Show THEOLOGICAL STUDIES The following letter from a mission mission- missionary missionary missionary ary in Maryland has been handed me for reply I quote only the passages that will be ot of general interest I 1 will ask you to try to make a few points plain plaID to me They are these I 1 We claim God is a being with a abo abo abo bo y similar to man only immortal Now St John says God is a Spirit and our Lord says a Spirit hath not flesh and blood JI 2 We do not b believe lieve in baptizing little children Yet our Lord says Except a man be born of the water and aud the Spirit he cannot be saved Now what is the reason this does not apply to children as well as to grown up people Jesus says Suffer little children to come unto me But can we infer that they are to come unto Him in any other way than others come 3 How is it that we can have this body body raised from the that grave grave that is all mankind For some men go as far as to eat human flesh It seems that if my body were eaten by man I I t be- be become become be become come part of ot his body Then too the grass that grows above the graves of mankind drawing its substance from their bodies is eaten by the cow and we drink the m milk lk that the cow gives thus taking into our bodies what has been portions of other mens men's bodies Now how can each of us get his own Iden ical body as the Prophet Joseph Smith says we shall 4 Here is another question An in- in infidel infidel in infidel fidel asked me if I believed the verse of the chapt r of St I had to tell him I did not The pas pas- passage passage passage sage reads And there are also many other things which Jesus did the which if they should be written everyone every one I suppose that even the world itself could not the books that should be written 5 According to science so I am told the Niagara Falls Falls have been over fifteen thousand years cutting their way to where they are at present Accor According ing to the Bible the earth cannot be over eight or nine thousand years old at atm m most L Now you may think these questions are very simple but I have been asked them and have bave gotten out of them the best way I could but not to my own satisfaction It you can and will give me some enlightenment on OD them please do so I have one more question if if I I could only think of it O Old yes this IS is it I 6 o Row How How could could- be with with- I out out father ather or mother without beginning or end fOnd of days Now let me say first that I cannot but admire the simplicity and directness of these questions and the candor with which they are asked This Elder evi- evi evidently evidently evi evidently dently recognizes that these questions demand rational answers and that al- al although al although though an Elder can Ret get out of them themas as many do by quibbles and sophistry more or less ingenious the difficulties remain still He also feels an assurance that there is a rational explanation for them Whether my answers will be an improvement upon his own remains to tobe tobe tobe be seen I feel to apologize that other work crowding upon me has left his let let- letter letter let letter ter so long unanswered First then as to the passages God I is a Spirit and a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have It is no noI eVidence of astuteness to set passages of I Scripture in opposition to one another I Nothing is easier Nor does this apply to the Bible alone I venture to say that I there is no work in science philosophy or law but will yield quibbles in the same way In the case of law or orF F science or philosophy the man who thus takes advantage of individual pas pas- passages passages safes pas sages is recognized as a quibbler quibblers and IS treated with the contempt that his ignorance ignorance ance merits But in the case of Bible doctrine or things divine the man be- be becomes becomes be becomes comes the founder of a new sect Many examples of this truth will come cometo cometo cometo to mind with lith a little reflection For in instance instance instance stance a sect was formed in Virginia on the pa passage sage in Acts ii Repent and be baptized everyone every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ To prove that the words italicised are the right words to be used in the formula ol of baptism and not in the lle name of the Father ker Son and Holy Ghost the only example In Scripture of either is quoted Acts HAnd And when they heard this they werE baptized d in the name of the Lord Jesus Reflect a moment how inconsistent it itis itis itis is to put faith in men mer who prove one passage of Scripture false in order to prove another nother true If in this case the Saviors Savior's words Matt 2818 be proven false how how much respect can we have for Peters Peter's Acts Is it not plainly the duty dut ot of the preacher to reconcile these passages And And nd if he cannot do it is it not plainly his duty to acknowledge his blindness ana and cease trying to lead the blind Nothing seems more rational And if men would apply the same rea rea- reasoning reasoning reasoning to preachers that they do to me- me these pretenders to divine wis wis- wisdom wisdom wisdom dom would soon be sat down upon Witness how beautifully in our formula of baptism these passages are recon reconciled cUed cried I 1 use this this illustration to indicate with what attitude our Elders should meet such quibblers Let them make the people see that he who tries to set Gods God's word against itself is not worthy to be listened to no matter how ingenious a and d plausible may be his theories God is a Spirit This is sufficient for such then men It coincides with a pre pre- preconceived preconceived con conceived philosophy I hear the winds sighing God is there I go into my garden garden- Wha a transformation since last 1 he flowers flash in inthe inthe the sunlight every hue of the rain bow rain and nd 1 i know God is there My children run to me with a and when their loving arms clo close about about my neck I know bow God dwells in them Igo I go out low the starry starry night and and gaze g ze upon on the spangled universe and a a voice of of awe awe I comes to me Lo God is there God is isa isa isa a Spirit and lives where ever there is life and motion etc This is the God of sectarians It is the universal God Pan of Oriental nations and of the Greeks It was one of the first evi evidences evidences evidences dences of the great that this vague entity took the the place place of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob It was not the Saviors Savior's words as quoted by StJohn St John God is a Spirit which led to the sectarian n idea of a being without body parts and passions But it is this remark which gives color and support support sup port to the idea What did John mean then He surely had read Genesis and knew that man IS made in the image of God He had heard our Savior say Who hath seen me hath seen the Father He knew that Christ was the brightness of His F Fathers Father's ther's glory the express express image of HIs person In short he knew w that our ather is a perfected glorified Man Did he then intend to set the entire burden of Scripture at naught and proclaim a new made being being made of such stuff as dreams are But asks the Elder Are ClAre we to ignore this passage and hold to the tenor of all the other Scriptures Certainly Certainly Certainly not To ignore it or by other passages try to prove it false would be beas beas beas as contemptible in a Latter-day Latter Saint asfor asfor as for the sectarians on the other hand to accept it as true and i ignore nore or hold false what opposes the idea they get from it They are both true and the sect that cannot reconcile them is un- un unworthy unworthy un unworthy worthy of human following The passage may mean two things I 1 It may mean God the Holy Ghost is a spirit In this case there can be no difficulty about the passage It is literally true In this aspect God mani mani- manifests manifests manifests himself in io all His works God is nature in this sense all that lives and moves and has a being exists by virtue of this supreme power If If God should withdraw this spirit all flesh would crumble into dust Spencer the prince of agnostics recognizes God in this aspect In uIn the midst of all aU mysteries and aDd uncertainties one thing is absolutely certain We are ever in the presence of the infinite and eternal energy whence all things proceed It is in this capacity that we can speak of God as everywhere present 2 It may refer to God the Father In Inthis Inthis Inthis this case it is figuratively true For in- in instance instance in instance stance John also says God is love Isaiah says Justice and judgment are the habitants i e sit in or occupy Thy throne This figure of speech where where- wherein wherein wherein in a quality is matte made to take the place of the possessor of ot that quality is called metonymy y No figure is more common in scripture Just as justice and judg judg- judgment ment cannot in fact be habitants of a throne but are qualities of Him who I sits upon the throne so love is a quality so spirit is a quality We can with the same figure say man is a spirit and spirit would it not be true Take his spirit away and what is left is nothing but clay This I take it is the true meaning of the passage The preceding verse john 4 23 refers to the Father who is shortly to be worshipped in a different fashion from the material way in which the Jews worshipped Him viz the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit andin and in n truth that truth that is by the enlightened power of tie the Holy Ghost as opposed o t to the formalism cold of the law of Moses Then follows the passage God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in inspirit inspirit inspirit spirit and in in truth That is God is Immortal of the nature of spirit and must be worshipped by a way analogous to His own nature and not in away a way that would gratify a mortal being The other questions will be considered in due time N L N |