The Lamb of God
A stranger Star that came from farTo fling its silver rayWhere, cradled in a lowly cave,A lowlier Infant lay;And led by soft sidereal light,The Orient sages bringRare gifts of gold and frankincense,To greet the homeless King.O wondrous grace! Will Gods go downThus low that men may rise?Imprisoned here the Mighty One,Who reigned in yonder skies?Hark to that chime!—What tongue sublimeNow tells the hour of noon?O dying world, art welcomingLife's life—Light's sun and moon?Proclaim him, prophet harbinger!Make plain the Mightier's way,Thou sharer of his martyrdom!Elias? Yea and Nay.The crescent Moon, that knew the SunEre Stars had learned to shine;The waning Moon, that bathed in bloodEre sank the Sun divine."Glory to God, good will to man!—Peace, peace!" triumphal tone.Why peace? Is discord then no more?Are Earth and Heaven as one?Peace to the soul that serveth him,The Monarch manger-born;There, ruler of unnumbered realms;Here, throneless and forlorn.He wandered through the faithless world,A Prince in shepherd guise;He called his scattered flock, but fewThe Voice did recognize;For minds upborne by hollow pride,Or dimmed by sordid lust,Ne'er look for kings in beggar's garb,For diamonds in the dust.Wept he above a city doomed,Her temple, walls, and towers,O'er palaces where recreant priestsUsurped unhallowed powers."I am the Way, the Life, the Light!"Alas! 'twas heeded not.Ignored—nay, mocked; God scorned by man!And spurned the truth he taught.O bane of damning unbelief!When, when till now, so rife?Thou stumbling stone, thou barrier 'thwartThe gates of endless life!O love of self, and Mammon's lust,Twin portals to despair,Where bigotry, the blinded bat,Flaps through the midnight air!Through these, gloom-wrapt Gethsemane!Thy glens of guilty shadeGrieved o'er the sinless Son of God,By gold-bought kiss betrayed;Beheld him unresisting dragged,Forsaken, friendless, lone,To halls where dark-browed hatred satOn judgment's lofty throne.As sheep before his shearers, dumb,Those patient lips were mute;The clamorous charge of taunting tonguesHe deigned not to dispute.They smote with cruel palm a faceWhich felt yet bore the sting;Then crowned with thorns his quivering brow,And, mocking, hailed him "King!"Transfixt he hung—O crime of crimes!—The God whom worlds adore."Father forgive them!" Drained the dregs;Immanuel—no more.No more where thunders shook the earth,Where lightnings tore the gloom,Saw that unconquered Spirit spurnThe shackles of the tomb.Far-flaming light, a sword of might,A falchion from its sheath,It cleft the realms of darkness, andDissolved the bands of Death;Hell's dungeons burst, wide open swungThe everlasting bars,Whereby the ransomed soul shall winThose Heights beyond the Stars.—("Elias," Canto Three, Part One.)
A stranger Star that came from farTo fling its silver rayWhere, cradled in a lowly cave,A lowlier Infant lay;And led by soft sidereal light,The Orient sages bringRare gifts of gold and frankincense,To greet the homeless King.
O wondrous grace! Will Gods go downThus low that men may rise?Imprisoned here the Mighty One,Who reigned in yonder skies?Hark to that chime!—What tongue sublimeNow tells the hour of noon?O dying world, art welcomingLife's life—Light's sun and moon?
Proclaim him, prophet harbinger!Make plain the Mightier's way,Thou sharer of his martyrdom!Elias? Yea and Nay.The crescent Moon, that knew the SunEre Stars had learned to shine;The waning Moon, that bathed in bloodEre sank the Sun divine.
"Glory to God, good will to man!—Peace, peace!" triumphal tone.Why peace? Is discord then no more?Are Earth and Heaven as one?Peace to the soul that serveth him,The Monarch manger-born;There, ruler of unnumbered realms;Here, throneless and forlorn.
He wandered through the faithless world,A Prince in shepherd guise;He called his scattered flock, but fewThe Voice did recognize;For minds upborne by hollow pride,Or dimmed by sordid lust,Ne'er look for kings in beggar's garb,For diamonds in the dust.
Wept he above a city doomed,Her temple, walls, and towers,O'er palaces where recreant priestsUsurped unhallowed powers."I am the Way, the Life, the Light!"Alas! 'twas heeded not.Ignored—nay, mocked; God scorned by man!And spurned the truth he taught.
O bane of damning unbelief!When, when till now, so rife?Thou stumbling stone, thou barrier 'thwartThe gates of endless life!O love of self, and Mammon's lust,Twin portals to despair,Where bigotry, the blinded bat,Flaps through the midnight air!
Through these, gloom-wrapt Gethsemane!Thy glens of guilty shadeGrieved o'er the sinless Son of God,By gold-bought kiss betrayed;Beheld him unresisting dragged,Forsaken, friendless, lone,To halls where dark-browed hatred satOn judgment's lofty throne.
As sheep before his shearers, dumb,Those patient lips were mute;The clamorous charge of taunting tonguesHe deigned not to dispute.They smote with cruel palm a faceWhich felt yet bore the sting;Then crowned with thorns his quivering brow,And, mocking, hailed him "King!
"Transfixt he hung—O crime of crimes!—The God whom worlds adore."Father forgive them!" Drained the dregs;Immanuel—no more.No more where thunders shook the earth,Where lightnings tore the gloom,Saw that unconquered Spirit spurnThe shackles of the tomb.
Far-flaming light, a sword of might,A falchion from its sheath,It cleft the realms of darkness, andDissolved the bands of Death;Hell's dungeons burst, wide open swungThe everlasting bars,Whereby the ransomed soul shall winThose Heights beyond the Stars.—("Elias," Canto Three, Part One.)
The Consummation.—It was finished!—not the work of the Lord, nor the revelation of his word and will to man; but the sacrifice, the immolation of the Spotless One, whose acceptable offering, the ransom of a lost creation, made it possible for redeemed humanity, by faith and good works, to lay hold upon eternal life, the greatest gift that Divinity can bestow.
Commission of the Twelve Apostles.—"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
"And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
"They shall take up serpents: and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."—(Mark 16:15-18.)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."—(Matt. 28:18-20.)
Such was the commission given by the Savior to the chosen Twelve, after his resurrection, and prior to his ascension into heaven.
Knowledge and Belief.—The Twelve Apostles were the special witnesses of the risen Redeemer. They knew that he had risen, for they had seen and heard him. They had even been permitted to feel of him, that they might know beyond all question that he was indeed the Resurrection and the Life. This was their privilege, but not the privilege of all men. The world at large was required to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that salvation might come to them; they were to believe what the apostles told them regarding his resurrection, and the principles he had taught. They were to receive in faith from his servants the message he had commanded them to deliver.
The Case of Thomas.—Thomas, one of the Twelve, believed because he had seen (John 20:29) and as a special witness, he had the right to see, in order that he might know, not merely believe, whereof he and his brethren testified. "But blessed are they," said the Savior, "who have believed and have not seen." Why? For the reason, no doubt, that this life was instituted for the exercise of faith. Mortal man must "walk by faith." "The just shall live by faith," reaching after God, as a flower after the sunlight. Exercise of faith brings spiritual development—a factor, and the most important one, in man's eternal progress. Knowledge swallows up faith, removing the opportunity for its exercise, thus hindering the process of advancement. Therefore, until faith shall have done its perfect work, it is better to believe than to know. Premature knowledge is fatal to joy, and fetters progress.
A Message Simple and Sublime.—Obedient to their Lord's behest, the apostles and their fellow laborers, having been endued with power from on high (Acts 2), went forth to preach the gospel to every creature. "Christ and him crucified," was the slogan they sounded; faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the principles they proclaimed. A simple message, plain enough for a child to comprehend. And behold in this one proof of its divinity! Christ died for all men, and his gospel is for all men, not merely for a clique, a cult, a school, or a coterie, learned or otherwise. It had to be plain, that the common people might understand it, that the poor and lowly, as well as the high and mighty, might be attracted to it, and be saved by it. It is at once simple and sublime, capable of making men godlike, and of lifting them to the highest heaven, if they will receive it and live it "as a little child."
On Both Hemispheres.—The plan of salvation was proclaimed, and the Church of Christ organized, on both hemispheres; the risen Savior, after confirming the faith of his Jewish disciples, visiting the Nephites for a similar purpose, and departing thence to pay like visits to other branches of the house of Israel, whose whereabouts were as unknown to the descendants of Lehi as was the existence of the latter to their brethren in and around Jerusalem.—(III Ne. 15, 16.)
Unto His Own.—Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world, but not to every people in the world are vouchsafed his personal ministrations. The God of Israel "came unto his own"—that is, unto the house of Israel, and through Israel he ministers for the salvation of mankind. That is why he appeared to the Jews, to the Nephites, and to the "other sheep" not of those folds; while the Gentiles were visited by the Holy Ghost, which the Son of God had promised to his disciples, and which came, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, after he had re-ascended into heaven.
The Lord's Supper.—Both in Judea and in the Land Bountiful, the Savior instituted, among those who had received his gospel, the Lord's Supper, superseding the Passover, as a memorial of his sacrifice, once prospective, now retrospective, once a prophecy, and now a fulfilment. It was while eating the Passover, just before his crucifixion, that Jesus instituted the Supper. Concerning this incident the New Testament says:
"As they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."—(Matthew 26:26-28.)
The institution of the Sacrament among the Nephites, unlike its institution among the Jews, was after the Redeemer's resurrection. It is thus described in the Book of Mormon:
"And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him.
"And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth.
"And when the disciples had come with bread and wine, he took of the bread, and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples, and commanded that they should eat.
"And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.
"And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples, behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread, and bless it, and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.
"And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread, and blessed it, and gave it unto you.
"And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shewn unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father, that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me, ye shall have my Spirit to be with you."—(III Ne. 18:1-7.)
"The Real Presence."—Uninspired "private interpretation" has maintained, and still maintains, that when Jesus said, "Eat, this is my body; drink, this is my blood," he intended his words to be taken literally; and from this has sprung the doctrine of transubstantiation, with its twin heresy, consubstantiation, the former a Roman Catholic, the latter an unorthodox Protestant, tenet relating to the Eucharist. Men and women have been condemned as heretics, and put to death, in ages past, for denying "the real presence"—the actual flesh and blood of Christ—in the elements of the Lord's Supper.
Figurative, not Literal.—But no Latter-day Saint need go astray as pertaining to this matter; for the Spirit that inspired the writing of the Scriptures is present in the Church of Christ to interpret them; and by that Spirit, the source of all divine revelation, we know that the language of Jesus, when he instituted the Lord's Supper at Jerusalem, was not literal, but figurative. When he said, of the bread and wine, This is my body and my blood, he simply meant, These are the emblems of my body and my blood.
To Illustrate.—In elucidation of this subject, I have known the following comparison to be used. Suppose one were to go into an art gallery, and the attendant in charge, pointing to a statue of Julius Caesar, should remark, This is Caesar; or, indicating a portrait of George Washington, should say, That is Washington; would the visitor be apt to conclude that Caesar and Washington were actually there before him? Would he be under any obligation to think so, even if a priest were to tell him it was true? Instead of that, would he not infer, and would it not be his right and duty to maintain, if need be, that the statue and the painting were merely representations of those august personages? Then why strain the simple metaphor, "This is my body," in an ineffectual attempt to make it mean more or less than the Savior intended it should mean?
Water Instead of Wine.—In ancient days wine was used in the Sacrament, though some of the early Christians used water instead. The Savior authorized the use of wine, both among the Jews and among the Nephites. But the Latter-day Saints have been commanded of God not to use wine under present conditions; water is used instead.
"It mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins;
"Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink, of your enemies;
"Wherefore, you shall partake of none, except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
"Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth."—(D. and C. 27:2-5.)
Meanwhile the use of water, and the disuse of wine, must continue, until the change predicted in this revelation shall have been divinely ordered; for that is the law governing the Latter-day Saints in this matter—not the law given to other peoples in former dispensations.
Signs of the Second Coming.—Jesus prophesied to the Nephites, as he had prophesied to the Jews, concerning the last days and the signs of his second coming. Those who would be wise upon this subject, or who desire to refresh their memories in relation thereto, should read the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, especially Joseph Smith's rendering, as it appears in the Pearl of Great Price. Read also the fifteenth, sixteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first chapters of Third Nephi.
Consecration.—The Savior having ascended into heaven, his servants, bearing the priesthood, and filled with the Holy Ghost, carried forward the mighty work he had inaugurated. The Gospel was preached, and the Church built up, as he had commanded, upon both hemispheres. Among Jews and among Nephites was introduced and practiced the law of consecration, the permanent establishment of which, in the days of Enoch, had resulted so gloriously. The Jewish record tells us:
"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. * * *
"Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
"And laid them down at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."—(Acts 4: 32, 34, 35).
The Book of Mormon thus testifies:
"And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another;
"And they had all things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift."—(IV Ne. 1:2, 3.)
The Apostasy.—Then came the universal apostasy—a departure from the pure, primitive faith, as general and as worldwide as the known promulgation of its principles; and the Gospel and the Priesthood were taken back to heaven, to await the decreed time of their final restoration. This apostasy, foretold by Paul and other apostles, is represented symbolically in the Revelation of St. John, the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of which are particularly pertinent in this connection.
Dawn of the Last Dispensation
THE MESSENGER OF MORN.
Wake, slumbering world! Vain dreamer, dream no more!The shadows lift, and o'er night's dusky beachRipple the white waves of morn. Awake! Arise!Ocean of dispensations—rivers, rills,Roll to your source! End, to thine origin!And Israel, to the rock whence ye were hewn!For He that scattered, gathereth his flock,His ancient flock, and plants their pilgrim feetOn Joseph's mountain top and Judah's plains;Recalls the Children of the CovenantFrom long dispersion o'er the Gentile world,Mingling their spirits with the mystic seaWhich sent them forth as freshening showers to saveThe parched and withered wastes of unbelief.Japheth! thy planet pales, it sinks, it sets;Henceforth 't is Jacob's star must rise and reign.* * * * * * * * *Time, mighty daughter of Eternity!Mother of centuries—seventy, seven-crowned!Assemble now thy children at thy side,And ere thou diest teach them to be one.Link to its link rebind the broken chainOf dispensations, glories, keys, and powers,From Adam's fall unto Messiah's reign;A thousand years of rest, a day with God,While Shiloh reigns and Kolob once revolves!Six days thou, Earth, hast labored; and the seventh,Thy Sabbath, comes apace!—Night's sceptre wanes,And in the East the silvery MessengerGives silent token of the golden dawn.* * * * * * * * *A living Prophet unto dying Time,Heralding the Dispensation of the End,When Christ once more his vineyard comes to prune,When potent weak confound the puny strong,Threshing the nations by the Spirit's power,Rending the kingdoms with a word of flame;That here the Father's work may crown the Son's,And Earth be joined a holy bride to Heaven,A queen 'mid queens, crowned, throned, and glorified.Wherefore a Noble of the Skies came down,In strength divine, a stirring role to playIn Time's tense tragedy, whose acts are seven.His part to fell the false, replant the true,To clear away the debris of the past,The ashes of its dead and dying creeds,And kindle newly on earth's ancient shrineThe Light that points to Life unerringly;Crowning what has been with what now must be,A mighty still bespeaking Mightier.Earth rose from wintry sleep, baptized and cleansed,And on her tranquil brow, that seemed to feelThe holy and confirming hand of Heaven,The warm light in a wealth of glory streamed;Nature's great floor green-carpeting anewFor some glad change, some joyful happening,Told in the countless carolling of birds,Gilding the foliage, brightening the flowers,Mirroring mingled hues of earth and sky.Glad happening, in sooth, for ne'er before,Since burst the heavens when Judah's star-lit hillsHeard angel choristers peal joy's refrainAbove the mangered Babe of Bethlehem,Had earth such scene beheld, as now withinThe bosom of a sylvan solitude,Hard by the borders of a humble home,Upon that fair and fateful morn was played.Players, immortal Twain, and mortal one,Standing but fourteen steps upon life's stair;Boy and yet man, thinker of thoughts profound,Boy and yet man, dreamer of lofty dreams.Not solemn, save betimes, when hovered nearSome winged inspiration from far worlds,Some great idea's all-subduing spell;Not melancholy—mirthful, loving life,And brimming o'er with health and wholesome glee.A stalwart spirit in a sturdy frame,Maturing unto future mightiness.Bowing to God, yet bending to no creed,Adoring not a loveless deity,That saved or damned regardless of desert,Ne'er reckoning the good or evil done;Loving and worshiping the God of love,The gracious God of reason and of right,Long-suffering and just and merciful,Meting to every work fit recompense,Yet giving more, far more, than merit's claim;Bowing to Him, but not to man-made gods,And shunning shameful strife where peace should dwell,He holds aloof from those degenerate sects,Bewildering Babel of conflicting creeds,And pondering the apostolic line,"Let any lacking wisdom, wisdom ask,"In childlike faith, godlike humility,Resolves to prove the promise by the test.What pen can paint the marvel that befell?What tongue the wondrous miracle portray?Than theirs, the Vision's own, what voice proclaimWhose dual presence dimmed the noonday beam,Communing with him there, as friend with friend,And giving to that prayer reply of peace?Tell how, as Moses on the unknown Mount,From whom in rage fled baffled Lucifer,Who fain had guised him as the Son of God,And won the worship of that prophet pure;—Tell how with gloom he strove ere glory dawned,And black despair met bright deliverance.Tell how, in heart of that sweet solitude,Within the silent grove, sequestered shade,While spirit hosts unseen spectators stood,Watching the simple scene's sublimity,Eternity high converse held with Time.Time, parent of the hovering centuries,Mother of dispensations, travailing,And bringing forth her last and mightiest child;Heaven's awful Sire, through him both Sire and Son,There blazoning the beginning of the End.* * * * * * * * *"'Twas from below!" Thus Bigotry in rage."Nay, from above," Faith's simple, firm reply."No vision is there now—the time is past.""But I have seen," affirms the youthful Seer."God is a mystery, unknowable.""God is a man—I saw Him, talked with Him.""Man?" "Ay, of holiness—Exalted Man."A strife of words, of warring tongues, now waged,And weapons vied with words the truth to slay;Nor truth alone, but her brave oracle,A boy, by men, by neighborhoods, oppressed.The wrangling sects forgave—well nigh forgotTheir former feuds and fears and jealousies;And, joining hands, as Pilate Herod joined,One guilty day when God stood man-condemned,In friendly reconcilement's cordial clasp,They doomed to death and hell "this heresy."None sought, from "Satan's wile," a soul's reclaim,But all were bent his humble name to blast;And pious, would-be murder led the vanOf common hatred and hostility.But Truth, thou mother of the living thought,The deathless word, the everduring deed!What puny hand thy giant arm can stay?When crushed, or backward held, thine hour beyond?Can bigot frown or tyrant fetter quellThy high revolt, O light omnipotent!When God would speak with man, who tells him nay?Can hell prevent, when heaven and earth would join?Still through his soul the solemn warning rang;Still from his mouth the startling message flamed:"No church the Christ's! None, therefore, can I join.All sects and creeds have wandered from the way.Priestcraft, in lieu of Priesthood, sits enthroned,Dead forms deny the power of godliness.Men worship with their lips, their hearts afar.None serve acceptably in sight of heaven.Wherefore a work of wonder shall be wrought,And perish all the wisdom of the wise."—("Elias," Canto V.)
Wake, slumbering world! Vain dreamer, dream no more!The shadows lift, and o'er night's dusky beachRipple the white waves of morn. Awake! Arise!
Ocean of dispensations—rivers, rills,Roll to your source! End, to thine origin!And Israel, to the rock whence ye were hewn!For He that scattered, gathereth his flock,His ancient flock, and plants their pilgrim feetOn Joseph's mountain top and Judah's plains;Recalls the Children of the CovenantFrom long dispersion o'er the Gentile world,Mingling their spirits with the mystic seaWhich sent them forth as freshening showers to saveThe parched and withered wastes of unbelief.Japheth! thy planet pales, it sinks, it sets;Henceforth 't is Jacob's star must rise and reign.
* * * * * * * * *
Time, mighty daughter of Eternity!Mother of centuries—seventy, seven-crowned!Assemble now thy children at thy side,And ere thou diest teach them to be one.Link to its link rebind the broken chainOf dispensations, glories, keys, and powers,From Adam's fall unto Messiah's reign;A thousand years of rest, a day with God,While Shiloh reigns and Kolob once revolves!
Six days thou, Earth, hast labored; and the seventh,Thy Sabbath, comes apace!—Night's sceptre wanes,And in the East the silvery MessengerGives silent token of the golden dawn.
* * * * * * * * *
A living Prophet unto dying Time,Heralding the Dispensation of the End,When Christ once more his vineyard comes to prune,When potent weak confound the puny strong,Threshing the nations by the Spirit's power,Rending the kingdoms with a word of flame;That here the Father's work may crown the Son's,And Earth be joined a holy bride to Heaven,A queen 'mid queens, crowned, throned, and glorified.
Wherefore a Noble of the Skies came down,In strength divine, a stirring role to playIn Time's tense tragedy, whose acts are seven.
His part to fell the false, replant the true,To clear away the debris of the past,The ashes of its dead and dying creeds,And kindle newly on earth's ancient shrineThe Light that points to Life unerringly;Crowning what has been with what now must be,A mighty still bespeaking Mightier.
Earth rose from wintry sleep, baptized and cleansed,And on her tranquil brow, that seemed to feelThe holy and confirming hand of Heaven,The warm light in a wealth of glory streamed;
Nature's great floor green-carpeting anewFor some glad change, some joyful happening,Told in the countless carolling of birds,Gilding the foliage, brightening the flowers,Mirroring mingled hues of earth and sky.
Glad happening, in sooth, for ne'er before,Since burst the heavens when Judah's star-lit hillsHeard angel choristers peal joy's refrainAbove the mangered Babe of Bethlehem,Had earth such scene beheld, as now withinThe bosom of a sylvan solitude,Hard by the borders of a humble home,Upon that fair and fateful morn was played.
Players, immortal Twain, and mortal one,Standing but fourteen steps upon life's stair;Boy and yet man, thinker of thoughts profound,Boy and yet man, dreamer of lofty dreams.Not solemn, save betimes, when hovered nearSome winged inspiration from far worlds,Some great idea's all-subduing spell;Not melancholy—mirthful, loving life,And brimming o'er with health and wholesome glee.A stalwart spirit in a sturdy frame,Maturing unto future mightiness.
Bowing to God, yet bending to no creed,Adoring not a loveless deity,That saved or damned regardless of desert,Ne'er reckoning the good or evil done;Loving and worshiping the God of love,The gracious God of reason and of right,Long-suffering and just and merciful,Meting to every work fit recompense,Yet giving more, far more, than merit's claim;Bowing to Him, but not to man-made gods,And shunning shameful strife where peace should dwell,He holds aloof from those degenerate sects,Bewildering Babel of conflicting creeds,And pondering the apostolic line,"Let any lacking wisdom, wisdom ask,"In childlike faith, godlike humility,Resolves to prove the promise by the test.
What pen can paint the marvel that befell?What tongue the wondrous miracle portray?Than theirs, the Vision's own, what voice proclaimWhose dual presence dimmed the noonday beam,Communing with him there, as friend with friend,And giving to that prayer reply of peace?
Tell how, as Moses on the unknown Mount,From whom in rage fled baffled Lucifer,Who fain had guised him as the Son of God,And won the worship of that prophet pure;—Tell how with gloom he strove ere glory dawned,And black despair met bright deliverance.Tell how, in heart of that sweet solitude,Within the silent grove, sequestered shade,While spirit hosts unseen spectators stood,Watching the simple scene's sublimity,Eternity high converse held with Time.
Time, parent of the hovering centuries,Mother of dispensations, travailing,And bringing forth her last and mightiest child;Heaven's awful Sire, through him both Sire and Son,There blazoning the beginning of the End.
* * * * * * * * *
"'Twas from below!" Thus Bigotry in rage."Nay, from above," Faith's simple, firm reply."No vision is there now—the time is past.""But I have seen," affirms the youthful Seer."God is a mystery, unknowable.""God is a man—I saw Him, talked with Him.""Man?" "Ay, of holiness—Exalted Man."
A strife of words, of warring tongues, now waged,And weapons vied with words the truth to slay;Nor truth alone, but her brave oracle,A boy, by men, by neighborhoods, oppressed.The wrangling sects forgave—well nigh forgotTheir former feuds and fears and jealousies;And, joining hands, as Pilate Herod joined,One guilty day when God stood man-condemned,
In friendly reconcilement's cordial clasp,They doomed to death and hell "this heresy."None sought, from "Satan's wile," a soul's reclaim,But all were bent his humble name to blast;And pious, would-be murder led the vanOf common hatred and hostility.
But Truth, thou mother of the living thought,The deathless word, the everduring deed!What puny hand thy giant arm can stay?When crushed, or backward held, thine hour beyond?Can bigot frown or tyrant fetter quellThy high revolt, O light omnipotent!When God would speak with man, who tells him nay?Can hell prevent, when heaven and earth would join?
Still through his soul the solemn warning rang;Still from his mouth the startling message flamed:"No church the Christ's! None, therefore, can I join.All sects and creeds have wandered from the way.Priestcraft, in lieu of Priesthood, sits enthroned,Dead forms deny the power of godliness.Men worship with their lips, their hearts afar.None serve acceptably in sight of heaven.Wherefore a work of wonder shall be wrought,And perish all the wisdom of the wise."—("Elias," Canto V.)
A Decreed Consummation.—The Gospel dispensation introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith was rendered necessary by the apostasy of the Christian world from the ancient Faith, as delivered to the Saints in the Meridian of Time. Nevertheless, according to the foreknowledge of God, and in consonance with his all-wise purposes, this great, all-comprehending dispensation had been preordained from the beginning, as the "winding up scene," or final development, in the divine plan, having for its object the salvation of the sons and daughters of Adam.
"It is necessary, in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times; which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories, should take place and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time; and not only this, but 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. and C. 128:18.)
Joseph Smith's Work.—So wrote the Prophet, in the month of September, 1842, less than two years prior to his martyrdom. He had looked upon the face of God, as did Enoch, Moses, and other seers, in times of old. He had communed with angels, and received the Everlasting Gospel, as taught in the Book of Mormon, as well as in the Bible and in other ancient records of God's dealings with man. Empowered by the Priesthood, he had organized, after the heavenly pattern, the Church of Christ, the forerunner of the Kingdom never to be thrown down nor given to another people. He had gazed upon the glories of eternity, and portrayed in burning eloquence the final destiny of the human race, setting forth at the same time the conditions of salvation and exaltation in worlds to come. He had preached, and caused to be promulgated, in the two greatest nations of modern times, the United States and Great Britain, the Gospel message, for the gathering of Israel, the redemption of Zion, the building of the New Jerusalem, and the preparation of a people to greet the coming of the Lord. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." So declared the Savior of mankind. "Zion is the pure in heart," said Joseph Smith—"every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God." He had written concerning the ultimate goal of all righteous endeavor:
"This is why Adam blessed his posterity; he wanted to bring them into the presence of God. * * * Moses sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not. In the first ages of the world they tried to establish the same thing; and there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore these very glories, but did not obtain them; but they prophesied of a day when this glory would be revealed. Paul spoke of the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God would gather together all things in one, etc.; and those men to whom these keys have been given, will have to be there; and they without us cannot be made perfect. * * * All these authoritative characters will come down and join hand in hand in bringing about this work."—("History of the Church," Vol. III, pp. 388, 389.)
Keys Committed.—Already, when the Prophet wrote those words, had this phase of the Latter-day work begun; he having received, under the hands of heavenly messengers, the keys held by them as presiding authorities over past dispensations. The following record of visions manifested to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, in the Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836, tells its own wonderful story:
"The vail was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.
"We saw the Lord standing upon the breast work of the pulpit, before us, and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold in color like amber.
"His eyes were as a flame of fire, the hair of his head was white like the pure snow, his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun, and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying—
"I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain, I am your advocate with the Father.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us, and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
"After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying, that in us, and our seed, all generations after us should be blessed.
"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said—
"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come,
"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse.
"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors."—(D. and C. 110:1-4, 11-16.)
Elijah's Mission.—"Why send Elijah?" asks the Prophet, and he answers his own question thus: "Because he holds the keys of the authority to administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without the authority is given, the ordinances could not be administered in righteousness." In the same connection he informs us that "Elijah was the last prophet who held the keys of the Priesthood."—("History of the Church," Vol. IV, p. 211.)
Salvation for the Dead.—The mission of Elijah—the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, to the end that past and present might be bound together, and the dead as well as the living saved and glorified, was the all-engrossing thought in the mind of the Prophet, as his last day on earth drew near. From his place of retirement, during a period of trouble and persecution, he wrote thus to the Saints upon this all-important theme:
"Verily thus saith the Lord, let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"When any of you are baptized for your dead, let there be a recorder, and let him be eye witness of your baptisms: let him hear with his ears, that he may testify of the truth, saith the Lord.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"You may think this order of things to be very particular, but let me tell you, that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Whatsoever you record on earth, shall be recorded in heaven; and whatsoever you do not record on earth, shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by means of their own agents.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"To be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water, is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead, in coming forth out of their graves; hence this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.
"Consequently the baptismal font was instituted as a simile of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, * * * I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the Priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, viz., the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.'
"I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind or other, between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other, and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect."—(D. and C. 127, 128.)
A Gathering Dispensation.—The mission of the Everlasting Gospel in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times is the gathering together of all things in Christ—things in heaven, and things upon the earth; the consummation decreed concerning the sanctification and glorification of this planet. It is distinctively the day of gathering—the spiritual harvest—time of all the ages.
The Ensign Lifted.—The founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lifted the Ensign for the gathering of scattered Israel, a step preliminary to the mightier achievements that are to follow; and it devolved upon Joseph Smith, a lineal descendant of Joseph of old, to raise the standard and begin the work, particularly that portion of it affecting the fortunes of the children of Ephraim. For thus saith the Lord:
"I AM A FATHER UNTO ISRAEL, AND EPHRAIM IS MY FIRST BORN."
A Chosen People.
History and Destiny.—"He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock." In these words of Jeremiah the Prophet, are summarized the past and future, the history and destiny, of God's chosen people; a people from whom the Latter-day Saints claim lineal descent.
"Prince of God."—The name "Israel" means "Prince of God," and is first used in the Scriptures as the surname of Jacob, grandson of Abraham, and father of the twelve patriarchs, from whom sprang the twelve tribes of Israel. Returning from Padan-Aram, whither he had fled from the jealous wrath of his brother Esau, Jacob came to the ford Jabbok, where "there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." We are left to infer that Jacob believed this "man" to be God; for he "called the name of the place Peniel," saying, "I have seen God face to face."
"Let me go," demanded the heavenly visitant, "for the day breaketh."
"I will not let thee go," said Jacob, "except thou bless me."
The "man" then blessed him, and changed his name from Jacob to Israel, "for," said he, "as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."—(Genesis 32:28.)
Jacob's Blessing Confirmed.—Subsequently the name Israel was confirmed upon Jacob at Bethel, where the Lord appeared to him and blessed him, promising that a nation and a company of nations should be of him, and that kings should come out of his loins."—(Gen. 35:10, 11.)
The Father of the Faithful.—But while this was the origin of the name Israel, as applied to Jacob, it was not the origin of the race of which he was the titular head. It was the four wives of Jacob, with their twelve sons, that did "build the house of Israel;" but the foundation of that house had already been laid by Abraham, the Father of the Faithful Jehovah's promises to Jacob and to his father Isaac, concerning their posterity, were virtually repetitions of promises that had been made to their great ancestor. Those promises are couched in the following language of scripture:
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."—(Gen. 12:1-3.)
Definition of "Hebrew."—Abraham, or, as he was then called, Abram, was a dweller in Ur of the Chaldees, a city of Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers." One of these rivers was the Tigris, and the other the Euphrates. Abram had to cross the Euphrates in order to reach Canaan, the land that the Lord showed him. Because he came from beyond the Euphrates, he was called by the Canaanites a "Hebrew," which signifies "one from beyond the river." Some of the Jews, however, hold that the name Hebrew comes from Heber, or Eber, one of the ancestors of Abraham.
God's Promise to Abraham.—Mesopotamia was the fountainhead of idolatry in Western Asia. On that account, and because the Lord wished to raise up a people who would worship him, and him only, Abram was required to separate himself from his idolatrous surroundings. After his removal from Chaldea to Canaan, and the trial of his faith in the offering of Isaac, the Lord gave to him this promise:
"In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies:
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."—(Gen. 22:17, 18.)
Why was Abraham Blessed?—It will be observed that the blessing formerly pronounced,—"In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,"—is here expanded to: "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Before showing how this great promise was fulfiled, let us inquire into the cause or causes why it was made. Why was Abraham, with his seed, chosen for such a mission? What had he done to deserve it? For he must have done something: God rewards men according to their works, and not even an Abraham would have received from him an honor that was unmerited.
Some may suppose that the sacrifice involved in the offering of Isaac was the sole and sufficient reason; and it is proverbially true that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." But this promise was made to Abraham before he had offered Isaac, and was repeated and enlarged after the offering had been made. Others may hold that it was Abraham's fidelity to God among the idolatrous inhabitants of Chaldea, and his obedience to the divine behest to leave his country and kindred and migrate to another land, that caused him to be chosen. "Because thou hast obeyed my voice," is a reason assigned by the Almighty for his promise. Such acts were undoubtedly to Abraham's credit; but how could they be placed to the credit of his posterity?—not merely Isaac and Jacob, but the millions that were to "come of them." "In thee and in thy seed shall all the families or nations of the earth be blessed." His posterity, as well as himself, must have deserved well of the Lord in this connection.
The Problem Solved.—The patriarch himself helps us to a solution of the problem. In the Book of Abraham it is written:
"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."—(Abraham 3:22, 23.)
Noble and Great.—Here, then, is given the reason, the main reason, why Abraham was chosen; the time, also, when the divine choice was made. He was chosen before he was born, and it was because of his nobility and greatness—manifested, of course, by obedience, the only principle upon which blessings can come to anyone.
Pre-Mortal Judgment.—The intelligences shown unto Abraham were the pre-existent spirits of the human race, waiting for an earth to be made, that they might pass through a mortal probation; a step necessary to their further progress and development. They were to be rewarded according to their works—not only after this life, but in this life, at its very beginning. For rewards and punishments are not all deferred until the final judgment at the end of the world. There is a judgment passed upon the spirits of men before they are permitted to tabernacle in mortality. "Did this man sin, or his parents, that he was born blind?"—asked the disciples of the Savior, who had probably taught them the principle involved in the question—namely, the possibility of sinning in a former state of existence.
Sowing and Reaping.—"Whatsoever a man soweth," in this world or in any other, "that shall he also reap." Justice was not done away in Christ, who taught it, with emphasis, even while inculcating charity and mercy. "Vengeance is mine," saith the Lord, "I will repay." We are required to forgive all men, for our own sakes, since hatred retards spiritual growth; but all men must answer, just the same, for the deeds done in the body or out of it; justice and mercy each claiming its own. The principle of sowing and reaping is plainly taught in other passages of the Book of Abraham:
"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 for ever and ever."—(Abraham 3:24-26.)
First and Second Estates.—The "first estate," as already explained, means the pre-existence, in which the spirits of men "walked by sight;" while the "second estate" signifies life on earth, where these same spirits—"added upon" by being given mortal bodies, with opportunities for development, are required to "walk by faith," with their knowledge of the past temporarily obscured; a greater test of integrity, and one that results, to those who overcome, in a far more glorious reward than any previously bestowed.
Reward and Punishment.—In my opening theme, "The Story of God," it was shown how Lucifer and his legions rebelled over the choice of the Christ, and were cast down. Failing to keep their first estate, they could not be "added upon." This was their punishment—that they should not have bodies, by means of which spirits become souls, capable of eternal progression. All the rest—two-thirds of the population of the spirit world—were given bodies as a reward for keeping their first estate, and were promised a glorious resurrection after death, as a further reward, if they succeeded in keeping their second estate.
All Not Alike.—All who kept the first estate were added upon; but not all alike. The rewards were not the same in every case, though they were undoubtedly just and appropriate. Some of those "intelligences" were more deserving than others; some nobler and greater than others; and because of their superior merit and larger capacity, they were made "rulers" over the rest. And Abraham, "thou art one of them: thou wast chosen before thou wast born"—chosen to bear the priesthood, the divine right to rule, and to stand at the head of a dispensation, ministering in holy things for the salvation of mankind.
Such is "Mormonism's" presentation, in part, of the Abrahamic or Israelitish problem.
Original Excellence.—What had given Abraham his superior standing in the heavens? Had he always been noble and great? Was it an original or an acquired excellence, or both? That there is such a thing as original excellence, with different degrees of intelligence among pre-existent spirits, appears from the teachings in this very Book of Abraham—not only the passages cited, but others, in which the Lord is represented as saying:
"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. * * * 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 they all."—(Abraham 3:18, 19.)
"I Know Abraham."—Was it not Abraham's worthy conduct in a previous life that caused the Lord to say of him while in the flesh: "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him?"—(Gen. 18:19.) Who can doubt that the Father of the Faithful was one of the choice spirits whom Alma had in mind when he said concerning the priests whom "the Lord God ordained":
"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 exercised exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling."—(Alma 13:3.)
The Foreknowledge of God.—The authors and compilers of "The Compendium," Elders Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little, commenting upon these words of Alma, relative to the priests thus ordained, have this to say: "Their calling and preparation from the foundation of the world, was evidently based on their faith and good works previous to their being called, and not on the possibilities of their future good conduct." In other words, the foreknowledge of God has history as well as prophecy for a foundation.
Abraham Not Alone.—Abraham was not the only priest called and prepared in that manner. There were "many of the noble and great ones." Israel was "a kingdom of priests," "a holy nation," and as such must have been called and prepared even as was Abraham. We have seen that Jehovah, the God of Israel, "the great High Priest of our profession," was fore-ordained to be the Savior; and that his servant Jeremiah, before being formed in the flesh, was known to God in the spirit, and sanctified and ordained "a prophet unto the nations." Undoubtedly the same could be said of others, and Paul doubtless had them in mind when he wrote: "For whom he did fore-know, he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren."—(Romans 8:29.)
Princes and Servants.—If the name Israel means "prince of God," when applied to Jacob, may it not mean princes of God, when applied to his posterity? Jacob was told that kings should come out of his loins. And have they not come?—princes and priests and kings, the nobility of heaven, though not always recognized and honored upon the earth. The greatest among them was not recognized even by "his own;" for when he came unto them, they "received him not." The wise Solomon was never wiser than when he said: "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth" (Ecc. 10:7). Even the God of heaven, the mighty. Prince of Peace, walked unknown, unhonored, by his own servants, in the dust of his own footstool.
Degrees of Greatness.—There are degrees of greatness in heaven as upon earth, choice spirits and choicer. But all God's servants are noble. No position in the Church of Christ is insignificant. David was right in saying: "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." It is greater, infinitely greater, to hold the humblest office in the priesthood, than to reign, an alien from God, over all the kingdoms of the world.
Israel's Pre-existence.—In view of what the prophets have spoken, are we not justified in believing that the house of Israel was chosen in the heavens for the mission it had to perform, and is still performing, upon the earth? What other inference can be drawn from these words of Moses:
"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: * * *
"When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.—(Deut. 32:7-8.)
The period here mentioned, when the sons of Adam were separated, and the nations received their inheritance, evidently antedated by many generations the times of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Those events were probably much earlier, and certainly no later, than the days of Japheth, Shem, and Ham, by whose families the nations were "divided in the earth after the flood" (Gen. 10:32). It looks very much as if Moses, when he wrote those words, had in mind, not a temporal Israel, unborn at the early period indicated, but a spiritual Israel, according to whose numbers, known in the heavens before they had taken bodies upon the earth, the boundaries of "the people" were determined.