Chapter V
.
LECTURE XX.
CHRIST'S REIGN ON EARTH.
=Article 10.=--We believe ... That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, etc.
=1. Christ's First and Second Advents.=--The facts of Christ's birth in the flesh, of His thirty and three years of life among mortals, of His ministry, sufferings, and death, are universally accepted as attested history. Not alone do the records that the Christian world regards as sacred and inspired bear testimony concerning these facts, but the history written by man, and, in contrast, called profane, is generally in harmony with the biblical account. Even those who reject the doctrine of Christ's divinity, even they who refuse to accept Him as their Redeemer, admit the historical facts of His marvelous life, and acknowledge the incalculable effect of His precepts and example upon the human family.
=2.= In the "Meridian of Time" Christ was born to earth, amid humble surroundings,--in obscurity, indeed, to all except the faithful few who had been watching for the expected advent. His coming had been heralded through the previous centuries, even from the dawn of human existence; every prophet of God had borne record of the great events which were to characterize His advent. Every important incident connected with His birth, life, death, triumphal resurrection, and ultimate glory as King, Lord, and God, had been predicted; and even the details of the circumstances were given with exactness. Judah and Israel had been told to prepare for the coming of the Anointed One;[1066] yet, behold, when He came to His own they received Him not. Persecuted and despised, He trod the thorny path of duty, "a, man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" and, finally condemned by His people, who clamored to an alien power for authority to execute their own diabolical sentence upon their Lord, He went to the death prescribed for malefactors.
[1066] See Note 1.
=3.= To human judgment, it surely seemed that the Divine mission of Christ had been nullified, that His work had failed, and that the powers of darkness had become triumphant. Blind, deaf, and hard of heart were those who refused to see, hear, and comprehend the purport of the Savior's mission. Similarly benighted are they who reject the prophetic evidence of His second coming, and who fail to read the signs of the times, which declare the event, at once so terrible and glorious, to be near at hand. Both before and after His death, Christ prophesied of His appointed reappearance upon the earth; and His faithful followers are to-day waiting and watching for the signs of the great fulfillment. The heavens are flaming with those signals, and the burden of inspired teaching is again heard,--Repent, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
=4. Christ's Second Coming Predicted; and Signs Described. Bible Prophecies.=--The prophets of the Old Testament, and those of Book of Mormon record who lived and wrote before the era of Christ, had little to say regarding the second coming of the Lord, little indeed in comparison with their numerous and explicit predictions concerning His first advent. As they looked into the sky of futurity, and with prophetic power read the story of the heavenly orbs, their vision was dazzled with the brilliancy of the Meridian Sun, and they saw little of the glorious luminary beyond, whose proportions and radiance were veiled by the mists of distance. A few of them saw and so testified, as the following passages show: The Psalmist sang:--"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him."[1067] These devouring and tempestuous conditions did not attend the coming of Bethlehem's Babe.
[1067] Psalms l, 3.
=5.= Isaiah cries:--"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you."[1068] Aside from the evident fact that these conditions did not attend the first coming of Christ, the context of the prophet's words shows that he applied them to the last days, the time of restitution, the day of the "ransomed of the Lord," and of the triumph of Zion.[1069] Again Isaiah speaks:--"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him."[1070]
[1068] Isa. xxxv, 4.
[1069] Verses 5-10.
[1070] Isa. xl, 10.
6. The prophet Enoch, who lived twenty centuries before the first of those whose words are given above, spoke with vigor on the subject. His teachings do not appear under his own name in the Bible, though Jude, a New Testament writer, cites them.[1071] From the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, we learn concerning the revelation given to Enoch:--"And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah."[1072]
[1071] Jude 14-15.
[1072] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 60.
7. Jesus taught the disciples that His mission in the flesh was to be of short duration, and that he would come again to earth, for we find them enquiring in this wise, "Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"[1073] In reply, our Lord detailed many of the signs of the latter times, the last and greatest of which He thus stated:--"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."[1074] With great clearness, Jesus spoke of the worldliness in which the children of men had continued to indulge, even on the eve of the Deluge, and on the day of the fiery destruction which befell the Cities of the Plains, and added:--"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."[1075]
[1073] Matt. xxiv, 3. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xxxii.
[1074] Verse 14.
[1075] Luke xvii, 26-30.
=8.= Another of our Lord's predictions concerning His second coming is as follows; His citation of the signs by which the approach of the event may be known is so impressive that we should read the description in its entirety:--"And they [the disciples] asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.... And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."[1076]
[1076] Luke xxi, 7-28; see also Mark xiii, 14-26; Rev. vi, 12-17.
=9.= Again, by way of warning, the Lord said:--"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."[1077]
[1077] Mark viii, 38.
=10.= At the time of the Ascension, as the apostles stood gazing into the firmament, where a cloud had hidden their resurrected Lord from sight, they became aware of the presence of two heavenly visitors, who said:--"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."[1078] Paul instructed the churches in the doctrines of Christ's second advent, and described the glory of His coming.[1079] So also did others of the apostles.[1080]
[1078] Acts i, 11. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 695.
[1079] I Thess. iv, 16; II Thess. i, 7-8; Heb. ix, 28.
[1080] I Peter iv, 13; I John ii, 28; iii, 2.
=11. Among Book of Mormon Prophecies= concerning our present subject, we find the teachings of Christ Himself at the time of His ministrations to the Nephites in His resurrected state. To the multitude He explained many matters, "even from the beginning until the time that He should come in his glory."[1081] In promising the three disciples the desire of their hearts, which was that they might be spared in the flesh to continue the work of the ministry, the Lord said to them:--"Ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled, according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory, with the powers of heaven."[1082]
[1081] III Nephi xxvi, 3; see also xxv, 5.
[1082] III Nephi xxviii, 7; see also 8. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xxxix.
=12. The Word of Modern Revelation= is no less sure regarding the appointed advent of the Redeemer. To servants, specially commissioned, instructions were given to this effect:--"Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you,[1083] that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that I come quickly."[1084] And again, this instruction is given:--"Cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming; for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory."[1085]
[1083] An allusion to the parable of the Ten Virgins; see Matt. xxv, 1-13.
[1084] Doc. and Cov. xxxiii, 17.
[1085] Doc. and Cov. xxxiv, 6-7.
=13.= In a revelation to the people of the Church, March 7, 1831, the Lord speaks of the signs of His coming, and counsels diligence. Consider His words:--"Ye look and behold the fig-trees, and ye see them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand; even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh. And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of man; and they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath; and they shall behold blood and fire, and vapors of smoke; and before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and stars fall from heaven; and the remnant shall be gathered unto this place, and then they shall look for me, and behold I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off."[1086]
[1086] Doc. and Cov. xiv, 37-44; see also paragraphs 74-75.
=14.= The distinctive characteristic of the revelations as given in the present dispensation, regarding the second coming of our Lord, is the emphatic and oft-repeated declaration that the event is near at hand.[1087] The call is, "Prepare ye, prepare ye, for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh." Instead of the cry of one man in the wilderness of Judea, the voice of thousands is heard authoritatively warning the nations, and inviting them to repent and flee to Zion for safety. The fig tree is rapidly putting forth its leaves; the signs in heaven and earth are increasing; surely the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near.
[1087] See the numerous references in connection with Doc. and Cov. i, 12. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xlii.
=15. The Precise Time of Christ's Coming= has not been made known to man. By learning to comprehend the signs of the times, by watching the development of the work of God among the nations, and by noting the rapid fulfillment of significant prophecies, we may perceive the progressive evidence of the approaching event, "But the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes."[1088] His coming will be a surprise to those who have rejected His warnings, and who have failed to watch. "Like a thief in the night"[1089] will be the coming of the day of the Lord unto the wicked. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."[1090]
[1088] Doc. and Cov. xlix, 7.
[1089] II Peter iii, 10; I Thess. v, 2, etc.
[1090] Matt, xxv, 13; see also xxiv, 42, 44; Mark xiii, 33, 35; Luke xii, 40.
=16. Christ's Reign: The Kingdom.=--We have seen that, according to the words of holy prophets ancient and modern, Christ is to come, in a literal sense, and so manifest Himself in person in the last days. He is to dwell among His Saints. "Yea, even I will be in the midst of you,"[1091] He declared to the people on this continent, whom He promised to establish in the land of the New Jerusalem; and similar assurances were given through the prophets of the east.[1092] In this prospective ministration among His gathered Saints, Christ is to be at once their God and their King. His government is to be that of a perfect theocracy; the laws of righteousness will be the code, and control will be administered under one authority, undisputed because indisputable.
[1091] III Nephi xx, 22; see also xxi, 25.
[1092] Ezek. xxxvii, 26-27; Zech. ii, 10, 11; viii, 3; II Cor. vi, 16.
=17.= The scriptures abound with declarations that the Lord will yet reign among his people. To this effect sang Moses before the hosts of Israel after their miraculous passage through the Red Sea,--"The Lord shall reign for ever and ever;"[1093] and the psalmist echoes the refrain, "The Lord is King for ever and ever."[1094] Jeremiah calls Him "an everlasting king," before whose wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations yield;[1095] and Nebuchadnezzar, humbled through tribulation, rejoiced in honoring the King of Heaven, "whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation."[1096]
[1093] Exo. xv, 18.
[1094] Psa. x, 16 see also xxix, 10; cxlv, 13; cxlvi, 10.
[1095] Jer. x, 10.
[1096] Dan. iv, 34-37.
=18.= Even chosen Israel were not always willing to accept God as their king. Remember how they protested that Samuel, the anointed prophet and judge, was old,--a poor excuse for their claim, as the old man ministered with vigor among them for thirty-five years beyond that time,--and how they cried for a king to rule them, that they might be like other nations.[1097] Note the pathetic words with which the Lord replied to Samuel's prayer regarding this demand of the people, and the sorrow with which He granted them their wish:--"Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them."[1098] But the Lord will not be ever rejected by His people; at the time appointed He will come with power and great glory, and will assume His rightful place of authority as King of earth.
[1097] I Sam. viii, 5.
[1098] Verse 7; see also x, 19; Hosea xiii, 10-11.
=19.= Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and spoke of the many kingdoms and divisions of kingdoms which were to be established, then added:--"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."[1099] Touching the extent of the great kingdom to be established the same prophet declared:--"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."[1100]
[1099] Dan. ii, 44.
[1100] Dan. vii, 27.
=20.= Speaking of the restoration of Judah and Israel in the last days, Micah prophesies:--"And the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever."[1101] In the annunciation to the Virgin, the angel said of the unborn Christ:--"He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."[1102] In the visions of Patmos, the Apostle John saw the glorious consummation, and a universal recognition of the eternal King:--"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."[1103] Modern revelation is rich in evidence of an approaching reign of righteousness, with Christ as King; witness the following:--"And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst."[1104] "For in my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth."[1105]
[1101] Micah iv, 7; see also Isa. xxiv, 23.
[1102] Luke i, 33.
[1103] Rev. xi, 15.
[1104] Doc. and Cov. i, 36.
[1105] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 29; see also lxxxiv, 119.
=21. Kingdom and Church.=--In the Gospel according to Matthew, the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is of frequent occurrence; while in the books of the other evangelists, and throughout the epistles, the expression is "kingdom of God," "kingdom of Christ," or simply "kingdom." It is evident that these expressions may be used interchangeably without violence to the true meaning. However, the term kingdom is used in more senses than one, and a careful study of the context in each instance may be necessary to a proper comprehension of the writers intent. The most common usages are two:--1. An expression synonymous with "the Church," having reference to the followers of Christ without distinction as to their temporal or spiritual organizations. 2. The designation of the literal kingdom over which Christ is to reign on earth in the last days.
=22.= When we contemplate the Kingdom in the latter and more general sense, the Church must be regarded as a part thereof; an essential indeed, for it is the germ from which the Kingdom is to be developed, and the very heart of the perfected organization. The Church has existed and now continues in an organized form, without the Kingdom as a visibly established power with temporal authority in the world; but the Kingdom cannot be maintained without the Church.
=23.= In modern revelation, the expressions "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" are sometimes used with distinctive meanings,--the former phrase signifying the Church, and the latter the literal kingdom which is to supersede and comprise all existing national divisions. In this sense, the kingdom of God has been set up already in these the last days; its beginning in and for the present dispensation was the establishment of the Church on its latter-day and permanent foundation. This is consistent with our conception of the Church as the vital organ of the Kingdom in general. The powers and authority committed to the Church are then the keys of the Kingdom. Such meaning is made clear in the following revelation to the Church:--"The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands[1106] shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.... Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth; wherefore may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven, so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory for ever and ever."[1107]
[1106] Allusion to Daniel's interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar; see Dan. ii, 34, 44.
[1107] Doc. and Cov. lxv, 2, 5-6.
=24.= At the time of His glorious advent, Christ will be accompanied by the hosts of righteous ones who have already passed from earth; and the Saints who are still alive on earth are to be quickened and caught up to meet Him, and to descend with Him as partakers of His glory.[1108] With Him too will come Enoch and his band of the pure in heart;[1109] and a union will be effected with the Kingdom of God, or that part of the Kingdom of Heaven previously established as the Church of Christ on earth; and the Kingdom on earth will be one with that in heaven. Then will be realized a complete fulfillment of the Lord's own prayer, given as a pattern to all who pray:--"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."[1110]
[1108] Doc. and Cov. lxxxviii, 91-98.
[1109] See pp. 358, 362-363.
[1110] Matt. vi, 10; Luke xi, 2.
=25.= The disputed question, "Is the Kingdom already set up on earth or are we to wait for its establishment until the time of the future advent of Christ, the King?" may properly receive answer either affirmative or negative, according to the sense in which the term kingdom is understood. The Kingdom of God as identical with the Church of Christ has assuredly been established; its history is that of the Church in these the last days; its officers are divinely commissioned, their power is that of the holy priesthood. They claim an authority which is spiritual, but also temporal in dealing with the members of the organization,--Church or Kingdom as you may choose to call it,--but they make no attempt, nor do they assert the right, to modify, assail, or in any way interfere with, existing governments; far less to subdue nations or to set up rival systems of control. The Kingdom of Heaven, including the Church, and comprising all nations, will be set up with power and great glory when the triumphant King comes with His heavenly retinue to personally rule and reign on the earth which He has redeemed at the sacrifice of His own life.
=26.= As seen, the Kingdom of Heaven will comprise more than the Church. The honorable and honest among men will be accorded protection and the privileges of citizenship under the perfect system of government which Christ will administer; and this will be their happy lot whether they are actually members of the Church or not. Law-breakers and men of impure heart will meet the judgment of destruction according to their sin; but those who live according to the truth as they have been able to receive and comprehend it, will enjoy the fullest liberty under the benign influences of a perfect administration. The special privileges and blessings associated with the Church, the right to hold and exercise the priesthood with its boundless possibilities and eternal powers, will be, as now they are, for those only who enter into the covenant and become part of the Church of the Redeemer.
=27. The Millennium.=--In connection with scriptural mention of Christ's reign on earth, a duration of a thousand years is frequently specified. While we cannot regard this as indicating a time limit to the Kingdom's existence, or a measure of the Savior's administration of power, we are justified in the belief that the thousand years immediately following the establishment of the Kingdom are to be specially characterized, so as to be different from both preceding and succeeding time. The gathering of Israel and the establishment of an earthly Zion are to be effected, preparatory to His coming. His advent is to be marked by a destruction of the wicked, and by the inauguration of an era of peace. The Revelator saw the souls of the martyrs, and of other righteous men, in power, living and reigning with Christ a thousand years.[1111] At the beginning of this period Satan is to be bound, "that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled."[1112] Certain of the dead are not to live again until the thousand years are passed;[1113] while the righteous "shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."[1114] Among the most ancient of revelations regarding the Millennium is that given to Enoch:--"And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years."[1115]
[1111] Rev. xx, 4; see also 6.
[1112] Rev. xx, 2-3.
[1113] Verse 5.
[1114] Verse 6.
[1115] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 65.
=28.= It is evident, then, that in speaking of the Millennium we have to consider a definite period, with important events marking its beginning and its close, and conditions of unusual blessedness extending throughout. It will be a sabbatical era,[1116]--a thousand years of peace. Enmity between man and beast shall cease; the fierceness and venom of the brute creation shall be done away,[1117] and love shall rule.[1118] A new condition of affairs will prevail, as was declared in the word of the Lord to Isaiah:--"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind."[1119]
[1116] See Note 2.
[1117] Isa. xi, 6-9; lxv, 25.
[1118] See Notes 3 and 4.
[1119] Isa. lxv, 17.
=29.= Concerning the state of peace, prosperity, and duration of human life, characteristic of that period, we read:--"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer: and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."[1120]
[1120] Verses 20-23.
=30.= The Lord's voice is heard to-day declaring the same prophetic truths, as is shown in the revelations touching the Millennium given in the present dispensation of the Church.[1121] In 1831, the Lord addressed the elders of His Church, and said:--"For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come; for Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again, he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth."[1122] On another occasion these words were spoken:--"For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.... And again, verily, verity, I say unto you, that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season, and the end shall come."[1123]
[1121] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 49-51.
[1122] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 30-31.
[1123] Doc. and Cov. xxix, 11, 22-23.
=31.= The Millennium then is to precede the events usually indicated by the scriptural phrase, "the end of the world." During that period, all conditions will be propitious for righteousness; Satan's power will be suspended; and men, relieved to some extent from temptation, will be zealous in the service of their reigning Lord. Nevertheless, sin will not be wholly abolished, nor will death be banished; though children will live to reach maturity in the flesh, and then may be changed to a condition of immortality in the "twinkling of an eye."[1124] Both mortal and immortal beings will tenant the earth, and communion with the heavenly powers will be common. The Latter-day Saints believe that during that millennial era they will be privileged to continue the vicarious work for the dead, which constitutes so important and so characteristic a feature of their duty,[1125] and that the facilities for direct communication with the heavens will enable them to carry on their labor of love without hindrance. When the thousand years are passed, Satan will again assert his power, and those who are not then numbered among the pure in heart will yield to his influence. But the liberty thus recovered by "the prince of the power of the air"[1126] will be of short duration; his final doom will speedily follow, and with him will go to the punishment that is everlasting, all who are his. Then the earth will pass to its celestial condition, and become a fit abode for the glorified sons and daughters of our God.
[1124] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 50-51.
[1125] See pp. 148-159.
[1126] Eph. ii, 2.
NOTES.
=1. "The Anointed One."=--"Christ, the official name of the Redeemer of mankind, as Jesus, or in the Hebrew, _Joshua_, 'Savior,' was His natural name. Christ means 'anointed,' from _chrio_, 'to anoint.' Under the Old Testament dispensation, high priests, kings, and prophets were appointed to their office by the pouring of the sacred oil upon their heads. The rite was performed by the recognized officer of Jehovah, and was an outward testimony that their appointment proceeded direct from God himself, as the source of all authority, and as being under the ancient covenant, in a peculiar way, the governor of his people. The oil used in the consecration of priests, and the anointing of the tabernacle and sacred vessels, was a special preparation of myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia (Exo. xxx, 23-25), which the Jews were forbidden to apply to the body, or to copy under pain of death. It was no doubt intended to typify the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit."--Cassell's _Bible Dictionary_, p. 257.
=2. The Seventh Thousand Years.=--"As each _seventh_ year was Israel's year of remission, so of the world's seven thousands, the seventh shall be its sabbatism."--Fausset's _Bible Cyclopedia_, p. 685. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God"; or, as given by marginal reference, instead of "rest," the "keeping of a sabbath."--Heb. iv, 9.
=3. Millennial Peace.=--"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."--Isa. xi, 6-9; see also lxv, 25.
=4. The Earth before, during, and after the Millennium.=--"There are three conditions of the earth spoken of in the inspired writings,--the present, in which everything pertaining to it must go through a change which we call death; the millennial condition, in which it will be sanctified for the residence of purer intelligences, some mortal and some immortal; and the celestial condition, spoken of in the twenty-first and twenty-second chapters of Revelation, which will be one of immortality and eternal life."--_Compendium_, by Elders F. D. Richards and James A. Little, p. 202.
LECTURE XXI.
REGENERATION AND RESURRECTION.
=Article 10.=--We believe ... That the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
RENEWAL OF THE EARTH.
=1. The Earth Under the Curse.=--The blessed conditions, under which the earth shall exist and man shall live during the millennial era, are almost beyond human powers of comprehension, so different are they from all to which history testifies and which experience confirms. A reign of righteousness throughout the earth has never yet been known to the fallen race of man. So marked has been the universal curse, so great the power of the tempter; so bitter the selfish and ungodly strife betwixt man and man, and between nation and nation; so general has been the enmity of the animal creation, among its own members, and toward the being who, though in a degraded state, yet holds the Divine commission to the authority of dominion; so prolific has been the soil in bringing forth thorns, briers, and noxious weeds, that the description of Eden is to us as the story of another world, an orb of a higher order of existence, wholly unlike this dreary sphere. Yet, we learn that Eden was truly a feature of our planet, and that the earth is destined to become a celestialized body,--fit for the abode of the most exalted intelligences. The millennium, with all its splendor, is but a more advanced stage of preparation, by which the earth and its inhabitants will approach the fore-ordained perfection.
=2. Regeneration of the Earth.=--The term regeneration (translated from the Greek _palingenesia_, and signifying a new birth, or, more literally, one who is born again) occurs twice[1127] in the New Testament; while other expressions of equivalent meaning are used in many places. However, the terms are usually applied to the renewal of the soul of man through the spiritual birth, by which salvation is made obtainable; though our Lord's use of the term, in the promise of future glory which He confirmed upon the apostles, has probable reference to the rejuvenation of the earth, its inhabitants and their institutions, in connection with the millennial era:--"I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."[1128]
[1127] Matt. xix, 28; Titus iii, 5.
[1128] Matt. xix, 28.
=3.= A time of restitution is foretold. Consider the words of Peter, spoken to the people who had come together in Solomon's porch, marveling over the miraculous healing of the lame beggar at the gate Beautiful:--"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."[1129]
[1129] Acts iii, 19.
=4.= That the change to a state more nearly approaching perfection is to affect both nature and man is evident from the teachings of Paul, as recorded in his letter to the Romans:--"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."[1130]
[1130] Rom. viii, 21-23.
=5.= This work of regeneration has already begun. As a necessary preliminary, whereby the curse that would otherwise afflict the earth might be averted, Elijah the prophet was to visit the earth, bringing with him the keys and authority of a great work; concerning which event, while yet future, the Lord said:--"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."[1131]
[1131] Mal. iv, 5-6; see also III Nephi xxv.
=6.= The Latter-day Saints solemnly declare that this prophecy has had a literal fulfillment, in that on the third day of April, A.D. 1836, Elijah visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, in the newly dedicated temple at Kirtland, Ohio, announced his mission as that spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, declared that the day for the fulfillment of the prediction had come, and committed the keys of this work of the last dispensation to the Church, that the labor of restoration might be carried on; and moreover, as a sign "that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors."[1132] Throughout the Millennium, this process of regeneration will be continued. Society shall be purified; nations shall exist in peace; wars shall cease; the ferocity of beasts shall be subdued; the earth, escaping in a great measure the curse of the Fall, shall yield bounteously to the husbandman; and the planet shall be redeemed.
[1132] Doc. and Cov. cx, 14-16; p. 154, this book.
=7.= The final stages of this regeneration of nature will not be reached until the Millennium has run its blessed course. Describing the events to take place after the completion of the thousand years, John the Revelator says:--"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.... And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."[1133] A similar prediction was made by Ether the Jaredite, six hundred years before Christ was born:--"And there shall be a new heaven, and a new earth: and they shall be like unto the old, save the old have passed away, and all things have become new."[1134] This event is to follow the scenes of the Millennium, as the context makes plain.
[1133] Rev. xxi, 1, 3-4.
[1134] Book of Mormon, Ether xiii, 9.
=8.= In the year 1830 of our present era, the Lord said:--"When the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season; and the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, for all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air and the fishes of the sea: and not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand."[1135]
[1135] Doc. and Cov. xxix, 22-25.
=9.= According to the scriptures, the earth has to undergo a change analogous to death, and to be regenerated in a manner comparable to a resurrection. References to the elements melting with heat, and to the earth being consumed and passing away, such as occur in many scriptures already cited, are suggestive of death; and the new earth, really the renewed or regenerated planet, which is to result, may be compared with a resurrected organism. The change has been likened unto a transfiguration.[1136] Every created thing has been made for a purpose; and everything that fills the measure of its creation is to be advanced in the scale of progression, be it an atom or a world, an animalcule, or man--the direct and literal offspring of Deity. In speaking of the degrees of glory provided for His creations, and of the laws of regeneration and sanctification, the Lord, in a revelation dated 1832, speaks plainly of the approaching death and subsequent quickening of the earth. These are His words:--"And again, verily, I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law. Wherefore it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it."[1137]
[1136] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 20-21.
[1137] Doc. and Cov. lxxxviii, 25-26.
=10.= During the Millennium, the earth, while preparing for the final change, will be tenanted by both mortal and immortal beings; but after the regeneration is complete, death will no longer be known among its inhabitants. Then the Redeemer of earth "shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father spotless, saying, I have overcome."[1138] Before victory is thus achieved and triumph won, the enemies of righteousness must be subdued; the last foe to be vanquished is death. Thus saith Paul the Apostle:--"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."[1139]
[1138] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 107.
[1139] I Cor. xv, 24-26.
=11.= The following partial description of the earth in its immortalized condition has been given by the Prophet Joseph Smith in this dispensation:--"This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal, and will be a Urim and Thummim[1140] to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's."[1141]
[1140] See page 273.
[1141] Doc. and Cov. cxxx, 9.
=12. Absence of Evidence from Science.=--Attempts have been made to demonstrate an agreement between the teachings of science concerning the destiny of the earth, and the scriptural predictions regarding the ordained regeneration of our planet, by which it is to be made fit for the abode of immortal souls. Without considering the details of the alleged evidence of mutual support between science and the revealed word in this matter, it may suffice to say that the so-called evidence is unsatisfactory, and that science is practically silent on the subject. The geologist views the earth as a body in process of continual change, its surface a heterogeneous mass of fragmental material; he reads, in the record inscribed on its stony pages, the story of past development through many successive stages of progress, each making the globe more fit for habitation by man; he witnesses the work of constructive and destructive agencies now in operation, land masses yielding to the lowering action of air and water, and by their destruction furnishing material for other formations now in process of construction;--the general effect of all such being to level the surface by degrading the hills and raising the valleys. On the other hand, he observes volcanic agencies operating to increase the inequality of level by violent eruption and crustal elevation. He confesses inability, from his observations of the present, and his deductions concerning the past of the earth, to predict even a probable future. So futile have been his efforts to ascertain the origin or determine the destiny of the globe, that he has generally abandoned the attempt. The epoch-making declaration of an acknowledged leader in the science has now become proverbial:--Geology furnishes "no traces of a beginning, no prospect of an end."[1142]
[1142] James Hutton.
=13.= The astronomer, studying the varied conditions of other worlds, may seek by analogy to learn of the probable fate of our own. Gazing into space with greatly augmented vision, he sees, within the system to which the earth belongs, spheres exhibiting a great range of development,--some in their formative stage, seemingly unfit for the abode of beings constituted as are we; others in a state more nearly resembling that of the earth: and yet others seemingly old and lifeless. Of the mighty systems beyond the comparatively small company under control of our own sun, he knows nothing but the existence of these central orbs. But, nowhere has he discovered a celestialized world. Think you that mortal eye could discern such even if it were within the limits of vision as determined by distance alone?
=14.= The poet has written:--
"Nor think though men were not, That heaven would want spectators, God want praise! Millions of spiritual beings Walk the earth Unseen both when we wake, And when we sleep."
If this thought be founded on truth, and the Christian soul will hardly doubt it, we may as readily believe in the existence of other worlds than those of structure so gross as to be visible to our dull eyes. I repeat, that in regard to the revealed word concerning the regeneration of earth, and the acquirement of a celestial glory by our planet, science has nothing to offer, either by way of support or contradiction. Let us not because of this, disparage science, or decry the labors of its votaries. No one realizes more fully than does the truly scientific man how much we do not know.
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.
=15. The Resurrection from the Dead.=--Closely associated with, and analogous to, the ordained rejuvenation of earth, whereby our planet is to pass from its present dreary and broken state to a condition of glorified perfection, is the resurrection of the bodies of all beings who have had an existence upon its surface. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the doctrine of a literal resurrection; an actual re-union of departed spirits and the tabernacles with which they were clothed during mortal probation; and a transition from mortality to immortality in the case of some who will be in the flesh at the time of the great change, and who, because of individual righteousness, are to be spared the sleep of the grave. But in such teachings, the Church is not essentially different from most Christian sects, except perhaps in the literalness of the bodily resurrection as taught by it, and in the belief concerning the nature of the resurrected state. The Bible is replete with evidence regarding the quickening of the dead. Human knowledge of the resurrection rests wholly upon revelation. Pagan peoples have therefore no conception of an actual coming forth of the dead unto life.[1143]
[1143] See Note 1.
=16.= In accepting the doctrine of a resurrection, we are to be guided by faith; which, however, is supported by abundant revelation, given in a manner unequivocal and sure. Science, the result of human research, fails to afford us any indication of such an event in the history of living things, and men have sought in vain for an analogy in external nature. True, comparisons have been made, metaphors have been employed, and similes pressed into service, to show in nature some counterpart or semblance of the immortalizing change to which the Christian soul looks forward with unwavering confidence; but all such figures of speech are defective in the application, and untrue in their professed analogies.
=17.= The return of spring after the death-like sleep of winter; the passing of the crawling caterpillar into the corpse-like chrysalis, and the subsequent emergence of the winged butterfly; the coming forth of a living bird from the tomb-like recess of the egg; these and other natural processes of development have been used as illustrative of the resurrection. Each of them is defective, for in no instance of such awakening has there been an actual death. If the tree die, it will not resume its leafage with the return of the sun; if the pupa within the chrysalis, or the life-germ within the egg be killed, no butterfly or bird will emerge. When we indulge such figurative illustrations without most thorough caution, we are apt to conceive the thought that the body predestined to resurrection is not truly dead; and that therefore the quickening which is to follow, is not what the revealed word declares it to be. Observation proves that the separation of the spirit from the body leaves the latter an inanimate mass, no longer able to resist the processes of physical and chemical dissolution. The body, deserted by its immortal tenant, is literally dead; it resolves itself into its natural components, and its substance enters again upon the round of universal circulation of matter. Yet the resurrection from the dead is assured; the faith of those who trust in the word of revealed truth will be vindicated,[1144] and the Divine decree will be carried into full effect.
[1144] See Note 2.
=18. Predictions concerning the Resurrection.=--The prophets in the past dispensations of the world's history have foreseen and foretold the final conquest of death. Some of them testified specifically of Christ's victory over the tomb; others have dwelt upon the resurrection in a general way. Job, the man of patience under tribulation, sang joyously even in his agony:--"For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."[1145] Enoch, to whom the Lord revealed His plan for the redemption of mankind, foresaw the resurrection of Christ, the coming forth of the righteous dead with Him, and the eventual resurrection of all men.[1146]
[1145] Job. xix, 25-26; see also Isa. xxvi, 19; Ezek. xxxvii, 11-14; Hos. xiii, 14.
[1146] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 56-57.
=19.= Nephi testified to his brethren that the Redeemer's death was a fore-ordained necessity, provided in order that resurrection from the dead might be given to man. These are his words:--"For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; ... And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel. O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh; save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect."[1147]
[1147] II Nephi ix, 6, 12-13.
=20.= Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, predicted the Savior's birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, and explained the resulting resurrection of mankind:--"For behold, he surely must die, that salvation may come; yea, it behoveth him, and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord; Yea, behold this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death--that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam, being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual. But, behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord."[1148]
[1148] Helaman xiv, 15-17; see also Mosiah xv, 20-24; and Alma xl, 2, 16.
=21.= The New Testament furnishes abundant evidence that the doctrine of the resurrection was very generally understood during the time of Christ's earthly mission, and in the succeeding apostolic era.[1149] The Master Himself proclaimed these teachings. In reply to the hypercritical Sadducees,[1150] He said:--"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."[1151] the Jews who sought His life because of His deeds and doctrine He spoke in this way:--"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."[1152]
[1149] Matt. xiv, 1-2; John xi, 24.
[1150] See Note 3.
[1151] Matt. xxii, 31-32; see also Luke xiv, 14.
[1152] John v, 24-25; see also verse 21, and xi, 23-25.
=22.= That Christ fully comprehended the purpose of His approaching martyrdom, and the resurrection which was to follow, is abundantly proved by His own utterances while yet in the flesh. To Nicodemus He said:--"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."[1153] And to Martha, who was bewailing the death of her brother Lazarus, he declared: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."[1154] Of His own resurrection He prophesied freely; specifying the time during which His body would be entombed.[1155]
[1153] John iii, 14-15.
[1154] John xi, 25.
[1155] Matt. xii, 40; xvi, 21; xvii, 23; xx, 19.
=23. Two General Resurrections= are mentioned in the scriptures: these may be specified as first and final, or as the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust. The first was inaugurated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; immediately following which, many of the departed Saints came forth from their graves; a continuation of this, the resurrection of the just, has been in operation,[1156] and will be brought to pass in a general way in connection with the coming of Christ in His glory, and will be incident therefore to the beginning of the Millennium. The final resurrection will be deferred until the end of the thousand years of peace, and will be in connection with the last judgment.
[1156] Note the fact that Moroni, the last of the Nephite prophets, who died in the first quarter of the fifth century A.D., appeared as a resurrected being to Joseph Smith in 1823 (see pp. 10-12).
=24. The First Resurrection.--Christ's Resurrection, and that immediately following.=--The facts of Christ's resurrection from the dead are attested by such an array of scriptural proofs that no doubt of the reality finds place in the mind of any believer in the inspired records. To the women who came early to the sepulchre, the angel, who had rolled the stone from the door of the tomb, spoke, saying:--"He is not here, for he is risen, as he said."[1157] Afterward the resurrected Lord showed Himself to many[1158] during the forty days' interval between His resurrection and ascension.[1159] Subsequent to the ascension He manifested Himself to the Nephites on the western hemisphere, as already noted in another connection.[1160] The apostles, as we shall see, ceased not to testify of the genuineness of their Lord's resurrection, nor did they fail to proclaim the resurrections of the future.
[1157] Matt. xxviii, 6. See "Jesus the Christ." ch. xxxvii.
[1158] Matt. xxviii, 9, 16; Mark xvi, 14; Luke xxiv, 13-31, 34; John xx, 14-17, 19, 26; xxi, 1-4; I Cor. xv, 5-8.
[1159] Luke xxiv, 49-51; Acts i, 1-11.
[1160] See page 37.
=25.= Christ, "the first-fruits of them that slept,"[1161] was the first among men to come forth from the grave in an immortalized body; but we read that, soon after His resurrection, many of the Saints were brought from their tombs:--"And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."[1162]
[1161] I Cor. xv, 20, 23; see also Acts xxvi, 23; Col. i, 18; Rev. i, 5.
[1162] Matt. xxvii, 52-53.
=26.= Alma, the Nephite prophet, whose writings antedate by nearly a century the birth of Christ, clearly understood that there would be no resurrection prior to that of the Redeemer, for he said:--"Behold I say unto you, that there is no resurrection; or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on immortality; this corruption does not put on incorruption, until after the coming of Christ."[1163] And furthermore, he foresaw a general resurrection in connection with Christ's coming forth from the dead, as the context of the foregoing quotation clearly proves.[1164] Inspired men among the Nephites spoke of the death and resurrection of Christ[1165] even during the time of His actual ministry in the flesh; and their teachings were speedily confirmed by the appearance of the risen Lord among them,[1166] as had been foretold by their earlier prophets.[1167]
[1163] Alma xl, 2.
[1164] The same. Paragraph 16.
[1165] III Nephi vi, 20.
[1166] III Nephi xi.
[1167] I Nephi xii, 6; II Nephi xxvi, 1, 9; Alma xvi, 20; III Nephi xi. 12.
=27.= In the latter-days, the Lord has again manifested Himself, declaring the facts of His death and resurrection:--"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."[1168]
[1168] Doc. and Cov. xviii, 11-12.
=28. Resurrection at the Time of Christ's Second Coming.=--Immediately, after the departure of Christ from the earth, the apostles, upon whom then devolved the direct responsibility of the Church, were found preaching the doctrine of a future and universal resurrection. This teaching appears to have formed a very prominent feature of their instructions; for it was made a special cause of complaint by the Sadducees, who assailed the apostles, even within the sacred confines of the temple, the accusers "being grieved that they [the apostles] taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead."[1169] Paul gave offense by the zeal with which he preached the resurrection which was to come; as witness his contention with certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics; in the course of which some said:--"What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."[1170] The discussion was continued at Areopagus, or Mars' Hill, where Paul preached the gospel of the true and living God, including the tenets of the resurrection. "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter."[1171] He declared the same truth to Felix, the governor of Judea;[1172] and when brought in bonds before Agrippa, the king, he asked, as if dealing with one of the principal accusations against him, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"[1173]
[1169] Acts iv, 2; see also Matt. xxii, 23, 31-32, and Acts xxiii, 8.
[1170] Acts xvii, 18.
[1171] Verse 32.
[1172] Acts xxiv, 15.
[1173] Acts xxvi, 8.
=29.= The resurrection appears to have been a favorite theme with Paul; in his epistles to the Saints, he gives it a prominent place.[1174] From him, also, we learn that an order of precedence is to be observed in the resurrection:--"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."[1175]
[1174] Rom. vi, 5; viii, 11; I Cor. xv; II Cor. iv, 14; Phil. iii, 21; Col. iii, 4; I Thess. iv, 14; Heb. vi, 2.
[1175] I Cor. xv, 20-23; the entire chapter should be studied.
=30.= It is expressly declared that many graves shall yield up their dead at the time of Christ's advent in glory, and the just who have slept, together with many who have not died, will be caught up to meet the Lord. Paul thus wrote to the Saints in Thessalonica:--"Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.... For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."[1176]
[1176] I Thess. iv, 14-17.
=31.= To the three Nephite disciples, who had asked the blessing of John the beloved apostle, Christ said:--"And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory, ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality."[1177]
[1177] III Nephi xxviii, 8.
=32.= Through the medium of latter-day revelation, the Lord has said:--"Behold I will come, and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off. But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the Saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud."[1178] Of the many signs and wonders which shall attend the Lord's glorious coming we have this partial description:--"And the face of the Lord shall be unveiled: and the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened, and be caught up to meet him. And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth; for their graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven. They are Christ's, the first-fruits; they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him."[1179]
[1178] Doc. and Cov. xlv, 44-45.
[1179] Doc. and Cov. lxxxviii, 95-98.
=33.= Such are some of the glories to attend the first resurrection; in which only the righteous are to have part. But the company of the righteous will include all who have faithfully lived according to the laws of God as made known to them; children who have died in their innocence; and even the just among the heathen nations who have lived in comparative darkness while groping for light, and who have died in ignorance.[1180] This doctrine is made plain by modern revelation:--"And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection."[1181] The Millennium then is to be inaugurated by a glorious deliverance of the just from the power of death; and of this company of the redeemed it is written:--"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."[1182]
[1180] See Note 4.
[1181] Doc. and Cov. xlv, 54; see also Ezek. xxxvi, 23-24; xxxvii, 28; xxxix, 7, 21, 23.
[1182] Rev. xx, 6.
=34. The Final Resurrection.=--"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."[1183] So said the Revelator after having described the glorious blessings of the just, who are given part in the first resurrection. The unworthy will be called to the judgment of condemnation, when the regenerated world is ready to be presented to the Father.[1184]
[1183] Rev. xx, 5.
[1184] See Note 5.
=35.= The contrast between those whose part in the first resurrection is assured, and those whose doom it is to wait until the time of final judgment, is a strong one, and in no case do the scriptures lighten it. We are told that it is proper for us to weep over bereavement by death, "and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection."[1185] In the present day, the voice of the Mighty One is heard in solemn warning:--"Hearken ye, for, behold, the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand. For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake, and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations, Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again."[1186]
[1185] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 45.
[1186] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 17-18.
=36.= The vision of the final scene is thus described by John:--"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."[1187] This stage marks the completion of the work of resurrection. As the scriptures conclusively prove, the resurrection will be universal; while it is true that the dead will be brought forth in order, each as he is prepared for the first or the final stage, yet everyone who has tabernacled in the flesh will again assume his body and with such be judged.
[1187] Rev. xx, 12-13.
=37.= The Book of Mormon is explicit in the description of the literal and universal resurrection:--"Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death; The spirit and the body shall be re-united again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time, and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. Now, behold, I have spoken unto you, concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is from death; even from the first death unto life."[1188]
[1188] Alma xi, 42-45.
=38.= Consider also the following:--"The death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death; And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them, and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still."[1189]
[1189] Mormon ix, 13-14.
=39.= So far has the word of revealed truth extended our knowledge regarding the destiny of the children of God. Beyond the regeneration of the earth, and the final judgment of the just and the wicked, we know little except that a plan of eternal progression has been provided.
NOTES.
=1. Pagan Ignorance Concerning the Resurrection.=--In connection with the statement that human knowledge of the resurrection is based on revelation, the following is of interest:--"Whatever heathen philosophers may have _guessed_ as to the immortality of the soul, even admitting that this was really the result of their own speculations, and not at all due to the relics of tradition, it is certain that they never reached so far as the doctrine of a bodily resurrection. Pliny, when enumerating the things which it was not even in the power of God to do, specified these two--the endowment of mortals with an eternal existence, and the recalling of the departed from the grave (ii, c, vii). A similar opinion is enunciated by Æschylus in the 'Eumenides' (647, 648). The utmost to which they attained in their ethical speculations was a conception of the possible continuance of life, in some new forms and conditions, beyond the grave; but this was all. A resurrection in the scripture sense of the word they never imagined."--Cassell's _Bible Dictionary_, p. 936.
=2. General Belief in a Resurrection.=--"This great event of the future, like the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ, is so entirely a cardinal truth, that there never has been a time in which it has not been an article of the Christian creed, the only difference between the ancient creeds and our own, being that the latter has the phrase 'resurrection of the body' whereas the former invariably uses the form 'resurrection of the flesh.' The reason for the ancient mode of expression is stated by Jerome to be, that since there are spiritual bodies, some might readily accept a resurrection of the body in that sense, who would deny the actual resurrection of the flesh."--Cassell's _Bible Dictionary_, p. 935.
=3. The Sadducees=, when mentioned in the New Testament, are usually represented as being in opposition to the Pharisees, the two classes constituting the most influential of the sects existing among the Jews at the time of Christ. The two differed on many fundamental matters of belief and practice, including pre-existence of spirits; the reality of spiritual punishment and future retribution for sin; the necessity of self-denial in individual life; the immortality of the soul; and the resurrection from the dead; in all of which the Pharisees stood for the affirmative, while the Sadducees denied. Josephus says:--"The doctrine of the Sadducees is that the soul and body perish together; the law is all that they are concerned to observe" (Ant. xviii, 1, 4). The sect consisted mainly of members of the aristocracy. Special mention of the Sadducees here is suggested by their determined opposition to the doctrine of the resurrection, which they sought to assail by arrogant assumption or to belittle by ridicule. Cassell's _Bible Dictionary_ gives place to the following:--"The Sadducees are never mentioned in John's Gospel. The only occasion on which they are spoken of in the Gospels of Mark and Luke is that referred to also by St. Matthew, on which they attempted to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection, by asking our Lord's opinion as to whose wife a woman would be in the future world, who had been married to several in this world (Matt. xxii, 23-32; Mark xii, 18-27; Luke xx, 27-38). Their question proceeded on the assumption that the levirate law, as promulgated by Moses (Deut. xxv, 5-6), implied that the Jewish law-giver had no resurrection of the dead in view. Our Lord's answer explained the difficulty, affirmed the resurrection of the dead, and asserted the existence of angels, which the Sadducees also denied (Matt. xxii, 30; Mark xii, 25; Luke xx, 35, 36; compare with Acts xxiii, 8). He also quoted the divine announcement,--'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' (Exod. iii, 6, 15, 16), and founded thereon by inference an argument not only for immortality, but also for the resurrection. The words quoted must have been regarded by our Lord as implying that the patriarchs, as parties to the covenant, were still in a state of conscious relation to God."
=4. Heathen in the First Resurrection.=--The statement that the heathen dead will have place in the first resurrection is sustained by the word of scripture, and by a consideration of the principles of true justice according to which humanity is to be judged. Man will be accounted blameless or guilty, according to his deeds as interpreted in the light of the law under which he is required to live. It is inconsistent with our conception of a just God, to believe Him capable of inflicting condemnation upon any one for noncompliance with a requirement of which the person had no knowledge. Nevertheless, the laws of the Church will not be suspended even in the case of those who have sinned in darkness and ignorance; but it is reasonable to believe that the plan of redemption will afford such benighted ones an opportunity of learning the laws of God; and surely, as fast as they so learn, will obedience be required on pain of the penalty. Note the following passages in addition to the citations in the text:
"And if there was no law given if men sinned, what could justice do, or mercy either; for they would have no claim upon the creature?"--Alma xlii, 21.
"Wherefore he has given a law; and where there is no law given, there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him."--II Nephi ix, 25.
"And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come, when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent."--Mos. iii, 20-21. See also Helaman xv, 14-15.
=5. The Intermediate State of the Soul; Paradise.=--The condition of the spirits of men between death and the resurrection is a subject of great interest, and one concerning which much dispute has arisen. The scriptures prove, that at the time of man's final judgment he will stand before the bar of God, clothed in his resurrected body, and this, irrespective of his condition of purity or guilt. While awaiting the time of their coming forth, disembodied spirits exist in an intermediate state, of happiness and rest or of suffering and suspense, according to their works in mortality. The prophet Alma said:--"Now concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection. Behold, it has been made known unto me, by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body; yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise; a state of rest; a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow, etc. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil; for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house; and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and this because of their own iniquity; being led captive by the will of the devil. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked; yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise until the time of their resurrection."--Alma xl, 11-14.
Reference to paradise, as a place prepared for righteous spirits while awaiting the resurrection, is made also by the first Nephi (II Nephi ix, 13), by a later prophet of the same name (IV Nephi 14), and by Moroni (Moroni x, 34). New Testament mention supports the same (Luke xxiii, 43; II Cor. xii, 4; Rev. ii, 7). Paradise, then, is not the place of final glory; for such the thief who died with Christ was assuredly not prepared, yet we cannot doubt the fulfillment of our Lord's promise that the penitent malefactor should be with Him in paradise that day; and, moreover, the declaration of the risen Savior to Mary Magdalene, three days later, that He had not at that time ascended to His Father, is proof of His having spent the intermediate time in paradise.
The word "paradise," by its derivation through the Greek from the Persian, signifies a pleasure ground.
LECTURE XXII.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND TOLERATION.
=Article 11.=--We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
=1. Man's Right to Freedom in Worship.=--The Latter-day Saints proclaim their unqualified allegiance to the principles of religious liberty and religious toleration. Freedom to worship Almighty God as the conscience may dictate, they claim as one of the inherent and inalienable rights of humanity. The inspired framers of our charter of national independence proclaimed to the world, as a self-evident truth, that the common birthright of humanity gives to every man a claim to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is foreign, liberty but a name, and life a disappointment to him who is denied the freedom to worship as he may desire. No person possessing a regard for Deity and a sense of duty toward that power Divine, can be happy if he be restricted in the performance of the highest duty of his existence. Could one be happy, though he were housed in a palace, surrounded with all material comforts and provided with every facility for intellectual enjoyment, if he were cut off from communion with the being whom he loved the most? To the man who has learned to know his Divine Father, freedom of worship is preferable even to life.
=2. What is Worship?=--The derivation of the term suggests an answer. It comes to us as the lineal descendant of a pair of Anglo-Saxon words (_weorth_, meaning worthy, and _scipe_, the old form of _ship_, signifying condition or state), and conveys the thought of _worthy-ship_. The worship of which one is capable depends upon his comprehension of the worthiness characterizing the object of his reverence. Man's capacity for worship is a measure of his comprehension of God. The fuller the acquaintance, the closer the communion between the worshiper and his Deity, the more thorough and sincere will be his homage. When we say of one, in figurative speech, that he is a worshiper of the good, the beautiful, the true, we affirm that he possesses a deeper and a more complete conception of worth in the object of his adoration, than has another whose perception does not lead him to reverence those ennobling qualities.
=3.= Man, then, will worship God according to his conception of the Divine attributes and powers; and this conception approaches the correct one in proportion to the spiritual light that has come to him. True worship cannot exist where there is no reverence or love for the object. This reverence may be ill-founded; the adoration may be a species of idolatry; the object may be in fact unworthy; yet of the devotee it must be said that he worships if his conscience clothe the idol with the attribute of worthy-ship. We have spoken of "true worship;" the expression is a pleonasm. Worship, as has been affirmed, is the heart-felt adoration that is rendered as a result of a sincere conception of worthiness on the part of the object; any manifestation of reverence prompted by a conviction inferior to this is but a counterfeit of worship. Call such "false worship" if you choose, but let it be remembered that worship is necessarily true, the word requires no adjective to extend its meaning, nor to attest its genuineness. Worship is not a matter of form, any more than is prayer. It consists not in posture nor in gesture, in ritual nor in creed. Worship most profound may be rendered with none of the artificial accessories of ritualistic service; for altar, the stone in the desert may serve; the peaks of the everlasting hills are temple spires; the vault of heaven is of all the grandest cathedral dome.
=4.= Man is at heart an inferior pattern of that which he worships. The savage, who knows no triumph greater than that of bloody victory over his enemy, who regards prowess and physical strength as the most desirable qualities of his race, and who looks upon revenge and vindictiveness as the sweetest gratifications of life, will assuredly ascribe such attributes to his deity; and will offer his profoundest reverence in sacrifices of blood. All the revolting practices of idolatry are traceable to perverted and fiendish conceptions of human excellence, and these are reflected in the hideous creations of man-made, devil-inspired deities. On the other hand, the man whose enlightened soul has received the impress of love, pure and undefiled, will ascribe to his God the attributes of gentleness and affection, and will say in his heart, "God is love." He alone who has acquired a proper understanding of the glory and responsibility of parenthood, can intelligently use the Son's title of invocation, "Our Father." Knowledge, therefore, is essential to worship; man cannot adequately serve God in ignorance; and the greater his knowledge of the Divine personality, the fuller, truer, will be his adoration; he may learn to know the Father, and the Son who was sent; and such knowledge is man's guarantee to eternal life.
=5.= Worship is the voluntary homage of the soul. Under compulsion, or for the hypocritical purposes of effect, one may insincerely perform all the outward ceremonies of an established style of adoration; he may voice words of prescribed prayers; his lips may profess a creed; yet his effort is but a mockery of worship, and its indulgence a sin. Our Father desires no reluctant homage nor unwilling praise. Formalism in worship is acceptable only so far as it is accompanied by an intelligent devoutness; and it is of use only as an aid to the spiritual devotion which leads to communion with Deity. The spoken prayer is but empty sound if it be anything less than an index to the volume of the soul's righteous desire. Communications addressed to the throne of Grace must bear the stamp of sincerity if they are to reach their high destination. The most acceptable form of worship is that which rests on an unreserved compliance with the laws of God as the worshiper has learned their purport.
=6. Religious Intolerance.=--The Church holds, that the right to worship according to the dictates of conscience has been conferred upon man by an authority higher than any of earth; and that, in consequence, no worldly power can justly interfere with its exercise. The Latter-day Saints accept as inspired the constitutional provision, by which religious liberty within our own nation is professedly guarded, that no law shall ever be made "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"[1190] and they confidently believe that, with the spread of enlightenment throughout the world, a similar guarantee will be acquired by every nation. Intolerance has been the greatest hindrance to true progress in every period of time; yet under the sable cloak of perverted zeal for religion, nations while boasting of their civilization, and professed ministers of the gospel of Christ, have stained the pages of the world's history with the record of such unholy deeds of persecution as to make the heavens weep. In this respect, so-called Christianity ought to bow its head in shame before the record of even pagan toleration. Rome, while arrogantly, though none the less effectively, posing as the mistress of the world, granted to her vanquished subjects the rights of free worship, requiring of them only that they refrain from molesting others or one another in the exercise of such freedom.
[1190] Constitution of the United States, first amendment.
=7.= But as soon as the gospel of Christ was established upon the earth, its devout adherents immediately, and its more pretentious though less sincere devotees of a later day, came to regard themselves as of such sanctity and excellence that all who believed and professed not as did they, were wholly unworthy of consideration. Nay, even long prior to the advent of the Teacher of Love, Israel, knowing the covenant of Divine favor under which they had flourished, counted themselves sure of an exalted station, and looked upon all who were not of the chosen seed as unworthy. Christ, in His ministry among the Jews, saw with compassionate sorrow the spiritual and intellectual bondage of the times, and declared unto them the saving word, saying, "The truth shall make you free." At this, those self-righteous children of the covenant became angry, and boastfully answered, "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?" Then the Master reproved them for their bigotry:--"I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me, because my word has no place in you."[1191]
[1191] John viii, 32-45; see also Matt. iii, 9. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 408.
=8.= There is little cause for wonder in the fact that the early Christians, zealous for the new faith unto which they had been baptized, and newly converted from idolatrous practices and pagan superstitions, should consider themselves superior to the rest of humanity still sitting in darkness and ignorance. Even John, now known as the Apostle of Love, but surnamed by the Christ, he and his brother James, Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder,[1192] was intolerant and resentful toward those who followed not his path; and more than once he had to be rebuked by his Master. Note this incident:--"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."[1193] And again, while traveling with their Lord through Samaria, the apostles James and John were incensed at the Samaritans' neglect shown toward the Master; and they craved permission to call fire from heaven to consume the unbelievers, but their revengeful desire was promptly rebuked by the Lord, who said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."[1194]
[1192] Mark iii, 17.
[1193] Mark ix, 38-41; see also Luke ix, 49-50, and compare Numb. xi, 27-29.
[1194] Luke ix, 51-56; see also John iii, 17, and xii, 47.
=9. Intolerance is Unscriptural.=--The teachings of our Lord breathe the spirit of forbearance and love even to enemies. He tolerated, though he could not approve, the practices of the heathen in their idolatry, the Samaritans with their mongrel and unorthodox customs of worship, the luxury-loving Sadducees, and the law-bound Pharisees. Hatred was not countenanced even toward foes. His instructions were:--"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."[1195] The Twelve were commanded to salute with their blessing every house at which they applied for hospitality. True, if the people rejected them and their message, retribution was to follow; but this visitation of cursing was to be reserved as a Divine prerogative for the judgment day. In His Parable of the Tares, Christ taught the same lesson of forbearance; the hasty servants wanted to pluck out the weeds straightway, but they were forbidden lest they root up the wheat also; and were assured that a separation would be effected in the time of harvest.[1196]
[1195] Matt. v, 44-45.
[1196] Matt. xiii, 24-30.
=10.= In spite of the prevailing spirit of toleration and love which pervades the teachings of the Savior and His apostles, attempts have been made to draw from the scriptures justification for intolerance and persecution.[1197] Paul's stinging words, addressed to the Galatians, have been given a meaning wholly foreign to the spirit which prompted them. Warning the Saints of false teachers, he said:--"As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."[1198] With such an utterance, self-styled ministers of Christ, who, if the whole truth were considered, are perhaps preaching doctrines foreign to the apostolic precepts, seek to justify their sectarian hatred and unchristian cruelty; forgetting that vengeance and recompense belong to the Lord.[1199]
[1197] See Note 1.
[1198] Gal. i, 9; also 8.
[1199] Deut. xxxii, 35; Psa. xciv, 1; Rom. xii, 19; Heb. x, 30.
=11.= The intent of John's words of counsel to the Elect Lady has been perverted, and his teachings have been made a cover of refuge for persecutors and bigots. Warning her of the ministers of Antichrist who were industriously disseminating their heresies, the apostle wrote:--"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evil deeds."[1200] By no rightful interpretation can these words be made to sanction intolerance, persecution, and hatred.
[1200] II John, 10-11.
=12.= The apostle's true meaning has been set forth with clearness and force by a renowned Christian writer of the present day, who, after deploring the "narrow intolerance of an ignorant dogmatism," says:--"The Apostle of Love would have belied all that is best in his own teaching if he had consciously given an absolution, nay, an incentive, to furious intolerance.... Meanwhile, this incidental expression of St. John's brief letter will not lend itself to these gross perversions. What St. John really says and really means, is something wholly different. False teachers were rife, who, professing to be Christians, robbed the nature of Christ of all which gave its efficacy to the atonement, and its significance to the incarnation. These teachers, like other Christian missionaries, traveled from city to city; and, in the absence of public inns, were received into the houses of Christian converts. The Christian lady to whom St. John writes is warned, that if she offers her hospitality to these dangerous emissaries, who were subverting the central truth of Christianity, she is expressing a public sanction of them; and by doing this, and offering them her best wishes, she is taking a direct share in the harm they do. This is common sense, nor is there anything uncharitable in it. No one is bound to help forward the dissemination of teaching what he regards as erroneous respecting the most essential doctrines of his own faith. Still less would it have been right to do this in the days when Christian communities were so small and weak. But, to interpret this as it has in all ages been practically interpreted--to pervert it into a sort of command to exaggerate the minor variations between religious opinions, and to persecute those whose views differ from our own--to make our own opinions the conclusive test of heresy, and to say with Cornelius-a-Lapide, that this verse reprobates 'all conversations, all intercourse, all dealings with heretics'--is to interpret scripture by the glare of
## partisanship and spiritual self-satisfaction, not to read it under the
light of holy love."[1201]
[1201] Canon Farrar. _The Early Days of Christianity_, pp. 587, 588.
=13. Toleration is not Acceptance.=--The human frailty of running to extremes in thought and action finds few more glaring examples than are presented in man's dealings with his fellows on matters religious. On the one hand, he is prone to regard the faith of others as not merely inferior to his own, but as utterly unworthy of his respect; or, on the other, he brings himself to believe that all sects are equally justified in their professions and practices, and that therefore there is no distinctively true order of religion. It is in no wise inconsistent for Latter-day Saints to boldly proclaim the conviction, that their own Church is the accepted one, the only one entitled to the designation "Church of Jesus Christ," and the sole earthly repository of the eternal priesthood in the present age; and yet to willingly accord kind treatment and a recognition of sincerity of purpose to every soul or sect honestly professing Christ, or merely showing a respect for truth, and manifesting a sincere desire to walk according to the light received. My allegiance to the Church of my choice is based on a conviction of the validity and genuineness of its high claim to distinction, as the one and only Church possessing a God-given charter of authority; nevertheless, I count the sects as sincere until they demonstrate that they are otherwise, and am prepared to defend them in their rights.
=14.= Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the last dispensation, while reproving certain of his brethren for intolerance toward the cherished beliefs of other men, taught that even idolaters ought to be protected in their worship; that, while it would be the strict duty of any Christian to direct his efforts toward enlightening such benighted minds, he would not be justified in forcibly depriving even the heathen of their rights of adoration. In the pure eyes of God, idolatry is one of the most heinous of sins; yet He is tolerant of those who, knowing Him not, yield to their inherited instinct for worship by rendering homage even to stocks and stones. Deadly as is the sin of idolatrous worship on the part of him to whom light has come, it may represent in the savage the sincerest reverence of which he is capable. And, as set forth in a preceding lecture,[1202] the voice of the Eternal One has declared that the heathen who have known no law shall have part in the first resurrection.
[1202] See page 61.
=15.= What justification can man find for intolerance toward his fellow, when God, who is grieved over every sin, manifests so marked a forbearance? The free agency of the human soul is sacred to Deity.
"Know this, that every soul is free, To choose his life, and what he'll be; For this eternal truth is given, That God will force no man to heaven. He'll call, persuade, direct aright, Bless him with wisdom, love, and light, In nameless ways be good and kind, But never force the human mind."
=16. Man is strictly Answerable for his Acts.=--The unbounded liberality and true tolerance with which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regards other religious denominations, and the teachings of the Church respecting the assurance of final redemption for all men except the few who have fallen so far as to have committed the unpardonable sin, thereby becoming Sons of Perdition, may suggest the erroneous conclusion, that we believe that all so redeemed shall be admitted to equal powers, privileges, and glories in the Heaven of our God. Far from this, the Church proclaims the doctrine of many and varied degrees of glory, which the redeemed will inherit in strict accordance with their merits.[1203] We believe in no general plan of universal forgiveness or reward, by which sinners of high and low degree shall be exempted from the effects of their deeds, while the righteous are ushered into heaven as a dwelling place in common, all glorified in the same measure. As stated, the heathen whose sins are those of ignorance, are to come forth with the just in the first resurrection; but this does not imply that those children of the lower races are to inherit the glory provided for the able, the valiant, and the true, in the cause of God on earth.
[1203] See pp. 94-95.
=17.= Our condition in the world to come will be strictly a result of the life we lead in this probation, as, by the light of revealed truth regarding the pre-existent state,[1204] we perceive our present condition to be determined by the fidelity with which we kept our first estate. The scriptures repeatedly declare that man will reap the natural harvest of his works in life, be such good or evil; in the effective language with which the Father encourages and warns his frail children, every one will be rewarded or punished according to his works.[1205] In eternity, man will enjoy or loath the "fruit of his doing."
[1204] See pp. 195-198.
[1205] Job xxxiv, 11; Psal. lxii, 12; Jer. xvii, 10; xxxii, 19; Matt. xvi, 17; Rom. ii, 6-12; xiv, 12; I Cor. iii, 8; II Cor. v, 10; Rev. ii, 23; xx, 12; xxii, 12.
=18. Degrees of Glory.=--That the privileges and glories of heaven are graded to suit the various capacities of the blessed, is indicated in Christ's teachings. To His apostles He said:--"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."[1206]
[1206] John xiv, 1-3.
=19.= This utterance is supplemented by that of Paul, who speaks of the graded glories of the resurrection as follows:--"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead."[1207]
[1207] I Cor. xv, 40-42.
=20.= A fuller knowledge of this subject has been imparted in the present dispensation. From a revelation given in 1832[1208] we learn the following:--Three great kingdoms or degrees of glory are established for the future habitation of the human race; these are known as the Celestial, the Terrestrial, and the Telestial. Far below the last and least of these, is the state of eternal punishment prepared for the Sons of Perdition.
[1208] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi.
=21. The Celestial Glory= is provided for those who merit the highest honors of heaven. In the revelation referred to, we read of them:--"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the Church of the First-born. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things,--they are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory, and are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchisedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God;--wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's.... These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.... These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical."[1209]
[1209] The same: Paragraphs 51-70.
=22. The Terrestrial Glory.=--This, the next lower degree, will be attained by many whose works do not merit the highest reward. We read of them:--"These are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the Church of the First-born who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, and also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the Gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness. These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father; wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God."[1210]
[1210] The same: Paragraphs 71-79.
=23. The Telestial Glory.=--The revelation continues:--"And again, we saw the glory of the telestial,[1211] which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have finished his work."[1212] We learn further that the inhabitants of this kingdom are to be graded among themselves, comprising as they do the unenlightened among the varied opposing sects and divisions of men, and sinners of many types, whose offences are not those of utter perdition;--"For as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; for these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and some of another--some of Christ, and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant."[1213] Evidently a considerable part of the human family will fail of all glory beyond that of the telestial kingdom, for we are told,--"But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore."[1214] They are thus not wholly rejected; their every merit will be respected. "For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion in the mansions which are prepared; and they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell, they cannot come, worlds without end."[1215]
[1211] See Note 2.
[1212] Paragraphs 81-86.
[1213] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 98-101.
[1214] The same: Par. 109.
[1215] The same: Par. 111-112.
=24. The Kingdoms with Respect to One Another.=--The three kingdoms of widely differing glories are themselves organized on an orderly plan of gradation. We have seen that the telestial kingdom comprises a multitude of subdivisions; this also is the case, we are told, with the celestial;[1216] and, by analogy, we conclude that a similar condition prevails in the terrestrial. Thus the innumerable degrees of merit amongst mankind are provided for in an infinity of graded glories. The Celestial kingdom is supremely honored by the personal ministrations of the Father and the Son.[1217] The Terrestrial kingdom will be administered through the higher, without a fullness of glory. The Telestial is governed through the ministrations of the Terrestrial, by "angels who are appointed to minister for them."[1218]
[1216] Doc. and Cov. cxxxi, 1; see also II Cor. xii, 1-4.
[1217] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 68.
[1218] Par. 86, 88.
=25.= It is reasonable to believe, in the absence of direct revelation by which alone absolute knowledge of the matter could be acquired, that, in accordance with God's plan of eternal progression, advancement from grade to grade within each of the three specified kingdoms will be provided for. But if the recipients of a lower glory be enabled to advance, surely the intelligences of higher rank shall not be stopped in their progress; and thus we may conclude that degrees and grades will ever characterize the kingdoms of our God. Eternity is progressive; perfection is relative; the essential feature of God's living purpose is its associated power of eternal increase.
=26. The Sons of Perdition.=--We learn of another class of souls whose sins are such as to place them beyond the present possibility of redemption. These are called Sons of Perdition; children of the fallen angel, once a Son of the Morning, now Lucifer, or Perdition.[1219] These are they who have violated truth in the full blaze of the light of knowledge; who, having received the testimony of Christ, and having been endowed by the Holy Spirit, then deny the same and defy the power of God, crucifying the Lord afresh, and putting Him to an open shame. This, the unpardonable sin, can be committed by those only who have received the knowledge and the sacred conviction of the truth, against which they then rebel. Their sin is comparable to the treason of Lucifer, by which he sought to usurp the power and glory of his God. Concerning them and their dreadful fate, the Almighty has said:--"I say that it had been better for them never to have been born; for they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; concerning whom I have said, there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come.... They shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment; And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows; neither was it revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof: Nevertheless I, the Lord, show it by vision unto many, but straightway shut it up again; wherefore the end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except them who are ordained unto this condemnation."[1220]
[1219] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 25-27.
[1220] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 31-48, see also Heb. vi, 4-6; Alma xxxix, 6. For other references see page 62.
=27.= Surely the doctrines of the Church are explicit in defining the relationship between the mortal probation and the future state, and in teaching the individual accountability and the free agency of man. The Church affirms that in view of the terrible responsibility under which every man rests, as the unrestrained director of his own course, he must be and is free to choose in all things, from the life that leads to the celestial home, to the career that is but the introduction to the miseries of perdition. Freedom to worship, or to refuse to worship, is a God-given right.
NOTES.
=1. Intolerance among Christians To-day.=--"It must be said--though I say it with the deepest sorrow--that the cold exclusiveness of the Pharisee, the bitter ignorance of the self-styled theologian, the usurped infallibility of the half-educated religionist, have been ever the curse of Christianity. They have imposed 'the senses of men upon the words of God, the special senses of men on the general words of God;' and have tried to enforce them on all men's consciences with all kinds of burnings and anathemas under equal threats of death and damnation. And thus they incurred the terrible responsibility of presenting religion to mankind in a false and repellent guise. Is theological hatred still to be a proverb for the world's just contempt? Is such hatred--hatred in its bitterest and most ruthless form--to be regarded as the legitimate and normal outcome of the religion of love? Is the spirit of peace never to be brought to bear on religious opinions? Are such questions always to excite the most intense animosities, and the most terrible divisions?... Is the world to be forever confirmed in its opinion that theological partisans are less truthful, less candid, less high-minded, less honorable even than the partisans of political and social causes, who make no profession as to the duty of love? Are the so-called 'religious' champions to be forever as they now are, the most unscrupulously bitter, the most conspicuously unfair? Alas! they might be so with far less danger to the cause of religion if they would forego the luxury of 'quoting scripture for their purpose.'"--Canon Farrar, _The Early Days of Christianity_, pp. 584-585.
=2. "Telestial."=--The adjective "telestial" has not become current in the language; its use is at present confined to the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is applied as a distinguishing term to the lowest of the three kingdoms of glory provided for the redeemed. The only English word approaching it in form is the adjective "telestic," which is defined thus:--"tending toward the end or final accomplishment; tending to accomplish a purpose."
=3. Toleration.=--"'Mormonism' offers no modified or conditional claims as to the necessity of compliance with the laws and ordinances of the gospel by every independent inhabitant of earth unto whom salvation shall come. It distinguishes not between enlightened and heathen nations, nor between men of high or low intelligence; nor even between the living and the dead. No human being who has attained years of accountability in the flesh, may hope for salvation in the kingdom of God until he has rendered obedience to the requirements of Christ, the Redeemer of the world. But while thus decisive, 'Mormonism' is not exclusive. It does not claim that all who have failed to accept and obey the gospel of eternal life shall be eternally and forever damned. While boldly asserting that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the sole repository of the Holy Priesthood as now restored to earth, it teaches and demands the fullest toleration for all individuals, and organizations of individuals, professing righteousness; and holds that each shall be rewarded for the measure of good he has wrought, to be adjudged in accordance with the spiritual knowledge he has gained. And for such high claims combined with such professions of tolerance, the Church has been accused of inconsistency. Let it not be forgotten, however, that toleration is not acceptance. I may believe with the utmost fulness of my soul's powers that I am right and my neighbor is wrong concerning any proposition or principle; but such conviction gives me no semblance of right for interfering with his exercise of freedom. The only bounds to the liberty of an individual are such as mark the liberty of another, or the rights of the community. God himself treats as sacred, and therefore as inviolable, the freedom of the human soul. 'Mormonism' contends that no man or nation possesses the right to forcibly deprive even the heathen of his right to worship his deity. Though idolatry has been marked from the earliest ages with the seal of divine disfavor, it may represent in the benighted mind the sincerest reverence of which the person is capable. He should be taught better, but never compelled. There is no claim of universal forgiveness; no unwarranted glorification of Mercy to the degrading or neglect of Justice; no thought that a single sin of omission or of commission shall fail to leave its wound or scar. In the great future there shall be found a place for every soul, whatever his grade of spiritual intelligence may be."--_The Philosophy of Mormonism_: The Author, in _Improvement Era_, vol. iv, pp. 502-504.
LECTURE XXIII.
SUBMISSION TO SECULAR AUTHORITY.
=Article 12.=--We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
=1. Introductory.=--It is but reasonable to expect of a people professing the Gospel of Christ, and claiming membership in the one accepted and divinely invested Church, that they manifest in practice the virtues which their precepts inculcate. True, we may look in vain for perfection among those even who make the fullest and most justifiable claims to orthodoxy; but we have a right to expect in their creed ample requirements concerning the most approved course of
## action, and in their lives, sincere and earnest effort toward the
practical realization of their professions. Religion, to be of service and at all worthy of acceptance, must be of wholesome influence in the individual lives and the temporal affairs of its adherents. Among other virtues, the Church in its teachings should impress the duty of a law-abiding course; and the people should show forth the effect of such precepts in their excellence as citizens of the nation, and as individuals in the community of which they are part.
=2.= The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes emphatic declaration of its belief and precepts regarding the duty of its members toward the laws of the land; and sustains its position by the authority of specific revelation in ancient as in present times. Moreover, the people are confident, that when the true story of their rise and progress as an established body of religious worshipers is written, the loyalty of the Church and the patriotic devotion of its members will be vindicated and extolled by the world in general, as now are these virtues recognized by the few unprejudiced investigators who have studied with honest purpose the history of this remarkable organization.
=3. Obedience to Authority Enjoined by Scripture.--=During the patriarchal period, when the head of the family possessed virtually the power of judge and king over his household, the authority of the ruler and the rights of the family were respected. Consider the instance of Hagar, the "plural" wife of Abram, and the handmaid of Sarai. Jealousy and ill-feeling had arisen between Hagar and her mistress, the senior wife of the patriarch. Abram listened to the complaint of Sarai, and, recognizing her authority over Hagar, who, though his wife, was still the servant of Sarai, said:--"Behold thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee." Then, as the mistress dealt harshly with her servant, Hagar fled into the wilderness; there she was visited by an angel of the Lord, who addressed her thus:--"Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou, and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands."[1221] Observe that the heavenly messenger recognized the authority of the mistress over the bond-woman, even though the latter had been given the rank of wifehood in the family.
[1221] Gen. xvi, 1-9. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 397, Note 6.
=4.= The ready submission of Isaac to the will of his father, even to the extent of offering his life[1222] on the altar of bloody sacrifice, is evidence of the sanctity with which the authority of the family ruler was regarded. It may appear, as indeed it has been claimed, that the requirement which the Lord made of Abraham as a test of faith, in the matter of giving his son's life as a sacrifice, was a violation of existing laws, and therefore opposed to stable government. The claim is poorly placed in view of the fact, that the patriarchal head was possessed of absolute authority over the members of his household, the power extending even to judgment of life or death.[1223]
[1222] Gen. xxii, 1-10.
[1223] See Gen. xxxviii, 24.
=5.= In the days of the exodus, when Israel were ruled by a theocracy, the Lord gave divers laws and commandments for the government of His chosen people; among them we read:--"Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people."[1224] Judges were appointed by Divine direction to exercise authority amongst Israel. Moses, in reiterating the Lord's commands, charged the people to this effect:--"Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment."[1225]
[1224] Exo. xxii, 28. The word "gods" in this passage is rendered by some translators "judges." (See marginal reference, Bible.) See "Jesus the Christ," p. 501, Note 8.
[1225] Deut. xvi, 18; see also i, 16; I Chron. xxiii, 4; xxvi, 29.
=6.= When the people wearied of God's direct control, and clamored for a king, the Lord yielded to their desire, and gave the new ruler authority by a holy anointing.[1226] David, even though he had been anointed to succeed Saul on the throne, recognized the sanctity of the king's person, and bitterly reproached himself because on one occasion he had mutilated the robe of the monarch. True, Saul was at that time seeking David's life, and the latter sought only a means of showing that he had no intent to kill his royal enemy; yet we are told:--"That David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord."[1227]
[1226] I Sam. viii, 6-7, 22; ix, 15-16; x, 1.
[1227] I Sam, xxiv, 5-6, 10; see also xxvi, 9-12, 16.
=7.= Note, further, the following scriptural adjurations as recorded in the Old Testament:--"My son, fear thou the Lord, and the king."[1228] "I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God."[1229] "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought."[1230]
[1228] Prov. xxiv, 21.
[1229] Eccles. viii, 2.
[1230] Eccles. x, 20. Note 5.
=8. Examples Set by Christ and His Apostles.=--Our Savior's work on earth was marked throughout by His acknowledgment of the existing powers of the land, even though the authority had been won by cruel conquest, and was exercised unjustly. When the tax-collector called for the tribute money demanded by the hierarchy, Christ, though not admitting the justice of the claim, directed that the tax be paid, and even invoked a miraculous circumstance whereby the money could be provided. Of Peter he asked:--"What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."[1231]
[1231] Matt. xvii, 24-27. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 382.
=9.= At the instigation of certain wicked Pharisees, a treacherous plot was laid to make Christ appear as an offender against the ruling powers. They sought to catch Him by the hypocritical question,--"What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar or not?" His answer was an unequivocal endorsement of submission to the laws. To His questioners He replied:--"Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's."[1232]
[1232] Matt. xxii, 15-21; see also Mark xii, 13-17; Luke xx, 20-25. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 546.
=10.= Throughout the solemnly tragic circumstances of His trial and condemnation, Christ maintained a submissive demeanor even toward the chief priests and elders who were plotting His death. These officers, however unworthy of their priestly power, were nevertheless in authority, and had a certain measure of jurisdiction in secular as in ecclesiastical affairs. When He stood before Caiaphas, laden with insult and accused by false witnesses, He maintained a dignified silence. To the high priest's question,--"Answereth thou nothing? What is it these witness against thee?" He deigned no reply. Then the high priest added:--"I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God."[1233] To this solemn adjuration, spoken with official authority, the Savior gave an immediate answer; thus recognizing the office of the high priest, however unworthy the man.
[1233] Matt. xxvi, 57-64; Mark xiv, 55-62.
=11.= A similar respect for the high priest's office was shown by Paul while a prisoner before the tribunal. His remarks displeased the high priest, who gave immediate command to those who stood near Paul to smite him on the mouth.[1234] This angered the apostle, and he cried out:--"God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people."[1235]
[1234] See Note 1.
[1235] Acts xxiii, 1-5.
=12. Teachings of the Apostles.=--Paul, writing to Titus, who had been left in charge of the Church among the Cretans, warns him of the weaknesses of his flock, and urges him to teach them to be orderly and law-abiding:--"Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work."[1236] In another place, Paul is emphatic in declaring the duty of the Saints toward the civil power, such authority being ordained of God. He points out the necessity of secular government, and the need of officers in authority, whose power will be feared by evil-doers only. He designates the civil authorities as ministers of God; and justifies taxation by the state, with an admonition that the Saints fail not in their dues.
[1236] Titus iii, 1.
=13.= These are his words addressed to the Church at Rome:--"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."[1237]
[1237] Rom. xiii, 1-7.
=14.= In a letter to Timothy, Paul teaches that in the prayers of the Saints, kings and all in authority should be remembered, adding that such remembrance is pleasing in the sight of God:--"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior."[1238]
[1238] I Tim. ii, 1-3.
=15.= The duty of willing submission to authority is elaborated in the epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians; and illustrations are applied to the relations of social and domestic life. Wives are taught to be submissive to their husbands,--"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church;" but this duty within the family is reciprocal, and therefore husbands are instructed as to the manner in which authority ought to be exercised. Children are to obey their parents; yet the parents are cautioned against provoking or otherwise offending their little ones. Servants are told to render willing and earnest service to their masters, recognizing in all things the superior authority; and masters are instructed in their duty toward their servants, being counseled to abandon threatening and other harsh treatment, remembering that they also will have to answer to a Master greater than themselves.[1239]
[1239] Eph. v, 22-23; vi, 1-9; Col. iii, 18-22; iv, 1.
=16.= Peter is not less emphatic in teaching the sanctity with which the civil power should be regarded;[1240] he admonishes the Saints in this wise:--"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."[1241]
[1240] See Note 2.
[1241] I Peter ii, 13-17.
=17.= These general rules, relating to submission to authority, he applies, as did Paul similarly, to the conditions of domestic life. Servants are to be obedient, even though their masters be harsh and severe:--"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye take it patiently? but if, when you do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."[1242] Wives also, even though their husbands be not of their faith, are not to vaunt themselves and defy authority, but to be submissive, and to rely upon gentler and more effective means of influencing those whose name they bear.[1243] He gives assurance of the judgment which shall overtake evil doers, and specifies as fit subjects for condemnation, "chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."[1244]
[1242] Verses 19-20.
[1243] I Peter iii, 1-7.
[1244] II Peter ii, 10.
=18.= Doubtless there existed excellent reason for these explicit and repeated counsels against the spirit of revolt, with which the apostles of old sought to lead and strengthen the Church. The Saints rejoiced in their testimony of the truth, that had found place in their hearts,--the truth that was to make them free,--and it would have been but natural for them to regard all others as inferior to themselves, and to rebel against all authority of man in favor of their allegiance to a higher power. There was constant danger that their zeal would lead them to acts of indiscretion, and thus furnish excuse, if not reason, for the assaults of persecutors, who would have denounced them as law-breakers and workers of sedition. Even half-hearted submission to the civil powers would have been unwise at least, in view of the disfavor with which the new sect had come to be regarded by their pagan contemporaries. The voice of their inspired leaders was heard, therefore, in timely counsel for humility and submission. But there were then, as ever have there been, weightier reasons than such as rest on motives of policy, requiring submission to the established powers. Such is no less the law of God than of man. Governments are essential to human existence; they are recognized, given indeed, of the Lord; and His people are in duty bound to sustain them.
=19. Book of Mormon Teachings= concerning the duty of the people as subjects of the law of the land are abundant throughout the volume. However, as the civil and the ecclesiastical powers were usually vested together, the king or chief judge being also the high priest, there are comparatively few admonitions of allegiance to the civil authority as distinct from that of the priesthood. From the time of Nephi, son of Lehi, to that of the death of Mosiah,--a period of nearly five hundred years, the Nephites were ruled by a succession of kings; during the remaining time of their recorded history,--more than five hundred years, the people were subject to judges of their own choosing. Under each of these varieties of government, the secular laws were rigidly enforced, the power of the state being supplemented and strengthened by that of the Church. The sanctity with which the laws were regarded is illustrated in the judgment pronounced by Alma upon Nehor, a murderer, and a promoter of sedition and priestcraft:--"Thou art condemned to die," said the judge, "according to the law which has been given us by Mosiah, our last king; and they have been acknowledged by this people; therefore, this people must abide by the law."[1245]
[1245] Alma i, 14.
=20. Modern Revelation= requires of the Saints in the present dispensation a strict allegiance to the civil laws. In a communication dated August 1, 1831, the Lord said to the Church:--"Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land, Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet."[1246] At a later date, August 6, 1833, the voice of the Lord was heard again on this matter, saying:--"And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them; and that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me; Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land."[1247]
[1246] Doc. and Cov. lviii, 21-22.
[1247] Doc. and Cov. xcviii, 4-6.
=21.= A question has many times been asked of the Church and of its individual members, to this effect:--In the case of a conflict between the requirements made by the revealed word of God, and those imposed by the secular law, which of these authorities would the members of the Church be bound to obey? In answer, the words of Christ may be applied:--it is the duty of the people to render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. At the present time, the Kingdom of Heaven as an earthly power, with a reigning King exercising direct and personal authority in temporal matters, has not been established upon the earth; the branches of the Church as such, and the members composing the same, are subjects of the several governments within whose separate realms the Church organizations exist. In this day of comparative enlightenment and freedom, there is small cause for expecting any direct interference with the rights of private worship and individual devotion; in all civilized nations the people are accorded the right to pray, and this right is assured by what may be properly called a common law of human-kind. No earnest soul is cut off from communion with his God; and with such an open channel of communication, relief from burdensome laws and redress for grievances may be sought from the Power that holds control of nations.
=22.= Pending the over-ruling by Providence in favor of religious liberty, it is the duty of the Saints to submit themselves to the laws of their country. Nevertheless, they should use every proper method, as citizens or subjects of their several governments, to secure for themselves and for all men the boon of freedom in religious duties. It is not required of them to suffer without protest imposition by lawless persecutors, or through the operation of unjust laws; but their protests should be offered in legal and proper order. The Saints have practically demonstrated their acceptance of the doctrine that it is better to suffer evil than to do wrong by purely human opposition to unjust authority. And if by thus submitting themselves to the laws of the land, in the event of such laws being unjust and subversive of human freedom, the Saints be prevented from doing the work appointed them of God, they are not to be held accountable for the failure to act under the higher law. The word of the Lord has been given explicitly defining the position and duty of the people in such a contingency:--"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men, to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might, and with all they have, to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them, and hinder them from performing that work; behold, it behoveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings; And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments, I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not and hate me, saith the Lord God."[1248]
[1248] Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 49-50; see Note 3.
=23. An Illustration= of such suspension of Divine law is found in the
## action of the Church regarding the matter of plural or polygamous
marriage. The practice referred to was established as a result of direct revelation,[1249] and many of those who followed the same felt that they were divinely commanded so to do. For ten years after plural marriage had been introduced into Utah as a Church observance, no law was enacted in opposition to the practice. Beginning with 1862, however, Federal statutes were framed declaring the practice unlawful and providing penalties therefor. The Church claimed that these enactments were unconstitutional, and therefore void, inasmuch as they violated the provision in the national constitution which denies the government power to make laws respecting any establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.[1250] Many appeals were taken to the national court of final resort, and at last a decision was rendered sustaining the anti-polygamy laws as constitutional and therefore binding. The Church, through its chief officer, thereupon discontinued the practice of plural marriage, and announced its action to the world; solemnly placing the responsibility for the change upon the nation by whose laws the renunciation had been forced. This action has been approved and confirmed by the official vote of the Church in conference assembled.[1251]
[1249] Doc. and Cov. cxxxii.
[1250] Article I, of the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.
[1251] See Note 4.
=24. Teachings of the Church Today.=--Perhaps there can be presented no better summary of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding its relation to the civil power, and the respect due to the laws of the land, than the official declaration of belief which was issued by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and which has been incorporated in the Doctrine and Covenants,--one of the standard works of the Church, adopted by vote of the Church as one of the accepted guides in faith, doctrine, and practice.[1252] It reads as follows:--
[1252] Doc. and Cov. cxxxiv.
"OF GOVERNMENTS AND LAWS IN GENERAL.
"1. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man, and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, either in making laws or administering them, for the good and safety of society.
"2. We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.
"3. We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same, and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice, should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people (if a republic), or the will of the sovereign.
"4. We believe that religion is instituted of God, and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
"5. We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgment are best calculated to secure the public interest, at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
"6. We believe that every man should be honored in his station: rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent, and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws, all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man, and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
"7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice, to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws, and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
"8. We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality, and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquillity, all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.
"9. We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered, and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members as citizens, denied.
"10. We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct according to the rules and regulations of such societies, provided that such dealing be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, neither to inflict any physical punishment upon them; they can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.
"11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted, or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons, in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.
"12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not believe it right to interfere with bond servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them, contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or influence them in the least, to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude."
NOTES.
=1. Insults to Paul and to Christ.=--See Acts xxiii, 1-5. "Scarcely had the apostle uttered the first sentence of his defense, when, with disgraceful illegality, Ananias ordered the officers of the court to smite him on the mouth. Stung by an insult so flagrant, an outrage so undeserved, the naturally choleric temperament of Paul flamed into that sudden sense of anger which ought to be controlled, but which can hardly be wanting in a truly noble character. No character can be perfect which does not cherish in itself a deeply-seated, though perfectly generous and forbearing, indignation against intolerable wrong. Smarting from the blow, 'God shall smite thee,' he exclaimed, 'thou whitewashed wall! What! Dost thou sit there judging me according to the Law, and in violation of law biddest me to be smitten?' The language has been censured as unbecoming in its violence, and has been unfavorably compared with the meekness of Christ before the tribunal of his enemies. [See John xviii, 19-23.] 'Where,' asks St. Jerome, 'is that patience of the Savior, who--as a lamb led to the slaughter opens not his mouth--so gently asks the smiter, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?" We are not detracting from the apostle, but declaring the glory of God, who, suffering in the flesh, reigns above the wrong and frailty of the flesh.' Yet we need not remind the reader that not once or twice only did Christ give the rein to righteous anger, and blight hypocrisy and insolence with a flash of holy wrath. The bystanders seemed to have been startled by the boldness of St. Paul's rebuke, for they said to him, 'Dost thou revile the high priest of God?' The apostle's anger had expended itself in that one outburst, and he instantly apologized with exquisite urbanity and self-control. 'I did not know,' he said, 'brethren, that he is the high priest'; adding that, had he known this, he would not have addressed to him the opprobrious name of 'whited wall,' because he reverenced and acted upon the rule of scripture, 'Thou shalt not speak ill of a ruler of thy people.'"--Farrar, _The Life and Work of St. Paul_, pp. 539-540.
=2. Peter's Teaching's Regarding Submission to Law.=--A special "duty of Christians in those days was due respect in all things lawful, to the civil government.... Occasions there are--and none knew this better than an apostle who had himself set an example of splendid disobedience to unwarranted commands [Acts iii, 19, 31; v, 28-32; 40-42]--when 'we must obey God rather than men.' But those occasions are exceptional to the common rule of life. Normally, and as a whole, human law is on the side of divine order, and, by whomsoever administered, has a just claim to obedience and respect. It was a lesson so deeply needed by the Christians of the day that it is taught as emphatically by St. John [John xix, 11], and by St. Peter, as by St. Paul himself. It was more than ever needed at a time when dangerous revolts were gathering to a head in Judea; when the hearts of Jews throughout the world were burning with a fierce flame of hatred against the abominations of a tyrannous idolatry; when Christians were being charged with 'turning the world upside-down' [Acts xvii, 6]; when some poor Christian slave, led to martyrdom or put to the torture, might easily relieve the tension of his soul by bursting into apocalyptic denunciations of sudden doom against the crimes of the mystic Babylon; when the heathen, in their impatient contempt, might wilfully interpret a prophecy of the final conflagration as though it were a revolutionary and incendiary threat; and when Christians at Rome were, on this very account, already suffering the agonies of the Neronian persecution. Submission, therefore, was at this time a primary duty of all who wished to win over the heathen, and to save the Church from being overwhelmed in some outburst of indignation which would be justified even to reasonable and tolerant pagans as a political necessity.... 'Submit, therefore,' the apostle says, 'to every human ordinance, for the Lord's sake, whether to the emperor as supreme [the name "king" was freely used of the emperor in the provinces], or to governors, as missioned by him for punishment of malefactors and praise to well-doers; for this is the will of God, that by your well-doing ye should gag the stolid ignorance of foolish persons; as free, yet not using your freedom for a cloak of baseness, but as slaves of God. 'Honor all men' as a principle; and as your habitual practice, 'love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.'" [See I Peter ii, 13-17.]--Farrar, _Early Days of Christianity_, pp. 89-90.
=3. The Law of God, and the Law of Man.=--The teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints respecting the duty of its members in obeying the laws of the land wherein they live, is more comprehensive and definite than is that of many other Christian sects. In January, 1899, an association of the free Evangelical churches of England officially published "a common statement of faith in the form of a new catechism." Touching the relation between church and state, the following formal questions and prescribed answers occur:--
"36. Q.--What is a free church? A.--A church which acknowledges none but Jesus Christ as Head, and, therefore, exercises its right to interpret and administer His laws without restraint or control by the state.
"37. Q.--What is the duty of the church to the state? A.--To observe all the laws of the state unless contrary to the teachings of Christ," etc.
According to the report of the committee in charge of the work of publication, the catechism "represents, directly or indirectly, the beliefs of not less, and probably many more, than sixty millions of avowed Christians in all parts of the world."
=4. Discontinuance of Plural Marriage.=--The official act terminating the practice of plural marriage among the Latter-day Saints was the adoption by the Church, in conference assembled, of a manifesto proclaimed by the President of the Church. The language of the document illustrates the law-abiding character of the people and the Church, as is shown by the following clause:--"Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I [President Wilford Woodruff] hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise." In the course of a sermon immediately following the proclaiming of the manifesto, President Woodruff said regarding the action taken:--"I have done my duty, and the nation of which we form a part must be responsible for that which has been done in relation to that principle" (i.e., plural marriage).
=5. A Striking Instance of Submission to Secular Authority.=--"Governments are instituted of God, sometimes by His direct interposition, sometimes by His permission. When the Jews had been brought into subjection by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Lord commanded through the prophet Jeremiah (xxvii, 4-8) that the people render obedience to their conqueror, whom He called His servant; for verily the Lord had used the pagan king to chastise the recreant and unfaithful children of the covenant. The obedience so enjoined included the payment of taxes and extended to complete submission." See "Jesus the Christ," p. 564, Note 2.
LECTURE XXIV.
PRACTICAL RELIGION.
=Article 13.=--We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul,--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
=1. Religion of Daily Life.=--In this article of their faith, the Latter-day Saints declare their acceptance of a practical religion; a religion that shall consist, not alone of professions in spiritual matters, and belief as to the conditions of the hereafter, of the doctrine of original sin and the actuality of a future heaven and hell, but also, and more particularly, of present and every-day duties, in which respect for self, love for fellow-men, and devotion to God are the guiding principles. Religion without morality, professions of godliness without charity, church-membership without an adequate responsibility as to individual conduct in daily life, are but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals--noise without music, the words without the spirit of prayer. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."[1253] Honesty of purpose, integrity of soul, individual purity, absolute freedom of conscience, willingness to do good to all men even enemies, pure benevolence,--these are some of the fruits by which the religion of Christ may be known, far exceeding in importance and value the promulgation of dogmas, and the enunciation of theories. Yet a knowledge of things more than temporal, doctrines of spiritual matters, founded on revelation and not resting on the sands of man's frail hypotheses, are likewise characteristic of the true Church.
[1253] James i, 27.
=2. The Comprehensiveness of Our Faith= must appeal to every earnest investigator of the principles taught by the Church, and still more to the unprejudiced observer of the results as manifested in the course of life characteristic of the Latter-day Saints. Within the pale of the Church there is a place for all truth,--for everything that is praiseworthy, virtuous, lovely, or of good report. The liberality with which the Church regards other religious denominations; the earnestness of its teaching that God is no respecter of persons, but that He will judge all men according to their deeds; the breadth and depth of its precepts concerning the state of immortality, and the gradations of eternal glory awaiting the honest in heart of all nations, kindred, and churches, civilized and heathen, enlightened and benighted, have been set forth in preceding lectures. We have seen further, that the belief of this people carries them forward, even beyond the bounds of all knowledge thus far revealed, and teaches them to look with unwavering confidence for other revelation, truths yet to be added, glories grander than have yet been made known, eternities of powers, dominions, and progress, beyond the mind of man to conceive or the soul to contain. We believe in a God who is Himself progressive, whose majesty is intelligence; whose perfection consists in eternal advancement; the perpetual work of whose creation stands "finished, yet renewed forever;"[1254]--a Being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now His children are permitted to follow; whose glory it is their heritage to share. In spite of the opposition of all the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth, "_As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become._" With such a future, well may man open his heart to the stream of revelation, past, present, and to come; and truthfully should we be able to say of every enlightened child of God, that he "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."[1255] As incidental to the declaration of belief embodied in this article of faith, many topics relating to the organization, precepts, and practice of the Church suggest themselves. Of these the following may claim our present attention.
[1254] Bryant.
[1255] I Cor. xiii, 7.
=3. Benevolence.=--Benevolence is founded on love for fellow-men; it embraces, though it far exceeds charity, in the ordinary sense in which the latter word is used. By the Divine Teacher it was placed as second only to love for God. On one occasion, certain Pharisees came to Christ, tempting Him with questions on doctrine, in the hope that they could entangle Him, and so make Him an offender against the Jewish law. Their spokesman was a lawyer; note his question and the Savior's answer:--"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."[1256] The two commandments, here spoken of as first and second, are so closely related as to be virtually one, and that one:--"Thou shalt love." He who abideth one of the two will abide both. For without love for our fellows, it is impossible to please God. Hence wrote John,--the Apostle of Love,--"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.... If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."[1257]
[1256] Matt. xxii, 36-40; see also Luke x, 25-27.
[1257] I John iv, 7-8, 20-21.
=4.= But perhaps the grandest and most sublime of the apostolic utterances concerning the love that saves, is found in the epistle of Paul to the Saints at Corinth.[1258] In our current English translation of the Bible, the virtue which the apostle declares superior to all the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, and which is to continue after all the rest have passed away, is designated as _charity_; but the original word meant _love_; and surely Paul had in mind something grander than mere alms-giving, as is evident from his expression:--"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, ... and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."[1259] Though a man speak with the tongue of angels; though he possess the power of prophecy--the greatest of the ordinary gifts; though he be versed in knowledge and understand all mysteries; though his faith enable him to move mountains; and though he give his all, including even his life,--yet without love is he nothing. Charity, or alms-giving, even though it be performed with the sincerest of motives, devoid of all desire for praise or hope of return, is but a feeble manifestation of the love that is to make one's neighbor as dear to him as himself; the love that suffers long; that envies not others; that vaunts not itself; that knows no pride; that subdues selfishness; that rejoices in the truth. When "that which is perfect" is come, the gifts which have been bestowed in part only will be superseded. "Perfection will then swallow up imperfection; the healing power will then be done away, for no sickness will be there; tongues and interpretations will then cease, for one pure language alone will be spoken; the casting out of devils and power against deadly poisons will not then be needed, for in heaven circumstances will render them unnecessary. But charity, which is the pure love of God, never faileth; it will sit enthroned in the midst of the glorified throng, clothed in all the glory and splendor of its native heaven."[1260] If man would win eternal life, he cannot afford to neglect the duty of love to his fellow, for "Love is the fulfilling of the law."[1261]
[1258] I Cor. xiii; see also Alma xxxiv, 28-29; Mosiah iv, 16-24.
[1259] Verse 3.
[1260] Orson Pratt, _Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon_, i, 15-16.
[1261] Rom. xiii, 10; see also Gal. v, 14; I Peter iv, 8.
=5. Benevolence Manifested by the Church.=--The Church of the present day can point to a stupendous labor of benevolence already accomplished and still in progress. One of the most glorious monuments of its work is seen in the missionary labor which has ever been a characteristic feature of its activities. Actuated by no other motives than pure love for humanity and a desire to fulfil the commands of God respecting such, the Church sends out every year hundreds of missionaries to proclaim the gospel of eternal life to the world, without money or price. Multitudes of these devoted servants have suffered contumely and insult at the hands of those whom they seek to benefit; and not a few have given their lives with the seal of the martyr upon their testimony and work. The charity that manifests itself in material giving is not neglected in the Church; indeed this form of benevolence is impressed as a sacred duty upon every Latter-day Saint. While each one is urged to impart of his substance to the needy in his individual capacity, a system of orderly giving has been developed within the Church; and of this some features are worthy of special consideration.
=6. Free-will Offerings.=--It has ever been characteristic of the Church and people of God, that they take upon themselves the care of the poor, if any such exist among them. To subserve this purpose, as also to foster a spirit of liberality, kindness, and benevolence, voluntary gifts and free-will offerings have been asked of those who profess to be living according to the law of God. In the Church today, a systematic plan of giving for the poor is in operation. Thus, in almost every ward or branch, an organization among the women, known as the Relief Society,[1262] is in existence. Its purpose is in part to gather from the society and from the members of the Church in general, contributions of money and other property, particularly the commodities of life, and to distribute such to the deserving and needy, under the direction of the local officers in the priesthood. But the Relief Society operates also on a plan of systematic visitation to the houses of the afflicted, extending aid in nursing, administering comfort in bereavement, and seeking in every possible way to relieve distress. The good work of this organization has won the admiration of many who profess no connection with the Church; its methods have been followed by other benevolent associations, and the Society has been accorded a national status in the United States.
[1262] See page 216.
=7. The Fast Offerings= represent a still more general system of donation. The Church teaches the efficacy of continual prayer and of periodical fasting, as a means of acquiring the humility that is meet for Divine approval; and a monthly fast-day has been appointed for observance throughout the Church. For many years, the first Thursday in each month was so observed; but, with the object of securing a more general attendance at the fast-service, a beneficial change has been introduced, and at present the first Sunday of the month is so devoted. The Saints are asked to manifest their sincerity in fasting by making an offering on that day for the benefit of the poor; and, by common consent, the giving of at least an equivalent of the meals omitted by the fasting of the family is expected. These offerings may be made in money, food, or other usable commodity; they are received by the bishopric or its representatives, and by the same authority are distributed to the worthy poor of the ward or branch. In these and in numerous other ways do the Latter-day Saints contribute of their substance to the needy, realizing that the poor among them may be the Lord's poor; and that, irrespective of worthiness on the part of the recipient, want and distress must be alleviated. The people believe that the harmony of their prayers will become a discord if the cry of the poor accompany their supplications to the throne of Grace.
=8. Tithing.=--The Church recognizes today the doctrine of tithe-paying, similar in its general provision to that taught and practiced of old. Before considering the present authorized practice in this matter, it may be instructive to study the ancient practice of tithe-paying. Strictly speaking, a tithe is a tenth, and such a proportion of individual possessions appears to have been formerly regarded as the Lord's due. The institution of tithing antedates even the Mosaic dispensation, for we find both Abraham and Jacob paying tithes. Abraham, returning from a victorious battle, met Melchizedek king of Salem and "priest of the most high God;" and, recognizing his priestly authority, "gave him tithes of all."[1263] Jacob made a voluntary vow with the Lord to render a tenth of all that should come into his possession.[1264]
[1263] Gen. xiv, 18-20; see also Heb. vii, 1-3, 5, and Alma xiii, 13-16.
[1264] Gen. xxviii, 22.
=9.= The Mosaic statutes are explicit in requiring tithes:--"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord.... And concerning the tithe of the herd, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord."[1265] The tenth was to be paid as it came, without search for good or bad; under some conditions, however, a man could redeem the tithe by paying its value in some other way, but in such a case he had to add a fifth of the tithe. The tenth of all the property in Israel was to be paid to the Levites, as an inheritance given in acknowledgment of their service in the labor of the tabernacle; and they in turn were to pay tithing on what they received, and this tithe of the tithe was to go to the priests.[1266] A second tithe was demanded of Israel to be used for the appointed festivals.[1267] It is evident, that while no specific penalty for neglect of the law of tithing is recorded, the proper observance of the requirement was regarded as a sacred duty. In the course of the reformation by Hezekiah, the people manifested their repentance by an immediate payment of tithes;[1268] and so liberally did they give, that a great surplus accumulated; observing which, Hezekiah enquired as to the source of such plenty:--"And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty; for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store." Nehemiah took care to regulate the tithe-paying of the people;[1269] and both Amos[1270] and Malachi[1271] chided the people for their neglect of this duty. Through the prophet last named, the Lord charged the people with having robbed Him; but promised them blessings beyond their capacity to receive if they would return to their allegiance to Him: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."[1272] In visiting the Nephites after His resurrection, the Savior told them of these sayings of Malachi, repeating the words of the Jewish prophet.[1273] The Pharisees, at the time of Christ's ministry, were particularly scrupulous in the matter of tithe paying,--even to the neglect of the "weightier matters of the law,"--and for this inconsistency they were severely rebuked by the Master.[1274]
[1265] Lev. xxvii, 30-34.
[1266] Numb. xviii, 21-28.
[1267] Deut. xii, 5-17; xiv, 22-23.
[1268] II Chron. xxxi, 5-6.
[1269] Neh. x, 37; xii, 44.
[1270] Amos iv, 4.
[1271] Mal. iii, 10.
[1272] Mal. iii, 8-10; see also III Nephi xxiv, 7-12.
[1273] III Nephi xxiv, 7-10.
[1274] Matt, xxiii, 23; Luke xi, 42. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 556.
=10.= In the present dispensation, the law of tithing has been given a place of great importance; and particular blessings have been promised for its faithful observance. This day has been called by the Lord, "a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned."[1275] In a revelation, given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, July 8, 1838, the Lord has explicitly set forth His requirement of the people in this matter.[1276]
[1275] Doc. and Cov. lxiv, 23-24; see also lxxxv, 3.
[1276] Doc. and Cov. cxix. See the author's "The Law of the Tithe," 20 pp.
=11. Consecration and Stewardship.=--The law of tithing, as accepted and professedly observed by the Church today, is after all but a lesser law, given by the Lord in consequence of the human weaknesses, selfishness, covetousness, and greed, which prevented the Saints from accepting the higher principles, according to which the Father would have His children live. Specific requirements regarding the payment of tithes were made through revelation in 1838; but seven years prior to that time, the voice of the Lord had been heard on the subject of consecration,[1277] or the dedication of all one's property, together with his time, talents, and natural endowments, to the service of God, to be used as occasion may require. This again is not new; to the present dispensation the law of consecration is given as a re-enactment; it was recognized and observed with profit in olden times.[1278] But even in the apostolic period, the doctrine of consecration of property and common ownership was old; thirty-four centuries before that time, the same principle had been practiced by the patriarch Enoch and his people, and with such success that "the Lord came and dwelt with his people; ... And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."[1279] In each of the instances cited,--that of the people of Enoch, and that of the Saints in the early part of the Christian era,--we learn of the unity of purpose and consequent power acquired by the people who lived in this social order; they were "of one heart and one mind." Through the spiritual strength so attained, the apostles were able to perform many mighty works;[1280] and of Enoch and his followers we read that the Lord took them unto Himself.[1281]
[1277] Doc. and Cov. xiii, 71.
[1278] Acts iv, 32, 34-35; see also ii, 44-46.
[1279] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 16-18.
[1280] Acts ii, 43.
[1281] See pp. 362-363.
=12.= The people of whom the Book of Mormon gives us record also attained to the blessed state of equality, and with corresponding results. The disciples, whom Christ had personally commissioned, taught with power, and "they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another."[1282] Further, we read of a general conversion by which the people came to a condition of ideal peace; "there were no contentions or disputations among them.... And they had all things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift."[1283] They were so blessed, that of them the prophet said:--"Surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God."[1284] But after nearly two centuries of this happy condition, the people gave way to pride; some of them yielded to a passion for costly apparel; then they refused to longer have their goods in common; and straightway many classes came into existence; dissenting sects were established; and then began a rapid course of disruption, which led to the extinction of the Nephite nation.[1285]
[1282] III Nephi xxvi, 19.
[1283] IV Nephi i, 2-3.
[1284] Verse 16.
[1285] Verse 24, etc. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 741.
=13. Stewardship in the Church Today.=--A system of unity in temporal matters has been revealed to the Church in this day; such is currently known as the Order of Enoch,[1286] or the United Order,[1287] and is founded on the law of consecration. As already stated, in the early days of the modern Church the people demonstrated their inability to abide this law in its fulness, and, in consequence, the lesser law of tithing was given; but the Saints confidently await the day in which they will devote, not merely a tithe of their substance, but all that they have, and all that they are, to the service of their God; a day in which no man will speak of mine and thine, but all things shall be theirs and the Lord's.
[1286] Doc. and Cov. lxxviii.
[1287] Doc. and Cov. civ, 48.
=14.= In this expectation, they indulge no vague dream of communism, encouraging individual irresponsibility, and giving the idler an excuse for hoping to live at the expense of the thrifty; but rather, a calm trust that in the promised social order which God can approve, every man will be a steward in the full enjoyment of liberty to do as he will with the talents committed to his care; but with the sure knowledge that an account of his stewardship will be required at his hands. As far as the plan of this prospective organization has been revealed, it provides that a person entering the order shall consecrate to the Lord all that he has, be it little or much, giving to the Church a deed of his property sealed with a covenant that cannot be broken.[1288] The person thus having given his all, is to be made a steward over a part of the property of the Church, according to his ability to use it. The varying grades of occupation will still exist; there will be laborers, whose qualifications fit them best for common toil; and managers who have proved their ability to lead and direct; some who can serve the cause of God best with the pen, others with the plow; there will be engineers and mechanics, artisans and artists, farmers and scholars, teachers, professors, and authors;--every one laboring as far as practicable in the sphere of his choice, but each required to work, and to work where and how he can be of the greatest service. His stewardship is to be assured him by written deed, and as long as he is faithful to his charge, no man can take it from him.[1289] Of the proceeds of his labors, every man may use as he requires for the support of himself and his family; the surplus is to be rendered to the Church for public and general works, and for the assistance of those who are worthily deficient.[1290] As further illustrative of the uses to which the surplus is to be devoted, we read:--"All children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age. And after that they have claim upon the Church, or in other words, upon the Lord's storehouse, if their parents have not wherewith to give them inheritances. And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the Church, and widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor.[1291] Any faithful steward, requiring additional capital for the improvement of his work, has a claim for such upon the custodians of the general fund, they in turn being held accountable for their management, which constitutes their stewardship.[1292] Equal rights are to be secured to all. The Lord said:--'And you are to be equal, or, in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants, and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just; and all this for the benefit of the Church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church.'"[1293]
[1288] Doc. and Cov. xiii, 30.
[1289] Doc. and Cov. ii, 4-5.
[1290] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 32-35.
[1291] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiii, 4-6.
[1292] Doc. and Cov. civ, 70-77.
[1293] Doc. and Cov. lxxxii, 17-18.
=15.= Freedom of agency is to be secured to every individual; if he be unfaithful he will be dealt with according to the prescribed rules of church discipline. A corresponding power of self-government will be exercised by the several stakes or other divisions of the Church, each having independent jurisdiction over its own store-houses and its affairs of administration,[1294] all being subject to the general authorities of the Church. Only the idler would suffer in such an order as is here outlined; he shall surely meet the results of his negligence. Against him the edict of the Almighty has gone forth. We read in the revelations:--"Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer."[1295] "The idler shall not have place in the church except he repents and mends his ways."[1296] "And the inhabitants of Zion, also, shall remember their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor in all faithfulness; for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord."[1297]
[1294] Doc. and Cov. li, 10-18, 18.
[1295] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 42; see also lx, 13; lxxv, 3.
[1296] Doc. and Cov. lxxv, 29.
[1297] Doc. and Cov. lxviii, 30; see also lxxxviii, 124.
=16. Social Order of the Saints.=--In view of the prevailing conditions of social unrest, of the loud protest against existing systems, whereby the distribution of wealth is becoming more and more unequal,--the rich growing richer from the increasing poverty of the poor, the hand of oppression resting more and more heavily upon the masses, the consequent dissatisfaction with governments, and the half-smothered fires of anarchy discernible in almost every nation,--may we not take comfort in the God-given promise of a better plan--a plan which seeks without force or violence to establish a natural equality, to take the weapons of despotism from the rich, to aid the lowly and the poor,[1298] and to give every man an opportunity to live and to labor in the sphere to which he is adapted? From the tyranny of wealth, as from every other form of oppression, the truth will make men free. To be partakers of such freedom, mankind must subdue selfishness, which is one of the most potent enemies of godliness.
=17.= The Church teaches the necessity of proper social organization, in harmony with the laws of the land; the sanctity of the institution and covenant of marriage as essential to the stability of society; the fulfillment of the Divine law with respect to the perpetuation of the human family; and the importance of strictest personal purity.
[1298] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 39.
=18. Marriage.=--The teachings of the scriptures concerning the necessity of marriage are numerous and explicit. "The Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;"[1299] this comprehensive declaration was made concerning Adam, immediately after his location in Eden; Eve was given unto him, and the man recognized the necessity of a continued association of the sexes in marriage, and said:--"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh."[1300] Neither of the sexes is complete in itself as a counterpart of God. Of the creation of human kind we read:--"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."[1301] The purpose of this dual creation is set forth in the next verse of the sacred narrative:--"And God blessed them; and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth."[1302] Such a command would have been meaningless and void if addressed to either of the sexes alone; for only by the union of both is the propagation of the species possible. And without the power of perpetuating his kind, how insignificant would appear the glory and majesty of man! How little can be accomplished by the individual within the limited range of a single mortal existence!
[1299] Gen. ii, 18.
[1300] Verse 24.
[1301] Gen. i, 27; see also v, 2.
[1302] Verse 28; see also ix, 1, 7; Lev. xxvi, 9.
=19.= Grand as may seem the achievements of a man who is truly great, the culmination of his glorious heritage lies in the possibility of his leaving offspring from his own being to continue, perchance, the triumphs of their sire. And if such be true of mortals with respect to the things of earth, how transcendently greater is the power of eternal increase, as viewed in the light of revealed truth concerning the un-ending progression of the future state! Truly the apostle was wise when he said, "Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."[1303]
[1303] I Cor. xi, 11.
=20.= The Latter-day Saints accept the doctrine that marriage is honorable,[1304] and apply it as a requirement to all who are not prevented by physical or other disability from assuming the sacred responsibilities of the wedded state. They consider, as part of the birthright of every worthy man, the privilege and duty to stand as the head of a household, the father of a posterity, which by the blessing of God may never become extinct; and equally strong is the right of every worthy woman to be a wife and a mother in the family of mankind. In spite of the simplicity, reasonableness, and naturalness of these teachings, false teachers have arisen among men, declaring the pernicious doctrine that the married state is but a carnal necessity, inherited by man as an incident of his degraded nature; and that celibacy is a mark of a higher state, more acceptable in the pure sight of God. Concerning such the Lord has spoken in this day:--"Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man ... that the earth might answer the end of its creation; and that it might be filled with the measure of man, according to his creation before the world was made."[1305]
[1304] Heb. xiii, 4.
[1305] Doc. and Cov. xlix. 15-17.
=21. Celestial Marriage.=--Marriage, as regarded by the Latter-day Saints, is ordained of God and designed to be an eternal relationship of the sexes. With this people it is not merely a temporal contract to be of effect on earth during the mortal existence of the parties, but a solemn agreement which is to extend beyond the grave. In the complete ceremony of marriage, as prescribed by the Church, the man and the woman are placed under covenant of mutual fidelity, not "until death do you part," but "for time and for all eternity." A contract as far reaching as this, extending not only throughout time, but into the domain of the hereafter, requires for its validation an authority superior to that of earth; and such an authority is found in the holy priesthood, which, given of God, is eternal. Any power less than this, while perchance of effect in this life, is assuredly void as to the state of the human soul beyond the grave. As the Lord has said:--"All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made, and entered into, and sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation, and commandment, through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power, ... are of no efficacy, virtue, or force, in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end, have an end when men are dead."[1306] And, as touching the application of the principle of earthly authority for things of earth, and eternal authority for things beyond the grave, to the sacred contract of marriage, the revelation continues:--"Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me, nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world; Therefore, when they are out of the world, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory; For these angels did not abide my law, therefore they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation in their saved condition, to all eternity, and from henceforth are not Gods, but are angels of God, for ever and ever."[1307]
[1306] Doc. and Cov. cxxxii, 7.
[1307] Doc. and Cov. cxxxii, 15-17. See "The House of the Lord," p. 101.
=22.= This system of holy matrimony, involving covenants as to time and eternity, is known distinctively as Celestial Marriage,--the order of marriage that exists in the celestial worlds. The sacred ordinance of celestial marriage is permitted to those members of the Church only who are adjudged worthy of participation in the special blessings of the House of the Lord; for this ordinance, together with others of eternal validity, is to be performed in the temples which are reared and dedicated for such holy service.[1308] Children who are born of parents thus married are natural heirs to the priesthood; "children of the covenant" they are called; they require no ceremony of adoption or sealing to insure them place in the posterity of promise. But the Church sanctions marriages for earthly time only, and bestows upon such the seal of the priesthood, among those who are not admitted to the temples of the Lord, or who voluntarily prefer the lesser and temporal order of matrimony.
[1308] Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 30-40.
=23. Unlawful Associations of the Sexes= have been designated by the Lord as among the most heinous of sins; and the Church today regards individual purity in the sexual relation as an indispensable condition of membership. The teachings of the Nephite prophet, Alma, concerning the enormity of offences against virtue and chastity, are accepted by the Latter-day Saints without modification; and such are to the effect:--"That these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins, save it be the shedding of innocent blood, or denying the Holy Ghost."[1309] The command:--"Thou shalt not commit adultery,"--once written by the finger of God amid the thunders and lightnings of Sinai, has been renewed as a specific injunction in these the last days; and the penalty of excommunication has been prescribed for the offender.[1310] Moreover, the Lord regards any approach to sexual sin as inconsistent with the professions of those who have received the Holy Spirit, for He has declared that "he that looketh on a woman to lust after her, or if any shall commit adultery in their hearts, they shall not have the Spirit, but shall deny the faith."[1311]
[1309] Alma xxxix, 5.
[1310] Doc. and Cov. xlii, 24, 80-83; lxiii, 16-17.
[1311] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 16; see also xlii, 23.
=24. Sanctity of the Body.=--The Church counsels its members that each regard his body as "the temple of God;"[1312] and that he maintain its purity and sanctity as such. He is taught that the Spirit of the Lord dwells not in unclean tabernacles; and that, therefore, he is required to live according to the laws of health, which constitute part of the law of God. For the special guidance of His Saints, the Lord has revealed a "Word of Wisdom"[1313] unto the people; in accordance with which they are counseled to eat wholesome food only; to abstain from strong drink, hot drinks, and all kinds of stimulants and narcotics; to eat flesh but sparingly, and to maintain in all respects a healthful state of the physical organism. And, on condition of their compliance with these behests, the Saints have been promised, that all "Who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow in their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel."[1314]
[1312] I Cor. iii, 16; see also vi, 19; II Cor. vi, 16; Doc. and Cov. xciii, 35.
[1313] Doc. and Cov. lxxxix; read the revelation entire.
[1314] Doc. and Cov. lxxxix, 18-21.
NOTES.
=1. Love, the Fulfilling of the Law.=--"Peter says, 'Above all things have fervent love [charity] among yourselves' [I Peter iv, 8]. _Above all things._ And John goes farther, 'God is love' [I John iv, 8]. And you remember the profound remark which Paul makes elsewhere, 'Love is the fulfilling of the law' [Rom. xiii, 10; Gal. v, 14]. Did you ever think what he meant by that? In those days men were working their passage to heaven by keeping the ten commandments, and the hundred and ten other commandments which they had manufactured out of them. Christ said, I will show you a more simple way. If you do one thing, you will do these hundred and ten things without ever thinking about them. If you love, you will unconsciously fulfil the whole law.... Take any of the commandments, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' If a man love God you will not require to tell him that. Love is the fulfilling of that law. 'Take not his name in vain.' Would he ever dream of taking his name in vain if he loved him? 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' Would he not be too glad to have one day in seven to dedicate more exclusively to the object of his affection? Love would fulfil all these laws regarding God. And so if he loved man, you would never think of telling him to honor his father and mother. He could never do anything else. It would be preposterous to tell him not to kill. You could only insult him if you suggested that he should not steal,--how could he steal from those he loved? It would be superfluous to beg him not to bear false witness against his neighbor. If he loved him it would be the last thing he would do. And you would never dream of urging him not to covet what his neighbors had. He would rather they possessed it than himself. In this way 'Love is the fulfilling of the law.'"--Drummond: _The Greatest Thing in the World_.
=2. Charity and Love.=--"According to the etymology and original usage, _beneficence_ is the doing well, _benevolence_ the wishing or willing well to others; but _benevolence_ has come to include _beneficence_ and to displace it.... _Charity_, which originally meant the purest love for God and man (as in I Cor. xiii), is now almost universally applied to some form of _alms-giving_ and is much more limited in meaning than _benevolence_."--_Standard Dictionary._
_Charity_ means "properly, love, and hence acts of kindness. The word never occurs in the Old Testament; in the New Testament it is always, with one exception, synonymous with love, and in every case the love of man toward his fellow man, and to that which is good (see especially I Cor. xiii). The 'feasts of charity' in Jude 12, are commonly understood to be the _agapæ_, or 'love-feasts,' which were prevalent in the early church, and which consisted in a simple fraternal meeting for worship, and an equally simple social repast."--_Bible Dictionary_, Cassell.
"Charity is only a little bit of love; one of the innumerable avenues of love, and there may even be, and there is a great deal of charity without love. It is a very easy thing to toss a copper to a beggar on the street; it is generally an easier thing than not to do it.... We purchase relief from the sympathetic feelings roused by the spectacle of misery, at the copper's cost. It is too cheap--too cheap for us, and often too dear for the beggar. If we really loved him, we would either do more for him or less."--Drummond: _The Greatest Thing in the World_.
=3. Man's Relationship to God.=--"'Mormonism' claims an actual and literal relationship of parent and child between the Creator and man--not in the figurative sense in which the engine may be called the child of its builder; not the relationship of a thing mechanically made to the maker thereof; but the connection between father and offspring. In short it is bold enough to declare that man's spirit being the offspring of Deity, and man's body though of earthy components yet being in the very image and likeness of God, man even in his present degraded--aye, fallen condition--still possesses, if only in a latent state, inherited traits, tendencies and powers that tell of his more than royal descent; and that these may be developed so as to make him, even while mortal, in a measure Godlike.
"But 'Mormonism' is bolder yet. It asserts that in accordance with the inviolable law of organic nature--that like shall beget like, and that multiplication of numbers and perpetuation of species shall be in compliance with the condition 'each after his kind,' the child may achieve the former status of the parent, and that in his mortal condition man is a God in embryo. However far in the future it may be, what ages may elapse, what eternities may pass before any individual now a mortal being may attain the rank and sanctity of godship, nevertheless man carries in his soul the possibilities of such achievement; even as the crawling caterpillar or the corpse-like chrysalis holds the latent possibility, nay, barring destruction in an earlier stage, the certainty indeed, of the winged imago in all the glory of maturity.
"'Mormonism' claims that all nature, both on earth and in heaven, operates on a plan of advancement; that the very Eternal Father is a progressive Being; that his perfection, while so complete as to be incomprehensible by man, possesses this essential quality of true perfection--the capacity of eternal increase. That therefore, in the far future, beyond the horizon of eternities perchance, man may attain the status of a God. Yet this does not mean that he shall be then the equal of the Deity we worship, nor that he shall ever overtake those intelligences that are already beyond him in advancement; for to assert such would be to argue that there is no progression beyond a certain stage of attainment, and that advancement is a characteristic of low organization and inferior purpose alone. We believe that there was more than the sounding of brass or the tinkling of wordy cymbals in the fervent admonition of the Christ to his followers--'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.'"--_The Philosophy of Mormonism_: The Author, in _Improvement Era_, vol. iv, pp. 464-465.
APPENDIX.
=Note.=--In view of the expressed wish of the Church authorities, by whose direction this work is published, that the Lectures on the "Articles of Faith" be used as a text-book and work of reference in the various theological organizations of the Church, a series of questions and suggestive exercises, for the work of class review, is herewith presented.
LECTURE I.
Introductory.
=1.= What is Theology? (State, 1, derivation of the word; 2, extent of the science.)
=2.= Compare Theology and Religion.
=3.= Define the "Articles of Faith." (Give:--1, circumstance of their origin, see note, p. 24; 2, their readoption by the Church; 3, their necessary incompleteness as an expression of our belief.)
=4.= Name the standard works of the Church.
=5.= State the principal incidents connected with the parentage, birth, and youth of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
=6.= Give the circumstances of Joseph Smith's prayerful search for truth.
=7.= Describe his first vision.
=8.= What prominent feature of modern sectarian teaching, regarding the personality of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, was disproved by this vision?
=9.= How was Joseph's statement of his vision received by sectarian teachers of that time?
=10.= Describe the visitations of Moroni to Joseph Smith. (Give:--1, dates; 2, most important messages delivered by the angel.)
=11.= Describe the re-establishment of the Church through the ministry of Joseph Smith in the present dispensation.
=12.= Relate the circumstances of the martyrdom of Joseph and his brother Hyrum.--(Doc. and Cov. cxxxv.)
=13.= Show the importance of the Divine authenticity of Joseph Smith's calling, in respect to the claims made for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
=14.= Summarize the evidence of Divine authority in the work accomplished by Joseph Smith.
=15.= Give instances of the fulfillment of ancient prophecy in his work.
=16.= Show the Divine source of Joseph Smith's authority in the priesthood.
=17.= Show the validity of the claim made, that he was a true prophet. (Give:--1, the Lord's test of a true prophet; 2, give instances of important prophecies uttered by Joseph Smith and already fulfilled.)
LECTURE II, ARTICLE 1.
God and the Godhead.
=1.= Show that the exercise of faith in God is dependent upon a knowledge of His existence.
=2.= State what you know of the general belief of mankind as to the existence of God.
=3.= Summarize the evidence on which our belief in the existence of God is founded.
=4.= Give evidence drawn from human history and tradition.
=5.= Show how the exercise of reason affords evidence of the same.
=6.= Give the evidence of revelation (1, instances recorded in the Bible; 2, Book of Mormon instances; 3, examples from modern revelation).
=7.= Show that the Godhead is a Trinity.
=8.= What do you understand by the scriptural declarations concerning the unity of the Godhead?
=9.= Give evidence of the personality of each member of the Godhead (with scriptural references).
=10.= Summarize the most important of the Divine attributes as attested by scripture.
=11.= Define:--1, Idolatry; 2, Atheism; 3, Theism, with its varied modifications.
=12.= Show that atheism is of comparatively modern development.
=13.= Show that a belief in God is natural and necessary amongst human-kind. (See pp. 49, 53.)
=14.= In what way does the idolatry of heathen nations support a belief in the existence of God?
=15.= Show the close relationship between atheism and immaterialism.
LECTURE III, ARTICLE 2.
Transgression.
=1.= Give the principal scriptural proofs of man's free agency (quote evidence from each of the standard works of the Church).
=2.= Show that man's accountability for his acts is just, in view of his rights of free agency.
=3.= What is sin? (1, Compare wilful sins with those committed in ignorance; 2, give scriptural evidence of the Lord's plan of dealing in the two cases.)
=4.= Show that punishment for sin is ordained of God.
=5.= Give a statement of scriptural teachings regarding the duration of punishment in the hereafter. (State the Lord's definition of endless and eternal punishment.)
=6.= Give scriptural proofs of the personality of Satan (1, his former position in heaven; 2, his title before his fall; 3, his expulsion from heaven; 4, his present opposition to the purposes of God; 5, his predicted fate).
The Fall.
=7.= Describe the condition of our first parents in Eden.
=8.= What important commands were given them by the Lord?
=9.= Give the scriptural statements concerning Satan tempting Eve.
=10.= Show that Adam understood the nature of his act in partaking of the forbidden fruit.
=11.= What is known of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden?
=12.= Show that the expulsion of our first parents from Eden was a necessity after their transgression.
=13.= What were the immediate results of the Fall?
=14.= Give scriptural proof that the Fall was necessary and fore-ordained.
=15.= Show that mortality is a blessed heritage to mankind.
=16.= State the doctrine of the Atonement as declared to Adam after the Fall.
=17.= Describe the joy of Adam and Eve when they learned of the effect of the Fall and the Atonement provided.
LECTURE IV, ARTICLE 3.
The Atonement and Salvation.
=1.= Define "atonement" in its scriptural usage. (Compare its meaning with that of "reconciliation," as the latter term occurs in the New Testament.)
=2.= State what you know of the nature of the Atonement.
=3.= Show that the Atonement is a necessary sequence of the Fall.
=4.= What is meant by a vicarious sacrifice? (Give scriptural instances of such as recorded in the Old Testament.)
=5.= Show that Christ's sacrifice was, 1, vicarious; 2, voluntary on His part; 3, love inspired.
=6.= Give scriptural proofs (from each of the standard works) that the Atonement was fore-ordained and fore-told.
=7.= Show:--1, the general, and 2, the individual effect of the Atonement amongst mankind.
=8.= Define:--1, "salvation;" 2, "exaltation."
=9.= Name the "Degrees of Glory" in their order, as revealed of God.
=10.= Give a summary of the scriptural descriptions of:--1, the Celestial kingdom of glory; 2, the Terrestrial; 3, the Telestial.
LECTURE V, ARTICLE 4.
Faith.
=1.= State the nature of faith.
=2.= Define the terms "faith," "belief," and "knowledge," in their relation to one another.
=3.= Give scriptural instances of belief in Christ, which had no saving power.
=4.= What do you regard as the essential foundation of faith in God?
=5.= Give Joseph Smith's summary of facts respecting the character and attributes of God.
=6.= Show how misplaced faith may result from false evidence.
=7.= What is meant by the statement that faith is a principle of power? (Give scriptural instances.)
=8.= Prove that faith is essential to salvation.
=9.= Show from the scriptures that faith is a gift from God.
=10.= Show that faith, to be effective, must be accompanied by good works.
Repentance.
=11.= What is meant by true repentance?
=12.= State the conditions under which forgiveness of sins is promised.
=13.= Prove that repentance is essential to salvation.
=14.= Show that repentance is a gift from God.
=15.= How may this gift be lost or forfeited?
=16.= What evidence have we that repentance is possible in the hereafter?
=17.= Give a summary of the teachings of Amulek regarding the danger of procrastination in the matter of repentance.
LECTURES VI AND VII, ARTICLE 4.
Baptism.
=1.= State what you know of the earliest revelation from God regarding baptism.
=2.= What is the special purpose of baptism? (Give proofs, 1, from the Bible; 2, from the Book of Mormon; 3, from modern revelation.)
=3.= Who are fit subjects for Baptism?
=4.= Show that infant baptism is unscriptural (1, that it is unsustained by the Bible; 2, that it is forbidden in the Book of Mormon, and by modern revelation).
=5.= Give a brief account of the history of infant baptism.
=6.= Define:--"Pedobaptists;" "Anabaptists." (Give derivation of the terms and their present meanings.)
=7.= Prove by scriptural evidence that baptism is essential to salvation (1, from the Bible; 2, from the Book of Mormon; 3, from the Doctrine and Covenants).
=8.= Why was Christ's baptism a necessity?
=9.= Give a summary of the reasons upon which the Latter-day Saints base their belief that immersion is the only true mode of baptism.
=10.= Show what evidence is furnished by the derivation of the word "baptize," and its early usage.
=11.= Show how the symbolism of the baptismal rite is best preserved by immersion.
=12.= Give scriptural and other historical evidence that immersion is the only form sanctioned by the Lord.
=13.= Give the revealed formula for baptism (1, among the Nephites; 2, in the present dispensation).
=14.= Under what conditions may baptism be repeated on the same person?
=15.= Give instances of "re-baptism" mentioned in scripture, and allowed in the present dispensation, showing the special or exceptional nature of such repetitions of the ordinance.
=16.= Show the impropriety of repeated baptisms of the same person.
=17.= Demonstrate the necessity of baptism for the dead.
=18.= What evidence have we that the gospel is preached to the dead?
=19.= Cite scriptural predictions of Christ's ministry amongst the dead.
=20.= Prove that the vicarious work of the living for the dead in the last dispensation was fore-told.
=21.= Show that the authority for this labor has been already given to the Church.
=22.= Explain the two-fold nature of this vicarious labor for the dead.
=23.= What is a temple?
=24.= Give a brief account of ancient temples accepted by the Lord.
=25.= Describe the work of temple-building already accomplished by the Church in the present dispensation.
LECTURE VIII, ARTICLE 4.
The Holy Ghost.
=1.= Cite biblical promises concerning the advent of the Holy Ghost.
=2.= Give other scriptural proof (1, from the Book of Mormon; 2, from the record of modern revelation), that the Holy Ghost is to minister unto all who have been properly baptized.
=3.= Give the principal names and titles by which the Holy Ghost is described in scripture.
=4.= What is the special office of the Holy Ghost as a member of the Godhead?
=5.= Give scriptural proofs of the Holy Ghost's personality.
=6.= Describe the office of the Holy Ghost in His ministrations among men.
=7.= To whom is the Holy Ghost promised?
=8.= Give instances of the Holy Ghost's ministrations unto sincere believers who had not been baptized; explain such exceptional instances.
=9.= Describe the ordinance of conferring the Holy Ghost in the case of those who have been baptized.
=10.= Show that the authoritative laying-on of hands was a feature of the ordinance in former days (1, among the Jews; 2, among the Nephites).
=11.= To which order of priesthood does the authority to confer the Holy Ghost belong? (Give scriptural proofs.)
=12.= Show that the imposition of hands by those in authority is characteristic of other ordinances in the Church.
=13.= What is meant by "Gifts of the Spirit"?
LECTURE IX, IN CONNECTION WITH ARTICLE 4.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
=1.= Define the term "sacrament" in its general and specific uses.
=2.= Describe the institution of the Sacrament by the Savior (1, among the Jews; 2, among the Nephites).
=3.= Who are fit partakers of the Sacrament?
=4.= Cite scriptural caution: 1, against partaking of the Sacrament unworthily; 2, against knowingly administering it to the unfit.
=5.= What is the purpose of the Sacrament?
=6.= What did Christ administer as the emblems of His body and blood?
=7.= What justification has the Church for using water instead of wine under certain conditions?
=8.= Give the prescribed prayers of consecration: 1, for the bread; 2, for the wine or water.
=9.= What grade of authority in the priesthood is requisite in consecrating the sacramental emblems?
=10.= What relationship exists between the Sacrament and the Jewish Passover?
LECTURE X, ARTICLE 5.
Authority in the Ministry.
=1.= Give scriptural examples of men who were called of God by special revelation or by personal ministration: 1. before the "Meridian of Time"; 2, in the days of Christ; 3, in the apostolic period; 4, in the "Dispensation of the Fulness of Times."
=2.= In what manner is the priesthood conferred?
=3.= Name the principal holders of the priesthood from Adam to Moses.
=4.= Cite instances of God's disapproval of unauthorized ministrations. (Give the circumstances in the following cases: 1, Korah and his associates; 2, Miriam and Aaron; 3, Uzza; 4, Saul; 5, Uzziah; 6, sons of Sceva.)
=5.= Give scriptural predictions concerning false teachers who would arise.
=6.= Prove the existence of the priesthood in the Church today.
=7.= Give an account of the restoration of: 1, the Aaronic, and, 2, the Melchizedek priesthood, in the present dispensation.
Fore-ordination and Pre-existence.
=8.= How was the fact of fore-ordination made known to Abraham?
=9.= Give scriptural proofs of Christ's fore-ordination as the Redeemer of mankind.
=10.= Cite other scriptures supporting the doctrine of fore-ordination (1, New Testament; 2, Book of Mormon).
=11.= Show that fore-ordination does not infringe upon free agency.
=12.= Give scriptural proofs of the pre-existence of spirits.
LECTURE XI, ARTICLE 6.
Church Organization.
=1.= What is the Church? (Sustain your definition by scriptural records.)
=2.= What is meant by the Primitive Church?
=3.= What evidence have you that a general apostasy from the Primitive Church occurred?
=4.= Show by the scriptures that this apostasy was fore-told. (Give evidence: 1, from the Old Testament; 2, from the New Testament; 3, from the Book of Mormon.)
=5.= Show that the restoration of the Church to earth was fore-told.
=6.= Define "priesthood."
=7.= Name the principal orders of priesthood as revealed.
=8.= What relationship exists between the Aaronic and the Levitical priesthood?
=9.= Name the special offices in the Aaronic priesthood, in order, with a statement of the specific duties and authority of each.
=10.= Name the special offices in the Melchizedek priesthood, in order, describing the authority and duties of each.
=11.= Describe the constitution and authority of each of the following presiding "quorums" in the priesthood:--1, The First Presidency; 2, The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; 3. The Presiding Quorum of Seventy; 4, The Presiding Bishopric.
=12.= Define "branch," "ward," and "stake," as used to designate divisions of the Church.
=13.= Explain the constitution, authority, and special duties of:--1, Stake Presidency; 2, Standing High Council; 3, Ward Bishopric.
=14.= What ordination in the priesthood is requisite in the case of members of the presiding organizations last named?
=15.= Define "quorum" in its special sense as used by the Latter-day Saints.
=16.= What is a Patriarch? (1. Define in this connection the term "evangelist"; 2. show in what respect succession to the presiding patriarchal office differs from that in other offices and callings in the priesthood.)
=17.= Name the auxiliary organizations which operate as "helps in government" within the Church.
=18.= Give the special duties of each of these. (Named on p. 216.)
=19.= Show how the principle of common consent is observed in appointments to office within the Church.
LECTURE XII, ARTICLE 7.
Spiritual Gifts.
=1.= Show that the existence of spiritual gifts has ever been characteristic of the priesthood.
=2.= Give scriptural proof that such gifts will always be found in the Church.
=3.= What is a miracle?
=4.= Why are miracles called, by some, supernatural occurrences?
=5.= For what purpose are spiritual gifts manifested in the Church?
=6.= Show that miraculous manifestations are not an infallible indication of the operation of the priesthood.
=7.= Name the spiritual gifts specifically mentioned in the scriptures.
=8.= Describe the usual manifestation characterizing each of the following gifts, with scriptural illustrations of each:--1, The gift of tongues and interpretation; 2, of healing, and the gift of faith to be healed; 3, of visions; 4, of dreams; 5, of prophecy; 6, of revelation.
=9.= Cite scriptural promises that certain sign-gifts of the Spirit shall follow the believer.
=10.= Give instances of miracles wrought by evil powers.
=11.= Cite the predictions of John the Revelator regarding such imitations of the gifts of the Spirit, which are to characterize the work of God in the last days.
=12.= What did Christ say about signs and wonders that would be wrought by wicked men?
=13.= What evidence have you of the existence of spiritual gifts in the Church today?
LECTURE XIII, ARTICLE 8.
The Bible.
=1.= What position does the Bible occupy among the standard works of the Church?
=2.= What reservation does the Church make in accepting the modern versions of the Bible as the unchanged word of God?
=3.= Define "Bible." (1, Give the derivation of the word; and, 2, its modern usage.)
=4.= Show that the division into Old and New Testaments is natural and self-suggestive.
=5.= Explain the term "canon of scripture" as applied to the Bible.
=6.= Explain, with scriptural references, the growth of the Old Testament from the time of Moses to that of Malachi.
=7.= State what you know of the language in which the books of the Old Testament were originally written.
=8.= What is the Septuagint? (1, Give the meaning of the term; 2, describe the origin of the book.)
=9.= Classify the books of the Old Testament as at present compiled.
=10.= What classification of Old Testament writings was recognized in the days of the Savior's ministry?
=11.= What is the Pentateuch? (1, Define the term; 2, enumerate the books comprised; 3, state what you know of their authorship; 4, give an account of the copies or versions possessed by the Jews and the Samaritans anciently.)
=12.= Name the Historical books in order.
=13.= Name the Poetical books. (In this connection, define the term "Hagiographa.")
=14.= Name the Prophetical books. (1, In their order as at present compiled; 2, in the probable order of their production.)
=15.= What is meant by the Apocrypha?
=16.= What is the New Testament?
=17.= Give the principal historical evidence of investigation regarding the authenticity of the New Testament books.
=18.= Name and classify the books of the New Testament.
=19.= What is the Vulgate?
=20.= Specify the principal modern versions of the Bible.
=21.= Give evidence supporting belief in the genuineness and authenticity of the Bible.
=22.= State the principal items of evidence from the book of Mormon, corroborating the authenticity of the Bible.
=23.= Give the important conclusions of biblical scholars regarding the genuineness of the New Testament or of parts thereof.
=24.= Give the principal biblical references to scriptures not contained in the Bible.
LECTURE XIV, ARTICLE 8.
The Book of Mormon.
=1.= What is the Book of Mormon?
=2.= How was the ancient record brought to modern notice?
=3.= What do we learn from the title-page of the Book of Mormon as to the nations or peoples whose history is dealt with in the volume?
=4.= Which was the earliest of the nations, mentioned in the Book of Mormon, which established itself on the American continent?
=5.= Give an account of the journey of Lehi and his colony from Jerusalem to America. (State: 1, the Divine instructions directing Lehi to leave; 2, time of this occurrence; 3, the course of their overland journey; 4, journey across the ocean; 5, place of landing in America.)
=6.= Describe the origin of Nephites and Lamanites respectively.
=7.= Who were the Jaredites? (1, Why so named; 2, time and manner of their migration to this continent; 3, brief statement of their history.)
=8.= How came the record of the Jaredites to be incorporated with the Nephite writings?
=9.= What is known of Mulek and his people?
=10.= Name the classes of plates referred to in the Book of Mormon (1, on the title page; 2, elsewhere in the volume).
=11.= State what is known of the plates of Nephi (1, their origin; 2, the "larger" as distinguished from the "smaller" plates; 3, method by which the record grew).
=12.= What is Mormon's abridgment of the plates of Nephi?
=13.= Which of the plates of Nephi did Mormon include with his own abridgment?
=14.= What great purpose of the Lord was subserved by this duplication of part of the ancient record?
=15.= Describe the circumstances resulting in the plates coming into the custody of Joseph Smith (1, his first information regarding their existence; 2, his first view of the plates; 3, his four years of probation; 4, his possession of the plates).
=16.= What other sacred articles were buried with the plates?
=17.= What is meant by the Urim and Thummim?
=18.= What purpose did these instruments serve in the work translation?
=19.= Give an outline of the circumstances attending the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon (1, difficulties attending the work; 2, date of first publication).
=20.= What is the testimony of the learned regarding the characters of parts of the original record?
=21.= Summarize the evidence of the genuineness of the Book of Mormon. (Show the distinction between genuineness and authenticity.)
=22.= Who were the three witnesses to the genuineness of the book? Give an outline of their testimony.
=23.= Name the eight witnesses. To what did they testify?
=24.= What is the so-called "Spaulding Story" of the origin of the Book of Mormon? Show its absurdity.
=25.= Explain the arrangement of the several parts of the Book of Mormon.
LECTURE XV, ARTICLE 8.
Authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
=1.= Summarize the proofs of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
=2.= Show that the Book of Mormon and the Bible corroborate each other in matters on which they treat in common.
=3.= Demonstrate the fulfillment of ancient prophecy in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon (1, of prophecies contained in the Pearl of Great Price; 2, of Old Testament prophecies, specifically those of Isaiah and Ezekiel).
=4.= State what you know of the consistency of the Book of Mormon in style and matter.
=5.= Give examples of Book of Mormon prophecies, the fulfillment of which is recorded therein.
=6.= Give examples of Book of Mormon prophecies, the fulfillment of which has taken place since the closing of the record.
=7.= State what you know of Book of Mormon prophecy yet awaiting fulfillment.
=8.= Summarize the general results of modern investigation and research with which the Book of Mormon is in striking accord.
=9.= Give evidence that America was inhabited at a very ancient period (1, cite the conclusions of investigators; and 2, compare with the Book of Mormon account).
=10.= Give the principal evidence of the successive occupation of the American continent by different peoples in ancient times, confirm by the Book of Mormon account.
=11.= Give the principal conclusions of investigators concerning the Asiatic origin of the first colonies who came to America.
=12.= Summarize the evidence indicating their Israelitish origin.
=13.= State in a general way the traditions of America's native people concerning:--1, The Deluge; 2, the Divinity of Christ, and His crucifixion.
=14.= Show the resemblance of certain religious ceremonies as practiced by the Jews, and by some of the native American peoples.
=15.= What evidence is there, external to the Book of Mormon, indicating the common origin of all the American "races"?
=16.= Confirm the foregoing conclusions (11 to 15) by the Book of Mormon record.
=17.= What is known of the written languages current among the Nephites? In what language were the plates of Nephi and those of Mormon inscribed?
=18.= What external evidence is there of the Egyptian language having been known among the American peoples?
=19.= Give evidence of the survival of the Hebrew language among the native tribes.
=20.= What test of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon is given by the last of the writers?
LECTURE XVI, ARTICLE 9.
Revelation, Past, Present, and Future.
=1.= What is revelation? Compare with inspiration.
=2.= Show that revelation is God's chosen method of communication through the priesthood.
=3.= What is known of God's revelations to:--1, Adam; 2, Enoch; 3, Noah; 4, Abraham; 5, Isaac; 6, Jacob; 7, Moses?
=4.= Give examples of Divine revelation through other Old Testament prophets.
=5.= Show that Christ was a revelator, while He dwelt among men.
=6.= Give scriptural evidence of revelation having been given through the apostles of old.
=7.= Show that the doctrine of continual revelation is reasonable.
=8.= Show that it is scriptural.
=9.= Show that continual revelation has ever been characteristic of the operations of the priesthood.
=10.= Cite the principal objections to this doctrine, professedly founded on scripture. Show their unscriptural foundation.
=11.= Give specific scriptures predicting that revelation is to characterize the Church in the last dispensation (1, from the Bible; 2, from the Book of Mormon).
=12.= Give instances of modern revelation. Cite promises of the Lord in this dispensation assuring the continuation of revelation in the Church.
=13.= Show the reasonableness of expecting yet further revelation.
=14.= Show that the doctrine of no further revelation is comparatively modern, and unscriptural.
=15.= Show that inspiration does not deprive man of his freedom or individuality.
LECTURE XVII, ARTICLE 10.
The Dispersion of Israel.
=1.= Explain the term "Israel" (1, derivation of the word; 2, bestowal of the title on Jacob; 3, its use as the name of Jacob's posterity; 4, as a name of one of the kingdoms after the division of the nation; 5, as a title of the chosen people of God in a collective sense).
=2.= Give a general outline of the Israelites' history from the time of Jacob receiving the name Israel, to the time of the first king.
=3.= Outline the history of Israel as a united nation under the kings.
=4.= State the circumstances attending the division of the nation.
=5.= Outline the history of the kingdom of Judah after the division.
=6.= The same of the kingdom of Israel. By what other name is this division of the people sometimes known?
=7.= Define the terms "Hebrew" and "Jew."
=8.= Show that the dispersion of Israel was fore-told by their prophets from very early times.
=9.= On what conditions was this dispersion predicated?
=10.= Cite Book of Mormon predictions concerning the dispersion. State specifically the prophecies of Zenos. Who was he?
=11.= Give historical evidences of the fulfillment of these prophecies of dispersion in the case of the kingdom of Judah. What part did Nebuchadnezzar take in the work of dispersion? At what time? Give an account of the Babylonian captivity. How did Titus contribute to the work of dispersion?
=12.= Give historical evidence of the fulfillment of prophecy relating to the dispersion of the kingdom of Israel. How did Shalmanezer and Sargon contribute to the dispersion? At what time? Show the literal fulfillment of Ahijah's prophecy to the wife of Jeroboam.
=13.= Explain the term "Lost Tribes."
=14.= What is known of the journeyings of the Lost Tribe?
LECTURE XVIII, ARTICLE 10.
The Gathering of Israel.
=1.= Cite Bible promises of the gathering associated with predictions of the dispersion; specifically those by, 1, Moses; 2, Nehemiah; 3, Isaiah; 4, Jeremiah; 5, Ezekiel; 6, Amos.
=2.= Give Book of Mormon prophecies regarding the gathering, especially those uttered, 1, by Lehi; 2, by Nephi, his son; 3, by Christ in the course of His ministrations among the Nephites.
=3.= Cite instances of modern revelation concerning the gathering.
=4.= What does the plan of the gathering of Israel in the last days comprise?
=5.= Show that the authority for prosecuting the work of gathering has been given to the Church in this dispensation.
=6.= What is the purpose of the gathering?
=7.= Give an account of the work as now in progress.
=8.= In what respect are the people of Israel a chosen people?
=9.= Show how the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, that through his descendants all nations of the earth should be blessed, has been brought about through the dispersion of Israel.
=10.= Give another evidence of the fulfillment of that prediction, based on the lineage of Christ.
=11.= Give scriptural prophecies relating to the restoration of the Ten Tribes.
=12.= Show that the establishment of Zion is to precede the restoration of the Ten Tribes.
LECTURE XIX, ARTICLE 10.
Zion.
=1.= Show from the scriptures that two gathering places are to be established in the last dispensation.
=2.= Define "Zion" (1, meaning of the term; 2, its varied applications).
=3.= Give an outline of the history of Jerusalem from the time of its first mention in scripture to that of its overthrow by the Romans.
=4.= Cite scriptural promises relating to the future glory of Jerusalem.
=5.= Explain the application of the term "New Jerusalem."
=6.= Show from Book of Mormon and modern scripture that the Zion of the western continent and the New Jerusalem are identical.
=7.= Cite the prophecy of Christ to the Nephites that a New Jerusalem shall be established on the western continent.
=8.= Give the prediction of Ether the Jaredite relating to the establishment of the New Jerusalem.
=9.= What is meant by the Zion of Enoch? (1, Give outline of the history of the ancient people so designated; 2, cite promises of the return of Enoch and his people.)
=10.= What is known through modern revelation as to the location of Zion or the New Jerusalem?
=11.= What is meant by Stakes of Zion?
=12.= What conditions will determine the time of the redemption of Zion in the present dispensation?
LECTURE XX, ARTICLE 10.
Christ's Reign on Earth.
=1.= Compare the conditions attending Christ's first advent, with those predicted for His second coming.
=2.= Cite scriptural prophecies regarding the second coming of Christ, with attendant signs (1, Biblical; 2, Book of Mormon; 3, modern).
=3.= What evidence have you to prove that the predicted second coming of Christ is near at hand?
=4.= What is known as to the time of his coming?
=5.= Show by scripture that Christ is to reign as King on earth.
=6.= Demonstrate the relation between the Kingdom of God and the Church of Christ.
=7.= Show the distinctive sense in which the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are spoken of in modern revelation.
=8.= What will be the position of honest and honorable men who are not members of the Church when the Kingdom of Heaven is established?
=9.= What is the Millennium?
=10.= Give scriptural authority for your belief as to the conditions that are to characterize the Millennium.
=11.= What will be the condition of Satan during and after the Millennium?
LECTURE XXI, ARTICLE 10.
Regeneration and Resurrection.
=1.= Explain the statement that the earth is under a curse.
=2.= What is meant by the predicted regeneration of the earth?
=3.= When will this change be completed?
=4.= What is known as to the future condition of the earth in its regenerated state?
=5.= What is the attitude of science regarding the earth's regeneration?
=6.= What is meant by the resurrection of the body?
=7.= What are the teachings of the Church regarding the literalness of the resurrection?
=8.= Upon what does our belief in the doctrine of the resurrection depend?
=9.= Give scriptural evidence supporting belief in the resurrection (1, Old Testament; 2, New Testament; 3, Book of Mormon; 4, modern).
=10.= Specify the general resurrections spoken of in the scriptures.
=11.= How was the first resurrection inaugurated?
=12.= Give an account of the resurrection of the just immediately following the resurrection of Christ.
=13.= Cite Book of Mormon prophecy regarding the resurrection of Christ and that of the righteous immediately following.
=14.= Give a summary of the teachings by the apostles of old, regarding the resurrection at the time of Christ's second coming.
=15.= Cite modern revelation on the same subject.
=16.= Compare the scriptural descriptions of the first resurrection, or the resurrection of the just, with those of the second, or the resurrection of the unjust.
=17.= Show that the resurrection is to be universal, applying both to righteous and wicked.
=18.= What will be the lot of the heathen in the resurrection? (Support your answer by scripture.)
=19.= What is known of the intermediate state of the soul, between death and the resurrection?
=20.= Define "Paradise." Show that Paradise is not the place of final glory.
LECTURE XXII, ARTICLE 11.
Religious Liberty and Toleration.
=1.= What is worship?
=2.= Show that man's ability to worship rightly is a measure of his conception of God's attributes and powers.
=3.= Show that worship, to be valid, must be voluntary.
=4.= Demonstrate man's right to freedom in worship.
=5.= Explain the intolerance, in matters of worship, characterizing early and modern times.
=6.= Show that intolerance is unscriptural.
=7.= Demonstrate that tolerance is not necessarily acceptance.
=8.= Show that man, being free to choose for himself, is justly held accountable for his acts.
=9.= Explain Christ's expression, "In my Father's house are many mansions."
=10.= What kingdoms or degrees of glory are specified in the revealed word?
=11.= Who are to inherit the Celestial glory?
=12.= For whom is the Terrestrial glory provided?
=13.= Who will be consigned to the Telestial kingdom?
=14.= What is known of the gradation of glory within each of the kingdoms specified?
=15.= Who are the Sons of Perdition? What is known of their fate?
LECTURE XXIII, ARTICLE 12.
Submission to the Law of the Land.
=1.= What are the teachings of the Church regarding the duties of its members with respect to the secular law?
=2.= Cite instances recorded in the Old Testament of Divine approval and admonition regarding the secular laws.
=3.= Give examples from the life of the Savior.
=4.= What were the teachings of the apostles of old regarding the observance of the law of the land by the members of the Church?
=5.= Cite the word of the Lord as given through modern revelation regarding the attitude of members of the Church toward the governments under which they live.
=6.= What has the Lord said as to His judgment concerning those who are effectually prevented by their enemies from a strict compliance with His requirements?
=7.= Give a modern instance of an abandonment by the Church, under pressure of secular law, of a Divine requirement.
=8.= Show that secular authority is recognized of God as necessary to the government of mankind, and that the officers of the law are therefore to be obeyed.
=9.= Summarize the declarations of belief regarding the duty of the Church toward the law of the land, as formulated by Joseph Smith, and as adopted by the Church.
LECTURE XXIV, ARTICLE 13.
Practical Religion.
=1.= Give James' definition of pure religion.
=2.= Show that religion is not theological formula, but practical application of recognized principles of right.
=3.= What is the teaching of the Church regarding man's relationship to God?
=4.= Show that benevolence is enjoined by scripture. (Give, 1, instances from the teachings of the Savior; 2, those of His apostles; 3, those of modern requirement.)
=5.= Specify the means of donation for benevolent purposes, provided by the Church today.
=6.= Outline the modern Church plan of, 1, free-will offerings; 2, fast offerings as a modification of the foregoing.
=7.= Explain the advantages of fast-day observance, and fast-offerings, among members of the Church.
=8.= What is tithing?
=9.= Cite biblical authority for the observance of the law of tithing in ancient times.
=10.= State the requirements made by revelation for the tithing of the people today.
=11.= What is meant by consecration and stewardship?
=12.= Give scriptural instances of God's people having lived in the United Order. (Cite, 1, from Pearl of Great Price; 2, from Bible; 3, from Book of Mormon.)
=13.= Explain the United Order, or the Order of Enoch, as provided for the Church through modern revelation.
=14.= Show that individual freedom is provided for in the plan of the United Order.
=15.= Cite scriptural instances of the Lord's denunciation of the idler.
=16.= What is the teaching of the Church regarding the propriety and necessity of marriage?
=17.= What has the Lord said through revelation of those who forbid marriage?
=18.= What is Celestial Marriage?
=19.= Show that the authority of the priesthood is necessary in the making of contracts that are to be of effect after the death of the
## parties.
=20.= What does the Church teach regarding the enormity of the sin of unlawful association of the sexes? Cite the declaration of Alma in this connection.
=21.= State the provisions of the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom.
INDEX.
Aaron, literal descendants of, 214.
Aaronic priesthood, 207; restored to earth in this dispensation, 19.
Adam, his part in the Fall, 68.
Agency of man, 54; God-given, 73.
America, ancient civilization in, 305.
America, ancient occupation of, 293.
America, successive occupation of, 295.
American Indians (Lamanites), 300.
American peoples, native, Asiatic origin, 296; common origin of all, 300; Israelitish origin of, 296.
Ancient Americans, traditions of, 305; written language of, 301.
Ancient prophecy concerning Book of Mormon, 283.
Anointed One (Christ), 383.
Apocrypha, 249.
Apostasy from the Primitive Church, 203; degeneracy incident to the, 217; early beginning, 218; foretold, 205.
Apostle, office of, 212.
Apostles, Quorum of the Twelve, 213.
Appendix, 463.
Archeological evidence regarding the Bible, 260.
Archeology and ethnology, evidence supporting Book of Mormon, 291.
Articles of Faith, origin of, 4, 24.
Associations, Mutual Improvement, 216.
Associations, Primary, 216.
Atheism and idolatry, 44; atheism, definition of, 51; a fatal belief, 53; atheism and immaterialism, 53.
Atonement of Christ, 76; a sequence of the Fall, 70, 77; confidence in, essential to salvation, 116; extent of, 87; fore-ordained and foretold, 83; general effect of, 90; individual effect of, 92; nature of, 77; proved by evidence, 96; vicarious sacrifice, 79; voluntary, 81.
Attributes of God, 42, 103.
Authenticity and genuineness of the Bible, 254.
Authenticity of Book of Mormon, 281.
Authority, Divine, in present dispensation, 193.
Authority in the ministry, 184.
Authority, secular, submission to, 424.
Baptism; among Greeks, 160; among Nephites, 143; early Christian, 160; essential to salvation, 130; establishment of, on earth, 123; first modern, 143; fit candidates for, 126; for the dead, 148; of infants, 127, 128, 129, 137; meaning of the term, and early usage, 139, 159; mode of (by immersion), 139; nature of the ordinance, 122; preparation for, 137; purpose of, 124; "re-baptism," 144; repeated baptisms, 147; required of all, 148; symbolism of, 140.
Belief, faith, and knowledge, 98.
Belief in God, natural, necessary, 48-49.
Benevolence, 443.
Bible, acceptance of by the Church, 240; authenticity and genuineness of, 254; Book of Mormon testimony concerning, 255; the name, 241; Old Testament, 243; New Testament, 249, 258; versions of, 253, 257.
Bishop, the Presiding, 214; of ward, 215.
Bishopric, Presiding, 214; Ward, 215.
Body, sanctity of, 459.
Book of Mormon, 261; authenticity of, 281, biblical prophecies concerning, 284; compared with Bible, 255, 282; classification and arrangement of, 274; consistency of, 287; contained prophecies, 288; divisions of, 264; external evidences concerning, 291; genuineness of, 275; plates of, 10, 269; prophecies concerning, 283; "Spaulding Story" of, 278; testimony of witnesses concerning, 276, 277, 279; theories concerning, 278; title page of, 263, 278; translation of, 273.
Celestial kingdom, or glory, 94, 417.
Celestial marriage, 457.
Charity and love, 444, 460, 461.
Children, innocent before God, 90-92.
Children and the fathers, mutually dependent, 156, 161.
Chosen people, Israel, 352, 355.
Christ, the "Anointed One," 383; atonement wrought by (see "Atonement of Christ"); Church of, 376; first advent of, 367; second coming, 367-368; time of second coming, 373; ministry of, among the dead, 150; reign of, 367, 374; resurrection of, 396.
Church of England, teachings regarding God, 48.
Church of Christ, 376.
Church and Kingdom, 376.
Church, apostasy from the primitive, 203; apostasy from, foretold, 205; the primitive, 201.
Church organization, plan of, 201; restoration of, 206; standard works of, 5.
Church-schools, 216.
Civil war,--predicted by Joseph Smith, 22.
Class review, exercises for, 463.
Classes, Religion, 216.
Commandments, The Ten,--found among relics of ancient Americans, 297, 303.
Confession necessary to forgiveness, 113.
Consecration and stewardship, 449.
Continual revelation, doctrine of, 314, 324; alleged scriptural objections to, 317.
Council, Standing High, 215.
Council, Traveling High, 213.
Covenants for eternity, 457.
Creations, spiritual, 199.
Creed, the Nicene, 47.
Deacon, office of, 209.
Dead, baptism for the, 148; Christ's ministry among the, 151; to have the gospel preached to them, 150; vicarious labor in behalf of, 152, 156.
Decline of spiritual gifts, incident to the apostasy, 238.
Degrees of glory, 94.
Didactic books of New Testament, 253.
Discontinuance of plural marriage, 435, 440.
Dispersion of Israel, 326-339.
Divine authenticity of Book of Mormon, 281.
Dreams and visions, 229.
Druidical sacrifices, 52.
Earth, during and after Millennium, 383; regeneration of, 385; under the curse, 384.
Eden, Garden of, 66, 74.
Egyptian language among ancient American peoples, 301.
Elders, office of, and quorum organization, 210.
Elijah, confers authority for vicarious labor for dead, 20, 154.
Enoch, order of, 451; Zion of, 358.
Eternal covenants, 457.
Ethnology and archeology, testimony supporting Book of Mormon, 291.
Evangelists, or patriarchs, 211.
Evidence supporting faith, 104-105.
Exaltation and salvation, 94.
External evidence regarding Book of Mormon, 291.
Fairchild, James H., on "Spaulding Story," 279.
Faith, Articles of, 4, 24.
Faith, a condition of, 109; compared with belief and knowledge, 98; essential to salvation, 110; foundation of, 102; a gift from God, 111; justification by, 120; nature of, 98; misplaced, example of, 120; a principle of power, 106; incomplete without works, 111; supported by evidence, 104-105.
Fall, the, 54, 66; fore-ordained and necessary, 71, 75; immediate results of, 70.
False teachers, prophesied of, 193.
Fast-day observance, 446.
Fast-offerings, 446.
Fathers and children, mutually dependent, 155, 161.
Final resurrection, 401.
First resurrection, 396-400.
Fore-ordination and pre-existence, 195.
Fore-ordination does not imply compulsion, 196.
Forgiveness of sins, to obtain, 113; not always immediate, 121.
Forgiving others their trespasses, 114.
Free agency of man, 54.
Free-will offerings, 446.
Future revelation expected, 323.
Garden of Eden, 66.
Gathering of Israel, 341; extent and purpose of, 350; two places appointed, 356; in progress now, 355; predicted, 341.
General resurrections, two, 396.
General salvation, 90.
Genuineness and authenticity of Bible, 254; of parts of New Testament, 258; of Book of Mormon, 275.
Ghost, Holy; see "Holy Ghost."
Gift of God, faith a, 111; repentance a, 118.
Gift of healing, 227; of prophecy, 231; of revelation, 232; of tongues and interpretation, 226; of visions and dreams, 229.
Gifts of the Spirit, see "Spiritual gifts."
Gifts, spiritual, imitation of, 235.
Glory, Degrees of, 94, 416, 420; Celestial, 94, 417; Terrestrial, 95, 418; Telestial, 95, 419, 423.
God and the Godhead, 27.
God, attributes of, 42, 103; belief in, natural, 48; and necessary, 49; importance of belief in, 49; existence of, 27; evidence from history and tradition, 28; evidence from reason, 30; evidence from revelation, 35; in nature, 50; natural indications of, 50; personality of, 41.
Godhead, personality of each member of, 41; a Trinity, 38; unity of, 39; sectarian view of, 46.
Gospel to be preached to the dead, 150.
Government, Church, helps in, 216.
Governments, secular, obedience to, 424.
Greeks, baptism among, 160.
Hagiographa, 248.
Hands, imposition of, in ordinances, 174, 187.
Healing, gift of, 227.
Heathen, in first resurrection, 404.
Hebrew language, survival of among American aborigines, 302, 307.
Hebrews, 339.
Helps in church government, 216.
High Council, The Standing, 215; The Traveling (quorum of the Twelve Apostles), 213.
High Priesthood, President of the, 213.
High Priest, office of, and quorum organization, 211; Presiding, 213.
Historical books, of Old Testament, 248; of New Testament, 252.
History and tradition, supporting evidence of God's existence, 28.
Holy Ghost, bestowal of, 170; effect of, on the individual, 173; exceptional visitations, 169; gifts of, see "Spiritual Gifts"; office of, 167; personality and powers of, 164; promised, 163; scriptural titles of, 41-42; to whom given, 168.
Holy Spirit, see "Holy Ghost."
Idolatry and atheism, 44; idolatry, examples of atrocious, 51; practices in general, 51.
Imitations of spiritual gifts, 235.
Immaterialism and atheism, 53.
Immersion, the proper mode of baptism, 139.
Importance of belief in God, 49.
Imposition of hands, in ordinances, 174, 187.
Improvement Associations, Mutual, 216.
Indians, American (Lamanites), 300.
Individual salvation, 90, 92.
Infant Baptism, see "Baptism."
Inspiration and revelation, 308, 324.
Intermediate state of the soul (Paradise), 405.
Interpretation of tongues, gift of, 226.
Intolerance, in religion, 409, 414, 422.
Innocence of children, 90-92.
Israel, 326; a chosen people, 352, 355; dispersion of, 326-328, 329, 332, 355; gathering of, 341; gathering of, now in progress, 351, 355; kingdom of, 327.
Jaredite nation, 266.
Jerusalem, history of, 358, 359, 366.
Jerusalem, The New (Zion), 360.
Jews, 339.
John the Baptist, conferred the Aaronic priesthood, 19, 193.
Joseph Smith, authenticity of his mission, 13; authority received by, 19; parentage, youth, etc., 6; his first vision, 9; visited by Moroni, 10; persecution of, 21; a true prophet, 20; tribute to, 25; martyrdom of, 13, 25; references to life of, 26.
Journeyings of the Ten Tribes, 340.
Judah, kingdom of, 327.
Justification by faith alone, dogma of, 120.
Kingdom of God, 374-377; and Church of Christ, 376.
Kingdom of Heaven, 377-379.
Kingdom of Israel, 327.
Kingdom of Judah, 327.
Knowledge compared with faith and belief, 98.
Lamanites, 265, 292.
Language of ancient Americans, 301; of Book of Mormon record, 301; of Old Testament original, 246.
Latter-day Church, 206.
Laws of the land, submission to, 424-438.
Laying-on of hands, in ordinances, 171, 174.
Levitical priesthood, 208.
Life, Tree of, 68.
Lord's Supper, see "Sacrament."
Love and Charity, 444, 460, 461.
Luther, Martin, on Justification by faith, 121.
Man, accountability of, 57, 415; free agency of, 54; responsibility of, 57.
Marriage, 455; Celestial, 457; plural, discontinuance of, 435, 440.
Martyrdom, seal of (Joseph Smith), 25.
Martin Luther, on justification by faith, 121.
Mayas, sacred language of, 302.
Melchizedek priesthood, 208; restored to earth, 19, 194.
Members of the Godhead, personality of 41.
Men called of God, 184.
Mexican traditions concerning the Savior, 307.
Millennium, 379, 383.
Ministrations, unauthorized, 189.
Ministry, authority in, 184; ordination to, 187.
Miracles, 222; an aid to spiritual growth, 238; testimony of, not infallible, 233; wrought by evil powers, 234.
Missing Scripture, mentioned in Bible, 260.
Mode of baptism, 139.
Modern revelation, 320.
Moloch, horrible worship of, 52.
Mormon, Book of, see "Book of Mormon."
Moroni, the angel, visits Joseph Smith, 10-12, 261.
Moses, conferred authority on Joseph Smith, 20, 351.
Mutual Improvement Associations, 216.
Nature, God in, 50.
Nature, proofs from, regarding theism, 31.
Natural indications of God, 50.
Naturalness of belief in God, 48.
Necessity of belief in God, 49.
Nephites, 264; baptism among, 143; sacrament instituted among, 176; visited by Christ, 143, 176.
New Jerusalem (Zion), 360.
New Testament, 249; authenticity and origin of, 249; classification of, 252; didactic books, 253; genuineness of, 258; historical books, 252; prophetical books, 253.
Nicene Creed, 47.
Obedience to law, 424-440.
Offerings, fast, 446; free-will, 446; and tithes, 446-447.
Ordination to the ministry, 187.
Old Testament, 243; its origin and growth, 243; original language of, 246; Historical books, 248; Pentateuch, 247, 257; Poetical books, 248; Prophetical books, 248, 258; Septuagint version of, 246.
Omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence of God, 42-43.
Pagan ignorance of resurrection, 403.
Paradise, 405.
Passover and sacrament, 182.
Patriarchs, or evangelists, 211.
Patriarchal office, succession in the, 211.
Pentateuch, 247; Samaritan copy of the, 257.
Perdition, Sons of, 62, 421.
Persecution of Joseph Smith, 24.
Personality of the Godhead, 41; of the Holy Ghost, 164.
Peter, James, and John confer the Melchisedek priesthood, 194.
Plates of Book of Mormon, 10, 269; of Nephi, 269; of Mormon, 269, 270.
Plural marriages, discontinuance of, 435, 440.
Poetical books of Old Testament, 248.
Power, through faith, 106.
Practical religion, 441.
Pre-existence of spirits, 197.
Presidency in the priesthood, 212.
Presidency, The First, 213.
Presidency of Stakes, 215.
President of the High Priesthood, 213.
Presiding Bishopric, 214.
Presiding quorum of Seventy, 214.
Priesthood, Aaronic, 207; local organizations of, 215; Levitical, 208; Melchisedek, 208; quorum organizations of, 212; orders of, 207; restoration to earth, 206; specific duties in, 209.
Priests, 210.
Priests, High, 211.
Primary Associations, 216.
Primitive Church, 201; apostasy from, 203, 205.
Prophecy, concerning Book of Mormon, 283; biblical, concerning Book of Mormon, 284; gift of, 231.
Prophet, usage of the term, 237.
Prophets, of old, organized, 237.
Prophets, School of the, 237.
Prophetical books, Old Testament, 248; New Testament, 253.
Punishment for sin, 61; duration of, 63; "endless" and "eternal," 63.
Quorum organizations, 212; of deacons, 209; of elders, 210; of high priests, 211; of the First Presidency, 213; of the Twelve Apostles, 213; of teachers, 210; of seventies, 210; of seventies, the Presiding Quorum of, 214.
Quorum, special usage of term, 209.
Reason, supporting theism, 30.
"Re-baptism," 145; "re-baptisms" recorded in Scripture, 146.
Redemption from the Fall, universal, 96; see "Atonement."
Regeneration of earth, 385.
Reign of Christ on earth, 367, 374.
Relief Society, The, 216.
Religion and Theology, 4.
Religion classes, among the Latter day Saints, 216.
Religion, practical, 441.
Religious liberty and toleration, 406; intolerance, 409, 414, 422.
Remission of sins, to obtain, 113
Renewal of the earth, 385.
Repentance, essential to salvation, 117; a gift from God, 118; here and hereafter, 119; nature of, 113; not always possible, 118.
Responsibility of man, 57.
Restoration of the Church, 206.
Restoration of the Ten Tribes, 353.
Results of the Fall, 70.
Resurrection of the body, 391; inaugurated, 396; the first, 396; heathen in the first, 404; the final, 401; of Christ, 396; and the general resurrection immediately following, 396; predicted, 393; at second coming of Christ, 398; pagan ignorance concerning, 403.
Resurrections, two general, of just and of unjust, 396.
Revelation, 308; ancient, 311; continual, 314; alleged scriptural objections to continual revelation, 317; gift of, 232; future, expected, 323; God's means of communication, 310; revelation and inspiration, 308, 324; modern, 320; supporting theism, 35.
Review exercises for class, 463.
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 175; errors, concerning, 183; emblems used in, 179; fit partakers of, 177; institution of, among Jews, 175; among Nephites, 176; manner of administering, 180; purpose of, 179; sacrament and passover, 182; usage of term "sacrament," 182.
Sadducees, 404.
Salvation, general, 90; individual, 90; and exaltation, 94.
Sanctity of the body, 459.
Satan, 57, 64, 382.
Schools, Church, 216; Sunday, 216.
School of the Prophets, 237.
Scripture missing, mentioned in Bible, 260.
Seal of martyrdom, Joseph Smith, 25.
Secular authority, submission to, 424-438.
Septuagint, 246, 257.
Serpent, curse on, 74.
Seventies, office of, and quorum organization, 210.
Sexes, unlawful association of, 459.
Sin, 59; commission of, in ignorance, 60; forgiveness for, 113; punishment for, 61; unpardonable, 62.
Smith, Joseph, see "Joseph Smith."
Society, the Relief, 216.
Sons of Perdition, 62, 421.
"Spaulding Story" of the Book of Mormon, 278.
Spirit, Holy, see "Holy Ghost."
Spiritual creations, 199.
Spiritual gifts, 219; characteristic of the Church, 219; decline of, incident to the apostasy, 238; exist in Church today, 236;
## partial enumeration of, 225;
imitations of, 235; modern manifestations, 239; nature of, 220.
Stakes of Zion, 215.
Stake Presidency. 215.
Standard works of the Church, 5.
Stewardship and consecration, 449, 450.
Submission to laws of the land, 424-438.
Succession in patriarchal office, 211.
Sunday schools, 216.
Teachers, false, 192.
Teacher, grade of, in Aaronic priesthood, 209.
Telestial glory, 95, 419, 423.
Temples, ancient and modern, 157.
Temptation of Eve, 67.
Ten Commandments, The, found among relics of ancient Americans, 303.
Terrestrial glory, 95, 418.
Testament, New, see "New Testament."
Testament, Old, see "Old Testament."
Testimony of miracles, not infallible, 233.
Theism, modifications of, defined, 51.
Theology, 2; extent of, 3; importance of study, 1; and religion, 4.
Theories of Origin of Book of Mormon, 278.
Thousand years of peace (Millennium), 379, 383.
Time of Christ's coming, 373.
Tithing, law of, 447, 449.
Title page of Book of Mormon, 263. 278.
Toleration, religious, 406; does not imply acceptance, 414.
Tongues, gift of, 226; interpretation of, 226.
Tradition and history supporting theism, 28.
Traditions among American aborigines, confirming Book of Mormon, 305.
Tradition, Mexican, regarding the Savior, 307.
Transgression, 54.
Translation of the Book of Mormon, 273.
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, 68.
Tree of Life, 68.
Tribes, The Ten, or The Lost, 335, 338; journeyings of, 340; restoration of, 353.
Trinity, The, 38.
Unauthorized ministrations, 189.
United Order, 451.
Unity of the Godhead, 39.
Universal and unconditional redemption from effects of the Fall, 96.
Unlawful association of the sexes, 459.
Unpardonable sin, 62.
Versions of Old Testament, 246.
Versions of Bible, 246, 253, 257.
Vicarious nature of the atonement, 79.
Visions and dreams, 229.
Ward, organization, and officers of, 215.
Ward Bishopric, 215.
Witnesses to Book of Mormon, Testimony of, the Three, 276; the Eight, 277; notes concerning, 279.
Works of the Church, standard, 5.
Written language of ancient Americans, 301.
Zion, 356; the name, 357; founding of in Missouri, 366; Zion of Enoch, 358; the New Jerusalem, 360.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Articles of Faith, by James E. Talmage