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."[1252] 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.
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;"[1253]—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."[1254] 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.
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."[1255] 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."[1256]
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.[1257] 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."[1258] 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."[1259] 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."[1260]
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,[1261] 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.
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."[1262] Jacob made a voluntary vow with the Lord to render a tenth of all that should come into his possession.[1263]
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."[1264] 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.[1265] A second tithe was demanded of Israel to be used for the appointed festivals.[1266] 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;[1267] 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;[1268] and both Amos[1269] and Malachi[1270] 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."[1271] In visiting the Nephites after His resurrection, the Savior told them of these sayings of Malachi, repeating the words of the Jewish prophet.[1272] 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.[1273]
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."[1274] 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.[1275]
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,[1276] 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.[1277] 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."[1278] 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;[1279] and of Enoch and his followers we read that the Lord took them unto Himself.[1280]
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."[1281] 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."[1282] 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."[1283] 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.[1284]
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,[1285] or the United Order,[1286] 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.
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.[1287] 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.[1288] 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.[1289] 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.[1290] 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.[1291] 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.'"[1292]
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,[1293] 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."[1294] "The idler shall not have place in the church except he repents and mends his ways."[1295] "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."[1296]
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,[1297] 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.
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;"[1298] 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."[1299] 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."[1300] 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."[1301] 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!
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."[1302]
20. The Latter-day Saints accept the doctrine that marriage is honorable,[1303] 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."[1304]
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."[1305] 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."[1306]
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.[1307] 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.
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."[1308] 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.[1309] 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."[1310]
24. Sanctity of the Body.—The Church counsels its members that each regard his body as "the temple of God;"[1311] 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"[1312] 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."[1313]
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.
