; and the whole
of these, our system with its centre, and other systems with their
centres, roll round another grand centre: and the whole of those, and
innumerable others, equally as great, stupendous, and magnificent, roll
round another more great, glorious, and resplendent, till numbers,
magnificence, and glory, drown the thought, we are led to exclaim
with the prophet, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways
past finding out!" Romans xi. 33. Without referring again to the
motions of our earth, and the beautiful regularity and precision of the
whole of this elegant machinery, we will turn our attention a little to
the works of creation as found on the earth. The make, construction,
and adaptation of each for its proper sphere, are the work of God; and
they are all controlled by His wisdom and power, independent of man. In
the conformation of the birds, the beasts, the fishes, the reptiles,
the grains, herbs, plants, and trees, we see a striking exemplification
of this fact. No matter which way we turn our attention, the same
order and intelligence are displayed. The fish in their organization
are peculiarly adapted to their proper element; the birds and beasts
to theirs; the amphibious animals to theirs. The nicely organized
machinery of their bodies; their bones, muscles, skins, feathers,
scales, or hair; the formation of their bodies, their manner of living,
together with the nature of their food, and their particular adaptation
to the various elements and climates which they occupy, are all so many
marked evidences of skill, forethought, intelligence and power. We will
here notice a few examples. Plunge bird, beast, or man, into the water,
and let them remain there, and they will soon die; take a fish out of
the water, and death ensues; yet all are happy, and move with perfect
enjoyment in their proper spheres. Elevate a man, beast, or fish, into
the air, and let them fall, and they will be bruised to death; but the
bird, with its wings, light bones, and fragile body, is peculiarly
adapted to the aerial element in which it moves, and is perfectly at
home; while the brute creation and men feel as much so on the earth.
Again, their habits, food, coatings, or coverings, digestive powers,
and the organization of their systems, are all peculiarly adapted to
their several situations. The same principle is developed in their
arrangement and position on the earth. Those that inhabit a southern
climate are peculiarly adapted to that situation; while those that
inhabit a northern are equally fitted for theirs.
Take the reindeer and polar bear to the torrid zone, and they would
be out of their proper latitude, and would probably die. Remove the
elephant, lion, or tiger, to Iceland or Greenland, and leave them to
their own resources, and they would inevitably perish.
We will notice for a moment the construction of their systems. Each
one is possessed with muscular strength, or agility, according to
its position, wants, or dangers, and there is a beauty, a symmetry,
and a perfection about all God's works, which baffle and defy human
intelligence to copy. An artist is considered talented if he can make,
after years of toil, a striking likeness of any of those things,
either on canvas, or in marble. But when he has done, it is only a
dead outline; remove a little paint, or tear the canvas, and its
beauty is destroyed; break the arm of a statue, and we see nothing
but a mutilated stone. But take a man, for example, and remove the
skin, there is still order and beauty; remove the flesh, there is
still workmanship and skill, and the bones, the flesh, the muscles,
the arteries and veins, and the nerves, and the lungs, not to forget
the exquisite fineness of the sensitive organs, manifesting a skill, a
forethought, a wisdom, and a power, as much above that of man as the
heavens are above the earth.
We see the power, wisdom, and government of God, displayed in the
amazing strength of some of the largest of the brute creation; as
also in the fineness and delicacy, of the arrangement of the smaller.
And while we admire the stupendous power of the elephant, we are
equally struck with the fineness, delicacy, and beauty of some of the
smaller insects. The prescience, and intelligence of God, are as much
manifested in arranging the bones, muscles, arteries, and digestive
organs of the smallest animaculae, as in the construction of the horse,
rhinoceros, elephant, or whale. I might touch upon the organization of
plants, herbs, trees, and fruits; their various compositions, modes
of nourishment, manner of propagating their kind, &c.; but enough
has already been said upon this subject. It is one that no one will
dispute upon; Jew and Gentile, black and white, Christian and Heathen,
philosopher and fool, all have one faith on this subject.
I have briefly touched upon it for the purpose of presenting in a
clear light the imbecility and weakness of man; for wherever we turn
our attention, we see power, wisdom, prescience, order, forethought,
beauty, grandeur and magnificence.
These are the works of God, and shew His skill, workmanship, glory, and
intelligence. They reflect His divine power, and shew in unmistakeable
characters the wisdom of his government, and the order that prevails in
that part of creation over which He has the sole and unlimited control.
We can perceive very clearly that what God has done, is rightly done.
It is not governed by instability and disorder, but continues from
eternity to eternity to bear the impress of Jehovah.