THE GOSPEL.
INCEPTION.
PURPOSE.
PLAN.
COVENANTS.
PERPETUITY.
V.
INCEPTION OF THE GOSPEL.
"_The glory of God is intelligence_."
Perhaps our best conception of chaos, in miniature, may be had by
observing the floating, restless, erratic particles of matter to be
seen in the path of a ray of sunshine, when admitted into a dark room.
One's uppermost longing at such a time is to introduce order into this
jarring, discordant sphere. And that condition and that sentiment have
no doubt met before. The psychologist would trace the desire back
to a time before the formation of Kolob, when myriads of eternal,
self-existent spirits lived in the midst of boundless space, surrounded
by unlimited, indestructible, unorganized matter, in a universal chaos.
It may be asked if there ever was such a chaotic condition. So far as
the creations of God are concerned, it would appear that there was, for
we are informed that Kolob is the "first creation." [19]
Turn now from this chaos in the streak of sunshine, chaos in the small,
and let the mind contemplate that chaos at large, before any of the
vast concourse of worlds that roll in space were formed, when the
matter composing Kolob was yet unorganized; and the first desire that
presents itself to the mind is to know how all this beautiful system by
which we are not surrounded was evolved from that riot of matter, where
this order had its inception, how God came to be God.
In what is without doubt the most wonderful revelation ever given
to mankind, in that it reaches the farthest back and states some of
the most important truths, the Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking at the
funeral of Elder King Follett, at Nauvoo, explains in the simplest
terms the sublime conception.[20]
First, however, let him state his purpose:
"In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of
those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary that we
should understand the character and being of God, and how He came to be
so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined
and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that
idea, and will take away and do away the vail, so that you may see."
The mind is here carried back to a time antedating anything of which we
have an account anywhere else in the world, and that there may be no
doubt as to the time and the personage referred to, the Prophet is very
explicit.
With reference to the time he says:
"You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of
nothing; and they will answer, 'Doesn't the Bible say He created the
world?' And they infer from the word create, that it must have been
made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau,
which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize--
the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we
infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos--
chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory.
Elements had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles
of element are principles which can never be destroyed. They may be
organized and reorganized but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and
can have no end."
As to the personage meant, one may say, There are many Gods, an almost
endless chain of creators; to which one does the Prophet refer? We are
not left in doubt, for he explains:
"If the vail were rent today, and the great God, who holds this world
in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power,
were to make Himself visible,--I say, if you were to see Him today,
you would see Him like a man in form."
And further:
"My object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God,
and what kind of a being He is."
With these prefatory remarks, the Prophet Joseph proceeds to tell how
God came to be God, in what must appeal to one as among the divinest
words ever uttered. He says:
"God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because
he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest
could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we
have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has
power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they
may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon
another, and all that knowledge, power, glory and intelligence which is
requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits."
No wonder that, in the ecstasy of the moment, he exclaimed:
"This is good doctrine. It tastes good, I can taste the principles of
eternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the revelations
of Jesus Christ; and I know that when I tell you these words of eternal
life as they are given to me, you taste them, and I know you believe
them. You say honey is sweet, and so do I. I can also taste the spirit
of eternal life. I know it is good; and when I tell you of these things
which were given me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are
bound to receive them as sweet, and I rejoice more and more."
Here, then, is the inception of the Gospel; the course of study under
which we are now working; the plan of salvation, by virtue of which all
the creations of God, beginning with Kolob, were made; instituted in
the beginning by our Father, to which Jesus the Christ acceded in the
grand council in heaven before this earth was made.
Whether or not, in the vast eternities preceding the creation of Kolob,
other plans had been tried and found wanting, we are not told; but the
fact that, as the Prophet Joseph tells us, God "worked out His Kingdom
with fear and trembling," would indicate that He had seen many failures.
It should be noted here, that the ruling sentiment in the inception
of the Gospel was the most unselfish love of the Great God for
His fellow-creatures. Not satisfied with His own power, glory and
intelligence, He must, by force of His affection for those of lesser
estate, formulate a plan by which they might arrive at the same station
as Himself. It will not, therefore, be surprising to find that Love
occupies a high place among the virtues cultivated by the Gospel.
VI.
PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL.
The instructor in school or college, before commencing his work,
carefully lays out his courses of study with a definite purpose in view
for each course, and is able at the outset to give not only an outline
of the work to be done, but the purpose of each course, so that he
can tell the applicant for instruction which course will fit him, for
example, for practice as a civil engineer. And this line of procedure
is of great importance.
Under such an arrangement, the student at every stage of his
advancement, will have in mind the purpose of his work, and whatever
the obstacles in his path may be, will be impelled to press on with
confidence in the wisdom of each step, and an assurance that success
will finally crown his best endeavors.
It is, therefore, necessary for us to inquire the purpose for which
the Gospel was instituted; and, aside from the inference that may be
drawn from what has already been said on the inception of the Gospel,
the Lord has given us a direct statement of His designs. After giving
an account of a vision in which Moses "beheld the earth and all the
inhabitants thereof," the record proceeds:
"And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying, Tell me, I
pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?
"And, behold, the glory of God was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in
the presence of God, and he talked with him face to face; and the Lord
God said unto Moses, For mine own purpose have I made these things.
Here is wisdom, and it remaineth in me. And by the word of my power
have I created them, which is my Only Begotten Son, who is full of
grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created; and I also
created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which
is mine Only Begotten. And the first man of all men have I called Adam,
which is many. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants
thereof, give I unto you. For, behold, there are many worlds that have
passed away by the word of my power. And there are many also which now
stand, and numberless are they, unto man, but all things are numbered
unto me, for they are mine and I know them.
"And it came to pass, that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Be
merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth,
and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant
will be content.
"And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying, The heavens, they are many,
and they cannot be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me,
for they are mine, and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens
thereof, even so shall others come; and there is no end to my works,
neither to my words.
"For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man." [21]
We have here, then, a plain statement of the purpose of the Lord in
formulating the Gospel, and we may now inquire as to the course of
procedure to be followed to accomplish the object in view.
VII.
PLAN OF THE GOSPEL.
We may use still further the comparison of instructor and pupil. The
plan of the work he is to pursue is laid before the student at the
outset. All the steps of his progress are pointed out to him from the
opening of his course until his graduation. In outline he can trace his
work throughout, and can tell at any stage of his advancement how far
he has come, and what yet remains to be done before he can claim his
diploma.
Just so the Lord has outlined the course of procedure under the Gospel
plan, and, as with the student, so we may know how far we have advanced.
Following is a remarkable disclosure in which we have the plan outlined:
"And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who
keep not their first estate, shall not have glory in the same kingdom
with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second
estate, shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever." [22]
When the time had arrived for the council in heaven to name a Savior,
according to the plan of the Father, to come to the earth in the
meridian of time and make possible the resurrection from the dead,
there was a rebellion, the account of which gives us an indication
of the dividing point in our progress between the first and second
estates. It reads as follows:
"And the Lord said, Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto
the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said:
Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the
second was angry, and kept not his first estate, and at that day, many
followed after him." [23]
Additional information as to the proportion of that host of spirits who
"followed after him," is given in the Doctrine and Covenants:
"For, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me,
saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power: and also a third part
of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels." [24]
We learn, therefore:
That, according to the plan of the Gospel, there are two estates, with
varying glories attached to each.
That one-third of the host of heaven into the midst of whom the Lord
came down in the beginning, had not made sufficient progress when the
time came for peopling this earth, to keep their first estate, and
That the two-thirds who remained faithful up to that time, were
introduced to the next step of advancement by being permitted to take
bodies upon this earth, and are, accordingly, on the way to the keeping
of the second estate, to which is attached the glory of eternal lives.
Here, then, with an illustration in the case of this earth, is the
outline plan of the Gospel.
VIII.
COVENANTS OF THE GOSPEL.
Pursuing the comparison of instructor and student still further,
we find that their relations are governed by an implied contract
from beginning to end. The student who sets out to take a course of
instruction in civil engineering, for instance, agrees, on his part, to
follow the directions of the instructor throughout the term of years
prescribed to complete the work. On the part of the instructor an
agreement is made that if the student will so follow the course laid
out, for the stated number of years, he shall receive a diploma as a
civil engineer.
It is proper, therefore, for us to make an inquiry as to the agreement,
if any, entered into in the beginning between the Great Formulator of
this course of study we are pursuing, and the world of mankind.
It is interesting to note here that the late President Lorenzo Snow
looked upon the passage about to be quoted, "I came down in the
beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen," as
going the farthest back of any of the revelations we have, direct from
the Almighty.
We may here gather from the following quotation, the covenant entered
into by the spirits, "in the beginning:"
"I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences
thou hast seen.
"Now, the lord had shewn unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were
organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of
the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good,
and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my
rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that
they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them,
thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said
unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space
there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth
whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if
they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command
them." [25]
The spirits, therefore, after this plan of the Gospel had been
presented to and accepted by them, had agreed to "do all things
whatsoever the Lord their God should command them." In accord herewith
is the statement of President Joseph F. Smith that not order, but
obedience, is the first law of heaven.
As to the covenant made by the Lord in His part of the contract, we
read in the Doctrine and Covenants:
"And also all they who receive this Priesthood receiveth me, saith
the Lord; for he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; and he that
receiveth me receiveth my Father; and he that receiveth my Father,
receiveth my Father's Kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall
be given unto him; and this is according to the oath and covenant
which belongeth to the Priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive
the Priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he
cannot break." [26]
As it is designed in the Gospel plan for the redemption of the dead,
that all men who have arrived at years of accountability and who during
their life time here were subject to law, shall have the Priesthood
conferred upon them, either in person or by proxy, it will be seen how
wide the application of this covenant will extend.
The great covenants pertaining to the Gospel are, accordingly; on the
part of the spirits, obedience to whatever law is given them; on the
part of the Lord, to those who are the most faithful, a fullness of His
glory. But, as will be seen hereafter, provision is made for all, even
for the least of His creatures.
IX.
PERPETUITY OF THE GOSPEL.
Certainly a system of such grandeur and comprehensiveness as the Gospel
must have within itself the seeds of perpetuity. No catastrophe the
mind of man can contemplate would compare with that which would result
if all this beautiful fabric should at some time, by any mischance, go
to pieces. But the elements not only of continuity but of continuous
growth, are in the Gospel, and the wisdom of God shall not be destroyed.
The spirits, whether they place themselves under the course of
instruction provided for in the Gospel or not, are eternal, as are,
also, the elements with which, under its plan, they become united; and
by following the thought behind the revelations here to be quoted, we
may trace therein the design of the Maker for the stability of His work.
In relation to the union of spirit and element, we read in the Doctrine
and Covenants:
"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element,
inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and, when
separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy." [27]
Here, without doubt, it may be noted in passing, we have one of the
great discoveries by which God came to be God.
As to the continuity of the union between spirit and matter, we quote
the words of the Prophet Amulek, recorded in the Book of Mormon:
"Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal
body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say
unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is,
from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no
more, their spirits uniting with their bodies, _never to be divided_,
thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more
see corruption." [28]
Our next step will be a consideration of the Priesthood, which is
designed by the Gospel plan to form a never-ending bond of union
between those who arrive at their exaltation under its provisions.
We read in the Book of Mormon:
"This High Priesthood being after the order of His Son, which order was
from the foundation of the world--or, in other words, being without
beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all
eternity, according to His foreknowledge of all things." [29]
We may now turn to a consideration of the process by which an increase
of the dominion of all those who are faithful, is provided for in the
Gospel. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we read:
"And, again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word,
which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is
sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed,
unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of the Priesthood;
and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first
resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and
powers, dominions, all heights and depths--then shall it be written
in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby
to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit
no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them
in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and
through all eternity, and shall be of full force when they are out
of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which
are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath
been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a
continuation of the seeds for ever and ever.
"Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end; therefore shall
they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then
shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then
shall they be Gods, because they have all power." [30]
It is not the purpose of this work to go outside of the strict
boundaries of revelation, but one cannot refrain at this point from
giving a little rein to the spirit of inquiry. When this glorious
consummation shall have been attained, will not the whole process of
world-making and world-peopling, in this order of spirits, be gone
all over again? Shall spirits who have never heard of this plan of
organization be visited by such a being, who shall afterward be in a
position to say, "In the beginning I came down into the midst of these
spirits, and taught them this same Gospel plan, a new earth was formed,
another Adam came upon it, a Savior was provided?"
In the enduring union between the spirits and element, in the eternal
nature of the bond entered into by those who receive the Holy
Priesthood, and in the never-ending increase of those who properly
contract the marriage relation, is manifest, therefore, the wisdom of
God in providing for the perpetuity and growth of His dominion, as well
as for the exaltation of those spirits who render obedience to the
Gospel.
SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL.
Summarizing the Outline of the Gospel here presented, we find:
I. That the Gospel had its inception when "God, finding he was in the
midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper
to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance
like himself."
II. That the purpose of God in so doing was "to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man."
III. That under the plan of the Gospel there are two estates, the
keeping of both of which shall entitle the spirits to be "added upon
for ever and ever."
IV. That the covenants entered into by the parties involved were, on
the part of the spirits, obedience in all things to whatsoever the Lord
their God should command them, or, in other words, to the best light
under which they lived upon the earth; and, on the part of the Lord,
that all who receive the Holy Priesthood and are faithful thereto,
shall receive a fullness of His glory.
V. That the perpetuity of the Gospel plan is assured by the increased
power of those who receive bodies, with which their spirits shall be
inseparably connected; by the eternal bond entered into under the
covenant of the Holy Priesthood; and by the enduring union of the sexes
in a never-ending increase of posterity.