A COLLECTION OF PASSAGES FROM "MORMON" WORKS, SETTING FORTH "MORMON"
VIEWS OF DEITY.
In this chapter I present a collection of "Mormon" utterances on the
subject of Deity, of man, and of his relationship to God. They are
selected from discourses and other writings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, from the Book of Mormon, the revelations in the Doctrine and
Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, some of the earlier Church
publications, and last of all, I give, by permission, a recent
discourse by President Joseph F. Smith. These utterances are arranged
in an order, and with the view of establishing the fact that from the
beginning of what the world calls "Mormonism," the views contended for
in the body of this work, have been the doctrine of the Church.
The Father and the Son are Represented as Distinct Persons, and also
as Being in the Form of Men, in the First Vision of the Prophet of the
New Dispensation.
It is well known that while the Prophet Joseph Smith was a lad, but
fourteen years of age, he became much exercised on the subject of
religion, and very much perplexed in consequence of the division and
strife existing among the religious sects, by which he was surrounded.
And now his own account as to how he sought wisdom and obtained a very
important revelation, in which he learned very important truths, both
concerning God and the state of the religious world:
In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often
said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are
right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be
right, which is it, and how shall I know it? While I was laboring
under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these
parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of
James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads:
_If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him._
Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the
heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter
with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on
it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from
God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get
more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers
of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of
scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling
the question by an appeal to the Bible.
At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in
darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that
is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ask of
God, concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom,
and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I
retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of
a beautiful clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and
twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an
attempt, for amidst all my anxieties, I had never as yet made the
attempt to pray vocally.
After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to
go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled
down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had
scarcely done so when immediately I was seized upon by some power
which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence
over me, as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick
darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I
were doomed to sudden destruction.
But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of
the power of this enemy which had seized upon me; and at the very
moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to
destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some
actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as
I had never before felt in any being--just at this moment of great
alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the
brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon
me. It no sooner appeared than I felt myself delivered from the
enemy which held me bound.
_When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose
brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in
the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said,
pointing to the other: "This is my beloved Son, hear Him!"_
My object in going to enquire of the Lord, was to know, which,
of all the sects, was right; that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able
to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the
light, which of all the sects, was right--and which I should join.
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all
wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their
creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were
all corrupt; that they draw near to me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments
of men, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.
He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things
did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.[A]
[Footnote A: Pearl of Great Price, pp. 83-85. Also History of Church
Vol. I, pp. 4-6.]
Of the importance of this vision, and the effects growing out of it, I
have elsewhere said:
First, it is a flat contradiction to the sectarian assumption that
revelation had ceased; that God had no further communication to make to
man.
Second, it reveals the errors into which men had fallen, concerning
the personages of the Godhead. It makes it manifest that God is not an
incorporeal being without form, or body, or parts; on the contrary he
appeared to the Prophet in the form of a man, as he did to the ancient
prophets. Thus, after centuries of controversy, the simple truth of
the Scriptures, which teach that man was created in the likeness of
God--hence God must be the same in form as man--was re-affirmed.
Third, it corrected the error of the theologians respecting the oneness
of the persons of the Father and the Son. Instead of being one person,
as the theologians teach, they are distinct in their personality;
and there is a plurality of Gods, for the Father and the Son are two
individuals, as much so as any father and son on earth; and the oneness
of the Godhead referred to in the scriptures, must have reference to
unity of purpose and of will; the mind of one being the mind of the
other, and so as to will and other attributes. In other words, the
oneness of the Godhead is a moral and spiritual union, not a physical
one.
The announcement of these truths, coupled with that other truth
proclaimed by the Son of God, _viz_: that none of the sects and
churches of Christendom were acknowledged as the church or kingdom of
God, furnish the elements for a religious revolution that will affect
the very foundations of modern Christian theology. In a moment, all
the rubbish concerning theology, which had accumulated through all the
centuries since the gospel and authority to administer its ordinances
had been taken from the earth, was grandly swept aside--the living
rocks of truth were made bare upon which the Church of Christ was to be
founded--a New Dispensation of the gospel was about to be committed to
the earth--God had raised up a witness for himself among the children
of men.[A]
[Footnote A: New Witnesses for God, vol. I, pp. 173-4.]
THE DOCTRINE OF THE GODHEAD ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF MORMON.
The Book of Mormon is not a formal treatise on the subject of theology.
It is in the main an abridgment of ancient Nephite and Jaredite
records, and recounts the hand-dealings of God with these ancient
peoples. The existence of God it takes for granted, and, of course,
since its revelations are local, that is, they pertain to this earth
and its inhabitants only, it has reference to our Godhead alone. It
makes reference, therefore, only to our God, and speaks of him in the
singular number--as being one. But notwithstanding this, the three
persons of the Godhead are frequently spoken of as being separate and
distinct personalities, as the following passages will illustrate. A
Nephite prophet, reasoning upon the subject of the resurrection and the
restoration that will be brought about in connection therewith, says:
But all things shall be restored to their perfect frame, as they
are now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned
before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy
Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged according to their
works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.[A]
[Footnote A: Alma, 11:44.]
Again, the Savior when instructing the Nephites in the manner of
baptizing, said:
And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling
them [those to be baptized] 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 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 this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the
Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the
Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of
the Father and me. * * * * This is my doctrine, and I bear record
of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me, believeth in the
Father also, and unto him will the Father bear record of me; for he
will visit him with fire, and with the Holy Ghost.[A]
[Footnote A: III Nephi, 11:24-27; 32, 35.]
Also the Prophet Mormon, speaking of the work of Christ, says:
And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby
he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day, hath it
given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to
sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father and
unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God.[A]
[Footnote A: Mormon, 7:7.]
Seeing, then, that reference is so frequently made to the members of
the Godhead as separate and distinct persons, it is clear that the
Book of Mormon is in harmony with the views contended for in the body
of this work, as to the plurality of Gods, and the doctrine receives
increased emphasis from other passages of the work. The Prophet Alma,
for instance, says:
He [God] gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed
the first commandments as to things which were temporal, _and
becoming as Gods_, knowing good from evil, etc.[A]
[Footnote A: Alma, 12:31.]
Then again, the Savior when instructing the Nephite apostles, said to
them:
Ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which
I shall give unto you, which shall be just; therefore, what manner
of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, _even as I am_. * * *
* And ye shall sit down in the Kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy
shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fullness of joy;
_and ye shall be even as lam, and I am even as the Father; and the
Father and I are one_.[A]
[Footnote A: III Nephi, 27:27; 28:10.]
If the disciples became as Christ, and Christ, we are assured, is as
the Father is, then these words of Jesus contemplate that these men
will become as God now is, and hence Gods, and hence a plurality of
Gods.
With reference to the form of God, the Book of Mormon has two very
important and very emphatic passages on the subject. The first Nephi,
in a great vision given to him of the future, was attended by a spirit
who gave him explanations, as the several parts of his vision passed
before him. And now Nephi's account:
And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me, Look! and I
looked, and beheld a tree; * * * * and the beauty thereof was
far beyond, yea, exceeding all beauty, and the whiteness thereof
did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. And it came to pass
after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou
hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. And he
said unto me: What desirest thou? And I said unto him: To know the
interpretation thereof; _for I spake unto him as a man speaketh;
for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet, nevertheless, I
knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a
man speaketh with another_.[A]
[Footnote A: I Nephi, 11:8-11.]
The second passage alluded to is found in the book of Ether. The
Prophet Moriancumr, the brother of Jared, when about to depart with his
colony in barges across the great deep, had prepared certain stones
which he prayed the Lord to make luminous, that they might have light
in the barges while on their journey. He had approached the Lord with
great faith, and expressed full confidence in the power of God to do
the thing for which he prayed; and now the Book of Mormon statement of
the matter:
And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these
words, behold the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the
stones, one by one with his finger; and the vail was taken from
off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of
the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and
blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he
was struck with fear. * * * * And the Lord said unto him, arise,
why hast thou fallen? And he said unto the Lord, I saw the finger
of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not
that the Lord had flesh and blood. And the Lord said unto him,
Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh
and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding
faith as thou hast; for were it not so, you could not have seen
my finger. * * * * And when he had said these words, behold, the
Lord shewed himself unto, him, and said, Because thou knowest these
things, you are redeemed from the fall; therefore you are brought
back into my presence; therefore I shew myself unto you. Behold, I
am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem
my people. Behold, I am Christ. I am the Father and the Son.[A]
In me shall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they
who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my
daughters. And never have I shewed myself unto, man whom I have
created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou
that thou art created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were
created in the beginning, after mine own image. Behold, this body,
which you now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I
created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee
to be in the spirit, will I appear unto my people in the flesh.[B]
[Footnote A: This expression made several times in the Book of Mormon,
should not confuse the reader. Jesus is spoken of in this passage as
both Father and Son for the reason that he received of the fullness of
the Father; that is, a fullness of his glory, his power, and dominion,
hence Jesus represented God in his completeness--"in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9); hence Deity complete,
hence both Father and Son. In another sense also is Jesus the "very
eternal Father of heaven and earth:" he is the immediate creator of
them: and to the extent that a creator may be regarded as a father,
Jesus may be regarded as the very eternal Father of heaven and earth.
He is called the Son because he tabernacled in the flesh, and, in his
earthly career, received not a fullness of the Godhead at first. See
Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 93. Also Mosiah 15:1-4, and the remarks of
President Joseph F. Smith in this chapter.]
[Footnote B: Ether 3:6-16.]
From this it will be seen that the Book of Mormon is in harmony with
the Bible's plain anthropomorphism; as also the one is in harmony with
the other in affirming the necessary plurality of Gods.
THE DOCTRINES OF THE GODHEAD AND MAN ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF
ABRAHAM.
The book of Abraham came into the hands of the Prophet Joseph Smith
in the form of Egyptian papyrus, in the summer of 1835. The following
winter in his history the Prophet frequently speaks of working upon the
translation of this ancient record. The translation was not completed
and published, however, until March, 1842, at Nauvoo, when it appeared
in the _Times and Seasons_, numbers 9 and 10, Vol. III. In his writings
and teachings the Prophet frequently refers to this ancient record
with every mark of approval. In the first publication of the work the
introductory heading declared it to be "the Book of Abraham, written
by his own hand upon papyrus." It will be understood, then, that its
doctrines are those of the great prophet-patriarch, Abraham. The book
gives an account of the call of Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees and his
sojourn and adventures in Egypt. The extracts from it here given deal
with the revelations of God to the patriarch concerning the planetary
system, pre-existence and nature of man, and the creation of the earth
by the Gods--for Abraham throughout his account of creation uses the
plural, "the Gods said let there be light;" "the Gods said let us make
man in our image," etc., etc., hence it is clear that the doctrine of
the plurality of Gods was plainly taught through this sacred scripture
in the days of Joseph Smith, for he translated it, and it was published
by him in the _Times and Seasons_ while he was the editor of that
journal. And now a few extracts from the book itself:
And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God
had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees; and I saw the stars,
that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto
the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near
unto it; and the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones;
and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto
me, for I am the Lord thy God: and I have set this one to govern
all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou
standest. And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that
Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times
and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was
a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one
thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon
thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according
to the reckoning of Kolob. * * * *
And the Lord said unto me: Now, Abraham, these two facts exist,
behold thine eyes see it; it is given unto thee to know the times
of reckoning, and the set time, yea, the set time of the earth upon
which thou standest, and the set time of the greater light which
is set to rule the day, and the set time of the lesser light which
is set to rule the night. Now the set time of the lesser light is
a longer time as to its reckoning than the reckoning of the time
of the earth upon which thou standest. And where these two facts
exist, there shall be another fact above them, that is, there shall
be another planet whose reckoning of time shall be longer still;
and thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet
above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is
after the reckoning of the Lord's time, which Kolob is set nigh
unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to
the same order as that upon which thou standest. And it is given
unto thee to know the set time of all the stars that are set to
give light, until thou come near unto the throne of God. Thus I,
Abraham, talked with the Lord face to face, as one man talketh with
another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made: and
he said unto me: My son, my son, (and his hand was stretched out,)
behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine
eyes, and I saw those things which his hand had made, which were
many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the
end thereof.
* * * *
And it was in the night time when the Lord spake these words unto
me: I will multiply thee, and thy seed after thee, like unto these;
and if thou canst count the number of sands, so shall be the number
of thy seeds. And the Lord said unto me: Abraham, I show these
things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare
all these words. If two things exist, and there be one above the
other, there shall be greater things above them; therefore Kolob
is the greatest of all the Kokaubeam (stars) that thou hast seen,
because it is nearest unto me. Now, if there be two things, one
above the other, and the moon be above the earth, then it may be
that a planet or star may exist above it; * * * as, also, if there
be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other,
yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than
the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have
no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.
And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are
two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall
be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am
more intelligent than them all. * * * *
I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have come down
unto thee to deliver unto thee the works which my hands have made,
wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens
above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over
all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning; I
came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences
thou hast seen.
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
whereupon 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 for ever 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. 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. And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and
desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and
darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the
Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters. And they (the Gods)
said: Let there be light; and there was light. And they (the Gods)
comprehended the light, for it was bright; and they divided the
light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness. And the Gods
called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night, And it
came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night;
and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this
was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and
night. And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse in the midst
of the waters, and it shall divide the waters from the waters.
And the Gods ordained the expanse, so that it divided the waters
which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the
expanse; and it was so, even as they ordained. (Pearl of Great
Price, pp. 60-67.)
And thus the account of creation proceeds throughout the seven periods
thereof, and it is always the Gods did this or that until the whole
work of creation was prepared for man.
THE GODHEAD ACCORDING TO THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS.
The book of Doctrine and Covenants in the main is a collection of
revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is not a
formal treatise upon theology. This collection of revelations assumes
the existence of God, and only incidentally treats of His being and
attributes. And since the revelations pertain to our earth, and its
heavens, and our God, the singular number is used in speaking of God;
and yet in these revelations the persons of the Godhead are spoken of
as being distinct from one another in the sense of being separate and
distinct individuals, as the following passages illustrate:
There is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from
everlasting to everlasting, the same unchangeable God, the framer
of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them; and that
he created man, male and female, after his own image and his own
likeness, created he them and gave unto them commandments that they
should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that
he should be the only being whom they should worship. But by the
transgression of these holy laws, man became sensual and devilish,
and became fallen man. Wherefore the Almighty God gave his Only
Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have
been given of him. He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto
them; he was crucified, died, and rose again the third day; and
ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father,
to reign with almighty power according to the will of the Father,
that as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and
endure in faith to the end, should be saved; not only those who
believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but
all those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came,
who believed in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as they
were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who truly testified of
him in all things, should have eternal life, as well as those who
should come after, who should believe in the gifts and callings of
God by the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father, and of
the Son; which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite
and eternal, without end. Amen.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 20:17-28.]
So also in section ninety-three the distinction between Father and Son
and Holy Spirit is clearly made; and man declared to be of the same
race with God. Indeed one may say that the supposed gulf of separation
is swept away; that on the one hand the divinity of man is proclaimed,
and on the other, the humanity of God. That is, there is identity of
race between Gods and men; though man is now in a fallen state, working
upward towards God, through the plan of redemption in Christ Jesus:
Every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth
on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments,
shall see my face and know that I am, and that I am the true light
that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one:
the Father because he gave me of his fullness, and the Son because
I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among
the sons of men. I was in the world and received of my Father,
and the works of him were plainly manifest; and John saw and bore
record of the fullness of my glory, and the fullness of John's
record is hereafter to be revealed: and he bore record, saying, I
saw his glory that he was in the beginning before the world was;
therefore in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even
the messenger of salvation the light and the Redeemer of the world;
the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was
made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.
The worlds were made by him; men were made by him: all things were
made by him, and through him, and of him. And I, John, bear record
that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which
came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. And I, John, saw
that he received not of the fullness at the first, but received
grace for grace: and he received not of the fullness at first,
but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fullness;
and thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of
the fullness at the first. And I, John, bear record, and lo, the
heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the
form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of
heaven saying, This is my beloved Son. And I, John, bear record
that he received a fullness of the glory of the Father; and he
received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of
the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him. * * * And I give unto
you these sayings that ye may understand and know how to worship,
and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in
my name, and in due time receive of his fullness. * * * And now,
verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and
am the first-born. * * * Ye were also in the beginning with the
Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth. * * * Man
was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of
truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is
independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for
itself, as all intelligence also, otherwise there is no existence.
Behold, here, is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation
of man, because that which was from the beginning is plainly
manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every
man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation,
for man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and
element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy; and
when separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy. The elements
are the tabernacle of God; yea man is the tabernacle of God, even
temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that
temple.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 93:1-35.]
Again:
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the
Son also: but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but
is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not
dwell in us.[A]
[Footnote A: Ibid Sec. 130:22.]
Since then there is in these revelations, a recognition of the
distinction between the persons of the Godhead, it is clear that the
doctrine of a plurality of Gods is recognized. It is also incidentally
recognized in other passages of the Doctrine and Covenants. In section
seventy-six, where a description is given of the blessedness of those
who believe and obey the gospel, it is said:
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 fullness, and
of his glory, and are Priests of the Most High, after the order of
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.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 76:54-59.]
The revelation in which the above passage appears was first published
in the _Evening and Morning Star_, July, 1832. Again, in a prayer and
prophecy written by Joseph Smith while in Liberty prison, March, 1839,
in the course of describing the power and glory and blessedness to be
revealed in the dispensation of the Fullness of Times, the prophet
declares that all things shall be made known--
According to that which was ordained in the midst of _the Council
of the Eternal God of all other Gods_, before this world was.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 121:32.]
Again, in speaking of those who fall short of complete obedience to
the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and describing their
limitations the Prophet says:
From henceforth they are not Gods, but are angels of God, forever
and ever.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 132:17.]
On the other hand he declares that all those who obey the fullness of
the gospel--
Shall pass by the angels, _and the Gods_, * * * to their exaltation
and glory in all things. * * * _Then shall they be Gods_, because
they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to
everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all,
because all things are subject unto them. _Then shall they be
Gods_, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto
them.[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov. Sec. 132:19, 20.]
Thus the revelations of God to the Church from the earliest times, and
now collected in the Doctrine and Covenants, teach that men and Gods
are identical in race, and that there is a plurality of Gods.
THE "MORMON" DOCTRINE OF DEITY AS SET FORTH IN THE DISCOURSES OF THE
PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH AND EARLY CHURCH PUBLICATIONS.
From the King Follett Sermon, April 7, 1844.[A]
[Footnote A: _Millenial Star_, vol. xxiii, p. 245 _et seq._]
It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in
the beginning.
* * * *
There are but a very few beings in the world who understand
rightly the character of God. The great majority of mankind do not
comprehend anything, either that which is past, or that which is to
come, as respects their relationship to God.
* * * *
If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not
comprehend themselves.
* * * *
What sort of a being was God in the beginning? Open your ears and
hear, all ye ends of the earth. * * * God himself was once as
we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder
heavens! That is the great secret. If the vail was rent today, and
the great God who holds this world in its orbit; and who upholds
all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself
visible--I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him
like a man in form--like yourselves, in all the person, image,
and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion,
image, and likeness of God, and received instructions from, and
walked, talked, and conversed with him, as one man talks and
communes with another.
* * * *
It is necessary we should understand the character and being of
God, and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God
came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from
all eternity. I will refute that idea, and will take away the vail,
so that you may see. * * * It is the first principle of the gospel
to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we
may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that
he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us
all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did.
* * * *
The scriptures inform us that Jesus said, "As the Father hath power
in himself, even so hath the Son power"--to do what? Why, what the
Father did. The answer is obvious--in a manner to lay down his body
and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down
my life, as my Father did, and take it up again. Do you believe it?
If you do not believe it, you do not believe the Bible.[A]
* * * *
[Footnote A: The argument here made by the Prophet is very much
strengthened by the following passage: "The Son can do nothing of
himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he
[the Father] doeth, these also the Son doeth likewise" (St. John 5:19).
Here, then, is eternal life: to know the only wise and true God;
and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be
kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before
you--namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a
small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation
to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead,
and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory,
as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power.
* * * *
How consoling to the mourners when they are called to part with
a husband, wife, father, mother, child or dear relative, to know
that although the earthly tabernacle is laid down and dissolved,
they shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings, in immortal
glory, not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more; but they shall be
heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? [i. e.,
to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ]. To inherit the same power,
the same glory, and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the
station of a God and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same
as those who have gone before. What did Jesus do? Why, I do the
things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence.
My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I
must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to
my Father, so that he may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will
exalt him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I
will take his place, and thereby become exalted myself. So that
Jesus treads in the tracks of his Father, and inherits what God did
before; and God is thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and
exaltation of all his children. It is plain beyond disputation, and
you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about
which so much has been said.
* * * *
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and
ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is
with the principles of the gospel--you must begin with the first,
and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. _But
it will be a great while after you have passed through the vail
before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended
in this world: it will be a great work to learn our salvation and
exaltation, even beyond the grave._
* * * *
I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible; I
will make a comment on the very first sentence of the history
of the creation in the Bible. _Berosheit_: I want to analyze
the word. _Baith_--in, by, through, etc. _Rosh_--the head.
_Sheit_--grammatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it,
he did not put the bath there. A Jew, without any authority, added
the word: he thought it too bad to begin to talk about the _head_!
It read at first, "The head one of the Gods brought forth the
Gods." That is the true meaning of the words. _Baurau_ signifies
to bring forth. If you do not believe it, you do not believe the
learned man of God. * * * Thus the head God brought forth the
Gods in the grand council. * * * The head God called together the
Gods, and sat in grand council to bring forth the world. The grand
Councilors sat at the head in yonder heavens, and contemplated the
creation of the worlds which were created at that time. * * * In
the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods,
and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and
people it.
* * * *
From the Discourse of June 16, 1844.[A]
[Footnote A: _Mill. Star_ Vol. 24, p. 108, _et seq_.
The Prophet's text was: "And hath made us kings and priests unto God
_and his Father_: to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen."
(Revelation of St. John 1:6.)
It is altogether correct in the translation. Now, you know that of
late some malicious and corrupt men have sprung up and apostatized
from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they
declare that the Prophet believes in a plurality of Gods; and, lo
and behold! we have discovered a very great secret, they cry--"The
Prophet says there are many Gods, and this proves that he has
fallen."
* * * *
I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text
for the express purpose. I wish to declare I have always, and in
all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity,
it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the
Elders fifteen years. I have always declared God to be a distinct
personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God
the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a
spirit; and these three constitute three distinct personages and
three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and
behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural; and who can
contradict it? The text says--"And hath made us kings and priests
unto God _and his Father_." The Apostles have discovered that there
were Gods above, for Paul says God was the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. My object was to preach the Scriptures, and preach
the doctrine they contain, there being a God above the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ I am bold to declare. I have taught all the
strong doctrines publicly, and always teach stronger doctrines in
public than in private. John was one of the men, and the Apostles
declare they were made kings and priests unto God the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. It reads just so in the Revelations. Hence, the
doctrine of a plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any
other doctrine. It is all over the face of the Bible. It stands
beyond the power of controversy. "A wayfaring man, though a fool,
need not err therein."
* * * *
Paul says there are Gods many, and Lords many, * * but to us there
is but one God--that is, _pertaining_ to us; and he is in all and
through all. But if Joseph Smith says there are Gods many, and
Lords many, they cry:--"Away with him! Crucify him, crucify him!"
* * * Paul, if Joseph Smith is a blasphemer, you are. I say there
are Gods many, and Lords many, but to us only one; and we are to be
in subjection to that one. * * * Some say I do not interpret the
Scriptures the same as they do. They say it means the heathen's
gods. Paul says there are Gods many, and Lords many; and that makes
a plurality of Gods, in spite of the whims of all men. You know,
and I testify, that Paul had no allusion to the heathen gods. I
have it from God. * * * I have a witness of the Holy Ghost, and a
testimony that Paul had no allusion to the heathen gods in the text.
I will show from the Hebrew Bible that I am correct, and the
first word shows [the existence of] a plurality of Gods. * * *
_Berosheit baurau Eloheim ait aushamayeen vehau auraits_, rendered
by King James' translators, "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth." I want to analyze the word _Berosheit_:
_Rosh_, the head; _Sheit_, a grammatical termination. The _Baith_
was not originally put there when the inspired man wrote it, but
it has been since added by a Jew. _Baurau_ signifies to bring
forth; _Eloheim_ is from the word, _Eloi_, God, in the singular
number; and by adding the word _heim_, it renders it Gods. It read
first--"In the beginning the head of the Gods brought forth the
Gods," or, as others have translated it--"The head of the Gods
called the Gods together."
* * * *
The head God organized the heavens and the earth. * * * In the
beginning the heads of the Gods organized the heavens and the
earth. * * * * If we pursue the Hebrew text further it reads
_Berosheit baurau Eloheim ait aushamayeen vehau auraits_.-"The head
one of the Gods said, Let us make man in our own image." I once
asked a learned Jew if the Hebrew language compels us to render
all words ending in heim in the plural, why not render the first,
Eloheim, plural? He replied, That is the rule with few exceptions;
but in this case it would ruin the Bible. He acknowledged I was
right.
* * * *
In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods
beyond the power of refutation. * * * The word _Eloheim_ ought to
be in the plural all the way through--Gods. The head of the Gods
appointed one God for us; and when you take a [this] view of the
subject, it sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness, and
perfection of all the Gods.
Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God, three in one,
and one in three! It is a curious organization. "Father, I pray not
for the world; but I pray for them which thou hast given me." * * *
* I want to read the text to you myself--"Holy Father, keep through
thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one,
as we are." I am agreed with the Father and the Father is agreed
with me, and we are agreed as one. The Greek shows that it should
be _agreed_.
"Father, I pray for them which thou hast given me out of the world,
and not for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word, that they may all be agreed, as thou,
Father, art agreed with me, and I with thee, that they also may be
agreed with us," and all come to dwell in unity, and in all the
glory and everlasting burnings of the Gods; and then we shall see
as we are seen, and be as our God, and he is as his Father.
* * * *
I want to reason a little on this subject. I learned it by
translating the [Egyptian] papyrus which is now in my house. I
learned a testimony concerning Abraham, and he reasoned concerning
the God of heaven. "In order to do that," said he, "suppose we
have two facts: that supposes another fact may exist--two men on
the earth, one wiser than the other, would logically show that
another who is wiser than the wisest may exist. Intelligences
exist one above another, so that there is no end to them." If
Abraham reasoned thus--If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John
discovered that God, the Father of Jesus Christ, had a Father, you
may suppose that _he_ had a Father also. Where was there ever a
son without a father? And where was there ever a father without
first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into
existence without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way:
Paul says that which is earthly is in the likeness of that which
is heavenly. Hence, if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that
he [that Father] had a Father also? I despise the idea of being
scared to death at such doctrine, for the Bible is full of it. * *
* Jesus said that the Father wrought precisely in the same way as
his Father had done before him. As the Father had done before, he
laid down his life, and took it up the same as his Father had done
before [him].
* * * *
They found fault with Jesus Christ because he said he was the Son
of God, and made himself equal with God. * * * What did Jesus say,
"Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are Gods? If he called
them Gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures
cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the Father has sanctified and
sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son
of God?" It was through him that they drank of the spiritual rock.
* * * * Jesus, if they were called Gods unto whom the word of God
came, why should it be thought blasphemy that I should say I am the
Son of God?
* * * *
They who obtain a glorious resurrection from the dead are exalted
far above principalities, powers, thrones, dominions, and angels,
and are expressly declared to be heirs of God and joint heirs
with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power. The Scriptures are a
mixture of very strange doctrines to the Christian world, who are
blindly led by the blind. I will refer to another Scripture. "Now,"
says God, when he visited Moses in the bush, * * * "Thou shalt be
a God unto the children of Israel." God said: "Thou shalt be a God
unto Aaron, and he shall be thy spokesman." I believe those Gods
that God reveals as Gods, to be sons of God, and all can cry Abba,
Father! Sons of God who exalt themselves to be Gods, even from
before the foundation of the world, and are the only Gods I have a
reverence for. John said he was a king. "And from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings
and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen." O thou God who art King of kings and Lord
of lords, the sectarian world, by their actions, declare--"We
cannot believe thee."
USE OF THE WORD ELOHIM.[A]
BY PROFESSOR W. H. CHAMBERLIN, OF THE BRIGHAM YOUNG COLLEGE, LOGAN,
UTAH.
[Footnote A: During the progress of the discussion between the Rev.
C. Van Der Donckt and myself, as published in the _Improvement Era_,
Professor William H. Chamberlin of the Brigham Young College, Logan,
Utah, contributed the following brief though valuable paper on the
use of the word "Elohim" in the Bible, which by his kind consent I am
permitted to publish here.]
Two words, _El_, of which _Elim_ was the plural form, and _Eloah_,
of which _Elohim_ was the plural, were applied generally to Deity by
the Hebrew people. All these forms are found in the other Semitic
languages, and are, therefore, very ancient in origin.
Under severest discipline the people of Israel were educated in the
school of monotheism, in order that God's nature might be revealed to
man, and in order that unity might be introduced into the moral life of
man. Under this discipline, the people of Israel must have learned to
apply the plural form Elohim, which their fathers had used of Deity, in
speaking of the one God whom they had been taught to serve.
The Hebrew language would allow them to do this, for a few nouns, when
used by them in the plural, seemed to magnify the original idea. In
such cases the plural form was treated grammatically as singular. An
example may be found in Job 40:15, where the plural form behemoth is
used to intensify the image of the animal there being described, as is
shown by context. In the same verse, the behemoth is referred to by the
singular pronoun he.
But the use of _Elohim_, in this sense, by the later writers of Israel,
is not necessarily opposed to the view that in the earliest documents
or writings which the Hebrews possessed, it was applied to a plurality
of Gods.
The objection to this view has been made that, with the plural form
_Elohim_, in Gen. 1, the singular verb is used. Such a use of a
singular predicate with a plural subject is, however, common in Hebrew.
On page 111 of _Harper's Hebrew Syntax_ we find the following rule
covering the case, viz: "When the predicate precedes the subject it
may agree with the subject in number or it may assume the _primary
form_, viz.: third masculine singular, whatever be the number of the
following subject." So the plural form _Elohim_ after a singular verb,
the construction found in Gen. i, and elsewhere, is no proof that it is
singular in any sense. Similar constructions are found with other words
in Gen. i:14, where the singular of the verb _haya_, be, is followed by
the plural noun _meoroth_, lights; in Gen. 41:50, where the singular
verb _yullodh_, was born, is followed by the plural noun _sheney
banim_, two sons; in Job 42:15, where the singular verb _nimtsa_, was
found, is followed by the plural noun _nashim_, women. Many similar
examples might be given to illustrate the rule.
That _Elohim_ was used in the plural sense in Gen. 1, is shown in the
26th verse, where the _Elohim_ in referring to themselves use the
plural suffix, _nu_, our, twice; and they also use the plural form of
the verb _naaseh_, let us make. Also in Gen. 11:7, where _nerdhah_,
let us descend, and _nabhlah_, let us confuse, two verbs in the plural
form, proceed from the mouth of God, In Gen 3:5. the plural construct
participle, _yodhe_, knowers of, modifies the noun, _Elohim_, which
therefore is also plural. It is just possible that this participle is
predicated of the subject you, but the participle would then follow the
finite verb, giving a very unusual construction for the early Hebrew
writers. One such construction is, however, found in Gen. 4:17, "he
became (one) building a city."
The thought of the possibility of God's having with him great
associates was alive even to the time of Isaiah, as is shown in Isaiah
6:8, where Jehovah said, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for _us_?"
Jehovah was a personal name applied to the Being who guided Israel,
and afterwards lived on the earth as Jesus Christ. (III Nephi, 15:5,
Doc. and Cov. sec. 110.) Probably few of the Jews were ever able to
distinguish Jehovah from _Elohim_, as it was latterly used, i. e., in
the singular sense, and so when late writers wrote down the portion of
Genesis where the name of Jehovah began to be used, they placed next to
it, for the same purpose for which we now place the marginal reading,
the word _Elohim_. So we have in Gen. 2:4; 3:24, and in some other
places, the expression _Jehovah Elohim_, translated the Lord God. The
words were put together late in Israel's history when _Elohim_ had come
to be used in the singular; _Jehovah Elohim_ meant Jehovah, i. e., God.
Later the explanatory use of the word _Elohim_ was forgotten, and the
two words combined to apply to God. (See page 219 of _Brown's Hebrew
Lexicon_, the most authoritative lexicon in English, for the above
explanation.)
The use of the singular noun _Eloah_ is almost confined to poetry. It
is used in Psalm 18 and in Deut. 32. There is ground for saying that
the Savior on the cross in crying out to his Father, used the singular
form _Eloah_. In combining _Eloah_ with the suffix _i_, meaning my, and
expressing the result in Greek the h would be dropped, for there is
no letter h in the Greek alphabet. A, which was merely introduced to
assist the Hebrew to pronounce the h, would also be dropped. The result
would give us _Eloi_, the form given in the basic gospel, in Mark
15:34. (See also Judges 5:5, of the Septuagint).
In the year 1830, we find Joseph Smith, in the face of the tradition
of the whole world, daring to render the word _Elohim_ in Gen i, _et
seq._, in the plural. It is one great evidence of the divinity of the
Church of Jesus Christ restored in these last days that its prophet
said many things, in the day in which he lived, that a progressive
people are beginning to appreciate as true; and so we find learned
men sympathizing with the daring position taken above. With reference
to Gen. 1:26, and similar passages, we find as one explanation in the
lexicon mentioned above, a lexicon based on the work of Gesenius, the
great German Hebrew scholar, that God was in consultation with angels.
Now, since the term "angel," a term used loosely by the scholars, is
made there to mean and refer to superhuman beings sufficiently advanced
in intelligence to be included in a consultation with God, we have our
prophet's explanation exactly. In conclusion I shall quote the words of
the great Biblical scholar, the Rev. A. B. Davidson of Edinburgh, in
explanation of the same: "The use of 'us' by the divine speaker (Gen.
1:26, 3:22, 11:17) is strange, but is perhaps due to his consciousness
of being surrounded by other beings of a loftier order than men (Is.
5:8)." (See _Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible_, page 205.)
OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD.[A]
BY ELDER WILLIAM HENRY WHITTALL.
[Footnote A: Millennial Star Vol. xxiii No. 19, p. 292.]
In comparing the ideas of others with our own upon any subject, with
a view of coming to a clear understanding and just conclusion on the
points discussed, it is both important and necessary that a clear
definition of terms be given and received. Most of the disputes which
arise in all classes of society, religious and secular, would be
avoided to a great extent, if the disputants clearly understood and
attended to each other's terms, and clearly defined their own.
Words are frequently used in such different sense--sometimes primary,
and sometimes secondary--sometimes literal, and sometimes figurative,
that a misconception is often likely to arise, which might be easily
prevented, were a plain definition of terms given at the outset.
Opposite parties are too apt to place their own constructions on each
other's expressions.
"_Omnipresence_" as all will admit means _presence everywhere_.
Now, strictly speaking, _matter_, in its most extensive and
comprehensive sense, is the only thing that can be said to be literally
_everywhere_. There are various kinds and degrees of matter; but matter
as a whole, and in a general sense, is the only thing that we can
conceive of as being everywhere present, and nowhere absent.
One reservation, however, must here be made, for the sake of scientific
accuracy,--namely, that wherever matter exists and moves, there is of
necessity a corresponding or proportionate extent of space wherein to
move.
There is no such thing, however, in all the creations of God, as what
is called _empty_ space.
But this fact does not in the least affect our argument; for the motion
of matter is merely the displacement of one thing by another--one
particle occupying the space which had been previously occupied by
another. Thus, if I thrust my hand into a mass of sand, I do not
penetrate the grains of sand, (although I do penetrate the sand as a
mass,) the hand merely going between, or making its way by displacing
the grains with which it comes in contact. No particle of matter
can occupy the same identical space as another at the same time;
consequently, no _portion_ of matter can in an exclusive and strictly
literal sense be omnipresent.
The nearest approach to a literal omnipresence, that we can conceive
of, is that of the particles of one kind and degree of matter
_commingling_ with those of another.
The following may serve as a simple illustration: In a homely cup of
tea, we find the particles of the tea itself intimately mingling with
those of the water; those of the sugar mingling with those of the other
two elements; and then, again, there are the particles of caloric or
heat everywhere present throughout the whole. Yet no one particle
of either water, (itself a compound of gases), or tea, or sugar, or
cream, can occupy the same space as any other particle. This simple
illustration, however homely and commonplace, may serve as an example,
on a small scale, of the nearest idea that can be formed of a literal
omnipresence, or presence everywhere. The plainer the simile, the
better for ease and clearness of thought.
We have now to define what we mean by the term "God."
This word, like many others, is frequently used to represent different
ideas. We sometimes employ it in reference to Deity as a person. One
of the old prophets saw God sitting on a throne. Of course, then,
according to this personal sense of the word, God could not have been
everywhere present; for he was on a throne. We often read of God as
sitting down, standing up, walking about, &c. Now, a person, when
sitting down, does not occupy the same space as when standing up. He
always occupies the same amount of space, but no more, whatever posture
he may place himself in, or however much he may change his relative
positions by moving hither and thither.
Hence it is utterly impossible for God to be _personally_ omnipresent.
But we sometimes speak of God in reference to his attributes of love,
wisdom, goodness, influence, power, authority, &c.
The next question, then, is, Can he be said to be omnipresent in these
respects?
Yes, undoubtedly so; but not _literally_.
As these are all abstract terms, it is evident that they cannot be used
in a strictly literal sense. Love, power, goodness, wisdom, &c., are
not things which occupy space. We cannot measure knowledge by the yard,
wisdom by the pint, influence by the inch, or power by the gallon. We
cannot speak of authority as occupying so many square or cubic feet of
space, or describe the height, depth, length, or width of intelligence
or faith. These are all abstract terms; and in describing the extent
of any attribute of God or man, we are bound to speak figuratively. We
thus speak of "infinite power," of "boundless love," of "illimitable
wisdom," of "unbounded influence," of "unlimited authority," of
"infinite goodness," &c. If we examine such expressions closely, we
cannot but see that they are used in a relative and figurative sense,
and not in a strictly literal one. We cannot find room for all these
things _everywhere_. If one thing occupied all space literally, we
certainly could not locate half a dozen everywhere! The absurdity of
the thing only proves the fallacy of the idea of literal ubiquity in
reference to any attribute, the terms, expressive of which cannot be
literalized.
But again: We often speak of God in reference to his agents. For
example, the Apostle Paul says, "No man taketh this honor unto himself,
but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." Moses, who called and
ordained Aaron, was God's agent. All the servants of the Lord are
called by his agents acting in his name and by his authority. When a
man is called and ordained to certain functions of the Priesthood, we
say that God called him, and that he is a servant of God. Thus, in
a relative sense, God may be and is said to be present where he is
personally absent, just as her Majesty the Queen may be said to be
present throughout all her dominions by her official and representative
agents. She is not literally, but virtually or officially,
representatively or vicariously present wherever her regal authority
is swayed. It is not actually she who is present, but her agents or
authorities, who act in her name in her various principalities and
colonies.
Again: We often use the term "God" in reference to his _Spirit_,
whereby he is said to be omnipresent.
But we also frequently use the term "Spirit" in more sense than one.
Sometimes we speak of the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost as a person. The
Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three distinct persons,--the first
two being personages of tabernacle, and the last a personage of spirit.
In this sense the Spirit can be no more spatially extended, and no more
omnipresent, than the Father or the Son. If, indeed, either of the
three could be personally and substantially present everywhere--that
is, filling all space, it would puzzle the astutest intellect to
conceive where the other two could be located!
The spirit of God, then, or the Holy Ghost, as a personage, cannot be
_literally_ omnipresent, although we may (as we often do) speak of him
as being present here and there by his influence, authority, and power.
But we also frequently speak of the Spirit of God as a divine substance
or influence, of power diffused throughout the spiritual and physical
universe, giving vitality, activity, and force to the various things
around us, according to certain spiritual and natural laws.
It is, indeed, the inherent life and soul of all things--the inner
and eternal principle of life and being. Whether we speak of "Nature"
or of the "God of nature," we mean the same thing, unless, by way
of distinction, we connect with the latter expression the idea of
personality. In the former sense, God is _everywhere_.
President Young, upon this subject, says--"It is the Deity within us
that causes increase. * * * He is in every person upon the face of
the earth. The elements that every individual is made of and lives in
possess the Godhead * * The Deity within us is the great principle that
causes us to increase and to grow in grace and truth."
It will thus be evident that God is, by his Spirit, in this sense,
_omnipresent_. Indeed, we arrive at the conclusion that God (although
local in personality) may be said, in various ways and in different
senses of the word, to be everywhere present. President Young says--"He
is omnipotent, and fills immensity by his agents, by his influence, by
his Spirit, and by his ministers." So that, go wheresoever we may, God
is there, in some way or other. If we ascend to the heavens above, he
is there; if we make the grave our bed, he is there; if we fly to any
part of the earth or sea, he is there, and his providence will protect
the just.