(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

INTELLIGENCES AND PROGRESS.

SPECIAL TEXT: "They who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate, shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Book of Abraham, Ch. iii:24-26.)

DISCUSSION.

1. The Varying Degrees of Intelligence Among Intelligences: We are already made aware of the fact in the preceding lessons that though Intelligences are equal in eternity of existence, it does not follow that they are equal in degree of intelligence. (Lesson II. Subdivision 4.) "If two things exist," said the Lord to Abraham, and there be one above the other, there shall be greater things above them. * * * These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they."^[A]

Not only do intelligences differ in regard to the degree of intelligence, but they differ also in moral quality and greatness and nobility.

"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the Intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born."^[A]

[Footnote A: Book of Abraham, Ch. iii.]

The "among all these were many of the noble and great ones;" and "he saw that they were good," clearly manifests that reference is made to capacity, to largeness of mind-power, and to moral quality; and from among these "noble and great ones," shall the "rulers" come. Abraham was a type of the "noble and great ones," and was chosen before he was born, and assigned to the part he took in his earth life, and is known preeminently as the "friend of God," the "Father of the faithful." Similarly was Jeremiah foreknown and foreordained to be a Prophet (Jeremiah i:5); so, too, was St. John, the friend of Jesus, (I Nephi, xiv:18-27). So also the Christ was chosen and his mission appointed—he was "the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the World" (Rev. xiii:8). And in his great prayer, before his passion, he said: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."^[A]

[Footnote A: St. John xvii:5.]

Varying degrees of intelligence, then, among the Intelligences, as also varying degrees of greatness and nobility of soul and of moral quality are established; and doubtless the variation in the pre-earth existence is as great as it is in earth life.

2. The "One" More Intelligent Than All—God: When it is conceded that among Intelligences there are varying degrees of intelligence, and greatness and nobility and moral quality, then it follows that there may be One who is the most intelligent of all, greatest, noblest, best; most wise and most powerful. And how far this greatest and best may arise above the other Intelligences, who may say? There are no terms of comparison for the superlative. It rises above all comparisons, and how far above that to which it stands next—how far above the "better" the "best" rises—none may say. The same holds as to the "greatest" and the "noblest"—how far "greatest" rises above "great;" how far "noblest" rises above "noble," or "best" above "good," none may say. It may be that the "most intelligent," may mean not only more intelligent than any other one out of the mass of Intelligences, but more intelligent than all combined; and this indeed is the interpretation I place upon the following passage in the Book of Abraham: "These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other, there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than them All." That is, than "All" combined, and for that reason is He God. "I dwell in the midst of them all," says the Lord to Abraham. "I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to deliver (i. e., reveal, see verses 1-15, Ch. iii) unto thee the works which my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the Intelligences thou hast seen" (Book of Abraham, Ch. iii:19-21). And to this agrees the following doctrine of the Prophet: "In knowledge there is power. God has more power than all other beings, because he has greater knowledge; hence he knows how to subject all other beings to himself. He has power over all" (Sermon at Nauvoo, April 8th, 1843, Hist, of the Church, Vol. V, p. 340.) And as I have said elsewhere: This Mighty Intelligence, who is "more intelligent than All" is also the All-Wise One; the All-Powerful One! What he tells other Intelligences to do must be precisely the wisest, fittest thing that they could anywhere or anyhow learn—the thing which it will in all ways behoove them with right loyal thankfulness, and nothing doubting, to do. There goes with this, too, the thought that this All-Wise One is the Un-Selfish One, the All-Loving One, the One who desires that which is highest, and best; not for Himself alone, but for all; and that, too, will be best for Him. His glory, His power, His joy will be enhanced by the uplifting of all, by enlarging them; by increasing their joy, power, and glory. And because this Most-Intelligent One is all this, and does all this, the other Intelligencies worship Him, submit their judgments and their will to His judgment and His will. He knows, and can do that which is best; and this submission of the mind to the most Intelligent, Wisest—wiser than All—is worship. This is the whole meaning of the doctrine and the life of the Christ expressed in—"Father, not my will but Thy will, be done."

3. The Capacity of Intelligences for Progress: If what has been set forth as to the qualities, or attributes of Intelligences be true—that they are conscious of self and of not self; that they have powers of perception, comparison, deliberation, reason, judgment, imagination and volition, (See Lesson I, this treatise) then they have in them the inherent elements of progress. All they need with this inherent equipment for progress is proper environment and action, and the guidance of the Highest Intelligence; at least it must be admitted, as to the last, that progress would be more sure, more rapid when so guided.

4. Purpose in the Earth-Life of Man: To provide the means and opportunity for progress the earth-life of man was planned. As God stood among the Intelligences, he said to those that were with him:

"We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; and they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever."^[A]

[Footnote A: Book of Abraham, Ch. iii:24-26.]

That is, interpreting the closing declaration, they shall have the blessings of eternal progress. Progress, then, is the purpose for which the earth life of man was planned—that Intelligences might be "added upon," and that eternally.

"This is my work and my glory," says the Lord, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man;" (Book of Moses, Ch. i:39, Pearl of Great Price). That is of man as man. Not the immortality of the personal Intelligence or spirit of man, for that is already assured; but the immortality of the spirit and body in their united condition, and which together constitute "man;" or the soul, for, in the revelations of God in this last dispensation, the spirit and the body are said to be the "soul:" "Through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body is the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul" (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 88:14-16).

Again, "Men are that they might have joy," said the Prophet Lehi.^[A] "Men are that they might have joy!" Have we here the reappearance of the old Epicurean doctrine, "pleasure is the supreme good, and chief end of life?" No, verily! Nor any other form of old "hedonism"—the Greek ethics of gross self-interest. For mark, in the first place, the different words "joy" and "pleasure." They are not synonymous. The first does not necessarily arise from the second, "joy" may arise from quite other sources than "pleasure;" from pain, even, when the endurance of pain is to eventuate in the achievement of some good: such as the travail of a mother in bringing forth her offspring; the weariness and pain and danger of toil by a father, to secure comforts for loved ones. Nor is the "joy" here contemplated the "joy" of mere innocence—mere innocence, which say what you will of it, is but a negative sort of virtue. A virtue that is colorless, never quite sure of itself, always more or less uncertain, because untried. Such a virtue—if mere absence of vice may be called virtue—would be unproductive of that "joy" the attainment of which is set forth in the Book of Mormon as the purpose of man's existence; for in the context it is written, "They [Adam and Eve] would have remained in a state of 'innocence.' Having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin." From which it appears that the "joy" contemplated in our Book of Mormon passage is to arise from something more than mere innocence, which is, impliedly, unproductive of "joy." The "joy" contemplated in the Book of Mormon passage is to arise out of man's knowledge of evil, of sin; through knowing misery, sorrow, pain and suffering; through seeing good and evil locked in awful conflict; through a consciousness of having chosen in that conflict the better part, the good; and not only in having chosen it, but in having wedded it by eternal compact; made it his by right of conquest over evil. It is a "joy" that will arise from a consciousness of having "fought the good fight," of having "kept the faith." It will arises from a consciousness of moral, spiritual and physical strength. Of strength gained in conflict. The strength that comes from experience; from having sounded the depths of the soul; from experiencing all emotions of which mind is susceptible; from testing all the qualities and strength of the intellect. A "joy" that will come to man from a contemplation of the universe, and a consciousness that he is an heir to all that is—a joint heir with Jesus Christ and God; from knowing that he is an essential part of all that is. It is a joy that will be born of the consciousness of existence itself—that will revel in existence—in thoughts of and realizations of existence's limitless possibilities. A "joy" born of the consciousness of the power of eternal increase. A "joy" arising from association with the Intelligences of innumerable heavens—the Gods of all eternities. A "joy" born of a consciousness of being, of intelligence, of faith, knowledge, light, truth, mercy, justice, love, glory, dominion, wisdom, power; all feelings, affections, emotions, passions; all heights and all depths! "Men are that they might have joy;" and that "joy" is based upon and contemplates all that is here set down. (New Witnesses, Vol. III, pp. 199-120.)

[Footnote A: II Nephi ii:25.]

The foregoing considerations discover the purpose of God in the earth-life of man to be the progress and joy of men, kindred Intelligences with God; and with that progress and joy of kindred Intelligences, there must be an ever widening manifestation of the glory of God. "The glory of God is Intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth" (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 93:36); but not "Intelligence" only as it inheres in Himself; but also as it finds expression and development in others.

5. A Union of Spirit and Element Essential to a Fulness of Joy: In this progress of Intelligences there must be movement, action, new environment, estates, experiences through which they pass.—Hence Intelligences are begotten spirits, and spirits are begotten men—the "deathless element"—Intelligence—must be united with earth-element, to learn what earth-life has to teach, and get itself expressed through earth-elements; which also—so far as such elements shall be essential to an added dignity and power to the spirit of man—will be made immortal, become an indissoluble part of the spiritual personage, the spirit and the body thus inseparably united constituting the "soul of man."^[A] "Man is spirit."^[B] "The elements"—earth elements—"are eternal; and spirit and element, inseparably connected receive a fullness of joy; and when separated man cannot receive a fullness of joy." Hence for man, earth-existence became a necessity to progress, and therefore it was provided.

[Footnote A: "Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body is the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul;" (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 88, verses 14, 15, 16).]

[Footnote B: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 93:33, 34.]