Gospel Themes
A Treatise on Salient Features of "MORMONISM"
Written for, and Dedicated to,
the High Priests, Seventies and
Elders of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
By ELDER ORSON F. WHITNEY
Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
1914
PREFACE AND DEDICATION.
This little book was written and compiled at the request of the General
Priesthood Committee, under the sanction of the First Presidency of the
Church, for the use and benefit of the Priesthood Classes, throughout
the Stakes and Wards of Zion.
The treatise, "Gospel Themes," represents the best effort I could
make under the circumstances in which that effort was put forth.
Many interruptions occurred, consequent upon the performance of
other duties, and I had no opportunity to submit the manuscript to a
committee of revision, prior to publication; the usual course with
works of this character. I was barely able to get it ready for the
printer within the time allotted for its preparation. But I tried to be
accurate, and am not aware that I made any mistakes.
While lacking the help of a revisory committee, I received, and hereby
gratefully acknowledge, valuable suggestions from Elders David O. McKay
and Edward H. Anderson, members of the Priesthood Committee, and from
others whom I consulted. Moreover, Brother Anderson was with me in
proof-reading the work, and in engineering it through the press.
My aim has been, not to give exhaustive treatment to any subject, but
to throw in sight certain themes, and dwell briefly upon points of
doctrine, prophecy, history, and illustration, that I thought would be
helpful to the brethren of the Priesthood--those who are studying the
Gospel at home, and those who are preaching it abroad. To both classes
this volume is affectionately dedicated.
THE AUTHOR.
Salt Lake City, Christmas, 1913.
CONTENTS.
THE STORY OF GOD.
Chapter 1.--A Divine Plan for Human Progress
Chapter 2.--Eternal Nature of Gospel Principles
Chapter 3.--The Fall and Redemption
Chapter 4.--The Gods in Council
Chapter 5.--Creation of the Earth
Chapter 6.--Elect of Elohim
THE WAY OF SALVATION.
Chapter 1.--The Law of Obedience
Chapter 2.--Faith
Chapter 3.--Faith (Continued)
Chapter 4.--Repentance
Chapter 5.--Water and Spirit Birth
Chapter 6.--Purpose and Effects of Baptism
Chapter 7.--Mode and Cleaning of Baptism
PRIESTHOOD AND CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
Chapter 1.--Divine Authority
Chapter 2.--Divine Authority (Continued)
Chapter 3.--The Church Organization
THE GOSPEL DISPENSATIONS.
Chapter 1.--Introductory
Chapter 2.--The Adamic Period
Chapter 3.--Enoch and Zion
Chapter 4.--Noah and the Deluge
Chapter 5.--Abraham
Chapter 6.--Moses and Aaron
Chapter 7.--The Lamb of God
Chapter 8.--Dawn of the Last Dispensation
DISPERSION AND GATHERING OF ISRAEL.
Chapter 1.--A Chosen People
Chapter 2.--Israel's Mission
Chapter 3.--To the Ends of the Earth
Chapter 4.--The Call of the Shepherd
Chapter 5.--The Author to the Reader
GOSPEL THEMES.
The Story of God.
CHAPTER I.
A Divine Plan for Human Progress.
The Gospel Defined.--The English word "Gospel" comes from the
Anglo-Saxon "Godspell," or God-story--the story of God. It derives its
significance from that great central idea of the Christian faith--the
coming of God as the Son of God to redeem and save mankind. The joyful
intelligence of the advent of the world's Redeemer, proclaimed by the
angels to the shepherds on the Judean hills (Luke 2:10), furnishes
another name for the gospel--"good tidings," or, as it is otherwise
rendered, "glad tidings of great joy."
God the Savior.--"God himself shall come down among the children of
men, and shall redeem his people, and because he dwelleth in flesh
he shall be called the Son of God" (Mosiah 15:1,2). prediction by
Abinadi the prophet, centuries before the birth of the Savior, had been
preceded by a This similar prophecy from King Benjamin, another Nephite
seer (Mosiah 3:5). The fulfilment of these foretellings is recorded in
the opening verses of the gospel according to St. John, where reference
is made to "the Word" that was in the beginning "with God"--the Word
that "was God," and was "made flesh" and dwelt among men. In him, as
Paul affirms, "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col.
2:9).
Foundation and Superstructure.--When we speak of the gospel, therefore,
we should bear in mind that the term means something more than faith,
repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and other rituals and requirements in the Church of Christ.
We must not isolate "the laws and ordinances of the gospel" from the
basic principles upon which they rest--the mighty foundation stones of
sacrifice and redemption, without which all this sacred legislation
would be aimless and of no effect. Nor can the basic principles which
make operative those laws and ordinances be dissociated from the idea
of eternal progression, the great and paramount purpose for which the
gospel code was framed, the gospel in its fulness instituted.
Fulness of the Gospel.--The phrase, "fulness of the gospel," should
be understood in a relative sense, as pertaining to the revealed will
of God. There can be no absolute fulness, with man, until all things
are made known to him. The fulness of the gospel as delivered to
the Nephites and other ancient peoples, and told of in the inspired
records that have come down to us, differed from, in that it was not
so complete as is the fulness of the gospel which the Latter-day
Saints enjoy. Truth is always the same; it never contradicts itself;
but more of its principles have been revealed in modern times than at
any previous period. Never before, upon this earth, has there been
such a gospel fulness as that delivered to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
And the end is not yet; for, as he himself said in one of his latest
recorded utterances: "Those things which never have been revealed from
the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise
and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this the
dispensation of the fulness of times" (D&C 128:18).
It may help the reader to understand how there can be more than one
"fulness of the gospel" by bearing in mind what has been made known
concerning the final judgment, or the various awards of glory to be
meted out to redeemed souls after the resurrection. Their glory shall
be that by which their bodies are quickened, and whether quickened by
a portion of the celestial, the terrestrial, or the telestial glory,
they shall "receive of the same, even a fulness" (D&C 88:28-31). But
one fulness can differ from another, even as differ the glories, and
even as capacities differ--the power to receive and contain. The
absolute fulness of the gospel can only come to a people prepared to
receive and make a wise use of it. Until the Latter-day Saints are in
that condition, they must be content with a comparative fulness, or
all that they can contain of the divine wisdom. Paul the apostle was
contemplating this subject when he wrote: "For we know in part, and we
prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away" (1 Cor. 13:9,10).
Gospel Features.--The gospel, in its fullest sense, signifies
everything connected with the redemptive career of that glorious
and divine Being known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, but who was
and is no other than Jehovah, the God of Israel (D&C 110:1-4), who
"came unto his own" and was rejected by them, was crucified at their
instigation, and died to redeem the world. The accounts given by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are properly termed "gospels," because
they are narratives of the personal ministry of our Lord; but they
are only parts of the complete God-story. The Savior's life, death,
resurrection and ascension, with the conditions prescribed by him upon
which fallen man might profit further from his sacrifice for human
redemption,--these are all gospel features, but not the gospel in its
entirety. The full "story" of the Redeemer and Savior--the God who
died that man might live--involves events both past and future, events
premortal and post-mortal, scenes in which he was chosen to play his
mighty part in the great tragedy of human experience, and scenes yet to
come in which he will make another and a more glorious appearing upon
the stage of time, enacting the illustrious role of King of kings and
reigning over the earth a thousand years.
Salvation and Exaltation.--Paul defines the Gospel of Christ as "the
power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). He might have gone further,
had he so desired, or had it been timely, and shown that the Gospel
of Christ is the power of God unto exaltation--a plan devised by
Omnipotent Wisdom whereby man, the child of God, may advance from stage
to stage of soul development, until eventually he becomes like unto
his Heavenly Parent, inheriting eternal thrones and dominions, and
receiving "a fulness of joy."
This is exaltation. It is more than salvation, being an extension of
that idea or condition--salvation "added upon;" just as salvation
is an extension of, or an addition to, redemption. A soul may be
redeemed--that is, raised from the dead, and yet condemned at the
final judgment for evil deeds done in the body. Likewise may a soul be
redeemed and saved, and yet come short of the glory that constitutes
exaltation. To redeem, save, and glorify, is the threefold purpose of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Origin and Antiquity of the Gospel.--The gospel originated in the
heavens, before this earth was organized, and was revealed to man, out
of eternity, at the very beginning of time. It was the means by which
Adam, our great ancestor, after his expulsion from Eden, regained the
divine presence from which he had been banished. It is the means by
which his posterity, such as are obedient to the gospel's requirements,
have been or will yet be able to follow him into the heavenly kingdom.
The same ladder that Adam climbed, until beyond the reach of the fatal
consequences of his transgression, the whole human race, inheriting
from him the effects of the fall, must likewise climb, or they will
never see the face of God in eternal glory.
The Paramount Purpose.--Let us keep in mind, however, that the gospel,
even in a limited sense, is more than a means of escape from impending
ills. It is the way of progress, the path to perfection, and as such
was devised by the wisdom of the Gods, before this world rolled into
existence. The origin of the gospel, and the grand purpose for which it
was instituted, are briefly yet clearly outlined by the Prophet Joseph
Smith in the following language:
Eternal Progression.--"The first principles of man are self-existent
with God. 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 may
have one glory upon another."--("Times and Seasons," August 15, 1844;
"Improvement Era," January, 1909.)
Power and Benevolence of Deity.--Here are pointed out both the power
and the benevolence of Deity. Our Father in heaven is no monopolist.
While omnipotent and all-possessing, he is likewise altruistic and
philanthropic. Instead of keeping to himself the glory that he found
himself possessed of, he used his superior intelligence "to institute
laws" whereby the lesser spirits surrounding him might advance toward
the lofty plane that he occupies. He proposed to lift them to his own
spiritual stature and share with them the empire of the universe.
Plato's View.--Our prophet's simple yet sublime setting forth of the
divine power and benevolence, as exemplified in the establishment of a
plan for man's eternal progress, is far more pointed and specific than
the presentment made by Plato, the Greek philosopher, of a doctrine
somewhat similar. Plato, as quoted by Emerson, says: "Let us declare
the cause which led the Supreme Ordainer to produce and compose the
universe. He was good; and he who is good has no kind of envy. Exempt
from envy, he wished that all things should be as much as possible
like himself. Whosoever, taught by wise men, shall admit this as the
prime cause of the origin and foundation of the world, will be in the
truth."--("Representative Men," Lecture II.)
Man's Destiny.--There is a fitness, a propriety, in man's becoming
like his Maker--God's child, fashioned in his image and endowed with
divine attributes, developing to the fulness of the parental stature,
as taught by Joseph; but how the same can be predicated of "all
things"--beasts, fish, fowl, trees, plants, etc., as Plato implies, is
not so clear. That the lower animals, as well as man, in fact all forms
of life, animate and inanimate, are to be perpetuated and glorified, is
a plain inference from the teachings of the prophet (D&C 77:2-4) but
undoubtedly all will retain their identity, in their respective orders
and spheres. No creature of God's, except man, is destined to become
like God, in the fullest and highest sense. "As much as possible" is a
saving clause, however, and Plato, therefore, is not committed to any
contradictory proposition.
CHAPTER II.
Eternal Nature of Gospel Principles.
Gospel Code and Fundamentals.--The gospel, as a code or System of
laws and ordinances, is a creation, a work of God; but like all
other creations it was organized out of materials already existing.
"Intelligence or the light of truth was not created or made, neither
indeed can be" (D&C 93:29). Truth, "eternal, unchanged, evermore"--such
is the gospel in its fundamental principles. These were never created.
God did not make them; he "instituted" them, recognizing their worth,
their utility, their adaptability to the purposes which he had in view.
He saw that these principles were ennobling and exalting in their
nature and tendency, and he therefore created a plan embodying them as
the most effectual means for man's promotion.
Faith.--Take, for instance, faith--the first principle. Can you
conceive of its creation as a principle? I cannot: but I can grasp the
idea of its existence as a law, as an essential force, its adoption
by divine wisdom, and its adaptation to the purposes of Deity. I
can conceive of its bestowal upon man as an endowment from God, its
assimilation, cultivation, growth and increase, as illustrated in the
Book of Mormon, where it is compared to a seed germinating in the soul
(Alma 32:28). But I cannot think of it, in its essential, fundamental
nature, as having been called into existence. Faith is a gift from God,
both as a law and a manifestation of spiritual power: but it is not a
creation--not as a basic principle. The gospel code containing this
law, however, may readily be conceived as the work of a divine Creator
and Law-giver.
Repentance.--What is true of faith in this respect, is true also of
repentance. God did not create repentance as a principle; it already
existed as an essential to progress; but he made it obligatory upon
sinful man, if he would be saved and put upon the road to perfection,
to practice this principle--to turn away from evil and "sin no more."
Baptism.--As for baptism, the idea of washing in order to be come clean
is plain enough for a child's comprehension. It is this idea that
underlies the baptismal ordinance. God did not create the fact that
washing maketh clean--that is fundamental; but he instituted baptism
for the remission of sins and made it a part of the gospel plan,
because no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Holy Ghost.--Divine Wisdom did not create the Holy Ghost: he is
eternal, without beginning or end--he is God. Nor did it decree light
necessary to illumination; that is a self-evident, self-existent truth.
But Divine Wisdom instituted the laying on of hands for the gift
(giving) of the Holy Ghost, and included it in the great progressive
plan, because, without the illumination that comes from the Spirit of
the Lord, man cannot be "led into all truth."
Thus we might go on, taking up other features of the gospel, and in
each one pointing out some underlying principle upon which this law or
that ordinance has been based. The same philosophy will apply to them
all. These fundamental principles are not creations--they are eternal
truths, applied or adapted to ends foreseen and predestined by the
all-wise Ordainer and Giver.
The gospel was instituted for the advancement of God's children,
who had probably progressed as far as they could in the spirit at
that time, before they were given bodies; and it was made effective
for their further progress by the Atonement of Christ, offsetting
the fall of Adam, and nullifying the deadly effects of the original
transgression.
The Fall.--Right here let me suggest that Adam's transgression, while
technically a sin, because of the broken law, should be stressed as
the means whereby those spirits obtained their bodies, rather than
as an act of moral turpitude. In law, crimes are of two general
classes--malum per se and malum prohibitum. Malum per se means "an evil
in itself"--an act essentially wrong; while malum prohibitum signifies
"that which is wrong because forbidden by law." Adam's transgression
was malum prohibitum, and the consequent descent from an immortal to a
mortal condition was "THE FALL."
A Prearranged Plan.--It is evident from the revelations of God,
particularly in modern times, that everything connected with man's
mortal pilgrimage was understood and arranged before that pilgrimage
began. Not alone was the gospel instituted: an executor was appointed
to put it into effect. In other words, the machinery was constructed,
and the power then turned on. The fall being foreseen, the redemption
was ordained. Eternal progress and everlasting glory were the objects
in view, and over the glad prospect, in spite of the pain and sorrow
that must necessarily intervene, "the Morning Stars sang together, and
all the Sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7).
CHAPTER III.
The Fall and Redemption.
Essentials to Progress.--The story of God embraces the fall as well
as the redemption of man. Both these mighty vicissitudes are steps in
the march of human progress. The fall was just as necessary as the
redemption, in order to make operative and effective the laws and
ordinances of the gospel. In other words, the fall prepared the way for
the redemption. How could redemption have been, had there been nothing
to redeem? Of what use were a gospel of salvation where nothing needed
to be saved?
Innocent Ignorance.--Had the spirits of men, "all innocent in the
beginning," remained where they were and just as they were, they would
have had no need to exercise faith unto salvation. They would have
had no need to repent or to be baptized, having no evil practices to
turn away from, and no uncleanness to be washed away. But they would
have remained ignorant as well as innocent, and without any further
progression. The following passage from the Book of Mormon illustrates
this point:
"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have
fallen; but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all
things which were created must have remained in the same state which
they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever
and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore, they
would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they
knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all
things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam
fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Ne.
2:22-25).
This passage, of course, refers directly to Adam's condition in the
Garden of Eden, and not to the spirit life preceding that period of
innocent ignorance. But the fact remains that man, in the spirit life,
needed experience in mortality, in order to become wiser, as much as he
needed a body for purposes of progression and eternal increase.
Adam Not Deceived.--When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit,
it was the woman who was beguiled by Satan and induced to go contrary
to the divine command. The man was not deceived. Adam was but telling
the truth when he answered the Lord, "The woman whom thou gavest to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12). Those
who satirize Father Adam for this reply, imputing to him an unworthy
motive, a desire to evade responsibility and "hide behind the woman in
the case," take but a superficial view of the subject. Adam was not
trying to evade the issue: he was simply stating the fact. The Lord
wanted the truth, and no fable would suffice, however polite, in the
opinion of shallow wits or would-be chivalrous wisacres, it might have
been to invent one, in order to shield the fair transgressor.
A Deliberate Transgression.--Adam, after Eve had transgressed, did
likewise in order to carry out a divine command previously given--the
command to multiply and replenish the earth (Gen. 1:28). Eve, by her
act, had separated herself from her husband, and made it impossible,
unless he followed her and also became mortal, to carry out God's
original behest. This was Adam's motive. He was facing a dilemma. He
must make choice between two divine commands, and doubtless felt that
he could not consistently do otherwise than as he did. He disobeyed in
order to obey, retrieving, so far as he possibly could, the situation
resulting from Eve's disobedience. He did it wittingly, deliberately,
undeceived as to the consequences, realizing that in no other way
could he carry out God's first command and become the progenitor of
the human race. Adam and Eve, with their eyes open, rejoiced over
what had befallen them, recognizing it as part of a preordained plan
to people the earth with their posterity, and afford to a world of
waiting spirits the opportunity, long anticipated, of taking earthly
tabernacles and starting out upon their great pilgrimage to perfection.
Adam and Eve Rejoice.--"And in that day Adam blessed God and was
filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth,
saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my
eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the
flesh I shall see God.
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were
it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never
should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the
eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient."--("Pearl of Great
Price," Book of Moses, 5:10,11.)
"Adam fell that man might be, and man is that he might have joy."
But there would be no joy, no progress, no eternal life for fallen
man--only pain, sorrow, and everlasting banishment from God's presence,
had Christ not died to nullify the ill effects of Adam's act, and lift
man up from his fallen condition.
Human Standards and Divine Dispensations.--Why, it may be asked, did
God place Adam and Eve in so seemingly contradictory a position? Why
were they forbidden to do what they had manifestly come to do, and
which had to be done in order to carry out the divine purpose? For that
is the problem in a nutshell, as it appears to human eyes. I can only
answer in the words of Nephi: "All things have been done in the wisdom
of him who knoweth all things." Man cannot sit in judgment upon his
Maker, nor measure by human standards divine dispensations. The God who
gives life, and takes it, without committing murder, can command today
and countermand tomorrow, and yet remain consistent and unchangeable.
In a world where faith is necessary to progress, and where premature
knowledge would prevent progress by swallowing up faith, by destroying
the opportunity for its exercise, man must not expect to know all
things. That calamities and sacrifices bring forth blessings, is
apparent to observation and experience; but the deep why and wherefore
of it all remains a mystery. Adam's fall and Christ's atonement were
fearful calamities, from the human point of view; but wonderful
benefits and advantages accrued therefrom. Just why such sacrifices
have to be made, however, in order that such blessings may come, is too
profound a problem for the finite mind to solve.
Spiritual and Temporal Death.--The fall brought man into the
world--into this state of mortality; but it also brought death, with
all its sad concomitants. Not such a death as the righteous now
contemplate, and such as both righteous and unrighteous must undergo,
as a change preparatory to resurrection. There was no resurrection when
Adam fell--not upon this planet--nothing but death, resting like a pall
over the prospective human race. Adam and Eve, after the fall, were
spiritually dead, and were doomed to the temporal death as well--the
dissolution of the body--and they had entailed this fate upon their
posterity. Hell had triumphed over man's, or rather woman's, weakness.
Life was dead, death reigned, and demons held high carnival.
The World in Pawn.--Adam's transgression had put the world in pawn.
The name of the pawnbroker was death, and his claim was twofold. Death
held all things in his grasp, and there was no help for it this side
of heaven. No part of what had been pledged could be used as the means
of redemption. Adam could not redeem himself, great and mighty as he
was--in the spirit; for he was no other than Michael the archangel,
leader of the hosts of heaven. But this puissant Michael was now
a weak, frail, mortal man, under the penalty of a broken law, and
powerless to repair the injury that had been wrought. He and the race
that was to spring from him were utterly lost, unless the Almighty One
would intervene, and do for them what they could not do for themselves.
If man could have redeemed himself, it would have been required of
him; but because self-redemption was impossible, a Redeemer had to be
provided.
The Redemption.--Redemption must come, if at all, through some Being
high enough and powerful enough to make an infinite atonement, one
fully covering the far-reaching effects of the original transgression.
The scales of eternal justice, unbalanced by Adam's act, had to be
repoised, and right's equilibrium restored. Who could do this? Who
could retrieve the situation, bring good out of evil, mould failure
into success, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Where was the
Moses for such an exodus? Where the deliverance from this worse than
Egyptian bondage--a bondage of which Egypt's slavery was but typical?
The life of a God was the price of the world's freedom, and that price
was paid by the God of Israel, who descended from his glorious throne,
made himself mortal, an exile of eternity, walked in the dust of his
own footstool, and by submitting to death, broke the bands of death,
and made it possible for man to live again, and go on to the goal of
endless glory. He was the Lamb "without spot or blemish," typified by
the lamb of the Passover, and preordained for sacrifice, to "take away
the sins of the world." He gave himself as an offering, as a ransom for
human redemption, and by the shedding of his own blood, paid the debt
of the universe, took the world out of pawn, and became the Author of
Salvation for all mankind.
CHAPTER IV.
The Gods in Council.
Fore-ordination.--The parts played by Adam and Eve in this sublime
tragedy were doubtless cast at the same time that the pre-eminent
role was assigned to the Redeemer and Savior. Likewise, is it just
as reasonable to infer that other great ones were forechosen for
service in the cause of humanity. It is more than an inference; it is
a revealed fact. What other meaning can be attached to the word of the
Lord to Jeremiah (1:5): "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I
ordained thee a prophet unto the nations"? If this be true of Jeremiah,
why not true of other prophets, both ancient and modern? Joseph Smith
is on record as saying that men who have such callings to minister to
the inhabitants of the world, were "ordained to that very purpose in
the grand council of heaven before this world was" ("Compendium," p.
285).
Two Plans Proposed.--In that same Grand Council--the "congregation
of the mighty" (Ps. 1:5)--there were two candidates, if we may so
designate them, for the redeemership. One was like unto the Father,
desiring for the pure love of God's children to uplift them, and at the
same time glorify the Great Head, by the sacrifice that he proposed
to make. The other was proud, self-willed, and bent upon personal
aggrandizement, regardless of consequences. The former stood for
freedom--man's agency--and the rewarding of all souls according to
their works. The latter proposed coercion, so that not one soul should
be lost; thinking, perhaps, that his demanded compensation for proposed
service might be made in that way all the more abundant.
Lucifer Rebels.--The first was chosen; the second rebelled, and was
cast out, with a third of those then populating the spirit world. That
third, following Lucifer, who became Satan, were doomed with him to
wander up and down the earth, as fallen spirits, tempting and trying
the children of men--those who, as a reward for keeping their first
estate, where they "walked by sight," were given a second estate--the
privilege of taking tabernacles, and "walking by faith" through the
shadowed experiences of mortality.
Upon this subject the Prophet Joseph says: "The contention in heaven
was: Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved;
and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before
the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the
devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down with all who
put up their heads for him" ("Compendium," page 285).
Advantage of Having a Body.--Our prophet likewise affirms: "At the
first organization in heaven we were all present, and saw the Savior
chosen and appointed, and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned
it. We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure
before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness
consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his
punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man,
and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine,
showing that he would prefer a swine's body to having none. All beings
who have bodies have power over those who have not" (Ibid, page 288).
Testimony of Moses.--The following passages from our sacred writings
will here find place:
"And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou
hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which
was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying--Behold, here
am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that
one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me
thine honor.
"But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the
beginning, said unto me--Father, thy will be done, and the glory be
thine forever.
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to
destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and
also, that I should give unto him mine own power: by the power of mine
Only Begotten I caused that he should be cast down;
"And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to
deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as
many as would not hearken unto my voice." (Moses 4:1-4.)
Testimony of Abraham.--Still more comprehensive are the appended
paragraphs of a similar glorious revelation:
"Now the Lord had shown 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;
"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.
"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." (Book of Abr. 3:22-28.)
Truth Speaks for Itself.--What a sublime presentation! What a wealth of
doctrine! What a wonderful scope of prophecy! The whole divine scheme
for human progress revealed at a glance! Surely the Book of Abraham,
whose authenticity has recently been assailed by Christian scholars,
and defended by "Mormon" writers and speakers, can stand upon its own
merits in refutation of any argument brought against it as a divine
record. Who but God could reveal such principles as this marvelous
book contains? Who but one inspired of heaven could teach them in so
pure a spirit and in such majestic terms? Truth--eternal truth--speaks
for itself: it is not dependent upon books or translators. These are
but some of the means used in making it known to the world. It is not
limited to time and place. Whether in the catacombs of Egypt, or in the
mounds of America, whether spoken anciently or modernly,
"Truth is truth, where'er 'tis found,
On Christian or on heathen ground."
"Mormon" Philosophy.--Note the sound philosophy of this revelation--the
divine proposition to "make an earth," not out of nothing--an absurdity
put forth by Christian theologians in their teachings relative to the
creation--but out of "materials" already in existence, eternal spirit
and eternal matter, as never-ending as space and duration. Then ask
yourself, reader, if the "Mormon" doctrine, set forth in the Book of
Abraham, is not the only logical, scientific, common-sense presentation
possible or conceivable in the premises.
Note also that it was the design to "make an earth;" the inference
being that this was not the only earth that had been created, nor would
it be the last.
"And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the
beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens
and the earth" (Abr. 4:1).
CHAPTER V.
Creation of the Earth.
Two Creations.--There were two creations--the first spiritual, the
second temporal. This truth is taught inferentially in the first and
second chapters of Genesis, King James's Translation; but more plainly
and pointedly in the Book of Moses, a reproduction of the Book of
Genesis, revised and amplified by the spirit of revelation in Joseph
the Seer. Here is the modern rendering of the passages bearing directly
upon this point:
As Related in the Book of Moses.--"And now, behold, I say unto you,
that these are the generations of the heaven and of the earth, when
they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God, made the heaven and
the earth.
"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every
herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all
things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally
upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it
to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created
all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in
heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth,
neither in the water, neither in the air;
"But I, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth,
and watered the whole face of the ground.
"And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless,
all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and
made according to my word." (Moses 3:4-7.)
Adam's Incarnation.--In the Book of Abraham the incarnation of Adam is
thus described:
"And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his
spirit (that is, the man's spirit) and put it into him; and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul"
(Abr. 5:7).
Plurality of Worlds.--Regarding this earth and other creations, the
Lord said to Moses:
"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 that now stand, and
innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for
they are mine and I know them."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"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 another come; and there is no end to my works; neither to my
words.
"For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man."--Moses 1:33-39.
Purposes of Earth Life.--God's purpose, primarily, in placing man
upon the earth, is to give him a body, a mortal tabernacle, which is
rendered immortal through death and the resurrection. The spirit and
the body constitute the soul. It is the soul that is redeemed from the
grave (D&C 88:15,16). It is the soul that goes on to perfection. Man is
here also for experience, that he may advance from stage to stage of
growth and development, approximating nearer and nearer to the divine
ideal voiced by the Savior: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."--Matthew 5:48.
Man on Probation.--There is still another purpose in man's mortal
existence, and it is referred to in the Book of Abraham, where the
Creator, after announcing to "those who were with him" the proposed
making of an earth "whereon these may dwell," says: "And we will prove
them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord
their God shall command." Thus we are shown that man while here is on
probation, that he may demonstrate his worthiness to inherit the great
things held in reserve for the righteous.
CHAPTER VI.
Elect of Elohim.
In solemn council sat the Gods;
From Kolob's height supreme,
Celestial light blazed forth afar
O'er countless kokaubeam;
And faintest tinge, the fiery fringe
Of that resplendent day,
'Lumined the dark abysmal realm
Where earth in chaos lay.
Silence. That awful hour was one
When thought doth most avail;
Of worlds unborn the destiny
Hung trembling in the scale.
Silence self-spelled, and there arose,
Those kings and priests among,
A power sublime, than whom appeared
None nobler 'mid the throng.
A stature mingling strength with grace,
Of meek though God-like mien;
The glory of whose countenance
Outshone the noonday sheen.
Whiter his hair than ocean spray,
Or frost of Alpine hill.
He spake;--attention grew more grave,
The stillness e'en more still.
"Father!"--the voice like music fell,
Clear as the murmuring flow
Of mountain streamlet trickling down
From heights of virgin snow.
"Father," it said, "since one must die,
Thy children to redeem,
From spheres all formless now and void,
Where pulsing life shall teem:
"And mighty Michael foremost fall,
That mortal man may be;
And chosen Savior yet must send,
Lo, here am I--send me!
I ask, I seek no recompense,
Save that which then were mine;
Mine be the willing sacrifice,
The endless glory Thine!
"Give me to lead to this lorn world,
When wandered from the fold,
Twelve legions of the noble ones
That now thy face behold;
Tried souls, 'mid untried spirits found,
That captained these may be,
And crowned the dispensations all
With powers of Deity.
"Who blameless bide the spirit state
Shall clothe in mortal clay,
The stepping-stone to glories all,
If man will God obey,
Believing where he cannot see,
Till he again shall know,
And answer give, reward receive,
For all deeds done below.
"The love that hath redeemed all worlds
All worlds must still redeem;
But mercy cannot justice rob--
Or where were Elohim?
Freedom--man's faith, man's work, God's grace--
Must span the great gulf o'er;
Life, death, the guerdon or the doom,
Rejoice we or deplore."
Still rang that voice, when sudden rose
Aloft a towering form,
Proudly erect as lowering peak
'Lumed by the gathering storm;
A presence bright and beautiful,
With eye of flashing fire,
A lip whose haughty curl bespoke
A sense of inward ire:
"Send me!"--coiled 'neath his courtly smile
A scarce concealed disdain--
"And none shall hence, from heaven to earth,
That shall not rise again;
My saving plan exception scorns.
Man's will?--Nay, mine alone.
As recompense, I claim the right
To sit on yonder throne!
"Ceased Lucifer. The breathless hush
Resumed and denser grew.
All eyes were turned; the general gaze
One common Magnet drew.
A moment there was solemn pause--
Listened Eternity,
While rolled from lips Omnipotent
The Father's firm decree:
"Jehovah, thou my Messenger!
Son Ahman, thee I send;
And one shall go thy face before,
While twelve thy steps attend;
And many more on that far shore,
The pathway shall prepare,
That I, the First, the last may come,
And earth my glory share.
"After and ere thy going down,
An army shall descend--
The host of God, and house of him
Whom I have named my friend.
Through him, upon Idumea,
Shall come, all life to leaven,
The guileless ones, the sovereign Sons,
Throned on the heights of heaven.
"Go forth, thou Chosen of the Gods,
Whose strength shall in thee dwell!
Go down betime and rescue earth,
Dethroning death and hell,
On thee alone man's fate depends,
The fate of beings all.
Thou shalt not fail, though thou art free--
Free, but too great to fall.
"By arm divine, both mine and thine,
The lost thou shalt restore,
And man, redeemed, with God shall be,
As God forevermore.
Return, and to the parent fold
This wandering planet bring,
And Earth shall hail thee Conqueror,
And Heaven proclaim thee King."
'Twas done. From congregation vast
Tumultuous murmurs rose;
Waves of conflicting sound, as when
Two meeting seas oppose;
'Twas finished. But the Heavens wept;
And still their annals tell
How one was Choice of Elohim,
O'er one who fighting fell.
("Elias," Canto III, Part One.)
The Way of Salvation.
CHAPTER I.
The Law of Obedience.
Man Helpless.--When Adam and Eve had transgressed the divine command
by partaking of the forbidden fruit, it was as if the human race had
fallen into a pit, from which they were powerless, by any act of
their own, to emerge. They could not climb out, for they did not know
how to climb; and even had they known, there was no means by which
to climb. Human endeavor, unassisted, could accomplish nothing in
the way of deliverance. Man in his mortal condition needed spiritual
enlightenment, having forgotten all that he had previously known. In
other words, he needed a ladder, that he might climb out of the pit,
and that ladder was furnished in the revelation, of the Gospel of
Christ. Without it there is no salvation, no exaltation. The Tower of
Babel symbolizes the situation: All man's efforts to reach heaven,
without divine assistance, must end in confusion and failure.
Redemption by Grace.--The gospel ladder rests upon the rock of Christ's
atonement--an act of grace, a free gift from God to all mankind--the
wicked as well as the righteous. All profit by it, for, as the result
of that atonement, all are brought forth from the grave. And this is
eminently just: Adam's posterity were consigned to death for no deed of
their own doing. It is fitting, therefore, that their redemption should
come unconditionally.
Salvation by Obedience.--But redemption is not salvation, nor salvation
exaltation, as already explained. Men must "work out their salvation"
(Phillipians 2:12), and gain exaltation by continuous upward striving.
Salvation and exaltation, while depending primarily upon the grace
of God, are also the fruits of man's acceptance of the gospel, and
his steadfast adherence thereto, until it shall have done for him its
perfect work. There are degrees of glory--"many mansions" in the great
house of God, and the highest are reserved for those who render to the
Master of the house the fulness of their obedience.
"Salvation means a man's being placed beyond the power of all his
enemies. * * * Until a man can triumph over death, he is not saved. *
* * To get salvation we must not only do some things, but everything
which God has commanded" ("Joseph Smith's Teachings," pp. 146-150).
Heaven's First Law.--"Order is heaven's first law," says human wisdom.
"Not so," says divine inspiration, "obedience is heaven's first law,
and order follows as the result." [A] Without obedience, spiritual
growth, eternal progress, is impossible. Says Joseph the prophet:
"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of
this world, upon which all blessings are predicated; and when we obtain
any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is
predicated" (D&C 130:20,21).
Illustrations of Obedience.--That obedience is required from those
who become and remain members of the Church of Christ, should not
surprise any intelligent student of political science, nor even
a casual observer of the everyday life of men and nations. All
governments demand from their people obedience to the laws enacted
for the general welfare. Without such obedience, there would be no
peace, no protection. This is readily conceded by most men as to human
governments; but some people think it strange that divine government
should be administered upon like principles, and for similar, though
higher, ends.
A friend of mine once said to me: "Why do I need to belong to a church,
to subscribe to a creed, or to undergo any ordinance, in order to be
saved? I have always been truthful, honest, virtuous, benevolent--why
will this not suffice to make my peace with God and pave my way to
heaven?"
Aliens and Naturalization.--I answered on this wise: "Let me use a
comparison to illustrate the point. Suppose you were an alien, born in
Great Britain, in Scandinavia, or in some other foreign land, and you
came to America desiring to become a citizen of the United States. When
told that you must take out citizenship papers, forswear allegiance to
every foreign power, and honor and uphold the Constitution and laws of
this Republic, suppose you were to reply: `Why, what is the need of all
that? I am a good man, I have always done right, and am clean, moral,
and upright in conduct and conversation--why is that not sufficient to
entitle me to vote, to hold office, pre-empt land, and enjoy all the
rights and privileges of an American freeman?' Do you think such a plea
would avail? No, you do not. You see its inconsistency as quickly as
would the government unto whom it might be made. You would not expect
to become a citizen of the United States upon your own terms. Why,
then, should you hope for admittance into God's kingdom upon any other
conditions than those which the King himself has laid down?"
Man's Proper Attitude.--Truthfulness, honesty, virtue, and benevolence
are precious possessions, inestimable treasures. They enrich the soul
under all conditions, outside or inside the kingdom of God; but they
are not valuable enough to purchase a passport into that kingdom. We
must not count upon our personal qualities, however admirable and
commendable, to gain us admission into the divine presence. Man's
proper attitude, as a seeker for salvation, is one of humility, not of
self-righteousness. When the Pharisee and the Publican prayed in the
Temple at Jerusalem, the former thanking the Lord that he was better
than other men, and the latter meekly murmuring: "God be merciful to
me, a sinner," the Savior, pointing to the Publican, said: That man is
justified, rather than the other, "for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke
18:13,14).
Obedience Better Than Sacrifice.--"Obedience is better than sacrifice."
So said obedient Samuel to disobedient Saul. Adam's obedience in
offering sacrifice without knowing why, simply because the Lord had
commanded him (Moses 5:6) Abraham's obedience in offering Isaac--for
the same reason--was far more precious in the sight of heaven than the
sacrifice itself. In Abraham's case the will was taken for the deed,
and the Father of the Faithful was blessed as abundantly as if the
sacrifice had been consummated.
Dead Letter and Living Oracle.--Suppose, however, that Abraham had
not obeyed the Lord's second command, "Lay not thy hand upon the
lad." In that event he would have been in transgression, and could
not have been blessed any more than if he had disobeyed in the first
instance. In the face of that second command, he could not have pleaded
consistently that he was under obligation to obey the first. "My word
is my law," saith the Lord, and his latest word, even though it seem to
contradict an earlier behest from the same source, must always be given
precedence. The choice in such a case is between the dead letter and
the living oracle.
All Blessings Come by Obedience.--It is the rod of power which smites
the rock of divine providence, causing it to flow with the waters of
human weal.
The Justice of God.--When the Savior uttered his exhortation: "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,"
and added, "For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45),
he did not mean that the Lord makes no distinction between the two
classes; but meant that he is just to both--just even to the unjust,
upon whom he sends his rain and sunshine, causing their orchards to
bloom and their vineyards to bear equally with those of the righteous.
Nevertheless, all who receive such blessings must merit them. If the
unjust (unjust here) had not kept their first estate, thereby showing
some degree of obedience to divine law, they would not have been given
a second estate, where the sunlight and the rains could reach them. In
this second estate, however, further obedience is requisite, in order
that greater benefits may follow.
Blessings Bestowed by Law.--God's blessings are temporal as well as
spiritual, and their bestowal is regulated by law. A bad man may be
a good farmer or a good artisan, and reap reward for obedience to
the law of industry in the exercise of his vocation. But there are
greater blessings than those which come from the workshop and the
harvest field; and they can be had only by obedience to the higher laws
governing their distribution. One cannot become a member of the Church
of Christ by being an expert tiller of the soil. It requires more than
the skill of a mechanic to get into the kingdom of heaven. There is but
one way into that kingdom--a way pointed out by the finger of God--and
any person who tries to get in by picking the lock or by climbing over
the wall, will be treated as a trespasser, as a would-be thief and
robber.
What Must Man Do for Himself?--What particular acts of obedience are
required of man, in order that God, who redeemed him, may likewise save
and exalt him? What must he do for himself, that he may profit fully
by the great things done in his behalf? How shall this alien become
naturalized? The ladder having been let down into the pit, how shall
the fallen avail himself of the divine assistance offered?
The answer is plain: He must climb, if he would get out. While there
was no ladder, he could not, and all his intelligence and skill were
unavailing. But now, if he will use his God-given powers and the means
provided, he may climb from earth to heaven, round by round. If he
refuses to climb, who but himself is responsible for his remaining in
the pit?
The Most Important Personage.--This gospel code--this way into the
kingdom--what is it? What does it consist of? What are the divine laws
of naturalization? What requirements are made of those who would be
identified with the Church of Christ--who would be saved in this world
and in the world to come? The man who can answer, to the spiritually
unenlightened, such questions as these, is easily the most important
personage of his generation. Such a man was the Apostle Peter, and such
another was the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The Pentecostal Proclamation.--When Peter, on the day of Pentecost,
preached "Christ and him crucified," and the conscience-stricken
multitude cried out: "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" a question
was propounded which the most learned philosophers of that age could
not answer. Caesar, sitting upon the throne of the world, would have
been mystified had the question been put to him: What shall men do to
be saved? Not so Peter, the Galilean fisherman. He knew what men must
do, and he straightway told them what to do:
"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).
[Footnote A: An idea advanced by President George Q. Cannon.]
CHAPTER II.
Faith.
The First Requirement.--Faith, however, not repentance, is the first
requirement. The probable reason why Peter omitted to mention faith
at that time, was because he perceived that the multitude already
had faith, already believed what he had told them of the crucified
Redeemer. Had it been otherwise, they would not have been "pricked in
their heart." and would not have anxiously inquired, "What shall we
do?" Belief was the first requirement made by the Savior, through his
chosen twelve, when he sent them "into all the world" to "preach the
gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:16). He declared salvation dependent
on faith and works: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
and he that believeth not shall be damned." For faith is shown by works
(James 2:18), and each is dead without the other.
The Foundation of All Righteousness.--Faith, according to the Doctrine
and Covenants, is "the first principle in revealed religion, and the
foundation of all righteousness." There are few things more lucid in
our literature than the Lectures on Faith which form the fore part of
that sacred volume--one of the four doctrinal standards of the Church;
the other three being the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl
of Great Price. Beginning with the text, "Now faith is the substance
[assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb.
11:1), the lecturer goes on to say:
The Moving Cause of All Action.--"If men were duly to consider
themselves, and turn their thoughts and reflections to the operations
of their own minds, they would readily discover that it is faith, and
faith only, which is the moving cause of all action in them; that
without it both mind and body would be in a state of inactivity, and
all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental."
"Were this class to go back and reflect upon the history of their
lives, from the period of their first recollection, and ask themselves
what principle excited them to action, or what gave them energy and
activity in all their lawful avocations, callings, and pursuits, what
would be the answer? Would it not be that it was the assurance which
they had of the existence of things which they had not seen as yet?
Was it not the hope which you had in consequence of your belief in the
existence of unseen things, which stimulated you to action and exertion
in order to obtain them? Are you not dependent on your faith, or
belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence?
Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless
you did believe that you could obtain them? Would you have ever sown,
if you had not believed that you would reap? Would you ever planted,
if you had not believed that you would gather? Would you have ever
asked, unless you had believed that you would receive? Would you have
ever sought, unless you had believed that you would have found? Or,
would have been opened unto you? In a word, is there anything that you
would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously
believed? Are not all your exertions of every kind, dependent on your
faith? Or, may we not ask, what have you, or what do you possess which
you have not obtained by reason of your faith? Your food, your raiment,
your lodgings, are they not all by reason of your faith? Reflect, and
ask yourselves if these things are not so. Turn your thoughts on your
own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in
yourselves; and, if the moving cause in you, is it not in all other
intelligent beings?" * * * *
A Principle of Power.--"As we receive by faith all temporal blessings
that we do receive, so we in like manner receive by faith all spiritual
blessings that we do receive. But faith is not only the principle of
action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven
or on earth. Thus says the author of the epistle to the Heb. 11:3:
`Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God; so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear.'
"Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have
been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust. It is the
principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power
over all temporal as well as eternal things. Take this principle or
attribute--for it is an attribute--from the Deity, and he would cease
to exist.
"Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is
by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the
principle of power? And if the principle of power, must be so in man as
well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers,
and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man. * * * *
"It was by faith that the worlds were framed. God spake, chaos heard,
and worlds came into order by reason of the faith there was in him. So
with man also; he spake by faith in the name of God and the sun stood
still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions' mouths
were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies
their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this
by reason of the faith which was in him.
"Had it not been for the faith which was in men, they might have spoken
to the sun, the moon, the mountains, prisons, the human heart, fire,
armies, the sword, or to death, in vain!
"Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power,
dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they
remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and
without power there could be no creation nor existence!"
A Negative Opinion.--A Christian minister (a Unitarian) once tried to
convince me that faith was anything but an admirable quality. He called
it contemptible, declaring that it consisted simply of a willingness to
believe anything, however improbable or absurd: it was mere credulity,
nothing more. When I spoke of faith as a spiritual force, he said I
was attaching to the term a significance that it had never borne, and
for which there was no warrant. I reminded him of the Savior's words
in Matt. 17:19,20: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it
shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Whereupon he
answered flippantly: "Oh, it takes picks and shovels to move mountains."
The Positive View.--I presume he would have conceded, had I pursued
the subject further, that there are other ways of removing mountains.
I fancy he would have admitted the power of the earthquake in the
premises; though he might not have agreed with me that all intelligent
action, human or divine, is the result of faith, and that whether
mountains are moved with pick-axes or with earthquakes, by man or
by his Maker, it is faith that precedes the action and renders it
possible. This professed minister of Christ, who denied what Christ had
taught, overlooked the fact that the smallest as well as the greatest
acts of our lives spring from the exercise of faith.
Faith Fundamental.--God made faith the first principle of the gospel,
because that is its proper place. It is the bottom round in the ladder
of salvation, the first step in the stairway to perfection. "All things
are possible to them that believe."
"As a Grain of Mustard Seed."--When the Savior spoke of the faith
that "removes mountains," he was not measuring, either satirically or
hyperbolically, the quantity of the faith by the size of the mustard
seed. He probably meant that if man would obey the divine law given
for his government, as faithfully as the mustard seed obeys the divine
law given for its government, he would have infinitely more power than
he now possesses. How difficult it seems for man, "the noblest work
of God," to live in obedience to the highest principles revealed from
heaven for his guidance. Yet the earth, we are told, "abideth the law
of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and
transgresseth not the law" (D&C 88:25).
Faith and Credulity.--Faith, in its incipient stages, may resemble at
times mere credulity. The untutored savage who was told by one of the
early settlers of New England that if he planted grass seed it would
produce gunpowder, believed it, not yet having learned that the white
man would lie. He therefore parted with his valuable furs, in exchange
for some of the seed, showing that he had faith in the settler's word.
But it did not bring the desired result. Faith, to be effectual,
must be based upon truth, and though higher than reason, must have a
reasonable foundation. The spirit of truth must inspire it. This was
not the case with the poor, misguided Indian; he trusted in a falsehood
and was deceived. But some good came of it. He ascertained the falsity
of the settler's statement. His faith induced him to plant the seed,
and though it did not produce gunpowder--that being contrary to its
nature--it produced a growth of grass-and a wiser Indian.
CHAPTER III.
Faith, Continued.
Faith Founded on Evidence.--The second of the Lectures on Faith is a
discussion of the object upon which faith should rest; that object
being God, the evidences of whose existence, as the foundation of all
rational belief, are abundantly shown. Lecture Third contains these
paragraphs, pertinent to the point now raised:
Essentials for a Perfect Faith.--"Three things are necessary in order
that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto
life and salvation.
"First, the idea that he actually exists.
"Second, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes.
"Third, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he [man] is
pursuing is according to his [God's] will. For without an acquaintance
with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being
must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding it
can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness, unto the
praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Possibilities of Faith.--Had the Indian's faith been properly
founded--had it been a perfect faith, intelligent, rational,
heaven-inspired, he could have produced gunpowder or any other
commodity from the all-containing elements around him; and that,
too, without planting a seed or employing an ordinary process of
manufacture. The turning of water into wine, the miraculous feeding of
the multitude, the walking upon the waves, the healing of the sick,
the raising of the dead, and other wonderful works wrought by the
Savior, the apostles, and the ancient prophets--what were they but
manifestations of an all-powerful faith, to possess which is to have
the power to remove mountains--without picks and shovels, my skeptical
Unitarian to the contrary notwithstanding. Such a faith is not mere
credulity; it is a divine energy, operating upon natural laws and by
natural processes--natural, though unknown to "the natural man," and
termed by him supernatural.
The Universal Mainspring.--Faith is the beating heart of the
universe--the incentive, the impulse, to all action, the mainspring
of all achievement. Nothing was ever accomplished, small or great,
commonplace or miraculous, that was not backed up by confidence in
some power, human or superhuman, that impelled and pushed forward the
enterprise.
An Impelling Force.--It was not doubt that drove Columbus across the
sea; it was faith--the impelling force of the Spirit of the Lord (1
Ne. 13:12). It was not doubt that nerved the arm and fired the soul of
Washington, inducing him and his ragged regiments to fight on through
heat, frost, and hunger of seven long years, to win their country's
freedom. It was not doubt that inspired Hamilton, Jefferson, Franklin,
and the other patriot fathers, to lay broad and deep the foundations of
this mighty republic. It is not doubt that has caused nations to rise
and flourish, and raised up great men in all ages and in all climes,
to teach, toil, and sacrifice for the benefit of mankind. It is faith
that does such things. Doubt undoes, or hinders, what faith achieves.
The men and women who have moved this world were men and women who
believed, who were earnest and sincere, even if in part mistaken.
Mahomet and Islam.--Carlyle portrays vividly the wondrous transition
from weakness to strength that came over the descendants of Ishmael,
when they became a believing nation, abandoning idolatry, and accepting
Allah as their god, with Mahomet as his prophet:
"To the Arab nation it was as a birth from darkness into light;
Arabia first became alive by means of it. A poor shepherd people
roaming unnoticed in its deserts since the creation of the world; a
hero-prophet was sent down to them with a word they could believe; see,
the unnoticed becomes world-notable, the small has become world-great;
within one century afterwards Arabia is at Granada on this hand, at
Delhi on that--glancing in valor and splendor and the light of genius,
Arabia shines through long ages over a great section of the world.
Belief is great, life-giving. The history of a nation becomes fruitful,
soul-elevating, great, so soon as it believes. These Arabs, the man
Mahomet, and that one century--is it not as if a spark had fallen, one
spark, on a world of what seemed black, unnoticeable sand; but lo,
the sand proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to
Granada! I said, the great man was always as lightning out of heaven;
the rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would
flame."--("Heroes and Hero Worship," Lecture II.)
Achievements of Christendom.--Who can doubt that this same philosophy
applies to Christendom and its marvelous achievements, all down the
centuries? Is it not faith in the divine Nazarene that has caused
Christian nations to thrive, that has enabled Christianity, in spite of
its errors, to flourish, to survive the wreck of empires and weather
the storms of time? Was not Christ indeed as "lightning out of heaven,"
sent down to kindle and illumine the world, and has not the world been
warmer and brighter for his coming? Is it not the faith of any nation,
its trust in and reliance upon some power deemed by it divine, that
constitutes its main strength?
Faith Must Be Genuine.--But faith must be genuine. Pretense and
formalism will not avail. Hypocrisy is the worst form of unbelief.
Honest idolatry is infinitely preferable to dishonest worship. Better
burn incense to Diana, believing it to be right, than bow down to
Christ in hollow-hearted insincerity. Mighty Rome did not fall, until
she had ceased to worship sincerely the gods enshrined within her
Pantheon. Glorious Greece did not succumb, until she had proved false
to her ancient faith, until her believers had become doubters, until
skeptical philosophy had supplanted religious enthusiasm, and the
worship of freedom, grace, and beauty had degenerated to unbridled
license and groveling sensuality. No nation ever crumbled to ruin until
false to itself, false to the true principles of success, the basic one
of which is to believe.
The Articles of Faith.--What should Latter-day Saints believe? I can
think of no better answer to this question than is contained in the
Articles of Faith, formulated by the Prophet Joseph Smith soon after
the Church of Christ was organized in this dispensation:
"1. We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ,
and in the Holy Ghost.
"2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not
for Adam's transgression.
"3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ all men may be
saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
"4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel
are:--First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third,
baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
"5. We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy, and by the
laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel
and administer in the ordinances thereof.
"6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive
church, viz.: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.
"7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,
healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.
"8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is
translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word
of God.
"9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal,
and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things
pertaining to the kingdom of God.
"10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the
restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this
continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth: and that
the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
"11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the
dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege,
let them worship how, where, or what they may.
"12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and
magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
"13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,
and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the
admonition of Paul, We believe all things, we hope all things, we have
endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there
is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we
seek after these things."
CHAPTER IV.
Repentance.
The First Fruit of Faith.--The first fruit of faith is repentance.
Repentance follows faith as naturally as kindness follows love, as
obedience springs from reverence, as a desire to be congenial with,
succeeds admiration for, one whose example is deemed worthy of
emulation. God commands all men everywhere to repent. A desire to
please him and become acceptable in his sight, leads the soul of faith
of repentance.
A Gift from God.--No repentance is possible, however, without the
Spirit of the Lord, which "giveth light to every man that cometh into
the world" (D&C 84:45-47). This is what makes repentance, no less than
faith, a gift from God. When his Spirit ceases to strive with men, they
no longer desire to repent, and are delivered over to the buffetings
of Satan. They deliver themselves over to those buffetings. They make
their choice between the spirit of good and the spirit of evil, both of
which are in the world, influencing the spirit of man, and they receive
their wages from the master whom they list to obey.
The Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost.--A distinction should be drawn
between the Spirit "that enlighteneth every man," and the Holy Ghost,
whose gifts are given to members of the Church of Christ. The former
is an influence, proceeding from the Divine Presence; the latter a
personage, one of the Godhead, concerning whom the Prophet Joseph says:
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones, as tangible as man's; the
Son also; but the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so
the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us" (D&C 130:22).
The Prophet says further upon this subject: "There is a difference
between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius
received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the
convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the gospel, but he
could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, until after he was
baptized. Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the
Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God would have left
him."--("Joseph Smith's Teachings," p. 69.)
Real Repentance.--Repentance is not that superficial sorrow felt by a
criminal when caught in the act of wrong-doing--a sorrow not for sin,
but for sin's detection, for being taken in transgression. Chagrin
is not repentance. Mortification and shame, alone, bring no change
of heart toward right living or right feeling. Repentance involves
remorse; but even remorse is not all there is to repentance. In its
highest meaning and fullest measure, repentance is equivalent to
reformation--a resolve to "sin no more," backed by conduct consistent
with such a determination. "Repentance is a thing that cannot be
trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is
not that which is pleasing in the sight of God" ("Joseph Smith's
Teachings," p. 136). "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his
sins. Behold, he will confess them and forsake them" (D&C 58:43). This
is a real, genuine repentance. All who truly repent can be forgiven.
These, and these alone, are ready for the cleansing process--baptism
for the remission of sins. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness,
and consequently no remission of sins.
Damnation No Part of the Gospel.--Damnation is no part of the gospel.
Damnation or condemnation is simply the sad alternative, the inevitable
consequence of rejecting the means of escape. When men hear the gospel
and refuse to obey it, the come under condemnation. This cannot be
helped. God would save them, but they will not be saved. They are free
agents, and they damn themselves. Says Joseph the prophet: "When God
offers knowledge or a gift to a man, and he refuses to receive it,
he will be damned." Not because God wishes to damn him, but because
damnation is inevitable when one rejects the offer of salvation.
Sin, a Wilful Transgression of Law.--A man sins when he goes contrary
to light and knowledge--that is, contrary to the light and knowledge
that has come to him. One may blunder in ignorance, and suffer painful
consequences; but one does not sin unless one knows better than to do
the thing in which the sin consists.
Carlyle on Repentance.--"Of all acts," says Carlyle, "is not, for a
man, repentance the most divine? The deadliest sin, I say, were that
same supercilious consciousness of no sin;--that is death; the heart so
conscious is divorced from sincerity, humility and fact; is dead: it is
'pure' as dead dry sand is pure."--"Heroes and Hero-Worship," Lecture
II.
Condemnation Measured by Culpability.--They who refuse to repent will
be damned; they damn themselves by that refusal. But damnation is not
necessarily permanent, and like salvation or exaltation, it exists in
degrees. The degree of condemnation is according to the measure of
culpability in those condemned. Even the damned, who repent, can be
saved.
Some Souls Incapable of Repentance.--Some sinners cannot repent. Their
sins are of such a heinous character as to preclude it. The spirit of
repentance cannot lay hold upon them. T heir conduct has so grieved
it, that it is completely withdrawn. Consequently they cannot repent,
and that is what makes their case hopeless. If they could repent, they
could be forgiven; but not being able to repent, the pardoning power
cannot reach them. There would be no unpardonable sin if all sinners
were capable of repentance. Those who cannot repent, who have committed
the sin unpardonable, are called sons of perdition.
A Hint from Shakespeare.--Apropos of the inability to repent,
Shakespeare gives a philosophic hint in his tragedy of "Hamlet."
Claudius, brother to the king of Denmark, has murdered the king
in order to obtain his crown and queen. But remorse gnaws at the
murderer's conscience--not a godly remorse, leading to repentance,
but the terror that guilty souls feel at the prospect of judgment and
retribution. Claudius kneels to pray, but can only pray with his lips,
his heart being far from God. It is therefore no prayer at all. "The
soul's sincere desire" is lacking.
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
So says the murderous monarch, as he rises from his knees. Prior to
his ineffectual attempt to supplicate the Throne of Grace, he thus
soliloquizes:
"My fault is past. But O what form of prayer
Can serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder?'
That cannot be, since I am still possessed
Of those effects for which I did the murder,
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardoned and retain the offense?
* * * * * *
"Try what repentance can: what can it not?
Yet what can it when one can not repent?"
("Hamlet," Act. III, Scene III.)
The unpardonable sin involves utter recreancy to divine light and
power previously possessed. It is the sin against the Holy Ghost; but
one must first receive the Holy Ghost before he is capable of sinning
against it. Such a sin can be committed only by men who have been
equipped with every qualification for celestial glory.
The Sons of Perdition.--"Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who
know my power, and have been made partakers there of, and suffered
themselves, through the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny
the truth and defy my power--
"They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had
been better for them never to have been born,
"For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with
the devil and his angels in eternity;
"Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor
in the world to come,
"Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having
denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father--having crucified him unto
themselves, and put him to an open shame.
"They are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone,
with the devil and his angels,
"And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power;
"Wherefore, he saves all except them." (D.&C. 76:31-37,44.)
The Saved and Glorified.--But the saved are rewarded according to their
works. The glorified differ like the sun, moon, and stars, typifying,
respectively, celestial, terrestrial, and telestial conditions. They
who cannot abide any of these conditions, "are not meet for a kingdom
of glory," and the utterly disobedient, who will to abide in sin, are
fated to "remain filthy still" (D&C 88:22-35).
The Celestial Glory.--The inheritors of celestial exaltation, the
highest degree of glory, are they who render to the Great Giver the
fulness of their obedience, manifesting a willingness to lay all upon
the altar at his bidding. In short, "to do all things whatsoever the
Lord their God shall command them" (Abr. 3:25).
"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his
name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in
the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he
has given,
"That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed
from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of
hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power.
"And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and
true.
"They are they who are the Church of the first born.
"They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things--
"They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his
fulness, and of his glory,
"And are Priests of the Most High, after the order to Melchizedek,
which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the
Only Begotten Son;
"Wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God--
"Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things
present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and
Christ is God's. * * *
"These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and
ever.
"These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the
clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people.
"These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
"These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. *
* *
"These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the
sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of
the firmament is written of as being typical."--(D.&C. 76:51-59, 62-65,
70.)
The Terrestrial Glory.--They who receive not the gospel here, but
receive it hereafter; they who die without law; also "honorable men of
the earth, blinded by the craftiness of men;"--
"These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness;
"These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the
fulness of the Father;
"Wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and
differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.
"These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus;
wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God." (D.&
C. 76:76-79.)
The Telestial World.--Concerning the inhabitants of the telestial
world, it is written:
"These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the
testimony of Jesus.
"These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.
"These are they who are thrust down to hell.
"These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the
last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have
finished his work.
"These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world,
but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial:
"And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels
who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be
ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation. * *
*
"These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers and
whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
"These are they who suffer the wrath of God on the earth.
"These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
"These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of
Almighty God, until the fulness of times when Christ shall have subdued
all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work. * * *
"And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ
dwell they cannot come, worlds without end." (D.&C. 76:82-88, 103-106,
112.)
"And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is
one.
"And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon
is one.
"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars
is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so
differs one from another in glory in the telestial world." (D.&C.
76:96-98; 1 Cor. 15:40,41.)
A Nautical Illustration.--Thirty years ago I was crossing the Atlantic
on an ocean liner. I was a first cabin passenger, and besides myself
there were forty or fifty others in that part of the vessel. The second
cabin had about twice as many passengers, and in the steerage were
several hundred more. I found that the first cabin berths--secured by a
fortunate few--were not only the best furnished, but the most favorably
situated for comfort, convenience, and safety. The food was of the
choicest, every possible courtesy was shown to the passengers, and they
had the full freedom of the ship. They might go down into the second
cabin, or lower down, into the steerage, at will, and return without
hindrance or question. They had paid for these privileges, and were
therefore entitled to them. The captain and other officers were their
associates.
It was different in the second cabin. There the food was not so good,
the berths were not so comfortable, and the privileges were fewer.
The passengers there might descend into the steerage, but were not
permitted upon the upper deck. In the steerage, conditions were even
less favorable. The food was still poorer, and the restrictions yet
more rigid. The occupants of that section were not allowed even in the
second cabin. Having paid only for steerage accommodations, these were
all they could consistently claim.
Viewing the situation, I said to myself, What a striking analogy of
the final destiny of the human race, as set forth in the revelations
of God! All men rewarded according to their works, and saved according
to their merits in the eternal mansions of the Father! And I then and
there resolved anew that I would be a first cabin passenger on the good
ship Zion, over the ocean of life, into the haven of celestial glory.
Men's Desires a Basis of Judgment.--At a date subsequent to February
16, 1832, when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received that wonderful
vision, portraying the celestial, terrestrial and telestial glories,
the heavens were again opened to the Prophet, who thus describes what
he saw:
"I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether
in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the
gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like
unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon
was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that
kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I saw
Fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father and mother, my brother, Alvin,
that has long since slept, and marveled how it was that he had obtained
an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life
before the Lord had set His hand to gather Israel the second time, and
had not been baptized for the remission of sins.
"Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying--
"All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have
received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the
celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without
a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts,
shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I, the Lord, will judge all men
according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
"And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the
years of accountability, are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven."
(History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 380.)
Grades of Celestial Glory.--The Prophet also taught that there are
grades of glory, even in the celestial kingdom; his exact language
being: "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees" (D&C
131:1).
CHAPTER V.
Water and Spirit Birth.
The Initial Ceremony.--As faith is the first principle of the gospel
of Christ, so baptism is the initial ceremony. Baptism is twofold,
corresponding to the soul, its subject, which is both spiritual and
temporal. It signifies for that soul rebirth and illumination.
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God" (John 3:3,5).
So said the King of that kingdom, the only One empowered to prescribe
conditions upon which men might become his subjects, or his fellow
citizens, in that heavenly common-wealth where he shines first and
foremost among the sons of God.
Jesus to Nicodemus.--Jesus, when he uttered those words, was speaking
to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, and, as some suppose,
a member of the Sanhedrim. Favorably inclined toward the unpopular
Nazarene, yet too politic to be seen associating with him openly,
Nicodemus came to him by night, avowing a belief that he was "a teacher
come from God." In response to this confession of faith, Jesus taught
Nicodemus the doctrine embodied in the lines I have quoted.
A Subject of Controversy.--"Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Probably no theme
connected with the gospel of Christ has caused more controversy than
this positive and important declaration, the meaning of which, however
plain to Christians anciently, has been a matter of uncertainty to
their successors all down the centuries. From the days of the early
Greek fathers of the Christian Church, to the days of St. Augustine,
the great theologian of the Western or Roman Catholic division of that
church; from his time to the time of Luther and Calvin, and thence on
into the present age, men have disputed over the significance of those
sacred words, over the mystical birth of water and of spirit, declared
by the world's Redeemer to be the doorway to his Church, the portal of
admittance into his kingdom.
What is Baptism?--Over the general meaning of the phrase, "born of
water and of the Spirit," there may have been no serious contention. In
all or most of the Christian denominations, Catholic and Protestant,
that phrase means baptism, the ordinance whereby a person is initiated
into the Church. But what does baptism mean? That is the problem. The
significance, form, purpose, and effects of the ordinance, and whether
or not it is necessary to salvation--these questions have furnished
the backbone of the controversy. And yet they are questions easily
answered, problems readily solved, if we take the Holy Spirit for our
guide, and wrest not the Scriptures.
The Savior's Example.--The New Testament teaches plainly the necessity
of baptism. The words of Jesus, already quoted, may be reinforced by
the following passages:
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of
him.
"But John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me?
"And Jesus, answering, said unto him: Suffer it to be so now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him."
(Matthew 3:13-15.)
A Universal Requirement.--If it was becoming in the Son of God to be
baptized, it is becoming in all who follow in his footsteps and hope
to be with him hereafter. They must be baptized with the baptism that
he was baptized with--not only the baptism of suffering, through which
"the captain of our salvation" was "made perfect," but the baptism of
water and of spirit, received by him at the River Jordan, nineteen
centuries ago.
King and Subject.--Can you conceive of a kingdom in which the king
is required to obey the laws ordained for its government, while his
subjects are not required to obey them? Far more likely, is it not,
that the king, rather than the subject, would be exempt from such
obedience? But the laws of God's kingdom are just and impartial,
bearing with equal pressure upon all. "The Son doeth nothing but what
he hath seen the Father do;" nor does he require of us what he himself
is not willing to render. "Follow me," is the watchward of his mission,
and it applies to baptism as much as to anything.
To Fulfil All Righteousness.--True, baptism is "for the remission
of sins" (Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38) and Jesus "grew up without sin unto
salvation." Hence, there was no sin in him to remit. Why, then, was he
baptized? John saw this point when Jesus presented himself for baptism:
"I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" While we
cannot impute sin to the sinless, and say that Jesus was baptized, like
an ordinary man, for the remission of his sins, we can and should take
him at his word, that it was becoming in him, and is becoming in us, to
be baptized, in order "to fulfil all righteousness."
Necessity of Baptism Not Obviated by Christ's Baptism.--Some hold that
Jesus was baptized vicariously for original sin, the sin of the world,
resulting from the transgression of Adam. That load of guilt, it is
argued, had to be remitted, and hence the Savior, who had taken the
burden upon him, was baptized that it might be washed away. I cannot
vouch for the correctness of that view; but this I know: The baptism
of Jesus did not obviate the necessity of baptism, any more than his
suffering of the pangs of every man, woman and child (2 Ne.9:21, 22),
did away with human suffering. Men still suffer, notwithstanding that
infinite atonement--necessary, in order that the resurrection might
pass upon all men. And they must still be baptized for the remission
of their own sins, notwithstanding the baptism of "the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Christ plainly
taught, after his own baptism, the necessity of baptism as a universal
requirement, obligatory upon all capable of faith and repentance.
Little Children Exempt.--The only class exempt are infants, or children
young enough to be without sin. Obviously they cannot repent, and are
therefore not fit subjects for baptism. Jesus said: "Suffer the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the
kingdom of heaven." Again: "Except ye humble yourselves and become as
this little child, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven."
This shows not only that little children are sinless, but that they
are types of the innocence and purity required of men and women, who,
because not sinless, must be baptized and have their sins remitted,
before they can enter into that kingdom where no sin, no uncleanness,
can come. For this cause--that men and women must "become as little
children" before entering there--baptism, the doorway, is compared to a
birth, the entry of an infant into life. For this reason also, converts
to Christ in ancient times were referred to as "new-born babes." Peter
so styled them (2:2); and the first principles of the gospel, those
easiest to comprehend, to mentally digest, were termed both by him and
by Paul, "the milk of the word," in contradistinction to "the meat of
the word"--advanced principles and mysteries (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-14;
1 Cor. 3:2). The effect of baptism is to make men childlike, not in
ignorance, nor in physical weakness, but in innocence and humility.
Mormon to Moroni.--Upon this theme Mormon writes thus to his son
Moroni, voicing the word of the Lord:
"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God.
Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick;
wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of
committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me,
that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done
away in me.
"And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto
me; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before
God, that ye should baptize little children.
"Behold, I say unto you, that this thing shall ye teach, repentance and
baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin;
yea, teach parents that they must repent, and be baptized, and humble
themselves as their little children. * * *
"Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness to
deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are alive in him
because of his mercy. * * * The power of redemption cometh on all them
that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is
under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth
nothing." (Moroni 8:8-10, 19, 22.)
Children Become Accountable.--As children advance in years, however,
they become accountable, and then, like adults, they must yield
obedience to the requirements of the gospel. The Lord explained this
matter to Adam in these words:
"Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin
to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter,
that they may know to prize the good.
"And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are
agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and
commandment.
"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must
repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no
unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the
language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only
Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who
shall come in the meridian of time.
"Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely
unto your children, saying:
"That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth
death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water and blood,
and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul,
even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and
of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only
Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words
of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come,
even immortal glory;
"For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are
justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified." (Moses 6:55-60.)
Early Christian Views.--The earliest Christians did not doubt the
necessity of baptism. On the contrary, they strongly insisted upon it,
as indispensable to a saved condition. During the Patristic age--that
of the early fathers, following the apostles--the conviction that
no soul could be saved without baptism was so firm that it led to
pedobaptism--the baptism of infants, and to other innovations upon
the primitive faith. It was seen that infants could not believe in
Christ, nor repent of sins that they had not committed; but it was
held that the church, or those who stood sponsor for the little ones,
could believe for them, and they were baptized for original sin, the
sin of Adam, which they were supposed to have inherited. Peter's words
in promising the Holy Ghost: "For the promise is unto you and to your
children" (Acts 2:39), were construed to sustain infant baptism. It was
even assumed that the Savior authorized it in saying, "Suffer little
children to come unto me," the inference being that they could come
unto him only by baptism.
Pedobaptism.--Holders of these ideas have never explained why infant
baptism did not become prevalent until two or three centuries after
Christ, and why such eminent Christians of the fourth century as
Gregory, of Nazianzum, the son of a bishop; Basil the Great, of
Cappadocia; Chrysostom of Antioch, and Augustine of Numidia--whose
mothers were the most pious of Christians--were not baptized until
they were over thirty years of age. Paul's affirmation that "children
are holy" (1 Cor. 7:14), the Savior's declaration, "Of such is the
kingdom of heaven," and Mormon's words to Moroni, already cited, are
a sufficient answer to the assumption that children under the age of
accountability have need to be baptized. Those who introduced the
practice of baptizing infants for original sin, overlooked the fact
that Christ atoned for original guilt, and that men are accountable for
their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.
Other Innovations.--One innovation led to another, though the next
related to adults. What was to become of martyrs, who had shed their
blood in defense of the church, or for its sake, but had never
confessed Christ nor been baptized? Were they to be damned? Oh, no;
for their benefit another doctrine was introduced; they were held to
have been baptized in their own blood. Finally, out of deference to
the claims of a far more numerous class--worthy men and women, many of
whom had lived and died before the Christian Church was founded, while
others, though living contemporaneously with it, were never reached
by its missionaries--the idea gradually obtained that baptism was not
essential to salvation. All of which might have been obviated, and the
Church spared much ridicule and skepticism--the result of its ramblings
and inconsistencies--had it kept the key to the situation--namely,
baptism for the dead.
Gradual Growth of a Heresy.--The idea that baptism is nonessential did
not become fixed and popular until many centuries after the apostles
fell asleep. Saint Augustine, who figured in the latter part of the
fourth and the first half of the fifth century after Christ, and
who advanced the notion that water baptism was "the outward sign of
an inward grace," the external emblem of internal sanctification,
held, nevertheless, that no soul could be saved without it--not even
infants; though their condemnation, resulting from non-baptism, would
be of the mildest character. Augustine's concept of baptism, with some
modifications, is the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and of the
orthodox Protestant churches, at the present time. Luther held baptism
to be essential to salvation; Calvin and Zwingli did not; and there,
in the sixteenth century, it appears, began the schism of opinion
concerning it that divides Christendom today.
Baptism for the Dead.--That baptism is required from all capable of
exercising faith and manifesting repentance is shown by the fact that
provision is made in the gospel for the baptism of those who pass away
without being baptized for themselves. In the spirit world, where the
gospel is preached and the powers of the priesthood are exercised,
faith and repentance are possible--but baptism is not, it being an
outward ordinance, having to do with a temporal element--water--and
therefore to be administered in a temporal world. Since it is the soul
that is baptized, not the spirit alone, baptism is impracticable in the
world of spirits.
Spirits in Prison.--Peter's testimony concerning Christ's preaching
to "the spirits in prison" during the interval between his death and
resurrection--spirits disobedient in the days of Noah, swept off by the
deluge, and immured in eternal dungeons to await a day of deliverance;
the apostle's figurative use of the ark and flood as symbols of
baptism, that "doth also now save us;" and his further statement that
"for this cause was the gospel also preached to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit," are too well known to need dwelling
upon (1 Pet.3:18-21;4:6).
Vicarious Baptism During and After Paul's Time.--That baptism for
the dead was practiced in the Church of Christ during Paul's time is
evident from his oft-quoted words: "Else what shall they do which are
baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then
baptized for the dead?" (1 Cor. 15:29). That the practice continued
after Paul's time, among some of the Christians of Asia, we learn from
Epiphanius, a writer of the fourth century. It was forbidden by the
Council of Carthage, A. D. 397.
Vicarious work, when authorized of God, is acceptable to him. This
should not startle the Christian mind, when it is remembered that
the whole fabric of Christianity rests upon the vicarious work done
by Jesus Christ for the redemption and salvation of those who were
powerless to redeem and save themselves. Men cannot answer by proxy
for the deeds done in the body, but there have always been ceremonies
in the Church of Christ that one person might perform for another. The
priest who ministers in behalf of the people is a type of the Great
Mediator, "our only access unto God."
If baptism had not been essential to salvation, Christ would not have
told Nicodemus what he did; the apostles would not have been sent to
"baptize all nations;" Peter, Paul, and other servants of God, would
not have commanded Jews and Gentiles to be baptized, nor would they
have emphasized the necessity of baptism in their writings. Moreover,
they would not have troubled themselves about baptism for the dead, had
it not been necessary for man's eternal welfare.
CHAPTER VI.
Purpose and Effects of Baptism.
For the Remission of Sins.--Baptism is the divinely instituted process
by which sins, when truly repented of, are remitted; that is, forgiven
and washed away. All men have sinned; and in order to bring them back
into his pure presence, where nothing sinful can come, it is necessary
that they first be cleansed from sin. Water baptism is the beginning of
the cleansing process.
Means and Accessories.--Water, of itself, cannot, of course, wash away
sin. It was not water that cleansed Naaman of his leprosy. It was his
obedience to the prophet who directed him to go and dip seven times in
the Jordan. Had he dipped but once, or but six times, his leprosy would
still have clung to him. But he did as he was told--dipped seven times,
and his faith, shown by his obedience, worked the cure, bringing down
the power of God for that purpose. The water was the medium through
which the power operated. Likewise, when Christ anointed the eyes of
the blind man, causing him to see, it was faith--the power of God--that
wrought the miracle; but the clay used was an accessory, as consecrated
oil was (James 5:14,15) and is still, in the healing ordinance of the
Church.
Water and Spirit.--Baptism cleanses and illumines the soul, and
the water and the spirit are divinely appointed means by which the
cleansing and the illumination come. And they are indispensable
in the process. The sick may be healed without the use of oil,
without even the laying on of hands; for it is faith that heals, not
instrumentalities employed; but no sinner can be baptized, without the
Water and the Spirit. By baptism we are as effectually freed from sin,
and our moral status changed, as by death, burial and resurrection we
are liberated from mortality and ushered into a new existence. Hence
baptism is termed "the washing of regeneration." Regeneration means new
birth.
Two fold Nature of Baptism.--Baptism, as already explained, is
twofold, corresponding to the soul of man. The body or fleshly part is
represented by the water, and the spirit by the Holy Ghost. The water
and the spirit are both essential in baptism, because, as previously
stated, it is not the body alone, nor the spirit alone, that is
baptized, but the soul, body and spirit in one.
The body, I say, is represented by the water. Science tells us that
most of the human body is water. Hamlet's plaintive wish that his "too,
too, solid flesh would melt--thaw and resolve itself into a dew," was
not so very extravagant, therefore, from a scientific viewpoint.
Spirit baptism illumines the soul, making manifest the things of God.
"Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the great things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:9,10).
Thus Paul explains the office of the Holy Ghost, in one of its most
important functions. The Savior had reference to the same subject when
he promised to his disciples "the Spirit of Truth," to reveal things
past, explain the present, and show things to come. The importance of
this mighty Agent, and the part played by it in baptism, was plainly
pointed out by Jesus, when he said: "Except a man be born again, he can
not see the kingdom of God."
The Atoning Blood of Christ.--But there are three factors, not merely
two, in the process of the soul's regeneration--the spirit, the water,
and the blood. By these three man is born into the world, and by these
three he is "born again" into the kingdom of God. Ordinarily but two
of them are mentioned in connection with baptism, for only two are
actually used in baptism; but without the third, the atoning blood of
Christ, there would be no baptism for salvation. If his blood had not
been shed, there would be no redemption from the fall; the banishment
of Adam and Eve and their posterity would have been perpetual, and the
grave's victory eternal. There would be no baptism, no remission of
sins, no resurrection, but for the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of
God. Hence John the apostle says: "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
The Mediator.--The water and the spirit, representing, respectively,
earth and heaven, are made effectual by the blood. Man and God are thus
reconciled; Christ being the Mediator and Reconciler. There are three
that bear record in heaven--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
There are three that bear witness on earth--the spirit, the water, and
the blood. Each group corresponds to the other; each three agree in
one. Hence, when a soul is baptized, it must be by water and by spirit,
made effectual by blood, and in the name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost.
Three in One.--Spirit, water, and blood-the three elements of
baptism--were combined in the person of Jesus when he was baptized
by John in the Jordan. Standing upon the river's brink, his sacred
form dripping with the waters from which he had just emerged, he was
crowned with the Holy Ghost, descending upon him from above. Yet it was
necessary that his blood should be shed, that the Spirit might come
unto his disciples. Not until the Mediator had hung between heaven and
earth, did the Holy Ghost, as the witness of his consummated sacrifice,
appear upon the scene. Not till then were the apostles endued with
power from on high. Not till then did the Spirit of God move upon the
waters of this world, coming, as in the first instance, that there
might be a creation, a new birth, a regeneration for the human race.
The Fathers Understood.--The Greek fathers of the Christian Church held
correct ideas concerning baptism. This is shown in the terms used by
them to describe it--"initiation," from its introductory character;
"regeneration," from its being regarded as a new birth; "the great
circumcision," because it was held to have superseded the circumcision
of the Mosaic law; "illumination," and "the gift of the Lord," with
reference to the Holy Ghost. Other synonyms for the sacred ceremonial
were "consecration" and "consummation." Those baptized were understood
to have consecrated their lives to God, and to have consummated or
completed their preparation for communion with the Church of Christ.
Only to such as had been baptized was the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper administered.
Early Greek Christians.--The Greek Christians of the early centuries,
like the Saints of New Testament times, baptized for the remission of
sins. They have been censured by modern critics for magnifying the
importance of water baptism, and at the same time insisting on the
purely ethical or spiritual nature of the rite; for confounding the
sign with the thing signified, the action of the water with the action
of the Spirit, in the process of regeneration. But they were not any
more insistent upon these points than the apostles themselves.
Augustine's Theory.--St. Augustine is complimented by the same critics
for formulating the first strict scientific theory of the nature and
effects of baptism. He drew a sharp distinction between what he called
"the outward sign"--water baptism--and the inward change of heart
resulting from the operation of the Holy Ghost. Yet even he is charged
with laying too much stress upon the value of "the outward sign," which
he held to be essential to salvation.
Protestant theologians have been commended for keeping the "sign" in
due subordination to "the thing signified," for justifying themselves
by faith, and ignoring to a great extent outward ordinances.
But the Greek Christians, whatever their defects, were nearer right
than St. Augustine; and the Catholic St. Augustine was nearer right
than the Protestant theologians who followed him. Baptism, as taught in
the New Testament, is not the mere "outward sign of an inward grace."
The action of the water and the action of the Spirit are not to be
separated in any analysis of the nature and effects of baptism. Both
are essential in the soul-cleansing, soul-enlightening, process, modern
critics to the contrary notwithstanding.
CHAPTER VII.
Mode and Meaning of Baptism.
Use of the Figurative.--When Jesus told Nicodemus that a man must be
born again--born of water and of the Spirit--he virtually declared the
meaning of the ordinance and prescribed the mode of its administration.
Our Savior was not a mere rhetorician, ornamenting his speech for the
mere sake of ornament. A true son of the Orient, naturally given to
the use of figurative language, he was not a flourisher of phrases,
a flaunter of vain show. His parables are poems, but they teach the
truth in plainness to the wise; and because he recognized, as all great
teachers do, the power of poetic symbolism to illustrate and impress
the truth, he used it as a medium of instruction. But symbols are
not arbitrarily invented by those who use them. They are already in
existence, awaiting recognition. Poetic genius recognizes and applies
them--that is all. God has built his universe upon symbols. In every
department of creation the lesser symbolizes the greater and leads up
to its comprehension.
Like Suggests Like.--What said the Lord to Moses? "All things have
their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of
me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual;
things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the
earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under
the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me" (Moses
6:63).
Man is a symbol of God, and is destined to become God; Earth is typical
of heaven, and will yet be converted into a heaven. "If two things
exist, and there be one above the other, there shall be greater things
above them" (Abraham 3:16). Plato grasped the idea: "All things are in
a scale, and begin where we will, ascend and ascend, and what we call
results are beginnings."
The Resurrection Foreshadowed.--It was to prepare the way before a
greater and higher principle, that Christ taught and exemplified
the principle of baptism. That greater and higher principle was the
resurrection, a doctrine difficult for even the apostles to comprehend,
and one that he repeatedly impressed upon them, both before and after
he arose from the dead. Hence he compared baptism to a birth--the
entry, and the only one, into mortal life; and this pointed forward to
the resurrection--the entry, and the only one, into immortal glory.
Men should therefore be prepared for something suggestive of a birth,
of a resurrection, in the ordinance prescribed by him as the means of
admittance into his kingdom. That suggestion is fully realized in the
true form of the baptismal ordinance--immersion.
Why the Savior was Baptized.--Baptism was made universal, and became
the doorway to the Church of Christ, the kingdom of God on earth,
because it symbolizes the resurrection, which is also universal, and
without which no man can enter into the heavenly Church and Kingdom.
Here we touch, I think, the real reason, or at least one of the
principal reasons, why Jesus was baptized. He was the Exemplar of
the Resurrection--the first to rise from the grave: and as baptism
represents the resurrection, it was fitting and appropriate that he
should also undergo that sacred ordinance.
Immersion.--"Born of water" means to come out of the water, and coming
out of the water, presupposes going into the water. This is why we are
baptized by immersion, which means sinking, dipping, burying, plunging.
Immersion is the only mode of baptism that symbolizes a birth. Jesus
was baptized by immersion. He must have gone down into the water, for
when he was baptized he "went up straightway out of the water" (Matt.
3:16). When Philip baptized the Eunuch, "they went down both into the
water." John baptized "in Anon, near to Salim, because there was much
water there," a proof presumptive of baptism by immersion, that being
the only mode requiring "much water" for its performance.
Paul's Concept.--Paul compared baptism to burial and resurrection:
"Buried with him [Christ] in baptism," wrote he to the Colossians
(2:12), "wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Again--this time
to the Romans: "Know ye not that so many of us as are baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection"
(Rom. 6:3-5).
Note also Paul's words to the Corinthians, already quoted: "Else what
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" In other words, why use
the symbol of the resurrection, if there be no resurrection--if the
symbol does not symbolize?
Paul discovered, by symbolical reasoning, or had it revealed to him
more directly, that the children of Israel, "our fathers," were all
baptized in passing through the Red Sea, on their way to Canaan (1 Cor.
1:2): an idea which suggests that the Brother of Jared and his colony
may have been baptized in like manner, for they underwent a similar
experience in passing through ocean deeps on the way to their promised
land (Ether 6:6).
The New Testament Mode.--That immersion was the mode instituted by John
the Baptist and perpetuated by the apostles, is a plain and reasonable
inference from the teachings of the New Testament. But, in addition,
we have the statements of philologists, archeologists, and historians,
who declare that baptism, in the early ages of Christianity, was a
dipping or submersion in water. The English word "baptize" comes from
a Greek word meaning to immerse. Monumental remains in Asia, Africa,
and Europe show that immersion was the act of baptism. The many ancient
baptisteries now remaining on those continents were built and used for
the purpose of immersion.
The Mode Changed.--The Christian churches of the Orient--Greek,
Russian, Armenian, Nestorian, Coptic, and others, have always practiced
immersion, and allow nothing else for baptism. The western churches
preserved this form of the ordinance for thirteen centuries, and then
gradually introduced pouring or sprinkling.
Clinic Baptism.--Baptisms of this kind were exceptional in the early
ages of the Christian Church. They were called clinic baptisms, because
administered, as a rule, to the sick, who could not be taken from their
beds to be immersed: but they were rare, and were regarded only as
quasi baptisms. The first recorded case of clinic baptism is mentioned
by Eusebius as having occurred in the third century.
Immersion Made Optional.--Baptism by immersion was practiced regularly
in the Roman Catholic church, until the year 1311, when the Council of
Ravenna authorized a change, leaving it optional with the officiating
minister to baptize either by immersion or by sprinkling. Even infants
were baptized by immersion, until about the end of the thirteenth
century, when sprinkling came into common use.
Luther and Calvin Disagree.--Luther sided with the immersionists, and
sought, against the tendency of the times, to restore immersion; but
Calvin held that the mode of baptism was of no consequence. Even he
admitted, however, that the word "baptism" signifies immersion; and he
said: "It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient
Church."
Methods in Various Churches.--Pouring is the present practice in the
Roman Catholic church; sprinkling in the Church of England, and in the
Methodist church. A choice of modes is permitted by the Presbyterians,
though sprinkling is the regular form. The Baptists, as their name
implies, are strong advocates of immersion. The Quakers repudiate
baptism altogether.
It was the custom in early ages to immerse the candidate three
times--once for each name in the Godhead; but heretics took advantage
of this practice to argue against the unity of the Trinity, and the
three-fold immersion was abolished.
Authorized Practice.--The practice of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in baptism is indicated by the following passages
from the Book of Mormon:
"Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your
words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye
baptize them: behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in
my name ye shall baptize them.
"And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them
by name, saying,
"Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
"And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out
of the water.
"And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name, for behold, verily
I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are
one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I
are one.
"And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And
there shall be no disputations among you, as there hath hitherto been;
neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of
my doctrine, as there hath hitherto been;
"For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of
contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of
contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger,
one with another." (III Nephi 11:23-29.)
Modern Revelation.--The Latter-day Saints derive their knowledge
of baptism not mainly from the Bible, nor from the Book of Mormon,
nor from any other ancient record of God's dealings with man. That
knowledge came directly to Joseph Smith. Through him was restored
that which was lost. He brushed aside the cobwebs and dust concealing
the precious jewel of Truth, and by new revelation brought back the
knowledge of the "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" of the ancients.
It was the fifteenth of May, 1829. Joseph Smith, with his scribe,
Oliver Cowdery, at the little town of Harmony, Susquehanna county,
Pennsylvania, was translating the plates of the Book of Mormon. Coming
upon a passage referring to baptism for the remission of sins--a
doctrine well-nigh obsolete in Christendom--they inquired of the Lord
concerning it, retiring into a grove for that purpose. While they were
praying, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and
laying his hands upon their heads, spoke these words:
"Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels,
and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the
remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth,
until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in
righteousness" (D&C 13).
Restoration of the Priesthood.--The heavenly messenger told the two
young men that he was John the Baptist, and that he acted under the
direction of the Apostles Peter, James and John, who held the keys
of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which should in due time be conferred
upon them. The Aaronic Priesthood gave them authority to baptize with
water, but the Melchizedek Priesthood, which was greater, would give
them authority to baptize with the Holy Ghost. Agreeable to the angel's
direction, Joseph and Oliver immersed each other in water, for the
remission of their sins. Subsequently they received, under the hands
of Peter, James and John, the higher priesthood, and were themselves
ordained apostles and baptized with the Holy Ghost. They in turn
baptized others, and this was the beginning of divinely-authorized
baptismal work in this dispensation.
The Church Law.--The standing law to the Church upon this subject is as
follows:
"Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes
which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of
repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism
and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when
eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents;
"For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her
stakes which are organized;
"And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins
when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands." (D.&
C.68:25-27.)
The Laying On of Hands.--The laying on of hands is the
divinely-authorized method of administering spirit baptism, in
other words, imparting the Holy Ghost. It is plainly taught in the
Scriptures. For instance:
"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostle's hands the
Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
"Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he
may receive the Holy Ghost." (Acts 8:17-19.)
The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost was an ordinance
in the Christian church for centuries. The ordinance remained with the
church much longer than did the Holy Ghost. Cyprian mentions it in the
third century; Augustine in the fourth. Gradually, however, it began
to be neglected, until finally some of the sects repudiated it, while
others, retaining the "form of godliness," denied "the power thereof."
So much stress having been laid upon immersion, as the proper mode of
baptism, one might be led to inquire, Why are we not immersed in the
Spirit, as well as in the water? I answer: How know you that we are
not? To which the reply may be: We see the water, and are put under it
by the priest: but when we are confirmed or baptized with the Spirit,
the elders lay their hands upon our heads and say, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost." There is no immersion about that; we are not dipped or plunged:
the Spirit is poured upon us.
Be not too sure that there is no immersion about it. The fact that you
do not see it is no conclusive argument against the proposition. We see
the water because it is a temporal element: but spiritual things are
discerned by the Spirit. As to the pouring process--may not enough of
an element be poured upon a person to bury him therein? Or must that in
which a person is buried necessarily come from beneath? It was not so
in the days of Noah, when it rained forty days and forty nights that
the earth might be buried in water. As much water came from above as
from beneath at that time.
John the Baptist, when proclaiming the Christ, said: "There cometh One
mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy
to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water; but
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mark 1:7,8). More than one
baptism is here mentioned, but it is baptism in each case; and baptism
signifies immersion. The candidate for baptism cannot well be dipped
or plunged in the Spirit, since the Spirit is above, while the water
is beneath; but he may be covered by or "clothed upon" with the Holy
Ghost, nevertheless. The essential point in baptism is not the dipping
or plunging, but the burying and bringing forth.
Baptism, a Symbol of Creation.--Baptism symbolizes creation. Earth,
created for Adam and his seed, was baptized--"born again"--for Noah
and his posterity. Baptized with water in that day, it will yet be
baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. The laying on of hands and
the descent of the Spirit from above, may possibly typify the glorious
baptism that earth will yet undergo, when the Spirit is poured out
upon her from on high, and she is covered therewith as completely as
with water in the days of Noah. "I will pour out my Spirit upon all
flesh," said the Lord by the Prophet Joel (2:28). When that prophecy is
fulfilled, earth will receive her spirit baptism, and in due time be
ready for her baptism of fire.
Fire and the Holy Ghost.--God "dwells in eternal fire" ("Joseph Smith's
Teachings," p. 82), where no mortal could approach him unconsumed.
But mortals may receive the Holy Ghost with safety. Again: the
inhabitants of the telestial world receive the Holy Spirit through the
ministrations of the terrestrial; "but where God and Christ dwell they
cannot come, worlds without end." By her fiery baptism, earth will be
consumed; her mortal elements will melt with fervent heat, and the
purified remains, immortal and in a state of resurrection, will be
converted into a celestial sphere, a glorified abode for the righteous.
Baptism Symbolizes Birth.--Every resurrection is a birth, and every
birth implies a previous burial. No seed germinates till it dies, or
appears to die, and is buried. The farmer plants that there may be a
springing forth of new life from the germ of the old. Every seed sown
in the likeness of Christ's death shall be in the likeness of his
resurrection; that is, if it be a good seed, properly buried in good
ground.
Every birth, I say, implies a previous burial. This is true of time in
its relations to eternity. Coming into this life involves departure
out of a previous life, and burial in this life implies birth into
the next. The sun, setting upon the western hemisphere, rises upon
the eastern; and sets upon the eastern to rise upon the western. The
setting and rising of the sun; sleep followed by waking; winter with
its icy fetters and shroud of snow, succeeded by spring in garments of
green, with its bright flowers, singing birds, and laughing streams;
all these suggest burial, and resurrection--and consequently baptism.
Born of God.--To be "born of God" literally means to come forth from
God. "Born of woman" has a like significance. We have a Father and a
Mother in heaven, in whose image man was created, male and female. We
came forth from them--were begotten and born of them in the spirit,
as much so as we were afterwards begotten and born in the flesh; and
we must be begotten and born again, in the similitude of those other
begettings and births, or we cannot regain the presence of our eternal
Father and Mother.
"Children of My Begetting."--Baptism signifies the creation of souls
for the kingdom of God. The priest who immerses, or the elder who
confirms, is the spiritual progenitor of the person baptized. "Children
of my begetting," Paul terms those receiving the gospel through his
instrumentality. To baptize is to perform, in a spiritual way, the
functions of fatherhood. Motherhood is the sacred symbol of the
baptismal font. Hence, baptism must be by divine authority--must have
the sanction of heaven upon it. There must first be a marriage, a union
between heavenly powers and earthly agents; otherwise the baptism will
be unlawful, the birth illegitimate, the act of begetting a crime!
Baptisms, like marriages, performed without divine authority, will have
no effect when men are dead.
Suggestive Symbolism.--The significance of baptism is suggested by the
very career of that Divine Being whose descent from heaven to earth,
and whose ascent from earth into heaven, is the sum and substance of
the Gospel story. His experience from the time he left his celestial
throne, to the time he returned thither, was it not a descending below,
and a rising above, all things? Did he not lay down his life and take
it up again, as the Father had done before him? Is it not just possible
that baptism was instituted to symbolize this mighty birth, this mortal
burial, with its immortal resurrection?
When the Gods sat in council to consider the creation and redemption
of this planet, what was their great thought and the theme of their
deliberations? Was it not a going down and a coming back--not only
on their part, for creative and redemptive purposes, but also on the
part of their offspring, for purposes of experience and progression?
What wonder, then, if in the gospel plan, whereby the spirits of men
and women might accomplish this foreordained descent into, and ascent
out of, the world, there should be an ordinance symbolical of the vast
vicissitude?
Moreover, in the symbolism of the scriptures this world is represented
by water. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,
and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the
face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters." Here, at the very dawn of creation, are the two principles
or elements--spirit and water--with which baptisms are performed--one
creative, the other creatable; one representing heaven, the other,
earth. Note the reference in Daniel (7) to beasts, representing earthly
governments, coming up from the sea. Note the Savior's parable,
likening the kingdom of heaven to a net cast into the sea; the sea
symbolizing the world, the fishes, the souls drawn out of the world.
Note also Revelation (13) where a beast representing anti-Christ,
rises out of the sea: and (17) where a woman, the Mother of Harlots,
representing a great city reigning over the kings of the earth, is
described as "sitting upon many waters"--the waters signifying "peoples
and multitudes and nations and tongues."
Much of the body of this world--the physical frame of a spiritual
creation--is water, even parts of it that seem solid. Science so
affirms, and who can gainsay it? Walt Whitman, that eccentric poetic
genius, speaks of "the slumbering and liquid trees." Thales, the
founder of Greek philosophy, started out with the proposition: "All
things are water." He ascribed to water the powers of creation,
supposing that he had found in it the primal element, or great first
cause. He omitted the real creative principle--the Spirit of God,
which in the beginning "moved upon the face of the waters," or as
Milton says, "dove-like sat brooding on the vast abyss." Thales being a
physicist, took no account of the spiritual. Geology asserts that the
earth was once submerged in water. The scriptures also declare it, and
without reference to the deluge. "Let the dry land appear!"--the very
words suggest baptism, birth, creation--the emergence of a primitive
planet from the womb of the waters. Water, symbolically if not
literally, represents the temporal part of creation, including the body
or mortal part of man.
Is not baptism, therefore, in its two-fold character and significance,
suggestive of the soul's passing out from this watery world, into the
spirit world, and thence, by resurrection, into eternal glory? It is
only a suggestion, but it seems to emphasize, for me, the reason why
the doorway to the Church and Kingdom of God is a double doorway, a
dual birth, a baptism of Water and of the Spirit?
Priesthood and Church Government.
CHAPTER I.
Divine Authority.
"Priest" Defined.--The English word "Priest" is generally derived from
the New Testament term "presbyter" (Elder), which means "to preside."
Aristotle's definition of "Priest" is, "presiding over things relating
to the gods." Similar to this is Paul's understanding of the term,
as expressed in Heb. 5:1: "Every high priest taken from among men
is constituted on the behalf of men, with respect to their concerns
with God, that he may present both gifts and sacrifices for sins." In
Arabic, the word denotes to prophesy, to foretell, as a soothsayer,
also to act as a mediator or middle person in any business. In the
earliest families of the race of Shem, the offices of priest and
prophet were united, so that the word originally meant both. The Hebrew
idiom kept one part of the idea, and the Arabic another. The primary
meaning of the Hebrew word is regarded to be the rendering of honorable
and dignified service, like that of ministers of state to their
sovereign.
Meaning of "Priesthood."--"Priesthood" is the office or character of
a priest. The term also denotes the execution of that office, and
signifies a class of priests, or the order of men set apart for sacred
offices--priests collectively.
So much for human wisdom, and what it has gleaned upon this subject
from the literary fields of the past.
To the Latter-day Saints, who owe most of their knowledge concerning it
to modern revelation, "Priesthood" means divine authority, conferred
upon men chosen of God to officiate in his name and in his stead. It
also signifies the men bearing that authority, the possession of which
constitutes them legal representatives of the Almighty. "No man taketh
this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."
(Hebrews 5:4.)
Necessity for a Priesthood.--The necessity for a priesthood is as
obvious as the necessity for a gospel. The laws of God, like the laws
of man, require officers and a government to administer them. God
cannot be everywhere in person. He is omnipresent by his Spirit, his
power, his authority, and his influence. But in person, being in the
form of man, he is subject to certain limitations, imposed by eternal
law and the very nature of things. There are some things that even
the Omnipotent cannot do. I speak it with all reverence, and for a
good purpose--the teaching of the truth in plainness. For instance,
he cannot make something out of nothing, though many pious people
ascribe to him that power--the power to perform the impossible and
absurd. He cannot be in two or more places, at precisely one and the
same time--not in person. Therefore, to carry on his work throughout
the universe, he must have agents to represent him, and this is the
fundamental fact underlying the necessity for a Priesthood and a Church
organization.
President Smith's Definition.--When we speak of Priesthood we mean
God's authority, and the men holding that authority, to administer the
laws and ordinances of the gospel. Let me cite here some remarks made
by President Joseph F. Smith, at a general conference of the Church.
Said he:
"What is Priesthood? It is nothing more nor less than the power of God
delegated to man, by which man can act in the earth for the salvation
of the human family, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Ghost; and act legitimately in assuming that authority--an authority
that has been given in this day in which we live, by ministering angels
and spirits from above, direct from the presence of Almighty God, who
have come to the earth and administered the priesthood to the children
of men. * * * It is the same power and priesthood that was committed
to the disciples of Christ while he was upon the earth; that whatever
should be bound on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatever should
be loosed on earth should be loosed in heaven."
The Principle of Representation.--Inherent in the Priesthood is the
principle of representation. Priesthood, as President Smith affirms,
is the delegated authority of God, and so plenary and far-reaching are
its powers, that when those holding that authority are in the line of
their duty, and have the spirit of their calling, their official acts
and utterances are as valid as if God himself were personally present,
doing and saying what his servants do and say for him.
A Soul-Searching Admonition.--A tremendous power for frail mortal man
to wield! Yes; and to guard against its abuse, the exercise of this
divine prerogative by weak human beings is hedged about with certain
conditions and limitations, as indicated by the following inspired
admonition from the lips of Joseph the Seer:
"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they
not chosen?
"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world,
and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one
lesson--
"That the rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the
powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor
handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
"That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake
to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to
exercise control, or dominion, or compulsion, upon the souls of the
children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens
withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the Priesthood, or the authority of that man.
"Behold! ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the
pricks; to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
"We have learned, by sad experience, that it is the nature and
disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority,
as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous
dominion.
"Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the
Priesthood, only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness, and
meekness, and by love unfeigned;
"By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul
without hypocrisy, and without guile.
"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost,
and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom
thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of
death;
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the
household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly,
then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the
doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from
heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy sceptre an
unchanging sceptre of righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall
be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow
unto thee for ever and ever."--(D. and C. 121:34-46.)
An Echo from Eternity.--Can anyone, enlightened by the Holy Spirit,
doubt the heavenly origin of such wise and sublime instructions? Are
they not virtually an echo from the heights of eternity, where the Gods
sat in council before the foundation of the world, and decreed freedom,
not tyranny; persuasion, not compulsion; charity, not intolerance, to
be the platform upon which the servants of God should stand?
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to
destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and
also that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine
Only Begotten I caused that he should be cast down." (Moses 4:3.)
A Gold and Silver Shield.--But there is another side to the question.
It is a gold and silver shield that we are contemplating. If those
bearing the priesthood are careful to confine themselves to the lawful
and legitimate exercise of the sacred powers conferred upon them,
acting as men of God should act, and doing no other things than those
commanded by divine revelation or inspired by the Holy Spirit; what
then? In that event the responsibility shifts to other shoulders, and
just how weighty the responsibility is, the Savior himself tells in the
following prophetic parable:
How God Will Judge the World.--"When the Son of Man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory:
"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the
left.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world:
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave
me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto me.
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed
thee?
"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye
gave me no drink:
"I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
"Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison,
and did not minister unto thee?
"Then shall he answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous
into life eternal." (Matthew 25:31-46.)
This, then, is one of the moral standards by which men and nations
will be judged: How have you treated my servants whom I sent unto you?
Happy the man or the nation who can truthfully reply to the Just and
Righteous One in that day: Lord, I rendered unto thy servants the same
respect and obedience that I would have shown unto thee, hadst thou
been present in person.
Warning and Exhortation.--The Savior's solemn warning to the world may
well be supplemented by his servant Joseph's impressive exhortation
to the Priesthood and the Church in general. He was addressing the
apostles and some of the seventies, prior to their mission to Europe,
in the summer of 1839:
"O ye Twelve! and all Saints! profit by this important key--that in all
your trials, troubles, temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonments
and death, see to it, that you do not betray Heaven; that you do not
betray Jesus Christ; that you do not betray the brethren; that you
do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the Bible, Book of
Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or any other that ever was or ever
will be given and revealed unto man in this world or that which is
to come. Yea, in all your kicking and flounderings, see to it that
you do not this thing, lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts,
and you go down to hell. All other sins are not to be compared to
sinning against the Holy Ghost, and proving a traitor to the brethren."
("History of the Church," Vol. III, p. 385.)
Such warnings give added weight to an ancient admonition that comes
sounding through the centuries: "Touch not mine anointed; do my
prophets no harm."
Agents of the Almighty.--What it means to bear the Priesthood and to
officiate therein, is made clear to the comprehension by considering
men clothed upon with divine authority as agents of God, sent forth to
transact business in his name and in his interest. What kind of men
ought they to be, and what is required of them by Him who sent them
forth? Such a question can have but one consistent answer: They should
be men who will represent him truly and faithfully. They should reflect
his intelligence, his goodness, his benevolence, and as diligent,
upright agents of the One who commissioned and empowered them to carry
on his work, follow closely the instructions that he has given, doing
conscientiously and thoroughly what they sincerely believe he would do
were he present in his own proper person. Such men should live so near
to the Lord, that when the letter--the revealed word--falls short, the
Spirit that inspired it, resting upon them as a continual benediction,
can readily give "line upon line" of revelation, flash upon flash of
inspiration, to illumine and make plain the path they are to tread.
This is what it means to be an agent of the Almighty, a representative
of God.
"And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost,
shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind
of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the
Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." (D. and C. 68:4.)
CHAPTER II.
Divine Authority, Continued.
A Twofold Power.--In an article on Priesthood, prepared by the Prophet
Joseph Smith, and read at a conference of the Church in Nauvoo,
Illinois, October, 1840, the following sentences occur:
"There are two Priesthoods spoken of in the scripture, viz., the
Melchizedek and the Aaronic or Levitical. Although there are two
Priesthoods, yet the Melchizedek Priesthood comprehends the Aaronic
or Levitical Priesthood, and is the grand head, and holds the highest
authority which pertains to the Priesthood, and the keys of the
kingdom of God, in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on
the earth, and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine,
the plan of salvation, and every important matter is revealed from
heaven."--("History of the Church," Vol. IV, p. 207.)
Spiritual and Temporal.--Why there are two priesthoods, or, more
properly speaking, two grand divisions of the Priesthood, is because
the Church of Christ has to do with temporal as well as with spiritual
things. All things, however, are spiritual unto God. The laws and
commandments that emanate from him are of that character. He gives no
temporal commandment. All his laws are spiritual. As eternity includes
time, so the spiritual includes the temporal.
A Divided Jurisdiction.--The Melchizedek Priesthood has general
authority and jurisdiction over all things, spiritual and temporal:
while the Aaronic or lesser Priesthood, which is an appendage to the
higher power, has a limited jurisdiction, its special calling being to
administer in temporal things.
"The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has
power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of
the world, to administer in spiritual things.
"The second priesthood is called the priesthood of Aaron, because it
was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations.
"Why it is called the lesser priesthood, is because it is an appendage
to the greater or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in
administering outward ordinances.
"The power and authority of the Higher or Melchizedek Priest hood, is
to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church. * * *
"The power and authority of the Lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is
to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer
in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel--the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and
commandments."--(D. and C. 107:8, 13, 14, 18-20.)
The Government of God.--The Government of God, with its two great
wings of authority, corresponds to the duality of the soul: and the
saving of souls, here and hereafter, is the grand purpose for which
this government, the Church of Christ, was organized. The necessity
for a church,--which some people question, just as some question the
necessity for a civil government, or a government of any sort,--ought
to be apparent at a glance. It is as plain as that twice two make four.
Two men, united, are more capable than one man, the powers possessed
by them being equal. Individuals, working separately, however good
their intentions, can never accomplish as much as a community of men
and women, imbued with a common purpose, and pushing forward the
same enterprise. The difference between a single shot and a whole
volley, between one rifleman and a regiment, may serve as a sufficient
illustration.
The Priesthood and the Soul.--As the spirit and the body constitute
the soul, so the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthoods constitute the
government of the Church. As through the medium of the mortal body,
with its various members and organs, the tangible things of this life
are grasped and utilized, while things pertaining to a higher state of
existence are perceived, comprehended, and made practical, by means
of the spiritual faculties; so, by this twain of powers, differing in
their prerogatives, yet allied, interwoven, and harmonious in their
mutual workings, is carried on, in this world and in all worlds,
the great cause of truth and righteousness, for the salvation and
never-ending progress of God's children.
Furthermore, to continue the analogy, it is the spirit, or higher part
of man, that controls, directs, and supplies the motive power for the
body, being the vital mainspring of that wondrous piece of machinery,
whose functions are forwarded by the animation resulting from union and
normal operation. Even so is it the Melchizedek Priesthood, holding the
right of presidency, which controls, influences, and directs the entire
body of the Church, delegating, however, a portion of its authority
to the Lesser Priesthood, that it likewise may possess and wield its
legitimate powers, and execute fully the purposes for which it was
designed.
The Channel of Revelation.--Speaking of the eternity of the Priesthood,
the Prophet Joseph says:
"Its institution was prior to the foundation of this earth, or the
morning stars sang together, or the Sons of God shouted for joy,' and
is the highest and holiest Priesthood, and is after the order of the
Son of God, and all other priesthoods are only parts, ramifications,
powers and blessings belonging to the same, and are held, controlled,
and directed by it. It is the channel through which the Almighty
commenced revealing his glory at the beginning of the creation of this
earth, and through which he has continued to reveal himself to the
children of men to the present time, and through which he will make
known his purposes to the end of time."--("History of the Church," Vol.
IV, p. 207.)
Adam's Position.--In another place, the Prophet thus continues:
"The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First
Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He
obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed [that is,
in the spiritual creation, before the temporal world was formed]. He
had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the
Archangel, spoken of in the scriptures."--("History of the Church,"
Vol. III, pp. 385, 386.)
Noah Next to Adam.--"Then to Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in
authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this
office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was
given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in
heaven."--(Ibid, p. 386.)
An Everlasting Principle.--"The Priesthood is an everlasting principle,
and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without
beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from
heaven whenever the gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven,
it is by Adam's authority.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Succession and Descent.--"The Savior, Moses, and Elias gave the keys to
Peter, James and John, on the mount, when they were transfigured before
Him. * * * How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It came
down, down, in regular succession. Peter, James and John had it given
to them, and they gave it to others. Christ is the Great High Priest:
Adam next."--(Ibid, 386-388.)
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.--Peter, James and John--not as mortal
men, but as ministering angels, sent from heaven for the purpose--gave
the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery; and
prior to the coming of that Priesthood, they received the Aaronic
Priesthood from John the Baptist, also acting as an angel. The exact
date of the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood is not given in
the Church records, but the event must have taken place between May 15,
1829, when the Aaronic Priesthood was conferred upon Joseph and Oliver,
and April 6, 1830, the date of the Church's organization, when they
were sustained, respectively, as the First and Second Elders thereof.
Spirits Foreordained.--In view of the fact that these ordinations were
subsequent to the Prophet's vision, in the spring of 1820, when the
Father and the Son appeared to him, some have found it difficult to
interpret the divine declaration, that no man without the Melchizedek
Priesthood "can see the face of God, even the Father, and live." (D&C
84:19-22.) But the problem is easy of solution, in the light of the
Prophet's teachings. Did he not give the key to it when he said that
certain men, called to minister to the inhabitants of this world, were
ordained to that very purpose before the world was? (Compendium, p.
285.) I have already cited the examples of Abraham and Jeremiah, who
were "chosen" and "ordained" before they were born. That Joseph Smith
was likewise preordained, seems to me a necessary inference, in view of
the facts presented. For if no man without the Melchizedek Priesthood
can see the face of God the Father and live, and Joseph Smith, nine
years before he received either of the Priesthoods from those heavenly
messengers, looked upon the faces of both the Father and the Son and
survived, it indicates, in accordance with his own statement and the
examples given, that certain spirits are ordained to certain callings
before they tabernacle in the flesh, and that he himself held the
Melchizedek Priesthood when he saw the face of God at the opening of
the last gospel dispensation.
An ordination in the flesh, after an ordination in the spirit, seems
perfectly consistent; for the body was not present when the spirit was
ordained, and it is the soul, spirit and body, that God is dealing
with and acting through, in this stage of existence. That supplemental
ordinations are sometimes in order, is evident from the fact that
Joseph and Oliver ordained each other, after they had been ordained by
the angel, or angels; and that, too, by divine commandment.--("Pearl of
Great Price,"--"Writings of Joseph Smith," 2:71.)
Natural and Spiritual Eyes.--There is another interpretation, which
holds that the necessity for the Melchizedek Priesthood, in the case of
those who look upon the countenance of Deity, applies only to such as
behold him with the natural eye, and that it has no reference to those
who see God by means of the spiritual vision. Joseph's experience, when
he beheld the Father and the Son, was probably a parallel to that of
Moses, when he saw God face to face, and testified as follows:
"Mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual
eyes; for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have
withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me, and I
beheld his face; for I was transfigured before him."--(Moses 1:11.)
That this was the way in which Joseph saw God, is virtually affirmed in
the following passage:
"We, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit, * * *
by the power of the Spirit our eyes were opened, and our understandings
were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God * * *
whom we saw and with whom we conversed in the heavenly vision."--(D.
and C. 76:11, 12, 14.)
In other words, Joseph and Sidney saw God (Jesus Christ) with their
spiritual eyes (the eyes of their spirits), reinforced by the
all-revealing Spirit of God.
Qualifications for the Priesthood.--The qualifications required in
those whom the Lord ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood are thus
outlined in the Book of Mormon:
"My brethren," [it is the Prophet Alma who is speaking]. "I would that
ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy
order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto
the people.
"And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a
manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look
forward to his Son for redemption.
"And this is the manner after which they were ordained: being called
and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the
foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good
works: in the first place being left to choose good or evil: therefore
they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are
called with a holy calling, * * * while others would reject the Spirit
of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of
their minds, while, if it had not been for this, they might had as
great privilege as their brethren.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Now they were ordained after this manner: Being called with a holy
calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the
High Priesthood of the holy order, which calling and ordinance and High
Priesthood is without beginning or end:
"Thus they become High Priests for ever, after the order of the Son,
the Only Begotten of the Father. * * * *
"Now as I said concerning the holy order of this High Priesthood:
there were many who were ordained and became High Priests of God: and
it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their
righteousness before God."--(Alma 13:1-10.)
CHAPTER III.
The Church Organization.
An Incomparable System.--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is conceded to be an almost perfect system, even by men
outside its pale. Such a one has said of it: "It is the most perfect
organization in existence, except the German army." The eulogy involves
an anticlimax--as if one were to affirm: The sun is the brightest
luminary in the heavens--except the moon. The German army represents,
perhaps, the quintessence of human military wisdom: but like the moon,
it borrows its brilliance. The case is different with the Church
of God. Like the sun, it shines with original light, with divine
intelligence, of which it is the product. Between it and any creation
of man's, no comparison is possible.
A Counterpart of the Church in Heaven.--The Church of Christ on earth
is a counterpart, so far as conditions will permit, of the Church of
Christ in heaven. How it came hither was indicated by Joseph the Seer
while giving direction for the organization of the various councils
and quorums of the Priesthood. Thus: "And it is according to the
vision, showing the order of the seventy, that they should have seven
presidents to preside over them."--(D. and C. 107:93.) Mark the words,
"It is according to the vision." Evidently the Prophet organized the
Priesthood after some model that he had seen in vision: and what more
probable than that this model was the Church of the First Born, as
it exists in all its perfection in the celestial worlds? While the
Church on earth is not yet as perfect as it will one day be, it is
approximating toward that perfection, and is destined to attain it. It
is doubtful that the Church, in any former dispensation, had so perfect
an organization as it possesses at the present time. This admirable and
wonderful scheme of spiritual-temporal government was revealed from
above and established here below, that the will of God might be done on
earth even as it is done in heaven.
The Original Offices.--The original offices of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints were elder, priest, teacher, and deacon;
all, except elder, callings in the Aaronic Priesthood. Other offices,
pertaining to the Priesthood of Melchizedek, were evolved as fast as
they became necessary. For instance, the first bishops were ordained
in 1831, nearly a year after the Church was organized. There was no
First Presidency until 1832, and no stake organization until 1834.
The twelve apostles were not chosen until 1835, nor the first quorums
of seventy. But all these offices and callings were inherent in the
Priesthood, conferred upon Joseph Smith before the Church had any
organization at all. They who find fault with the Church,--as some who
have left it do,--on the ground that the Lord organized it with elders,
priests, teachers and deacons, and that men have added such titles and
dignities as high priest, president, patriarch, etc., would be no more
inconsistent were they to criticize a human being for not remaining
a child, for growing up to manhood or womanhood and fulfiling their
measure of creation.
First Lesser, then Greater.--As already shown, the first priesthood
that came to earth in this dispensation was the Aaronic Priesthood,
conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, May 15, 1829. According
to the critical wiseacre, that should have ended the matter: there
should have been no further ordination, no organization of the Church,
no further development in the work of the Lord. But there was to be,
nevertheless. As in the case of John the Baptist, who ordained Joseph
and Oliver, it is the mission of the Lesser Priesthood to go before
the Greater, preparing the way. In due time came the Melchizedek
Priesthood, conferred by Peter, James and John, and under this dual
authorization the Church was organized, on the sixth of April, 1830. It
has had a marvelous history, and a wonderful growth. Never so strong,
or so well equipped, as now, its future is rife with glorious promise.
Epitome of Church Government.--The Aaronic Priesthood administers in
all outward ordinances, such as baptism, the sacrament of the Lord's
supper, etc. The higher ordinances, such as confirmations, sealings,
adoptions, and other ceremonies of the Temple, must be administered by
the Priesthood of Melchizedek.
The offices of the Aaronic Priesthood, graded upward, are deacon,
teacher and priest, and the presidency of that priesthood is the
bishopric. The bishop has charge of the Church property, and he
receives and disburses the tithes, fast offerings, and other revenues,
under the direction of the higher authorities. There is a presiding
bishopric, who have general charge of the funds provided for the
support of the poor, for the building of temples, and for other
purposes. They also have in custody the general financial records of
the Church. A bishop must either be a lineal descendant of Aaron, in
which event he can act without counselors, or he must be a high priest
after the order of Melchizedek, having as his counselors two other
high priests of that order. Under the jurisdiction of the presiding
bishopric, in temporal matters, are the bishoprics of the wards. The
ward is a division of the stake, as the stake is a division of the
Church.
A stake, in territorial extent, often corresponds to a county, though
in populous districts there may be several stakes in one county. There
are four stakes in Salt Lake City. Each stake has a presidency of three
and a high council of twelve, and these have jurisdiction over all
members and organizations in the stake, including the ward bishoprics.
The ward bishopric constitutes a court for the trial of members who
transgress the Church laws and regulations. From the decision of the
bishop's court either party in the case may appeal to the high council;
and from a decision of the high council an appeal may be taken to the
First Presidency, who review the evidence, and if any injustice has
been done, they remand the case for a new trial. If a President of the
Church were tried, it would have to be before "the common council of
the Church," assisted by "twelve counselors of the high priesthood."
The extreme penalty imposed by any Church tribunal is excommunication.
The Melchizedek Priesthood comprises, in an ascending scale, the
offices of elder, seventy, and high priest. There are also the callings
of patriarch, apostle, and president, who must all be high priests
after this order. Each specific body of high priests, seventies,
elders, priests, teachers, or deacons, is called a quorum, but most of
the general priesthood organizations are termed councils.
The Council of the First Presidency is composed of three, one of them
the President, and the other two his first and second counselors. These
three high priests preside over the entire Church. The President is
prophet, seer and revelator, and likewise trustee-in-trust for the
Church, holding the legal title to its property.
Next in authority to the First Presidency is the council of the twelve
apostles, whose special mission is to preach the gospel, or cause it to
be preached, in all nations. The apostles have the right to regulate
and set in order the Church throughout the world, but they act under
the direction of the First Presidency, and exercise presidential power
only in the absence of the higher council. The death of the President
of the Church dissolves the First Presidency, rendering necessary a
new organization of that council. It is the privilege of the apostles
to nominate the President of the Church, who then chooses his two
counselors.
Next to the twelve apostles stands the presiding patriarch; it is his
duty to bless the Church, to give individual blessings to its members,
and comfort them with spiritual ministrations. He also assists the
apostles in visiting the stakes, attending conferences, and performing
other duties as required.
Presiding over the great body of the seventies, are seven presidents,
known as the first council of the seventy. They are next in authority
to the council of the twelve. These seven, with the senior presidents
of the first sixty-three quorums of seventy, form a council equal in
authority to either of the two higher councils: but they can exercise
authority to the extent of presiding over the Church, only in the
absence of the First Presidency and the twelve apostles.
Next comes the presiding bishopric, already mentioned, composed of
three high priests, having jurisdiction over the temporalities of
the Church. The First Presidency, the twelve apostles, the presiding
patriarch, the first council of the seventy, and the presiding
bishopric, constitute the general authorities. The names of all general
officers, from the President down, are submitted to the general
conference, held twice a year, to be voted upon by the members of
the Church. They are also presented at the stake conferences, held
quarterly, to be voted upon, with the stake officers, in like manner.
Under the presidency and high council of each stake, are one or more
patriarchs, whose ministry, so far as blessings are concerned, is
similar to that of the presiding patriarch. They minister, however,
only in their own stakes. Each stake has a quorum of high priests,
indefinite in number, presided over by three of its members. The
high priesthood holds the inherent right of presidency, and it is
from the high priests that presidencies are selected, such as the
First Presidency, the council of the twelve, a stake presidency, or a
bishopric. While the seventies, as an entire body, are presided over
by their first council, they are divided into quorums of seventy,
each quorum having seven presidents of its own. The special duty of
the seventies is to assist the apostles in preaching the gospel, and
they labor under the direction of the twelve. Unlike the high priests,
elders, and lesser priesthood, the seventies are independent of the
jurisdiction of the stake presidency, as quorums, though not as
individual members. They are the "minute men" of the Church, subject to
sudden calls into the mission field. A stake has one or more quorums
of elders, each composed of ninety-six members, three of whom preside.
Each ward should have one or more quorums of priests (forty-eight),
teachers (twenty-four), and deacons (twelve), each with a presidency of
three. A ward bishopric presides in a general way over all the quorums
of the Aaronic Priesthood in the ward, and over all Church members, as
individuals, residing therein. The bishop of the ward is ex-officio
president of the priests' quorum.
The elder's office is the lowest in the Melchizedek Priesthood proper.
The duties of an elder are similar to those of a seventy, though they
are exercised more at home than abroad. Next under the office of elder,
is that of priest, the high est office in the Aaronic Priesthood,
excepting the bishop, who, however, is a priest, and officiates as such
when sitting as a judge, but as a high priest, in presiding over his
ward. The priest may preach, baptize, and administer the sacrament,
but has not the right to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
That is a function of the Melchizedek Priesthood, to be exercised only
by the elders and those above them. The teacher is a peace-maker. It
is his duty to settle difficulties arising between Church members in
his district, or, if he cannot settle them, to report them to the
bishop under whose jurisdiction he labors. A ward is divided into
districts, and in each district two or more teachers labor regularly.
It is incumbent upon them to visit from house to house, to see that no
iniquity shall exist among the members, that they attend their meetings
faithfully, and do all things required by the laws and regulations of
the Church. The teachers report monthly, or as often as required, to
the bishopric. The deacons have charge of the ward property, and are to
assist the teachers, as the teachers assist the priests, when necessary.
There are at present sixty-five stakes of Zion, all located in the
region of the Rocky Mountains. Two of these stakes are in Canada,
and until recently there was another in Mexico. The stakes organized
in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, were abandoned when the Saints
were compelled to flee from their former homes. In addition to the
sixty-five stakes, there are twenty-one outside missions, comprising
most of the countries of the globe. There is also a central bureau of
information, at Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Church. The
Latter-day Saints, in all the world, number about half a million.
All the organizations named are strictly within the place of the
Priesthood: but in addition there are auxiliary organizations, such
as Relief Societies, Sabbath Schools, Young Men's and Young Ladies'
Mutual Improvement Associations, Primary Associations, and Religion
Classes. The Relief Societies, which form a vast net-work over all the
stakes, wards, and most of the missions, are women's organizations,
for the care and comfort of the sick and the needy. The Deseret Sunday
School Union has a membership of over 150,000. The Mutual Improvement
Associations are what their name implies: the sexes meet separately,
except in monthly conjoint sessions, and study systematically religion,
history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences. The Primaries are for
the training of children too young for membership in the Mutuals; and
the Religion Classes are for special instruction to the youth of both
sexes. Church schools exist in many of the stakes, the most notable
being the Brigham Young University of Provo, the Brigham Young College
of Logan, and the Latter-day Saints University of Salt Lake City. Old
folks' committees, for the entertainment of the aged, regardless of
sect or creed, are another institution of the Church, and are found in
most of the stakes and wards throughout Zion.
For further information on Priesthood and Church government, the reader
is referred to D&C 20,68,84,107,112, and 114 of the Doctrine and
Covenants; also to the "History of the Church," Volume III, page 385:
and Volume IV, page 207.
The Gospel Dispensations
CHAPTER I.
Introductory
One Plan of Salvation.--As there is but one Savior, so is there but one
plan of salvation. There never was, and there never can be, another
"I marvel," wrote Paul to the back-sliding Galatians, "that ye are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto
another gospel; which is not another; but there be some that trouble
you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed."--(Galatians 1:6-8.)
For All Men.--The Gospel of Christ is not of any one place, nor of
any one period. Neither is it for the salvation of any class, to the
exclusion of other classes. It is for all men, and was made plain
and simple, that it might appeal to all. At the same time, it is the
mightiest, the sublimest, and the most profound system of philosophy
that the world has ever known. It is not a child of earth, nor a
product of human wisdom. It came out of eternity, from the very bosom
of God, and has been upon the earth at different times and places. It
is the Everlasting Gospel, the same yesterday, today, and forever, and
all true principles of religion, science, or philosophy, now popular in
the world, are but parts of it--broken off fragments of this grand Rock
of Ages. Or, to change the figure, they are as pools of water, caught
in the clefts and hollows of time, when the great flood of Truth, in
one or more of its visitations, swept by on its way back to the eternal
ocean.
All Truth Divine.--Every religion in existence that has benefited its
believers, must have possessed at some period a portion of divine
truth; and that truth is what perpetuated it, not the errors associated
therewith. These are as cobwebs and dust, the accumulated rubbish of
false tradition, in which the precious jewel is wholly or in part
concealed. Yes, every religion, Christian or Pagan, that has proved a
real blessing to its votaries, is as a cistern holding within it waters
once wholesome and pure,--waters that fell originally from heaven,
in one of those grand spiritual showers, called dispensations of the
gospel, when the flood gates of eternity were lifted, that the world
might be refreshed.
The Arab and the Caliph.--But spiritual waters, like the waters of
earth, will lose their sweetness and purity, if separated too far
and too long from their fountain-head. They will become stagnant and
unwholesome, like the water carried for many days by the poor Arab in
his leathern bottle, from the sparkling spring in the desert to the
distant palace of the Caliph, who magnanimously rewarded the giver, not
for the rank draught presented for his acceptance, but for the goodness
of his motive, the sincerity of his soul.
God's Word Apportioned.--How every tribe and nation receives its
portion of the divine word, is thus told in the Nephite record:
"O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I
might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake
the earth, and cry repentance unto every people:
"Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder,
repentance, and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and
come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the
face of the earth.
"But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be
content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
"I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God,
for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether
it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto
men, according to their wills; whether they be unto salvation or unto
destruction.
"Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; or he
that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good
and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he
desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
"Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to
perform the work to which I have been called?
"Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all
the ends of the earth?
"For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation
and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit
that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in
wisdom, according to that which is just and true."--(Alma 29:1-8.)
An Oft-Restored Religion.--The Gospel of Christ did not make its first
appearance upon this planet at the time of the Savior's crucifixion.
While it seemed a new thing to that generation--for they were
"astonished at the doctrine" of the Nazarene, who taught them the
return of good for evil as a better rule of conduct than the Mosaic law
of retaliation--in reality it was older than all the ages, older than
the earth itself. It might have said, with its divine Author: "Before
Abraham was I am"--with reference to the mortal life of Abraham.
Originating in the heavens, before this world was created, the gospel,
prior to its preaching in the meridian of time, had been revealed to
man in a series of dispensations, beginning with Adam and extending
down to that day. The ancient apostles of our Lord preached a restored
gospel, just as much as do the apostles, seventies, and elders of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"Dispensation" Defined.--It is time to ask, and to more fully answer
the question, What is meant by the term "dispensation"? To dispense
is to deal out or distribute, as when the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper is dispensed to a congregation. "Dispensation of Providence"
is a phrase used to describe some dealing of God with man, either for
joy or sorrow to the object of the visitation. In theology the term
"Dispensation" signifies the method or scheme by which God has at
different times developed his purposes and revealed himself to man.
It also denotes a period marked by some particular development of the
divine purpose and revelation, such as the Mosaic dispensation, lasting
from Moses to Christ: or the Christian dispensation, ending in a
universal apostasy which rendered necessary the latter-day restoration
of the gospel and the Priesthood.
Seven Periods.--It is held by many that there are seven gospel
dispensations, seven distinct periods, during which the plan of
salvation, restored from heaven to earth, has been administered to the
children of men; the intervals of spiritual darkness between those
periods of light resulting from the world's unworthiness. Revelation,
so far as I am aware, is silent as to the number of the dispensations;
but I am among those who incline to the belief that seven is
correct; a belief probably founded, in part, upon the scriptural or
symbolical character of that number, and upon the Prophet Joseph's
teaching relative to the seven periods, answering to the seven seals
of the mystical book seen by John the Revelator in his vision on
Patmos.--(Rev. 5 and 6.)
The Apocalyptic Book.--Section Seventy-Seven of the Doctrine and
Covenants is a key to John's revelation, consisting of a series of
questions and answers; those germane to this subject being as follows:
"What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed
on the back with seven seals?"
"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 seven seals with which it was sealed?"
"We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of the
first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years,
and so on until the seventh."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"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, and shall redeem
all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when
he shall have sealed 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."
Whether or not these seven periods are looked upon as gospel
dispensation, it is interesting to consider them as covering the same
ground, paralleling, or extending through, the same mighty stretch of
duration, and dealing with events, epochs, personages and principles
connected with those dispensations.
The World's Real History.--Concerning "the book which John saw," the
Prophet says in effect that it represents the real history of the
world--what the eye of God has seen, what the recording angel has
written. The seven thousand years, corresponding to the seven seals,
are as seven great days, during which Mother Earth will fulfil her
mortal mission or probation, laboring six days, and resting upon the
seventh, her period of sanctification. We are not to understand,
however, that these seven thousand years include the time during which
the earth was in process of creation and of preparation for man. The
phrase "temporal existence" shows that the reckoning began, not before,
but after, time had been decreed.
Earth Obedient to Law.--That this planet is indeed upon probation, and
capable of obeying law, is plainly taught in modern revelation:
"And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a
celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and
transgresseth not the law.
"Wherefore it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die,
it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is
quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it."--(D. and C. 88:25-26.)
The Sea of Glass.--The key to the Apocalypse, already quoted, begins
with this question concerning earth's glorious future: "What is the
sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse, of the
Revelation?" And the answer is: "It is the earth, in its sanctified,
immortal, and eternal state."
One Day as a Thousand Years.--That the seven thousand years are indeed
as seven great days, is virtually set forth in the Book of Abraham,
where the patriarch, who was deeply learned in astronomy, and taught
that science to the Egyptians, tells of a mighty governing planet
nearest to the throne of God--a planet named Kolob, revolving once in a
thousand years. (Abr. 3.) It is evident that such a day figured in the
warning given to Adam: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die" (Gen. 2:17) for Adam, having eaten of the forbidden fruit,
lived on to the age of 930 years. In the Book of Abraham (5:13), it is
explained that the day in question was "after the time of Kolob; for as
yet the Gods had not appointed unto Adam his reckoning."
The Saturday Evening of Time.--According to received chronology, four
thousand years, or four of the seven great days given to this planet
as the period of its temporal continuance, had passed before Christ
came, while nearly two thousand years have gone by since. So that the
sixth day is now drawing to a close, and we stand at the present moment
in the Saturday evening of human history. Morning will break upon the
Millennium, the thousand years of peace, the Sabbath of the world.
Dispensations Inter-Related.--Whatever their number, or the names
by which they may be properly known, it is certain that the gospel
dispensations are inter-related. They are as the links of a mighty
chain, representing God's dealings with man, and extending from the
dawn of creation down to and beyond the present time.
Symbolical and Prophetic.--Those dispensations are likewise symbolical
and prophetic in character, pointing forward and finding their
culmination, their prospective and complete fulfilment, in the great
and final dispensation that is destined to bring about "the restitution
of all things." This is "Mormonism's" mission upon earth--"Mormonism,"
a nick-name for the Everlasting Gospel, brought back once more for the
purpose of completing the Lord's work as pertaining to this planet,
binding in one the dispensations, and merging them into the last and
greatest of all--the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.