LESSON X.

The fact of Adam's repentance, however, is clearly set forth in the Book of Moses, and his acceptance of the whole scheme of salvation through the atonement of Christ.[A]

[Footnote A: See Book of Moses (P. of G. P.), Ch. v:4-16 and Ch. vi:48-68.]

3. The Atonement of Christ Foreshadowed in the Mosaic Sacrifices:It is very generally conceded that the sacrifices and oblations of the Mosaic ritual have a direct relationship to the great atoning sacrifice to be made by the Christ. From the ninth and tenth chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews it is evident that "the law" was "a shadow of good things to come;" the law's sacrifices for sin and reconciliation with God but figured forth the greater and more efficient sacrifice to be made by the Son of God; nay, whatever of virtue there was in the sacrifices of the law were dependent upon the great sacrifice to follow. Of themselves, the sacrifices of the law had no virtue at all unconnected with the sacrifice to be made by the Christ;[A]they were but symbols figuring forth that sacrifice in which the virtue was, the sacrifice of the Christ himself. "For it is expedient," says the Nephite Prophet Alma—"It is expedient that an Atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the eternal God, there must be an Atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the Atonement which it is expedient should be made. Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled; every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law; every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God; yea, infinite and eternal."[B]

[Footnote A: Hebrews x:1-10.]

[Footnote B: Alma xxxiv:9, 13, 14.]

The late President John Taylor upon this subject said:

"These sacrifices, which were offered up from the days of Adam until the time of our Savior's advent, were typical of the great expiatory sacrifice which He was to make by the sacrifice of himself. They were so many types, shadows and forms of which he was the great prototype—the substance, the reality prefigured and foreshadowed by the other sacrifices which had been offered up from the beginning."When the law was given to Moses, all the forms pertaining to the sacrificial ceremonies were revealed in detail, and the instructions in relation thereto were not simply of a general nature, but they entered into minute particulars in relation to all things connected with those who officiated, the form and pattern of the sacred utensils and of the vestments of the Priesthood, the creatures to be sacrificed, the order of the proceedings, and indeed of all matters associated with the observance of these rites. Almost the whole of the book of Leviticus, and considerable of the book of Numbers, is occupied with these instructions and kindred matters. This Mosaic law, with all its duties, observances, ceremonies and sacrifices, continued in force until Christ's death."[A]

"When the law was given to Moses, all the forms pertaining to the sacrificial ceremonies were revealed in detail, and the instructions in relation thereto were not simply of a general nature, but they entered into minute particulars in relation to all things connected with those who officiated, the form and pattern of the sacred utensils and of the vestments of the Priesthood, the creatures to be sacrificed, the order of the proceedings, and indeed of all matters associated with the observance of these rites. Almost the whole of the book of Leviticus, and considerable of the book of Numbers, is occupied with these instructions and kindred matters. This Mosaic law, with all its duties, observances, ceremonies and sacrifices, continued in force until Christ's death."[A]

[Footnote A: "Mediation and Atonement" (1882), p. 124.]

4. The Sin Offering of the Mosaic Law:The Author of the Article on "Sacrifices," in Smith's "Bible Dictionary" (Hackett edition), Vol. IV—Rev. Alfred Barry, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, in describing the "Sin Offering of the Mosaic law," says:

"The nature and meaning of the various kinds of sacrifice is partly gathered from the form of their institution and ceremonial, partly from the teaching of the prophets, and partly from the New Testament, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews. All had relation, under different aspects, to a covenant between God and man.

"The sin offering represented that covenant as broken by man, and as knit together again, by God's appointment, through the 'shedding of blood.' Its characteristic ceremony was the sprinkling of the blood before the veil of the sanctuary, the putting some of it on the horns of the altar, incense, and the pouring out of all the rest at the foot of the altar of burnt offering. The flesh was in no case touched by the offerer; either it was consumed by fire without the camp, or it was eaten by the priest alone in the holy place, and everything that touched it was holy. This latter point marked the distinction from the peace-offering, and showed that the sacrificer had been rendered unworthy of communion with God. The shedding of blood, the symbol of life, signified that the death of the offender was deserved for sin, but that the death of the victim was accepted for his death by the ordinance of God's mercy."

5. The Ceremonial of the Day of Atonement:"This [the truth of the preceding paragraph] is seen most clearly in the ceremonial of the 'Day of Atonement,' when, after the sacrifice of the one goat,[A]the high priest's hand was laid on the head of the scape-goat—which was the other part of the sin-offering—with confession of the sins of the people, that it might visibly bear them away, and so bring out explicitly, what in other sin-offerings was but implied. Accordingly we find that, in all cases, it was the custom for the offerer to lay his hand on the head of the sin-offering, to confess generally or specially his sins, and to say, 'Let this be my expiation.' Beyond all doubt, the sin-offering distinctly witnessed that sin existed in man, that the 'wages of that sin was death,' and that God had provided an Atonement by the vicarious suffering of an appointed victim. The reference of the Baptist to a 'Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world,' was one understood and hailed at once by a 'true Israelite.'"[B]

[Footnote A: Two goats were used in this ceremonial, one of which was killed and made a "sin offering" and the other a scape-goat to figuratively bear off the sins of the people.

"And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scape-goat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scape-goat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scape-goat into the wilderness" (Lev. xvi:7-10).]

[Footnote B: Smith "Dictionary," Vol. IV, p. 2774.]

6. The Paschal Sacrifice or Passover:In some respects the Paschal Sacrifice more perfectly than any other, perhaps, foreshadowed the future sacrifice of the Son of God for the deliverance of his people—those who would trust the sign of deliverance in his blood. The institution of the sacrifice and feast was as follows. When all other judgments upon Pharaoh failed to persuade him to let God's people go, then said the Lord to Moses:

"About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."[A]

[Footnote A: Exodus xi:4-7.]

When this terrible judgment was about to be executed the Lord provided the following means of deliverance for his people: Each family in Israel were commanded at a given time to take a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year, for a Passover Offering, and it was to be killed in the evening.

"And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side-posts, and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. * * * And ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations: ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever."[A]

[Footnote A: Exodus xii.]

Thus was the Passover established. Of it the late President Taylor said:

"It appears, that when the destroying angel passed by the houses of the children of Israel he found the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the doorpost; which was a type of the blood of Christ, the lamb of God. The angel who was the executor of justice could not touch those who were protected by that sacred symbol; because that prefigured the sacrifice of the Son of God, which was provided at the beginning of creation for the redemption of the human family, and which was strictly in accordance with provisions then made by the Almighty for that purpose—'the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world'—and accepted in full as an atonement for the transgressions of mankind, according to the requirements of eternal justice and agreed to by the Savior and his Father."[A]

[Footnote A: "Mediation and Atonement," p. 106.]

Of course it cannot be doubted that this festival of the Passover was instituted as a great memorial of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and the birth of the nation of Israel; and there are not wanting those who maintain that this was its primary significance. But the leading feature in the festival, the Paschal Lamb, "a male, without blemish;" the killing of it; the blood sprinkled upon the door post, the sign of safety to God's people; the eating of the lamb in preparation of the journey; the subsequent honoring of this feast by the Christ with his disciples; the substitution of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper for the Passover festival at the very time and on the very occasion of celebrating the feast of the passover among the Jews;[A]together with the subsequent inspired reference to Christ as the Paschal Lamb of the Christians,[B]are circumstances too numerous and too nearly related to doubt of the significance of the Passover festival having reference to the great sacrifice to be made by the Son of God through the shedding of his blood in atonement for the deliverance of his people. Of the Passover being a symbol of the sacrifice of the Son of God, the writer upon that theme in Smith's "Bible Dictionary" says:

[Footnote A: Matt. xxvi and Luke xxii.]

[Footnote B: I Cor. v:7.]

"No other 'shadow of good things to come' contained in the law can vie with the festival of the passover in expressiveness and completeness. Hence we are so often reminded of it, more or less distinctly, in the ritual and language of the Church. Its outline, considered in reference to the great deliverance of the Israelites which it commemorated, and many of its minute details, have been appropriated as current expressions of the truths which God has revealed to us in the fullness of times in sending his Son upon earth."[A]

[Footnote A: Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible" (Hackett's edition), Vol. IV, p. 2355.]

7. The Testimony of Some "Christian Fathers:" Certain of the socalled Christian Fathers agree with this view of the Old Testament sacrifices figuring forth the sacrifice to be made by the Christ, both as to sacrifices in the early patriarchal times and under the law of Moses. Of these, first, is

(a)Eusebius of Caesarea:Born 264 A. D. (about); died 349 (about).

"Eusebius of Caesarea, in a passage too long for quotation, alleges, that animal sacrifice was first of all practiced by the ancient lovers of God (the patriarchs) and that not by accident, but through a certain divine contrivance, under which, as taught by the divine spirit, it became their duty thus to shadow forth the great and venerable victim, really acceptable to God, which was, in time then future, destined to be offered in behalf of the whole human race ("Demonst. Evang." i:8, pp. 24,25)."[A]

[Footnote A: Kitto, Vol. II, p. 661.]

(b)Athanasius:Born 296 A. D.; died 373.

"Next we come to Athanasius, who, speaking of the consent of the Old Testament to the fundamental doctrines of the New, says: 'What Moses taught, these things his predecessor Abraham had preserved; and what Abraham had preserved, with those things Enoch and Noah were well acquainted; for they made a distinction between the clean and the unclean [animals], and were acceptable to God. Thus also in like manner Abel bore testimony; for he knew what he had learned from Adam, and Adam himself taught only what he had previously learned from the Lord" (Synod. Nicen. contr. Haer, Arian, Decret., Opp. i, 403).[A]

[Footnote A: Ibid.]

(c)Augustine: Bp. of Hippo. Born 354 A. D.; died 430.

"Augustine, after expressly referring the origin of sacrifice to the divine command, more distinctly evolves his meaning by saying: 'The prophetic immolation of blood, testifying from the very commencement of the human race the future passion of the Mediator, is a matter of deep antiquity inasmuch as Abel is found in Holy Scripture to have been the first who offered up his prophetic immolation (Cont. Faust. Manich. Onp. vi:145). These testimonies certainly vindicate the opinion of the divine origin of primitive sacrifice from the charge of being a modern innovation, with no voice of antiquity in its favor."[A]

[Footnote A: Kitto, Vol. II, p. 661.]

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE FACT OF THE ATONEMENT IN NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES.[A]

ANALYSIS.

REFERENCES.

I. The Atonement Considered as a Fact.

St. Luke, Ch. i; also Heb. ix and x, and all the New Testament citations in the text of this lesson—the context of these passages should also be considered.

Richard-Little Compendium, Art. "Atonement," pp. 8-13, and all its references.

Mediation and Atonement (Taylor), Chs. iii, iv, v and vi.

The Gospel (Roberts), Ch. ii (3rd Edition).

II. The Testimony to the Fact.

1. Gabriel;

2. John the Baptist;

3. The Christ;

4. The Judean Apostles:

(a) Paul,

(b) Peter,

SPECIAL TEXT: "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. ix:22.)

[Footnote A: "New Testament Scriptures," as here used means more than the New Testament of the Bible. It means that New Testament of course, but that plus the Book of Mormon books written after the birth of Messiah, beginning with III Nephi, and also the immediate scriptures of the New Dispensation, viz., the Doctrine and Covenants.]

1. The Fact of the Atonement:The important thing to be established in the mind of man concerning the atonement is the fact of it. While it is not the intention of this treatise to avoid the discussion of the philosophy of the Atonement[A]—by which is meant only a discussion of the reasonableness of it—and rest in the mere fact of it as proved from the Scriptures, still I repeat that the fact of it and man's acceptance of it as a fact, is of first importance.[B]This and the following lesson of Part II, therefore, are devoted to grouping the scriptural texts for the fact of the Atonement from "New Testament Scriptures."

[Footnote A: Part III is wholly devoted to that division of the subject.]

[Footnote B: Elsewhere on this theme I have said: How is it that through the sacrifice of one who is innocent salvation may be purchased for those under the dominion of death? I will observe, in passing, that what should most concern us is, not so much how it is that such is the case, but is it a fact? Is it true that God has established such a scheme of redemption, is what should concern us most.

To that question the blood sprinkled upon a thousand Jewish altars, and the smoke that darkened the heavens for ages from burnt offerings, answer yes. For those sacrifices, and that sprinkled blood were but typical of the great sacrifice to be made by the Messiah.

Even the mythology of the heathen nations retains the idea of an Atonement that either has been, or is to be made for mankind. Fantastic, distorted, confused; buried under the rubbish of savage superstition it may be, but it nevertheless exists. So easily traced, so distinct is this feature of heathen mythology, that some writers have endeavored to prove that the gospel plan of redemption was derived from heathen mythology. Whereas the fact is that the gospel was understood and extensively preached in the earliest ages; men retained in their tradition a knowledge of those principles or parts of them, and however much they may have been distorted, traces of them may still be found in nearly all the mythologies of the world.

The prophets of the Jewish scriptures answer the foregoing question in the affirmative. The writers of the New Testament make Christ's Atonement the principal theme of their discourses and epistles. The Book of Mormon, speaking as the voice of an entire continent of people, whose prophets and righteous men sought and found God, testifies to the same great fact, and the revelations of God as given through the Prophet Joseph Smith are replete with passages confirming this doctrine. * * * The evidence here indicated is more than sufficient, it seems to me, to establish thefactof the Atonement beyond the possibility of a doubt: and if there are some things in it not yet within the scope of our comprehension, still there is sufficient foundation for our glorious hope and faith of eternal life through its power: for the evidence proving the fact of that Atonement is sufficient, wanting nothing, either in quality or quantity" "(The Gospel," Ch. ii.)]

2. The Angel's Testimony to the Atonement of Christ:"Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: * * * She shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins."[A]

[Footnote A: Matt. i:18, 23.]

Such were the words of the angel to Joseph, the betrothed husband of Mary, the Mother of Christ.

3. John the Baptist's Testimony:"Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world * * * and I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God."[A]

[Footnote A: St. John, Ch. i:29, 34.]

Such John's testimony concerning Jesus of Nazareth, as he saw that more than Prophet coming to his baptism.

4. The Christ's Testimony to the Atonement:"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."[A]

[Footnote A: St. John iii:15-17.]

Such the Christ's testimony of himself. And again the Christ:

"When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he[A][i. e., the one that taketh away the sins of men]."[B]"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me." This he said signifying by what death he should die."[C]

[Footnote A: Ibid viii:28.]

[Footnote B: Ibid, verse 24.]

[Footnote C: St. John xii:32, 33.]

When instituting the sacrament, at the passover supper, celebrated upon the night of his betrayal, as the disciples 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."[A]Mark and Luke practically give the same account of the incident.

[Footnote A: Matt. xxvi:26-28.]

After the resurrection, Jesus, overtaking two of the disciples on their way to Emmaus, engaged them in conversation respecting the crucifixion of Jesus. And in course of their narrative of the missing body of the Christ, the resurrected Messiah interrupted them, saying:

"O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."[A]

[Footnote A: St. Luke xxiv:25-27.]

Subsequently, he was known of these two disciples by the breaking of bread. And after these two astonished disciples returned to Jerusalem and were detailing their experience to the eleven Apostles, and those that were with them, Jesus entered the room where they were gathered:

"And he said unto them: These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."[A]

[Footnote A: St. Luke xxiv:44-47.]

5. Testimony of the Judean Apostles:Turning now to the disciples after the departure of the resurrected Christ from their midst, and the endowment of the apostles with the Holy Ghost, they teach: "Neither is there salvation in any other [name than the Christ's]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."[A]"Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."[B]"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."[C]

[Footnote A: Acts iv:10-12.]

[Footnote B: Acts xx:28.]

[Footnote C: Rom. iii:23-25.]

"If we believe on him that raiseth up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification."[A]

[Footnote A: Rom. iv:24, 25.]

6. Paul's Testimony to the Atonement:An extended passage in his letter to the Romans, Paul reasons upon the atonement made by the Christ in the following manner:

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the Atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."[A]

[Footnote A: Romans v:6-12, 15. See also Ch. vii.]

All will remember Paul's passage in the first letter to the Corinthians: "Since by man [Adam] came death, by man [the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam all die; even so in Christ shall all be made alive."[A]

[Footnote A: I Cor. xv:21, 22.]

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures."[A]

[Footnote A: I. Cor. xv:3-4.]

"To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."[A]

[Footnote A: Eph. i:6,7.]

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood; even the forgiveness of sins."[A]

[Footnote A: Col. i:12-14.]

"For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified of in due time."[A]

[Footnote A: I Tim. ii:5, 6.]

"We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels[A]for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that by the grace of God should taste death for every man."[B]"Who needeth not daily as those high priests [i. e., of the Mosaic law] to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he [the Christ] did once, when he offered up himself."[C]

[Footnote A: "A little while inferior to" is the marginal rendering of the passage. See also "Mormon Doctrine of Deity," p. 163—Note—for a discussion of the passage.]

[Footnote B: Heb. ii:8-10.]

[Footnote C: Hebrews vii.]

"But Christ * * * by his own blood * * * entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of the bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh:how much more shall the blood of Christwho through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. * * * And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;and without shedding of blood is no remission."[A]

[Footnote A: Heb. ix:12-14. 22.]

7. The Testimony of the Apostle Peter to the Atonement:The Apostle Peter is equally emphatic with Paul in testifying of the virtue of the Atonement of Christ in bringing to pass the redemption of man through his death, as witness the following:

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. * * * Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."[A]

[Footnote A: I Peter i:2, 18-20.]

Again: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."[A]

[Footnote A: I Peter iii:18-19.]

8. The Testimony of John, the Beloved Disciple, to the Atonement:So also John, the beloved disciple, testifies to the same effect: "If we walk in the light as he [God] is in the light, we have fellowships one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."[A]

[Footnote A: I John i:5-7.]

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."[A]"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation: and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth."[B]"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the dragon—Satan], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."[C]

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation: and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth."[B]

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the dragon—Satan], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."[C]

[Footnote A: I John ii:1.2.]

[Footnote B: Rev. v:9, 10.]

[Footnote C: Rev. xiii:8.]

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE FACT OF THE ATONEMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES—(Continued).

ANALYSIS.

REFERENCES.

III. The Testimony to the fact of the Atonement (Continued).

5. The Book of Mormon as a Witness:

(a) The Testimony of the Christ to the Nephites.

(b) The Testimony of Christian Institutions.

(1) The Ordinance of Baptism.

(2) The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

References same as those in Lesson X, with the citations in the body of this Lesson, and the contexts of the texts, which should be fully considered.

IV. Testimony of the New Dispensation Scriptures—Doctrine and Covenants.

V. The Only Adequate Gospel Sermon—Jesus Christ.

SPECIAL TEXT: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. * * * I have come into the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin." (The Christ to the Nephites: III Nephi ix:15, 21.)

1. The Testimony of the Book of Mormon to the Atonement:The third book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, may well be called the "Fifth Gospel,"[A]the beginning of the New Testament of the Nephite scriptures. In it is detailed the account of the Christ's visit to the western hemisphere and the circumstances attendant upon the establishment of his Church among the Nephites. The voice of God, which was heard after the great destruction which swept over the land during the entombment of the Christ, said:

[Footnote A: The term was first used by Dr. Paden of Salt Lake. See "Defense of the Faith and the Saints," Vol. 1, pp. 371-399, for full treatment of the subject.]

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the Sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. * * * For behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin."[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi ix:15-17.]

2. The Testimony of the Resurrected Christ:Then again, upon his appearing among the Nephites after his resurrection and his post-resurrection ministry in Palestine, the Christ said:

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified should come into the world: and behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. * * * And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world."[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xi:10-14.]

3. Evidence of the Atonement in the Symbol of Baptism:Convincing as testimony to the fact of the Atonement is the Christian institution of baptism, the formula of which is given in the Book of Mormon. In it is shown the authority of the Christ in this ordinance of salvation, since in addition to the Holy Trinity being named as authorizing the ordinance, the administrator specifically declares that he has authority from Jesus Christ for performing it. The ordinance itself, providing as it does for the immersion of the candidate, symbolizes the Christ's death and burial for the sinner; and also in bringing forth the baptized from the watery grave, symbolizes the resurrection—all which is done that forgiveness of sin might be granted to those who thus palpably manifest that they do most solemnly accept the Atonement of the Christ of which his baptism is a most beautiful symbol—of his death, burial and resurrection.[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xi:10-14. The matter is treated somewhat more in detail in Lesson XXI.]

4. Evidence of the Atonement in the Symbol of the Lord's Supper:The Christ also established the sacrament of the Lord's Supper among the Nephites and constituted it the symbol of the Atonement. After breaking bread and blessing it, he gave it to his Nephite disciples and said: "This shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you, and it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me, and if you do always remember me, ye shall have my spirit to be with you."[A]So also with the wine which he blessed and gave them to drink, adding, "Ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that you may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me."[B]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xviii.]

[Footnote B: Ibid.]

What may be called the "New Testament"[A]part of the Book of Mormon, then, no less than the New Testament of the Bible testifies to the fact of the Atonement. The same may be said of the immediate scriptures of the New Dispensation, the Doctrine and Covenants.

[Footnote A: Referring to those parts of the Book of Mormon which were written after the birth of the Christ, beginning with the III Nephi.]

6. Testimony of the New Dispensation Scriptures—Doctrine and Covenants:In a revelation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, given in June, 1829, the Lord said: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God: For behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance."[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 18:10-12.]

Again, in a revelation to Martin Harris, given through Joseph the Prophet, in March, 1830, the Lord said: "Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not! how exquisite you know not! yea, how hard to bear you know not! For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I. Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 19:15-19.]

The declaration that Jesus Christ made an atonement for man is frequently repeated as follows:

"I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one."[A]"I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them; but behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day; which shall come at the end of the earth."[B]

"I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them; but behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day; which shall come at the end of the earth."[B]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. xxxv:1, 2.]

[Footnote B: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xxxviii:4, 5.]

Again:

"Listen to him who is the Advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him, saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed—the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xlv:3-5.]

7. The One Adequate Gospel Discourse (Brigham Young):Perhaps this branch of our treatise—the fact of the atonement—cannot be more fittingly closed than by quoting a passage from one of the discourses of Brigham Young, setting forth the impossibility of a man adequately preaching a gospel discourse in this our mortal life; and holding that Christ alone, in his creative work under the Fathers direction, in his earth-life, death, resurrection, and the final presentation of the finished work to his Father—this alone is the adequate gospel sermon:

"There is but one discourse to be preached to all the children of Adam; and that discourse should be believed by them, and lived up to. To commence, continue, and finish this gospel sermon, will require all the time that is alloted to man, to the earth, and all things upon it, in their mortal state; that is my idea with regard to preaching. No man is able to set before a congregation all the items of the gospel, in this life, and continue these items to their termination, for this mortal life is too short. It is inseparably connected, one part with the other, in all the doctrines that have been revealed to man, which are now called the various doctrines of Christianity, of which all the professors of religion believe a portion; but severally reject, or desire to reject, other portions of the truth: each sect or individual taking to themselves portions of the Bible, portions of the doctrine of salvation, that are the most pleasing to them, rejecting all the rest, and mingling these doctrines with the tenets of men."But let a gospel sermon be preached, wherein all the principles of salvation are embodied, and we will acknowledge, at the end of the mortality of this earth, and all things created upon it—at the closing up scene, at the final consummation of all things that have been from the commencement of the creation of the world, and the peopling of it, unto the latest generation of Adam and Eve, and the final finishing up of the work of Christ—I say, we shall acknowledge that there is the gospel sermon, and that it could not be preached to finite beings in one short life."Christ is the author of this gospel, of this earth, of men and women, of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to all this creation; to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe we occupy."He has redeemed the earth; he has redeemed mankind and every living thing that moves upon it; and he will finish his gospel discourse when he overcomes his enemies and puts his last enemy under his feet—when he destroys death, and him that hath the power of it—when he has raised up this kingdom, and finished his work which the Father gave him to do, and presents it to his Father, saying, 'I have done the work, I have finished it; I have not only created the world, but I have redeemed it; I have watched over it, and I have given to those intelligent beings, that you have created by me, their agency, and it has been held with perfection to every creature of intelligence, to every grade of mankind; I have preserved inviolate their agency; I have watched over them, and overruled all their actions, and held in my hand the destinies of men; and I have finished up my gospel sermon,' as he presents the finished work to his Father."It takes just such a character as the Savior, to preach one gospel discourse; and this was commenced with the commencement of all men upon this earth or any other; and it will never close until the winding up scene, and all is finished, and the kingdom is presented to the Father."[A]

"But let a gospel sermon be preached, wherein all the principles of salvation are embodied, and we will acknowledge, at the end of the mortality of this earth, and all things created upon it—at the closing up scene, at the final consummation of all things that have been from the commencement of the creation of the world, and the peopling of it, unto the latest generation of Adam and Eve, and the final finishing up of the work of Christ—I say, we shall acknowledge that there is the gospel sermon, and that it could not be preached to finite beings in one short life.

"Christ is the author of this gospel, of this earth, of men and women, of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to all this creation; to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe we occupy.

"He has redeemed the earth; he has redeemed mankind and every living thing that moves upon it; and he will finish his gospel discourse when he overcomes his enemies and puts his last enemy under his feet—when he destroys death, and him that hath the power of it—when he has raised up this kingdom, and finished his work which the Father gave him to do, and presents it to his Father, saying, 'I have done the work, I have finished it; I have not only created the world, but I have redeemed it; I have watched over it, and I have given to those intelligent beings, that you have created by me, their agency, and it has been held with perfection to every creature of intelligence, to every grade of mankind; I have preserved inviolate their agency; I have watched over them, and overruled all their actions, and held in my hand the destinies of men; and I have finished up my gospel sermon,' as he presents the finished work to his Father.

"It takes just such a character as the Savior, to preach one gospel discourse; and this was commenced with the commencement of all men upon this earth or any other; and it will never close until the winding up scene, and all is finished, and the kingdom is presented to the Father."[A]

[Footnote A: Journal of Discourses, Vol. III, pp. 80, 81.]

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD RELATED TO THE ATONEMENT.

ANALYSIS.

REFERENCES.

I. Attributes[A] Ascribed to God—First Group.

1. Eternity;

2. Immutability;

3. Omnipotence;

4. Omniscience;

5. Omnipresence.

Doc. & Cov.: "Lectures on Faith," Lectures III and IV. Catechism (John Jaques), Ch. v; Doc. & Cov. Sec. 20:17-28.

Richards and Little's Compendium: "True and Living God," pp. 187-193.

Also collection of passages in Oxford or Cambridge "Bible Helps," or "Bible Treasury," under captions, "God" and "Attributes." Also the scripture passages quoted and cited in the body of this lesson.

II. The Attributes Expounded—Limitations.

SPECIAL TEXT: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalms xc:2.)

[Footnote A: Attribute: A characteristic or distinguishing mark, especially an excellent or lofty quality or trait (Cent. Diet.). "By this word 'attribute' is meant something which is immovable and inseparable from the essence of its subject, as that which constitutes it (Descartes). Attribute is considered a word of lofty significance: Thus, for example, it would be felt as indecorous to speak of the 'qualities' of God, and as ridiculous to talk of the 'attributes' of matter."—Hamilton.]

1. The Attributes Ascribed to God:As the attributes of God are necessarily involved in the philosophy of the Atonement, I think it proper here to make brief allusion to them, especially to those more immediately involved in the Atonement. The attributes usually assigned to God, either upon the ground of scripture or the supposed necessity of his nature are: Eternity, Immutability, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Wisdom, Holiness, Truth, Justice, Mercy, Love.

2. Eternity:By "Eternity," spoken of as an attribute of God, is meant God's eternal existence. We may not in rational thought assume a time when God was not—or when He did not exist. God's eternity is sustained by such scripture as David's 90th Psalm, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." Also Paul bears the same witness: "And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same and thy years shall not fail."[A]

[Footnote A: Heb. i:10-12.]

3. Immutability:God's "Immutability," his unchangeableness, is sustained in such passages of both ancient and modern scriptures as follow: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."[A]"For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."[B]"For God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the left, or vary from that which he has said; therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round,"[C]"Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same yesterday, today and forever."[D]

[Footnote A: James i:17.]

[Footnote B: Malachi iii:6.]

[Footnote C: Doc. & Cov., Sec. 3, v. 2.]

[Footnote D: Doc. & Cov., Sec. 35, v. 1.]

4. Omnipotence:By "Omnipotence" is meant all-powerfulness. This attribute is essential to all rational thinking upon God. We may not think upon God and then think upon him as being overruled by a higher power, and still have him remain to our thought as God. The Scriptures in their whole spirit present this view of the Omnipotence of Deity. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. * * * And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. * * * And God said. Let the waters be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so." In this manner the work proceeds throughout the creation periods.[A]

[Footnote A: Gen. i-iii.]

Of this attribute David sings: "The heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: * * * for who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the Mighty can be likened unto the Lord? * * * O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves arise thou stillest them. * * * The heavens they are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. * * * Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand."[A]To the same effect sang Isaiah (Ch. xl:10-15); also Jeremiah (Ch. xxvii:17), and Daniel (Ch. iv:35).

[Footnote A: Psalms lxxxix.]

In the New Testament, the Christ teaches that "with God all things are possible;"[A]and negatively, "with God nothing shall be impossible."[B]The Revelation uses the term "omnipotent" direct: "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and the voice of the mighty thunderings, saying Alleluia: for the Lord Godomnipotentreigneth."[C]

[Footnote A: Matt. xix:26.]

[Footnote B: Luke i:37.]

[Footnote C: Rev. xix:6. Also "Lectures on Faith," Doc. & Cov., Lecture III. So, too, in Mosiah iii:17, 18, 21.]

5. Omniscience:By "Omniscience" is meant all-knowing. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world,"[A]said the Holy Spirit-inspired council of the apostles and elders of the early Christian church. "Remember the former things of old. * * * I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient time the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."[B]A sparrow falls not to the ground without the Father's notice.[C]In reasoning with Abraham upon the Intelligences in heaven and the fact that they varied in degree of intelligence, the Lord said that where there were two intelligences and the one was more intelligent than the other, "there shall be another more intelligent than they: I am the Lord, thy God,I am more intelligent than them all."[D]By which is meant, as I think, not that God is more intelligent than any other one of the Intelligences, but more intelligent than all of them together.

[Footnote A: Acts xv:18.]

[Footnote B: Isaiah xlvi:9, 10.]

[Footnote C: Matt. x:29.]

[Footnote D: Book of Abraham iii:17-19.]

6. Omnipresence:"Omnipresence" means everywhere present; and perhaps the best description of this attribute of God is in David's passage—"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say surely darkness shall cover me: even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to these."[A]"Will God indeed dwell on the earth," asked Solomon, in dedicating the first temple, "Behold the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded."[B]And Paul, in teaching the nearness of God to men, said that God had made of one blood all nations of men: and had given to all the privilege of seeking the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, "though he be not far removed from every one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being."[C]

[Footnote A: Psalms cxxxix:27.]

[Footnote B: I Kings viii:27.]

[Footnote C: Acts xvii:26-28.]

Under the attribute of "Omnipotence"—all-powerful—I include "Power," which is sometimes, and usually, treated separately as an attribute of God: and under "Omniscience" I include "Knowledge," which is also usually regarded separately as an attribute of Deity; but both these terms—"Power" and "Knowledge"—may very appropriately fall under the larger terms—"Omnipotence" and "Omniscience"—which, respectively, include them.

7. Limitation in the Attributes of God:W. may now consider somewhat the limitations of the attributes so far named. The Eternity of God may be regarded as absolute. "I am that I am," the Eternal One, the Self-existent, admits of no modification as to his Eternity.

His Immutability should be regarded as stability, adherence to principle. What stands among men under the name of "constitutional morality," fixed devotion to law; and working through law to the achievement of his divine purposes, rather than by caprice, or by arbitrary, personal action. But God's immutability should not be so understood as to exclude the idea of advancement or progress of God. Thus, for example: God's kingdom and glory may be enlarged, as more and more redeemed souls are added to his kingdom: as worlds and world-systems are multiplied and redeemed and enrolled with celestial spheres, so God's kingdom is enlarged and his glory increased. So that in this sense there may come change and progress even for God. Hence we could not say of God's immutability as we do of his eternity that it is absolute, since there may come change through progress even for God: but an absolute immutability would require eternal immobility—which would reduce God to a condition eternally static, which, from the nature of things, would bar him from participation in that enlargement of kingdom and increasing glory that comes from redemption and the progress of men. And is it too bold a thought, that with this progress, even for the Mightiest, new thoughts, and new vistas may appear, inviting to new adventures and enterprises that will yield new experiences, advancement, and enlargement even for the Most High?[A]It ought to be constantly remembered that terms absolute to man may be relative terms to God, so far above our thinking is his thinking; and his ways above our ways.

[Footnote A: On this point Sir Oliver Lodge has a passage at once advanced and bold, and yet for which he claims Christian warrant. It is, however, far removed from modern Christian orthodoxy, though splendidly true: "The universe is not a 'being,' but a 'becoming'—an ancient but light bringing doctrine when realized,—it is in change, in development, in movement upward and downward, that activity consist. A stationary condition, or stagnation, would be to us simple non-existence: the element of progression, of change, of activity, must be as durable as the universe itself. Monotony, in the sense of absolute immobility, is unthinkable, unreal, and cannot anywhere exist: save where things have ceased to be.

"Such ideas, the ideas of development and progress, extend even up to God himself, according to the Christian conception. So we return to that with which we started: The Christian idea of God is not that of a being outside the universe, above its struggles, and taking no part in the process, solely exalted, beneficent, self-determined and complete; no, it is also that of a God who loves, who yearns, who suffers, who keenly laments the rebellious and misguided activity of the free agents brought into being by himself as part of himself, who enters into the storm and conflict, and is subject to condition as the Soul of it all: conditions not artificial and transitory, but inherent in the process of producing free and conscious beings, and essential to the full self-development even of Deity.

"It is a marvelous and bewildering thought, but whatever its value, and whether it be an ultimate revelation or not, it is the revelation of Christ." ("Science and Immortality," p. 292.)]

The attribute "Omnipotence" must needs be thought upon also as somewhat limited. Even God, notwithstanding the ascription to him of all-powerfulness in such scripture phrases as "With God all things are possible," "Nothing shall be impossible with God"—notwithstanding all this, I say, not even God may have two mountain ranges without a valley between. Not even God may place himself beyond the boundary of space: nor on the outside of duration. Nor is it conceivable to human thought that he can create space, or annihilate matter. These are things that limit even God's Omnipotence. What then, is meant by the ascription of the attribute Omnipotence to God? Simply that all that may or can be done by power conditioned by other eternal existences—duration, space, matter, truth, justice—God can do. But even he may not act out of harmony with the other eternal existences which condition or limit even him.

So with the All-knowing attribute, Omniscience: that must be understood somewhat in the same light as the other attributes considered: not that God is Omniscient up to the point that further progress in knowledge is impossible to him; but that all knowledge that is, all that exists, God knows. He is Universal Consciousness, and Mind—he is the All-knowing One, because he knows all that is known.

So the attribute "Omnipresence"—the Everywhere Present attribute. This must be so far limited as to be ascribed to God's Spirit, or Influence, or Power: but not of God as a Person or Individual; for in these latter respects even God is limited by the law that one body cannot occupy two places at one and the same time. But radiating from his presence, as beams of light and warmth radiate from our sun, is God's Spirit, penetrating and permeating space, making space and all worlds in space vibrate with his life and thought and presence: holding all forces—dynamic and static—under control, making them to subserve his will and purposes.

God also uses other agencies to reflect himself, his power or authority: also his Wisdom, Goodness, Justice and Mercy—angels and arch-angels, both in heaven and on earth; and in the earth prophets, apostles, teachers—all that make for up-lift, for righteousness; all that catch some ray of the Divine Spirit in poem, music, painting, sculpture, state-craft or mechanical arts—all these but reflect God and are a means of multiplying and expressing him, the Divine. And in a special way, as witness for God, and under very special conditions, the Holy Ghost, that Being accounted the Third Person of the Godhead—he reflects and stands for God, his Power, and Wisdom; his Justice, Truth and Mercy—for all that can be, or is, called God, or is God. All these means, direct and indirect, convey God into the universe, and keep him everywhere present in all his essentials of Wisdom, Power and Goodness, while his bodily presence remains at the center of it all.

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD RELATED TO THE ATONEMENT (Continued).

ANALYSIS.

REFERENCES.

III. Attributes Ascribed to God—Second Group.

1. Wisdom:

2. Holiness;

3. Truth;

4. Justice;

5. Mercy;

6. Love.

References same as in Lesson XII. Also Scriptures quoted and cited in the body of this lesson.

IV. The Attributes of God Constitute a Harmony—This Relates Them to the Atonement.

SPECIAL TEXT: "God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the left, or vary from that which he has said; therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 2:2.)

There is yet to be considered the attributes of Wisdom, Holiness, Truth, Justice, Mercy, Love; and these are the attributes referred to which are more immediately involved in the doctrine of Atonement.

1. Wisdom:Wisdom that arises from knowledge seems essentially an attribute of Deity; as well from the nature of the attribute as from the declaration of scripture. God as un-wise is unthinkable; unpossessed of this attribute, he could not appeal to the consciousness of man as God at all. Therefore it is agreeable to think with Elihu in Job, that God "is mighty in strength and wisdom."[A]Also with David: "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."[B]And again David: "Great is our Lord, and great of power; his understanding is infinite."[C]So Paul: "To God, only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever;"[D]"The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God;"[E]He says, so high above the wisdom of men does he esteem the wisdom of God; and even "the foolishness of God is wiser than men."[F]We may fittingly close his testimony with his prayer: "Now, unto the King Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever, and ever. Amen."[G]

[Footnote A: Job xxvi:5.]

[Footnote B: Psalms cxv:24.]

[Footnote C: Psalms cxvii:5.]

[Footnote D: Rom. xvi:27.]

[Footnote E: I Cor. i:25.]

[Footnote F: I Cor. i:26.]

[Footnote G: I Tim. i:17.]

Worthy to go with this testimony is that of Joseph Smith, in which is found the same spiritual music: "The Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior; great is his Wisdom, marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out; his purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand."[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov., Sec. 76:1-3.]

2. Holiness:"Holiness," as an attribute of God, is equally indispensable as Wisdom. Equally unthinkable is it that Deity should not possess it. No marvel that Moses sang, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods, glorious in holiness?"[A]"I am the Lord your God; * * * ye shall be holy: for I am holy,"[B]was God's word to ancient Israel. Throughout the scriptures God is spoken of as the "Holy One of Israel." "Thou art Holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises in Israel."[C]"Sing unto the Lord * * * at the remembrance of his Holiness."[D]"God that is Holy shall be sanctified in righteousness."[E]"And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Such Isaiah's vision.[F]Both the Old and the New Testaments are replete with the doctrine. In one of the prophets it is written: "O Lord, * * * thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity."[G]And again in the scripture: "I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;"[H]which perhaps more than any other utterance of holy writ, asserts the Holiness of God.

[Footnote A: Ex. xv:11.]

[Footnote B: Lev. xi:44.]

[Footnote C: Psalms xxii:3.]

[Footnote D: Psalms xxx:4.]

[Footnote E: Isaiah v:16.]

[Footnote F: Isaiah vi:3.]

[Footnote G: Hab. i:12,-13.]

[Footnote H: Doc. & Cov., Sec. i:31: "Nevertheless," continues the passage, "he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven." Showing that while God may not compromise with sin by looking upon it with any degree of allowance, yet he has compassion upon the sinner who repents.]

3. Truth:The attribute of "Truth" is ascribed to God; and here we again come in touch with the absolute, as when speaking of God's Eternity. God can be no other than absolute in this quality. An untruthful God! the thought is blasphemy. "God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent."[A]"Mercy and Truth shall go before thy face."[B]"A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."[C]"Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth."[D]"Abundant in goodness and Truth."[E]So our modern scriptures: "God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor the left, or vary from that which he has said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round."[F]It cannot be emphasized too strongly—God is a God of Truth; and does not, and cannot lie without ceasing to be God. It would wreck the moral universe for God to lie. He mustbe, he is TRUTH! "A God of truth, without iniquity, just and right is he."[G]

[Footnote A: Numbers xxiii:19.]

[Footnote B: Psalms lxxxix:14.]

[Footnote C: Deut. xxxii:4.]

[Footnote D: Psalms xxxi:5.]

[Footnote E: Ex. xxxiv:6.]

[Footnote F: Doc. & Cov., Sec. 3:2.]

[Footnote G: Deut. xxxii:4.]

4. Justice:"Justice," as an attribute, is of the same quality as the attribute of Truth—it must be conceived as absolute in Deity. God not just! The thought would be blasphemous. Of course we have scripture warrant for the doctrine: "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne."[A]"There is no God beside me: a Just God and a Savior."[B]"The Just God is in the midst thereof."[C]"Behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is Just and having salvation."[D]

[Footnote A: Psalms lxxxix:14.]

[Footnote B: Isaiah xv:21.]

[Footnote C: Zech. iii:5.]

[Footnote D: Zech. ix:9.]

5. Mercy:"Mercy" as an attribute of God is in a class with Truth and Justice and Holiness. A God without compassion—only another name for mercy—would be a monstrosity. No, God must be Merciful! Else what shall become of man? God not merciful! It is unthinkable, that is all. The quality of Mercy as an attribute of God is not strained;

"It droppeth as the gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath; it is twice blest;It blesses him that gives, and him that takes;'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomesThe throned monarch better than his crown;* * * It is an attribute to God himself!"

"Mercy and truth shall go before his face," is the testimony of the Psalmist.[A]"And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, Merciful and gracious."[B]"But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful."[C]

[Footnote A: Psalms lxxxix:14.]

[Footnote B: Ex. xxxiv:6.]

[Footnote C: Neh. ix:17.]

6. Love:Love! the crowning glory of all the attributes of God! We may revel in this attribute. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is Love!"[A]"God is Love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."[B]"Every one that loveth is born of God."[C]"In this was manifested the Love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins."[D]

[Footnote A: I John iv:8.]

[Footnote B: I John iv:16.]

[Footnote C: St. John iii:16.]

[Footnote D: I John iv:9,10.]

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."[A]More perfect evidence than this of love, even God cannot give.

[Footnote A: St. John iii:16.]

7. The Harmony of God's Attributes:These attributes as well as those considered in lesson XII, must be thought upon as constituting a harmony; those with the existences as real and eternal as themselves; these with reference to harmony within or among themselves. Thus Justice may not deny the claims of Mercy. Mercy may not rob Justice. Even Love may not allow God to intrude upon Justice, or Wisdom or Truth. At the same time it must be remembered that Mercy and Love, no less than Justice, are attributes of God and somehow and somewhere must find entrance into the divine economy, must get themselves expressed and that worthily; worthy of their intrinsic nature, and worthy of God in whom they inhere. And while "all must be law" or at least in harmony with law; all "must be love," in harmony with love—for God, from first to last, is Love.

The attributes of God must be preserved in perfect accord if the moral harmony of the universe is to be maintained. It is these considerations which unite the attributes of God with the subject of Atonement. If God's moral government of the universe is, like his physical government, one of law, then Law, not personal, arbitrary, capricious Will must rule.

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