A MARVEL AND A WONDER.
The Wisdom That Perishes.
The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.—Isaiah 29:14.
The Wise and Prudent.—Most strikingly have these prophetic words been realized by "Mormonism," in its relations to the lofty and the learned who have endeavored in a worldly way and by means of human wisdom, to account for and dispose of it. Strange it is that men and women, intelligent, educated and profound, do not see in this great religious phenomenon something more than a topic to be treated lightly, or in a spirit of harshness and intolerance. Giants in intellect as to other themes, when they deal with the doctrines, aims and attitude of the Latter-day Saints, they seem suddenly changed into dwarfs, mere children, as powerless to cope with the mighty problem as were the learned Rabbis in the Temple with the youthful and divine Son of God.
Especially is this the case when they approach the question in a captious mood, determined to find fault, to berate and ridicule, rather than to fairly investigate. They cannot analyze, cannot even grasp it, and appear incapable of forming any just or adequate conception regarding it. To reply to all the bitter assaults made upon my religion and my people would be impossible, even were it worth while. I shall not attempt the hopeless task. It will suffice my purpose to consider here some of the more temperate judgments passed upon the subject, giving to each such comment as may be deemed necessary.
A Catholic Opinion.—Many years ago there came to Utah a learned doctor of divinity, a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I became well acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy, and was never weary of displaying his vast erudition. One day he said to me: "You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on. If we are wrong, they are wrong with us, for they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we really have, as we claim, the apostolic succession from St. Peter, there was no need for Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the Gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the Gospel in latter days."
My reply was substantially as follows: "I agree with you, Doctor, in nearly all that you have said, but don't deceive yourself with the notion that we "Mormons" are not aware of the strength of our position. We are better aware of it than anyone else. We have not all been to college; we cannot all speak the dead languages; we may be 'ignoramuses,' as you say; but we know that we are right, and we know that you are wrong." I was just as frank with him as he had been with me.
An Episcopal View.—At a later period I conversed with another man of culture, a bishop of the Episcopal Church. He affirmed that if Joseph Smith, at the beginning, had become acquainted with that religious organization, he would have been content, and would have looked no further for spiritual light. "But," said the Bishop, "Joseph encountered the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and other sects; and their creeds failing to satisfy him, he sought elsewhere. Now the Episcopalians have an unbroken succession of authority all down the centuries, and if Joseph Smith had only formed their acquaintance, he would never have gone to the trouble of organizing another church."
A Psychological Notion.—Still another scholar, a student of psychology and an applicant for a doctor's degree at Yale University, presented, in a thesis forming the basis for the degree, the theory that Joseph Smith was an epileptic, and that this accounted for his mental attitude and marvelous assertions. That is to say, the Seer did not actually behold the wonderful manifestations described by him, but only imagined that he beheld them. A distinct departure, this, from the charge of conscious duplicity, usually flung at the founder of "Mormonism." He was sincere, then, however much mistaken, and was not guilty of intent to defraud. So far, so good. But in the mind of the author of this remarkable hypothesis, the magnificent organization of the "Mormon" Church, conceded by intelligent observers of all creeds and parties to be one of the most perfect systems of government in existence, to say nothing of its sublime doctrines, replete with poetry and philosophy, couched in logical and majestic phrasing—all this sprang from the diseased brain of a fourteen-year-old boy who had fallen in an epileptic fit! Self-evident absurdities need no argument. They have only to be stated, and they confute themselves.[1]
Learning's Lack of Knowledge.—And these are some of the views that learned men take of "Mormonism." With all their learning, they are not able to come to a knowledge of the Truth. They do not begin to dream of the greatness of God's work, the grandeur of Christ's cause. They comprehend but in part its real aims and attitude. Even the most conservative assume that Joseph Smith stumbled upon something of which he did not know the true value, and that it was sheer luck which gave to this religion its vantage ground, its recognized strength of position. Never was there a grosser error. There are concepts as much higher than these, as the heavens are higher than the earth. The "Mormons" are not the "ignoramuses," when it comes to a consideration of the Gospel's mighty themes.
Spiritual Illumination.—Yet it is not because of native "smartness"—not because the followers of Joseph Smith are brainier than other people, that they have a greater knowledge of God and are capable of loftier ideals in religion. It is because they have received, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, a perceptive power, a spiritual illumination, which the world, with all its learning, does not possess, and without which no man can comprehend Divinity or divine purposes. It cannot be had from books or schools. Colleges and universities cannot impart it. It comes only in one way—God's way, not man's. The Latter-day Saints possess it because they have bowed to the will of Heaven and rendered obedience to its laws, thus making themselves worthy of the inestimable boon. All men may have it upon precisely the same conditions.
Still Another Misconception.—My Episcopalian friend said to me on another occasion: "My main objection to Mormonism is its narrowness, its illiberality. You Mormons are not interested in anything going on outside of your own social and religious system. You are insulated, wrapped up in yourselves, you take no note of what other peoples are doing, and you give them no credit for the good they accomplish. For instance"—he went on—"the Bible is retranslated, with a view to making it plainer and more intelligible; but you attach no importance to work of that kind. Ancient ruins are uncovered, buried civilizations brought to light, mystical inscriptions on old-time obelisks deciphered and interpreted, in order to acquaint the present with the past; but you put no value upon such enterprise. Hospitals are founded; missions maintained; Christ's name is carried to the heathen; the Bible is published by millions of copies, and persistent efforts are made to place one in every home. But you take no account of these things; you do not commend such labors—you deem them all vain and of no worth."
Not Narrow and Illiberal.—The Bishop's remark surprised me. I was astonished that one so well informed in other ways could entertain such an opinion of the Latter-day Saints. There may be such a thing as a narrow "Mormon;" there may be such a thing as a narrow notion in the mind of some "Mormon;" but there never has been and never will be such a thing as a narrow "Mormonism." To those who know it best, it is a synonym for largeness and liberality, another name for all that is generous charitable and sublime.
Takes Note of All.—So far from ignoring what other peoples and other systems are doing, the typical "Mormon" takes careful note of all that happens; and the spirit of his religion, "the Spirit that searcheth all things," enables him to assign events and achievements to their proper place in the universal scheme. He appreciates and applauds every step in the march of progress. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." So says the Church in its Articles of Faith.
The Fruit of Falsehood.—How, then, do such gross misunderstandings arise? They spring from prejudice and faulty inference. They are the fruit of falsehood, and of that propensity in most people for allowing themselves to be influenced by a one-sided statement—too often by mere rumor and hearsay. Confounding principle with practice, they mistake the conduct and expressions of individuals connected with a cause, for the cause itself, its character, its spirit, and the ends at which it aims.
Translation and Discovery.—Contrary to my Christian friend's erroneous deduction, the Latter-day Saintsareinterested in the retranslation of the Scriptures. And why should they not be? Joseph Smith was a translator. Did he not translate the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham? We believe the Bible to be the word of God only so far as it has been translated correctly. Our Prophet also revised, by the Spirit of Revelation, the English version of the Hebrew Scriptures, making it in many respects more comprehensible, and at the same time restoring to it many "plain and precious things" that had been taken away.[2]Why should we not attach importance to work of that kind?
As for archaeological discoveries, we hail them with joy, especially those that throw any light upon the Book of Mormon, that silent witness "whispering from the dust"[3]of America's "buried civilizations."
Christian Endeavor and "Mormon" Propaganda.—Go on, good Christian brother! Build as many hospitals and found as many missions as you like. Spread the glad tidings over the world, and sound the Savior's name from pole to pole. You cannot blazon the fame of Jesus Christ too far or too widely to suit us. You cannot publish too many Bibles, nor place them in too many homes. Such enterprise makes the follow-up work of the "Mormon" missionary just that much less difficult. It virtually introduces the message that he comes to proclaim. The Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah are "one in the hand of Ephraim,"[4]Latter-day Israel, chosen and commissioned to prepare the way before Messiah's coming.
1. For further particulars of the epileptic theory, see Woodbridge Riley's book, "The Founder of Mormonism," and Robert C. Webb's admirable answer thereto in Chapter 26 of "The Real Mormonism."
2. Hist. Ch. Vol. 1, p. 132. 1 Nephi 13:35, 40.
3. Isa. 29:4.
4. Ezek. 37:16-19.
The God Story.
Greater than it Appears.—"Mormonism" is a much bigger thing than Catholic scholars or Episcopal bishops imagine. It is only a nickname for the Everlasting Gospel, restored to earth in the nineteenth century, that it might be preached "to every nation and kindred and tongue and people,"[1]as a warning to the world that the end of wickedness is nigh, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and that the Lord whom the righteous seek is about to "come suddenly to his Temple."[2]
The Antiquity of the Gospel.—The Gospel originated in the heavens before this earth was formed, and was revealed from God out of Eternity at the very beginning of Time. It was the means whereby our great ancestor, Adam, after his expulsion from Eden, regained the Divine Presence from which he had been banished; and it is the means whereby his posterity, such as are obedient to the Gospel's requirements, may follow him into the Celestial Kingdom. The same ladder that he climbed, until beyond the reach of the fatal consequences of his transgression, the whole human race, inheriting from him the effects of the fall, must also climb, or they will never see the face of God in eternal glory.
The Path to Perfection.—But the Gospel is more than a means of escape from impending ills. To all good Christians it is as a life-boat, or a fire-escape, a way out of a perilous situation. To the Latter-day Saints, it is all this and more. A divine plan for human progress, the foreordained Pathway to Perfection—such is Christ's Gospel, as revealed to and proclaimed by Joseph the Seer.
The Word Made Flesh.—The English word "Gospel" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "Godspell" or God-story—the Story of God. It derives its significance from that great central idea of the Christian faith, the coming of God as the Son of God to redeem and save mankind. "God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people; and because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be called the Son of God."[3]The fulfillment of this and similar foretellings is recorded in the opening verses of the Gospel according to St. John, referring to "The Word" that was in the beginning "with God"—the Word that "was God," and was "made flesh." In Him, as Paul affirms, "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."[4]
Basic Principles.—When we consider the Gospel, therefore, we should bear in mind that the term means something more than faith, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift (giving) of the Holy Ghost, with other rituals and requirements in the Church of Christ. We cannot separate "the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" from the basic principles upon which they rest-the mighty foundation stones of Sacrifice and Redemption, without which all this sacred legislation would be of no effect. Nor can the basic principles and powers that vitalize and make operative these laws and ordinances be dissociated from the idea of Eternal Progression, the great and paramount purpose for which the Gospel code was framed, the Gospel in its fulness instituted.[5]
The Complete Story.—The Gospel, in its fullest scope of meaning, signifies everything connected with the wondrous career of that Divine Being who was known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, but who was and is no other than Jehovah, the God of Israel, who "came unto his own," and was rejected by them, crucified at their instigation, and died to redeem the world.[6]The accounts given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are properly termed "gospels," for they are narratives of the personal ministry of our Lord. But they are only parts of the complete God-Story.[7]The Savior's life, death, resurrection and ascension, with the conditions prescribed by him upon which fallen man might profit further from his sacrifice for human redemption—these are all gospel features, but not the Gospel in its entirety. The full "Story" of the God who died that man might live, involves events both past and future, events pre-mortal and post-mortal, scenes in which He was chosen to play his mighty part in the great tragedy of human experience, and scenes yet to come in which He will make another and a more glorious appearing upon the stage of Time, enacting the illustrious role of King of Kings and reigning over the earth a thousand years.
Essentials to Eternal Progress.—Everything vitally connected with man's mortal pilgrimage was understood and arranged before that pilgrimage began. Earth's creation was but one of the pre-essentials.[8]The means of getting man down upon the earth, and the means of redeeming him from the fall, had also to be provided. The Gospel was instituted, and an Executor appointed to put it into effect; the machinery constructed, and the power then turned on. Eternal progress, endless exaltation, were the sublime objects in view, and over the glad prospect, despite the pain and sorrow that must necessarily intervene, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy."[9]
Elect of Elohim.—In the Eternal Councils, while the creation of "an earth" was in contemplation, the question arose as to who among the Sons of Deity should redeem man from the fall. Lucifer, "an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God," would fain have been selected for the mighty mission; but his scheme for human redemption was of a compulsory character, destructive of the free agency of man. Moreover, this "Son of the Morning" had become darkened to that degree that he demanded, in recompense for his proposed service, the honor and glory that belong only to the Highest.[10]Therefore was he rejected, and, rebelling, "was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, and was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him."[11]"And also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away . . . . because of their agency."[12]
The Chosen of the Father stood first among all the Sons of God.[13]He is the Father's first-begotten in the spirit, and his only-begotten in the flesh. To him was assigned the role of Earth's Redeemer. And while revelation is silent upon the subject, or not so specific in their cases, we have good reason to believe that the parts played by Adam and Eve and other "noble and great ones" in the mighty drama of Eternal Progression, were cast at the same time.[14]
The Perfect Plan.—The Gospel, Christ's perfect plan, unlike the defective scheme proposed by Lucifer, gives the right of choice between good and evil. It saves men, notintheir sins, butfromtheir sins—liberates them from spiritual darkness, the bondage of death and hell, and lifts them into the joy and freedom of light and life eternal. Hence that splendid phrase, that majestic synonym, used by the Apostle James in describing the Gospel—"The Perfect Law of Liberty."[15]
The Purpose Paramount.—The grand object in view when that great Law was instituted, is clearly, though briefly, outlined in the following passage from the writings of Joseph the Seer:
"The first principles of man are self-existent with God. . . Finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent (he) saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they may have one glory upon another."[16]
The Benevolence of Deity.—And thus is shown the benevolence as well as the power of Deity. Our Heavenly Father is no monopolist. Omnipotent and all-possessing, he is likewise altruistic, philanthropic. He employed his superior intelligence, which constitutes his glory,[17]to institute laws whereby the lesser spirits surrounding him might advance toward the lofty plane that he occupies. He proposed to lift them to his own spiritual stature, and share with them the empire of the universe.
Salvation and Exaltation.—The Gospel of Christ is termed by St. Paul "the power of God unto salvation."[18]Paul might have gone further, had he been so inclined, or had it been timely. He could have shown that the Gospel is also the power of God unto exaltation, a plan devised by omnipotent wisdom whereby the sons and daughters of Deity may advance from stage to stage of soul development, until they become like their heavenly parents, the Eternal Father and Mother, inheriting endless thrones and dominions and receiving "a fulness of joy."[19]
This is exaltation. It is more than salvation, being an extension of that idea or condition—salvation "added upon;" just as salvation is an extension of, or an addition to, the idea or condition of redemption. A soul may be redeemed—that is, raised from the dead—and yet be condemned at the Final Judgment for evil deeds done in the body. Likewise may a soul be saved, and yet come short of the glory that constitutes exaltation. To redeem, save and glorify, is the threefold mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Rev. 14:6.
2. Mal. 3:1.
3. Mosiah 15:1, 2; 3:5. The joyful intelligence of the advent of the World's Redeemer, proclaimed by angels to the shepherds on the Judean hills (Luke 2:10), furnishes another name for the Gospel—"good tidings," or, as otherwise rendered, "glad tidings of great joy."
4. Col. 2:9. Compare Ether 3:14, and Alma 11:38, 39.
5. All fulness is relative, as pertaining to the revealed word of God. There can be no absolute fulness with man until everything is made known to him. The fulness of the Gospel, as delivered to the Nephites and other ancient peoples, was not so complete as is the fulness enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints. Truth is always the same, but more of its principles have been revealed in modern times than at any previous period. And the end is not yet; for, as our Prophet declares: "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.) Such an outpouring of truth and light can come only to a people prepared for it. "When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I Cor. 13:10). Until then a comparative fulness, or all that the finite mind can contain of infinite wisdom, must suffice human aspiration and continue to be the lot even of the most enlightened.
6. D. and C. 110:1-4.
7. The book of Isaiah is sometimes called "the fifth gospel," it having so much to say about the coming Redeemer; and just as fittingly might the third book of Nephi be termed a "gospel," narrating as it does the risen Christ's personal ministrations to the descendants of Lehi.
8. Abr. 3:24.
9. Job 38:7.
10. Moses 4:1-4.
11. D. and C. 76:25, 26.
12. Ib. 29:36.
"Satan (it is possible) being opposed to the will of his Father, wished to avoid the responsibilities of this position. . . . . He probably intended to make men atone for their own acts by an act of coercion and the shedding of their own blood as an atonement for their sins."—"The Mediation and Atonement," by President John Taylor, pp. 96, 97.
13. Rom. 8:29.
14. Abr. 3:23; Jer. 1:5, Hist. Ch. Vol. 6, p. 364.
15. James 1:25.
16. "Times and Seasons," Aug. 15, 1844; "Improvement Era," Jan., 1909.
Our Prophet's simple yet sublime setting forth is far more pointed and specific than the presentment made by Plato of a doctrine somewhat similar. The Greek philosopher, as quoted by Emerson, says: "Let us declare the cause which led the Supreme Ordainer to produce and compose the universe. He was good; and he who is good has no kind of envy. Exempt from envy, he wished that all things should be as much as possible like himself. Whosoever, taught by wise men, shall admit this as the prime cause of the origin and foundation of the world, will be in the truth" ("Plato," Emerson's "Representative Men"). There is a fitness, a propriety, in man's becoming like his Maker—God's child, fashioned in his image and endowed with divine attributes, developing to the fulness of the parental stature, as taught by Joseph; but how the same can be predicated of "all things," as Plato implies, is not so clear. That the lower animals, and in fact all forms of life, are to be perpetuated and glorified, is more than an inference from the teachings of the Prophet (D. and C. 29:24, 25; 77:2-4). But undoubtedly all will retain their identity in their respective orders and spheres. No creature of God's excepting man can become like God in the fullest and highest sense.
17. D. and C. 93:36.
18. Rom. 1:16.
19. D. and C. 76:50-70; 93:33; Abr. 3:26.
The Great Vicissitudes.
Fall and Redemption.—The Fall of Man and the Redemption from the Fall, are the great vicissitudes of human experience. One is sequel to the other, and both are steps in the march of eternal progress. The Gospel, therefore, embraces the fall as well as the redemption. Both were essential, and both were preordained. The one prepared the way before the other. Had there been no fall, there could have been no redemption; for the simple reason that there would have been nothing to redeem.
The Creation.—Preliminary to the fall, came the creation. Earth, created as an abode and a place of probation for mortal man, was not made out of nothing, as human theology asserts, but out of previously existing materials, as divine revelation affirms. Millions of earths had been created in like manner before this planet rolled into existence.[1]
To create does not mean to make something out of nothing. Such a doctrine is neither scientific nor scriptural. Nothing remains nothing, of necessity; and no power, human or divine, can make it otherwise. Creation is organization, with materials at hand for the process. Joseph Smith's position upon this point, though combatted by doctors of divinity, is confirmed by the most advanced scientists and philosophers of modern times. The dogma that earth was made out of nothing is an attempt to glorify Deity by ascribing to him the power to perform the impossible—to do that which cannot be done. As if Deity could be glorified with anything of that sort, or had need of any such glorification. It is also an effort to escape from what many religious teachers consider a dilemma, the other horn of which would commit them to what they mistakenly deem a fallacy—namely, the eternity and self-existence of matter.[2]
Eternity of Matter.—"Mormonism" stands firm-footed upon this ground. It holds matter to be uncreateable, indestructible, without beginning or end, and consequently eternal.[3]As for modern science, here are a few of its most recent conclusions upon the point at issue. Says Herbert Spencer: "The doctrine that matter is indestructible has become a commonplace. All the apparent proofs that something can come out of nothing, a wider knowledge has one by one canceled" ("First Principles"). And John Fiske confirms him in saying: "It is now inconceivable that a particle of matter should either come into existence, or lapse into non-existence" ("Cosmic Philosophy"). Robert K. Duncan clinches the argument with the emphatic pronouncement: "We cannot create something out of nothing" ("New Knowledge").
Spirit and Element.—But Joseph Smith proclaimed it first. He declared the elements eternal;[4]and even went so far as to say: "All spirit is matter, but it is more fine and pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes."[5]Eternal spirit, eternal element, these are the "materials" out of which Earth was created—not only as a temporary abode for man, but as an eternal place of residence for the righteous.
The Value of a Body.—Man needed experience in mortality, in the midst of rudimental conditions, in order to acquire the experience that would fit him for spheres beyond. First, however, he needed a body, for purposes of increase and progression, both in time and eternity. The spirit without the body is incomplete; it cannot propagate, and it cannot go on to glory. "Spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fulness of joy; but when separated man cannot receive a fulness of joy."[6]It is a reasonable inference that our spirits advance as far as they can before they are given earthly bodies. Having received their bodies, they are in a position, by means of the Gospel and the powers of the Priesthood, to make further progress toward perfection. "We came to this earth," says Joseph Smith, "that we might have a body, and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body."[7]
Satan's Punishment.—The Prophet thus continues: "The Devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. . . All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not." The reason why Satan has no body is because he rebelled in the eternal councils when the Redeemer of the World was chosen. All who followed him shared a similar fate. Two thirds of the intelligences then populating the spirit world remained loyal, and as a reward for their fidelity were permitted to tabernacle in the flesh. One third, rebelling with Lucifer, were doomed with him to perdition. Pending their final fate, these unembodied fallen spirits are allowed to wander up and down the world, tempting and trying its human inhabitants, their evil activities being overruled in a way to subserve God's purpose in man's probation.
Placed in Eden.—Earth having been prepared for man, Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden—placed there to become mortal, that the Lord's purpose might be accomplished. The fall, though planned, was not compelled.[8]Man still had his agency, the right and power of choice.
Innocent in the Beginning.—The Great Creator, on the morning of creation, pronounced "good" all that He had made.[9]In perfect keeping with this, modern revelation declares that "every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning."[10]Consequently, had the spirits of men remained where they were before Adam fell, they would have had no need to exercise a saving faith, no need to repent or to be baptized, having no evil practices to turn from and no uncleanness to be washed away. But they would have remained ignorant as well as innocent—ignorant of things necessary to their further progress. Without the fall, they could have advanced no further, but would have remained as they were, "having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. . . . . Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."[11]
The Woman Beguiled.—When our First Parents partook of the forbidden fruit, it was the woman who was beguiled by the Serpent (Satan) and induced to go contrary to the divine command. The man was not deceived.[12]What Adam did was done knowingly and after full deliberation. When Eve had tasted of the fruit, Adam did likewise in order to carry out another command, the first that God had given to this pair—the command to "multiply and replenish the earth."[13]Eve, by her act, had separated herself from her husband, and was now mortal, while he remained in an immortal state. It was impossible, therefore, unless he also became mortal, for them to obey the original behest. This was Adam's motive. This was his predicament. He was facing a dilemma, and must make choice between two divine commands. He disobeyed in order to obey, retrieving, so far as he could, the situation resulting from his wife's disobedience. Fully aware of what would follow, he partook of the fruit of the inhibited tree, realizing that in no other way could he become the progenitor of the human race.
Adam and Abraham.—Perhaps some will see a parallel in Adam's case and Abraham's, each being directed to do a thing that could not be done unless a previous requirement were disregarded. Thus, Adam was warned not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree—the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; yet that was the only way for him to reach a condition where he would be able to "replenish the earth." Abraham was forbidden to slay his son, after being commanded to "offer" him.[14]But there was this important difference in the two cases. The second command to Abraham superseded the first—canceled it. Not so with Adam. In his case the later law left unrepealed the earlier enactment. Both commandments were in force; but Adam could not obey both. What was to be done? Why, just what was done—the wisest thing possible under the circumstances.
Malum Prohibitum.—Adam's transgression, though a sin, because of the broken law, should not be stressed as an act of moral turpitude. In human law, which is based upon divine law, there are two kinds of offenses in general, described in Latin terms asmalum per seandmalum prohibitum. Malum per semeans "an evil in itself," an act essentially wrong; whilemalum prohibitumsignifies "that which is wrong because forbidden by law." Adam's transgression wasmalum prohibitum; and the consequent descent from an immortal to a mortal condition, was the Fall.
A Cause For Rejoicing.—Adam and Eve, with their eyes open, rejoiced over what had befallen them,[15]evidently regarding it as part of a beneficent plan to people Earth and afford to a world of waiting spirits—the loyal two-thirds who "kept their first estate" when Lucifer fell—the long looked for opportunity of entering upon their "second estate" and beginning the great pilgrimage to perfection.
No License for Sin.—Let it not be supposed, however, that disobedience to divine requirements is or ever can be justifiable. On the contrary, obedience is the great law upon which all blessings are predicated.[16]What was done by our First Parents in an exceptional instance and for a special purpose, constitutes no license for men to commit sin. Adam and Eve, having obeyed God's command to "multiply and replenish," reaped the reward of their obedience. But they had to be punished for their disobedience in the matter of the forbidden fruit. "The wages of sin is death." The fall was necessary, but it had to be atoned for: it could not be justified. "The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." He can nullify its effects, however, and bring good out of evil. Redemption was also necessary, and the Atonement preordained; but this did not make the murder of the innocent Savior any the less heinous. The perpetrators of that deed were guilty of a crime—the crime of crimes—and their punishment was inevitable. Were it otherwise, God would not be just, and would therefore cease to be God.[17]
Fruits of the Fall.—The fall had a twofold direction—downward, yet forward. It brought man into the world and set his feet upon progression's highway. But it also brought death, with all its sad concomitants. Not such a death as the righteous now contemplate, and such as both righteous and unrighteous undergo, as a change preparatory to resurrection; but eternal death—death of the spirit as well as the body. There was no resurrection when Adam fell—not upon this planet.
The World in Pawn.—Hell had seemingly triumphed over man's—or rather over woman's weakness. It was as if the world had been put in pawn. Death was the pawnbroker, with a twofold claim upon all creation. Everything pertaining to Earth was in his grasp, and there was no help for it this side of Heaven. No part of what had been pledged could be used as the means of redemption. Adam could not redeem himself, great and mighty though he was, in the spirit; for he was no other than Michael the Archangel, leader of the heavenly host when Lucifer and his legions were overthrown. But that same puissant Michael was now a weak mortal man, under the penalty of a broken law, powerless to repair the ruin he had wrought. He and the race that was to spring from him were eternally lost, unless Omnipotence would intervene, and do for them what they could not do for themselves.
Where was Redemption?—Redemption must come, if at all, through some being great enough and powerful enough to make an infinite atonement; one completely covering the far-reaching effects of the original transgression. The scales of Eternal Justice, unbalanced by Adam's act, had to be repoised, and the equilibrium of right restored. Who could do this? Who was able to mend the broken law, bring good out of evil, mould failure into success, and "snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?" Where was the Moses for such an Exodus? Where the deliverance from this worse than Egyptian bondage—a bondage of which Egypt's slavery was typical?
The Price Paid.—The life of a God was the price of the world's freedom; and that price was paid by the God of Israel (Jesus on Earth, Jehovah in Heaven) who descended from his glorious throne, became mortal, and by submitting to death, broke the bands of death, and made it possible for man to go on to his eternal destiny. This spotless Lamb, the great Antitype of the Passover, gave himself as an offering for sin, and by the shedding of his own blood, paid the debt of the universe, took the world out of pawn, and became the Author of Salvation for all mankind. Christ's atonement, offsetting Adam's transgression, brought redemption from the fall, nullifying its evil results, conserving its good results, and making them effectual for man's eternal welfare.
"We Know in Part."—Why the Fall and the Redemption had to be, we, know in part, for God has revealed it. But we do not know all. That a divine law was broken, in order that "men might be;" and that reparation had to be made, in order that men "might have joy"—this much is known. But the great why and wherefore of it all is a deep that remains unfathomed. Why it was necessary to place Adam and Eve in a position so contradictory, where they were commanded not to do the very thing that had to be done—why the divine purpose had to be carried out in just that way, is one of those infinite problems that must remain to finite minds a mystery until the All-wise shall will to make it plain. Man cannot sit in judgment upon his Maker, nor measure by human standards divine dispensations. "All things have been done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things."
God's Greatest Gift.—The Fall, though essential to human progress, dug man's grave and opened the portal to Hades. Redemption unsealed the tomb and swung wide the gates to Endless Glory. Adam gave us mortal life. Eternal life, our greatest boon, is the gift of the Redeemer and Savior.
1. Moses 1:4, 38; 7:30.
2. The Reverend Baden Powell, of Oxford University, quoted in Kitto's "Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature," says: "The idea of 'creation,' as meaning absolutely 'making out of nothing,' or calling into existence that which did not exist before, in the strictest sense of the term, is not a doctrine of scripture; but it has been held by many on the grounds of natural theology, as enhancing the ideas we form of the divine power, and more especially since the contrary must imply the belief in the eternity and self-existence of matter."
3. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews asserts nothing to the contrary when he says: "Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb. 11:3). The "things" referred to ("the worlds" that were "framed by the word of God") had existed before, in other forms, invisible to mortal eye and intangible to human touch.
4. D. and C. 93:33.
5. D. and C. 131:7.
6. Ib. 93:33, 34.
7. "Compendium" p. 288; Hist. Ch. Vol. 5, p. 403.
8. Moses 3:17.
9. Gen. 1:31.
10. D. and C. 93:38.
11. 2 Nephi 2:22-25.
12. 1 Tim. 2:14.
13. Gen. 1:28.
14. Some commentators hold that Abraham misunderstood the Lord's command to "offer" Isaac, and that the second command, "lay not thine hand upon the lad," was given in explanation. That the Lord did not intend Isaac to be slain, is evidenced from what ensued; but that Abraham misunderstood the original behest does not follow. In order to make the sacrifice of "a broken heart and a contrite spirit," and merit the reward of his obedience, it was necessary that Abraham should interpret the command just as he did—as a commandment to slay. "The sacrifice required of Abraham in the offering of Isaac," says Joseph Smith, "shows that if a man would attain to the keys of the kingdom of an endless life, he must sacrifice all things" (Hist. Ch. Vol. 5, p. 555). This was the principle that Abraham was showing forth, and it must have involved a real and terrible trial of his faith.
15. Moses 5:10, 11.
16. D. and C. 130:20, 21.
17. The principle involved in this discussion, is tersely put in two lines of a well known hymn, frequently sung in the religious assemblies of the Latter-day Saints:
"Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven."
"Earth must atone for the blood of that man."
The Gospel Dispensations.
Only One Gospel.—There is but one Gospel. There never has been, and there never will be, another.[1]It is the Everlasting Gospel,[2]the same yesterday, today and forever. In order to comprehend it, one must not limit his survey of the subject to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—must not confine his calculations to any one Gospel dispensation. He must grasp the idea of a series of such dispensations, inter-related and connected, like the links of a mighty chain, extending from the morning of Creation down to the end of Time. "Mormonism" stands for the Gospel's restoration in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times; but that is not all. It stands for the Gospel itself inallthe dispensations, as those periods are termed during which God, from the beginning, has spoken to man and revealed from heaven these saving principles and powers.
For All Time and for All Men.—The Everlasting Gospel does not belie its name. It is not of any one time nor of any one place. Stretching from eternity to eternity, it encompasses past, present and future in its all-embracing fold. Neither is it for the benefit of any particular class, to the exclusion of other classes. It is for all men, and was made simple and plain that all might understand it, that its appeal might be universal. No creed comprehensible only to a few, no religion that mystifies the many, can by any possibility represent Him who died that the whole world might live. There is but one Savior, and but one Plan of Salvation; yet that Savior has many servants, saviors in a subordinate sense,[3]and His saving plan encompasses many truths, apportioned to the several branches of the human family, in measure large or small, according to their capacity to receive, and their ability to wisely use the knowledge meted out to them.
Sublimest Things are always the simplest. This is preeminently true of the Gospel—the simple, sublime Story of God. A child can comprehend it; and at the same time it is capable of taxing to the limit the powers of the highest human intellect. It is the profoundest system of philosophy that the world has ever known. All true principles of science are parts of it, broken-off fragments of this grand Rock of Ages—or, to change the figure, pools caught in the hollows and clefts of Time, when the great flood of Truth, during one or more of its earthly visitations, swept by on its way back to the Eternal Ocean. All that is precious and exalting in religion springs from this ancient source of divine wisdom and intelligence. Who knows not this, knows not the Gospel.
Why Man-Made Systems Endure.—Every form of faith that has benefited its believers, must have possessed at some time a portion of Divine Truth. That is what perpetuated it—not the errors associated therewith. These are as cobwebs and dust, the accumulated rubbish of false tradition, in which the jewel was wholly or in part hidden. Every creed, Christian or Pagan, that has proved a real blessing to its votaries, is as a cistern holding within it waters once wholesome and pure, waters that fell originally from Heaven in one of those grand spiritual showers called dispensations of the Gospel, when the flood-gates of Eternity were lifted, that the world might be refreshed.
God's Word Apportioned.—The Book of Mormon throws light upon this theme. A Nephite prophet says:
"Oh, that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people; . . . .
"But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. . . . .
"I know that he granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men according to their wills; whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
"Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
"Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
"Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
"For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have."[4]
Does that sound as if "Mormonism" takes no cognizance of what is going on in the outside world? How can any intelligent reader arise from a study of the "Mormon" faith, convinced that the Latter-day Saints are not interested in anything beyond the bounds of their own social and religious system? That one selection from the Book of Mormon suffices to refute the false notion.
Of Their Own Nation and Tongue.—All down the ages, men bearing the Priesthood, the authority to represent God, have officiated for him and ministered in behalf of mankind. And other good and great spirits, not holding that authority, but imbued with a desire to benefit and uplift their fellows, have been sent into different nations, to give them, not the fulness of the Gospel, but that measure of truth and light that they had the power to appreciate and put to worthy use.
Why came Socrates, Confucius,Zoroaster and Gautama?Why not Christ alone?Truth answers:Graded are the Master's teachings,Lest come wasteful overflowing,With a swifter condemnationFor indifference or rejection.Milk, not meat, for infant palates,Spirit babes, though mental giants,Unprepared for strong nutrition,Ministered by agents mightier.[5]
Why came Socrates, Confucius,Zoroaster and Gautama?Why not Christ alone?Truth answers:Graded are the Master's teachings,Lest come wasteful overflowing,With a swifter condemnationFor indifference or rejection.Milk, not meat, for infant palates,Spirit babes, though mental giants,Unprepared for strong nutrition,Ministered by agents mightier.[5]
The Arab and the Caliph.—But spirit waters, like the waters of earth, will lose their sweetness and purity, if separated too far or too long from their Fountain-head. They will become stagnant and unwholesome, like the drink carried by the poor Arab in his leathern bottle, from the sparkling spring in the desert to the distant palace of the Caliph, who magnanimously rewarded the giver, not for the rank draught presented for his acceptance, but for the goodness of his motive, the sincerity of his soul.
An Oft-restored Religion.—Man's proneness to depart from God and to mix with the clear precepts of divine truth his own muddy imaginings, has made necessary more than one restoration of the primal and pure religion. The Gospel of Christ did not make its first appearance upon this planet at the time of the Savior's crucifixion. While it seemed a new thing to that generation, who were "astonished at his doctrine," in reality it was older than all the ages, older than Earth itself. Originating in the heavens before this world was framed, it had been revealed to man in a series of dispensations, beginning with Adam and extending down to Christ.
The Book with Seven Seals.—Revelation is silent as to the number of the Gospel dispensations. But there are those—and the present writer is among them—who incline to the belief that seven is the correct figure; a belief partly founded upon the Scriptural or symbolical character of that number, and partly upon Joseph Smith's teachings relative to the seven great periods corresponding to the seven seals of the mystical book seen by John the Revelator in his vision on Patmos.[6]
The World's Hidden History.—According to the Prophet's exegesis, the book mentioned in the Apocalypse "contains the revealed will, mysteries and works of God—the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance or its temporal existence." Each thousand years is represented by one of the seals upon the book—the first seal containing "the things of the first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh."[7]The opening of these seals by the Lamb of God signifies, as I understand, the revealing of a Heaven-kept record of God's dealings with man upon this planet.[8]
Are They Dispensations?—These seven periods—millenniums—may or may not be Gospel dispensations, periods of religious enlightenment, during which the Plan of Salvation and the powers of the Priesthood have been among men, alternating with seasons of spiritual darkness. But whether or not they be so regarded, it is interesting to think of them as covering the same ground, paralleling those dispensations, or extending through the same vast stretch of duration, and dealing with events and epochs, principles and personages, connected therewith.
Symbolical and Prophetic.—Whatever their number, or the names by which they may be properly known, it is evident that the Gospel dispensations are inter-related and progressive, each preparing the way before its successor. Altogether, they represent God's special dealings with man, from the beginning down to the end of the world. They are also symbolical and prophetic, pointing forward to a great and wonderful Consummation, the long-heralded era of Restitution, when part will blend with perfect, when past dispensations will all be gathered into one—the Eternal Present, God's great Today, wherein is neither past nor future.[9]
1. Gal. 1:6-9.
2. Rev. 14:6.
3. Rev. 14:1, 4; D. and C. 77:11.
4. Alma 29:1-8.
5. "Love and the Light," pp. 74, 75
6. Rev. 5, 6, 8.
7. D. and C. 77:6, 7, 12.
8. Rev. 20:12.
9. Alma 40:8.