THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD.

Liverpool, September 13, 1847.

Reverend and Dear Sir,—In this epistle I shall endeavour to set before you a description of the person, abode, and character of THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD. In so doing I trust it will not be imputed to arrogance if I borrow my apology from the language of St. Paul:—"As I passed by I beheld an altar with this inscription, 'To the Unknown God.' Whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

The people of Paul's day had for several generations been unaccustomed to receive revelations from the true God, believing, generally, that revelations from God had ceased with Malachi. They supposed that the canon of scripture was complete long before their time, and they considered that the great law-giver, Moses, had established an immutable code of laws and government, suited to the condition of people of all ages and circumstances whatever, to the end of time; and the Jews, to this very day, entertain the same opinion.

Labouring under this most blighting and soul-darkening opinion for several centuries, without the light of any new revelation, and without the aid of that immediate inspiration which attended Moses and the prophets, their foolish hearts became darkened as a necessary consequence. Inflated with pride, and a false but sincere reverence for the scriptures of a previous age, they became a conspicuous and warning example to this generation of ignorance, not only of the scriptures, which they carefully memorized, but also of all the essential attributes of the person, character, and doctrine of God.

Now, sir, during the long period of sixteen or eighteen hundred years, in which the light of immediate revelation has not shone, the religious world have fallen into similar and even far greater darkness. The true and living God is not known as I shall proceed to show.

The religious world have an abundance of zeal for God, and diligence in spreading the scriptures and their missionaries over the face of the earth; but, alas! the God they profess to worship is an unknown God, and this ignorance of God is the legitimate consequence of not having immediate revelation from him, during a long period of near eighteen hundred years; and unaided by the spirit of inspiration, the ancient scriptures have become a dark and obscure book—their import has been warmly debated by a thousand learned disputants, without any prospect of approximation to unity.

A very general conviction concerning the character of God now is, that He is a Being without body, or parts, or passions. A greater absurdity cannot be furnished in all the annals of heathenism. Even images of wood, and brass, and stone, are scarcely more remote from the picture of the true God, than the theory of a passionless, matterless God—an inconceivable sort of chaotic being, that is without form, or void, or dwelling place! a being whose circumference is everywhere, and his centre nowhere!

Another theory concerning God, that is entertained by Jewish Rabbies, though of an opposite character, is not much more extravagant than the common orthodox theory, viz, the Rabbies suppose that God is a Being of some "millions of miles in length."

Again, the popular notion of modern Jews, as expressed in a recent number of the Jewish Chronicle, is, that the Almighty God is a Being of such infinite dimension, that He cannot condense himself sufficiently to speak to men, or be tangible or visible by mortals. Accordingly, when he gives revelation to men, He creates a fictitious or imaginary messenger, through whom he communicates his will, and this messenger has no real existence in the eye of God, and only in the momentary perception of the person addressed.—(See Millennial Star No. 15, also Jewish Chronicle.)

From the foregoing it may be seen how grossly ignorant both Jews and Christians are of the person of God, the Creator and Saviour of the world! All this, too, in an age of the world boasting of blazing light! of a millennial dawn! of the unparalleled march of improvement! but, alas! the very God and Father of us all, who ought to be truly known in order to be rightly worshipped, is regarded as the most insensible (a God without "passion" must be insensible), and irrational, and unattractive as to form, of all beings that can be conceived of; and the most surprising feature in all modern theology in an age of sanity is, that this notion concerning the person of God, is deducible from the scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

The New Testament tells us most unequivocally what kind of person God has, and whether he is a Being having both passion and physical form. It tells whether he can be so "condensed" as to speak to men, and be seen of them, and talk to them face to face, as a man talks to his fellow man. The New Testament declares that in Jesus Christ dwelt the "FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD, BODILY."

Now, if the Godhead dwelt in the body of Christ, then it is certain that God is not without a body. But He has a body; and what is His body like unto? The New Testament tells us what His body is like. It is so nearly and exactly like unto the body of Christ, that there is no difference. Paul says, that Christ was the "express image of his person." It is then beyond all dispute that the body and person of Jesus Christ and the Father are alike. Language cannot express the similitude of the Father and the Son in plainer or stronger terms. Then, if we can show from the New Testament what kind of body or person Jesus Christ had, we can also tell what kind of body the Father has, because they are alike. One is the express image of the other. If one has a fleshy material body, the other has the same. If one resembles in stature the seed of the woman, the other also wears the same resemblance. If one can be so "condensed" as to speak and walk, and feel and act like a man, the other can do the same. If one wearing a body of flesh and bones, in all points like unto his brethren, is capable of holding all power in heaven and earth, and also of displaying the brightness of celestial glory, the other can do the same in a similar body of flesh and bones.

Well, now, what kind of body or person had Jesus Christ, which looked so much like the Father's person? Was it an airy, invisible, evanescent, mystical nothing, which some would denominate spirit? No, by no means; very much otherwise. Hearken now, my dear sir, and all ye readers, that have an honest desire to know the living and true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, in order that men might know from the person of the Son what is the personal appearance of the Father. He, "the Word, was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." Jesus had a fleshly form like the seed of Abraham, and being begotten of the Father he partook of his likeness. Men beheld his glory in human form, and Paul says that his glory was the glory of the Father.

It appears from the conduct of some of his disciples, that they, like sectarian churches now, were tinctured with the idea that Christ, after his death and resurrection, was purely and exclusively a Spirit; but he tells them to handle him and see that "a Spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me have." And he eat and drank with them as aforetime with his resurrected body, and afterwards ascended up from their midst with the same bloodless body into heaven; and in like manner will he come again.

Thus, sir, the notion of a God that is exclusively Spirit without bodily form, was banished from the minds of the disciples that saw the bodily image of the Father in the person of the Son after his resurrection. From heaven he will come again in like manner, and every eye shall see him, and they that have pierced him. But the popular God of modern times, that has no body or parts, cannot be seen. But, sir, this popular God that has sprung into fashion, since the age of revelation, has no resemblance to Jesus Christ, who has both body and parts, and is the exact image of his Father. Jesus Christ declared that he could exercise all power in heaven and earth while he was in the body. His Father could do the same, because they were alike. It required no extraordinary condensation of the infinity of Jesus in order to reveal himself to men, or in order that men should behold his glory.

But we have other proofs that the person of God the Father is like the bodily form of Christ's resurrected person. God has declared that man is in his image. Man was created in the image of God, and in the likeness of God; and the bodies of holy men are destined to be like unto Christ's own most glorious body; that is as much as to say that they are like the body of Christ in the heavenly state.

If the foregoing, and many other similar passages of scripture, do not go to show that the Supreme Being bears a personal appearance like unto the person of his Son, and consequently like unto any other resurrected body of a righteous man, then we are in a labyrinth of doubt how to interpret the most plain and unequivocal language. If the language of scripture does not bear me out in the conclusion that man is in the form of God, then there are no infallible way-marks or criteria by which I can safely interpret scriptures. And the votaries of Vishnoo have as good scriptural reason to believe in their theory of deific annihilation, as others have to believe in a God without body, or parts, or passions.

The scriptures plainly deny both theories, as they do that God is a person some millions of miles in the height of his stature. Common sense cannot grasp the idea of any being or thing whatever, that is without body or parts. Even the most subtle and refined spirit conceivable, is a material existence as far removed from immateriality as the east is from the west.

Now, sir, suffer me to entreat you to abandon all such crude theories concerning God, which are as baseless and unscriptural as the most extravagant vagaries of the heathen, and confine your faith to the simple obvious testimony of Jesus and the prophets. And remember that this is not a subject of little importance; for it is written, that, to know God and Jesus Christ is eternal life. No man can understand the import of eternal life, nor how it is secured to believers, that does not know God and Jesus Christ. In God and Christ is eternal life. This life is not barely the perpetuity of existence, for even the wicked exist for ever, but it is called in scripture the "power of endless life." This power of multiplying or creating life emanated in that Melchizedek priesthood of which Jesus is the head and High Priest. This is the gift of God to men who keep his commandments, and the greatest of all gifts. Unsearchable riches accompany this gift. When God created man, he created him in his own image (male and female), in order that he too might have the power of multiplying life after the order of Melchizedek, through obedience.

Now, sir, should it not be a matter of delight to you, that man is created in the image of God, and crowned with glory and honour through faith in Christ. Will not Peter and his fellow-desciples rejoice to recognise that same Jesus who ascended to heaven with a body like their own, and if Jesus bears the image of the Father, they will be equally familiar with the Highest. What is there, sir, that contributes more to the glory of God than his creative power, by which he brings myriads of living intelligences into being, through whom a chaotic universe is organized into works of beauty, taste, grandeur, and glory? All these creations are for the righteous pleasure of Him who created them.

We all are the offspring of God, and the loyal offspring of God are the greatest delight and concern of God. For them he is ever ready to make the greatest sacrifice possible. Not only is filial reverence displayed from them to Him, the fountain of life, but by them is shown forth the manifold wisdom and power of God. And when men, by humble obedience, become worthy of eternal life, the Almighty bestows upon them the like precious creative gift. But this gift of life is in his Son, and He never bestows it upon unworthy subjects. Thus by the law of adoption men become the sons and daughters of the Almighty, and receive the priestly "power of endless life," which is after the order of the Son of God. Hence the marvellous language of scripture, "I said ye are God's to whom the word of God came." Jesus virtually said on one occasion, "If holy men are the sons of God, and consequently heirs to His throne, privileges, and glory, then marvel not that I (Jesus) should claim to be a God or the Son of God!" For Paul says, "there be in heaven Gods many, and Lords many, yet to us there is but one God. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge."

In conclusion, I will drop a passing remark or two concerning the abode or dwelling place of God, with a brief hint of his moral attributes. As Jesus is our light and example, we can learn of the Father's abode from his Son. The Son ascended up into heaven and to his God and our God. The scriptures abundantly declare that a place called heaven is the peculiar dwelling place of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if heaven is not a literal, bona fide place, but only an imaginary phantom, then it follows that Jesus went to no place, but continued to ascend up, till, in his glorious flight, He reached— shall I call it Nichban—an imaginary phantom—or annihilation!

Be not displeased, dear sir, I am not trifling with your religion, but am bound by truth and the love of God, to unfold its naked absurdity, in order that you, my beloved friend, and all good men may recoil from such gross Gentile vagaries, and exclaim, in the language of scripture, "Our Fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit." If you will read carefully the scripture accounts of the visions of holy men, that have been permitted to look in upon the heavenly residence of God, where Jesus and all the resurrected bodies of the righteous abide, and eat and drink, you will be constrained to acknowledge every appearance of a splendid local abode. Mansions—streets—rivers—trees—precious metals —thrones—persons—apparel—animals—ministering personages in all the courtly livery of unspeakable celestial glory! The heaven of all the holy prophets!

God's holy dwelling place, is literal, local, real, and to its occupants, it is visible and tangible. It is by no means a matterless, passionless, mystical region of extatic and endless songs from the lips of immaterial spirits, offered in praise to some Great Spirit, equally passionless and immaterially chaotic, spreading infinitely through all space without centre or circumference. If such is the God that men expect to adore in heaven, mankind would present but a faint image of him, yea, even Jesus, who partook of man's likeness, could not have been the brightness of the Father's glory, and express image of his person. He declares that He has given us an image and likeness of himself in the person of man. But who would ever recognise their Father and Jesus in the person of a boundless, centreless being, of no body or parts, infinitely expanded.

But it is sometimes urged that man only resembles God in his moral attributes. Morally, says the divine and doctor, man bears the image of God. Aye, indeed! The absurdity of such a supposition is still greater. By moral, I must then understand, that the resemblance between God and man, consists in their being of like social, civil, and religious temperament and affection. Other things being equal, a holy man as Adam originally was, would cherish the same propensities with God—have a similar sense of justice and truth according to the measure of knowledge belonging to each. But the absurdity and query are here: an immaterial, infinitely expanded God, without physical form and locality, is as unlike to man as light to darkness, or as the most diverse animals can be supposed to be, and cannot in the nature of things have those sympathies and moral sensibilities that man has. Material sensibilities must differ from those which are immaterial, as much as the elements of land and water differ.

My sheet being full, allow me to subscribe myself

Your friend and servant,

ORSON SPENCER.