Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 3/Number 2/Perfection-No. II
PERFECTION. No. II.
On examining the subject of perfection closely, it will be found that the ancients, such we mean as were under divine influence, had views quite different from those entertained by the men of our day; they set it forth as something of a very God-like nature. Paul says, when speaking of the privileges of the saints, that they were to be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. This, most manifestly, sets forth the nature of perfection as it pertains to the saints.
For a person to be an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ Jesus, would be to endow him with the powers of the great God; for how can any person be an heir of God, and yet never partake of either his power or glory; where would his heirship be?—a mere fiction, as bad as a Methodist God, without either body or parts. If a person is ever an heir of God, he will partake of his glory; and this he cannot do, unless he first partakes of his power. Or if a person is ever a joint heir with Christ Jesus, he will be so by reason of his partaking of the same power and glory: And the Savior said of himself that, "all power is given unto me, in heaven and on earth."—Now may I not ask, with propriety, can a person be a joint heir with him who has all power in heaven and on earth, and yet have no power in heaven nor on earth. This would be too paradoxical for any rational being to pretend to believe. For any rational being must know, that for a person to be a joint heir with another, requires nothing less than to equally partake of the power, by which that other person partook of, and enjoyed his heirship; for if he did not he never could be heir with him.
A great many persons, for want of proper reflection, have supposed, that an instrument of writing, such as a will, or deed, or some such thing, could make one person another's heir; but a minute's reflection would correct the error; for it is not more the instrument of writing which makes the heir, than it is the power to husband the heirship; for if the legatee has not power to manage the legacy, his heirship is more nominal than real.
We have a most striking instance of this set forth in the scriptures, in the case of Solomon and his son Rehoboam, whom Solomon undertook to make heir of his kingdom. There was nothing wanting in instruments of writing, or in formalities; for every thing was done, that either wind or ink could do; but with all, they could not make Rehoboam Solomon's heir: Could they have given him a few ounces of common sense, it would have tended more to have made him his father's heir, than all the soundings of trumpets, the riding on mules, and the passing of decrees, and the sealing of covenants, did, or could do: and as it was not in their power to give him common understanding: So it was not in their power to make him Solomon's heir.—The very first act of his life, rent his father's kingdom in twain, and the cry throughout the camp of Israel was, "TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL!" and the ten tribes revolted from the house of David, and served them no more to this day.
So much then, for instruments of writing, covenants, deeds and decrees, making one man another's heir. It requires the power, the wisdom, and the sagacity of the predecessor, to make the successor his heir, and nothing short of that could do it.
When the scriptures speak of making the saints "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus;" they surely take into consideration what will be necessary to do it, and if so, the thing proposed to men in the religion of heaven is, to put them in possession of the power, the wisdom and the knowledge, sufficient to make them heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. If a person is to partake of only part of the heirship of Christ, then, part of his qualifications will be sufficient; but if he is to be a joint heir, and be an equal partaker with Christ, then, nothing short of the same powers which Christ possesses, will enable him to do it.
The query which now arises to the mind is this, Is the human mind capable of possessing such power, and such authority? If it is, perfection, as far as it relates to man, consists in obtaining it; for without it, no person can be perfect, for where there is one attainment wanting that person is not perfect. And if the human mind is not capable of enjoying and exercising such powers, why say that we are to be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ? Surely it would be an insult upon our good feelings thus to trifle with us.
From this view of the subject, which is both scriptural and reasonable, it can be easily seen why the Savior said to his disciples, "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect." Because that, and that only, would crown them with glory, honor, and immortality, and without it, their religion would be vain, yea, worse than vain; for instead of its adding to their happiness, it would make them of all men most miserable.
When perfection, as relates to the saints, is once understood, it throws great light on the whole scheme of things revealed in the bible; and enables us to see the consistency, and propriety of the whole. The object proposed to men in embracing the scheme of heaven, is to make them perfect, and that perfection consists in putting them in possession of the powers of the Deity, by which they heir, and of course govern all things: making them equal sharers in all power, in heaven and on earth. Hence, says the Savior, "Thou hast been faithful in a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Let us keep this in mind, and then see the consistency of the scheme of the heavens by which they propose to save men.
It was said to the apostles, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe," &c.
By this commission, it will be seen by the candid reader, that it was proposed to those who believed the testimony of the apostles, that they should be put in possession of a power different from that which was enjoyed by the rest of the world, and a power tending directly towards perfection, even, towards the power enjoyed by the Deity, by which they were heirs of all things, and of which heirship the saints were to be made partakers.
Read carefully the account given in the bible, and it will be seen that as soon as the gospel was received, the power which was according to the nature of their heirship, began to be exercised by them, and kept increasing, and increasing, until they had power over water, and over fire, and could command the very elements, the sun, moon, &c. and they would obey them, exercising a power which tended directly to make them partakers of all power, in heaven and on earth; and to make them heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus; whose heirship consisted in an identity with the Father. "All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them," says the Savior to his Father, John, 17:16. So the saints heirship was to consist in an identity with the Father and the Son "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." John 17:21. So then, with the greatest propriety, the apostle promised to the saints of his day, that they should be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. And if so, must be partakers of both their power and glory.
It is, therefore, easily seen, that a religion which does not immediately tend to put men in possession of power, power supernatural, (so called,) does not in any degree tend to perfection; and if it does not tend to perfection, it does not towards salvation: and all the labor, and pains, which men may spend to establish, and to build it up, is only building a house on the sand, which will fall with awful ruins, in the day when the winds blow, and the rains descend.
Let it here be observed, that when men in days of old had obtained this power with God, that they could exercise power over the earth, and over the elements, they were said to be perfect: as was the case of Noah, of Abraham &c. And those who had not this power, were never said to be perfect, no, nor never will be by the God of heaven.
Thus it was, that all the saints of former days, made their way towards perfection, the exercise, and in the increase of power; and as they approached toward the power which Jesus had, when he said, "All power in heaven and on earth is given unto me" in like proportion they approximated perfection; but inasmuch as they did not approximate towards that power, they did not advance towards perfection; for this and this only constitutes perfection before God: and when he speaks of men being perfect he means the perfection which belongs to himself.
There can be nothing more ridiculous to the ear of a correct biblical student, than to hear the men of this generation talking about perfection, and about men's getting perfect, while they deny the very existance [existence] of such a thing: for they openly declare that all the powers of the spiritual kingdom have ceased, and are to be exercised no more. Let it be so; but we ask, where is perfection then? we answer no where; for take the powers of the spiritual kingdom away, the enjoyment of which constitutes perfection among men, and surely perfection ceases with them, and there is an end to it, both in heaven and on earth, as far as men are concerned.
A few more words about the former day saints, and the sects of this generation, and I have done for the present. It is this, either the saints of former days were more than perfect (and that is impossible) or else the sects of this day are infinitely short of it. The former day saints could by their faith stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, put the armies of the aliens to flight, receive their dead children to life again, heal the sick, cast out devils, speak with tongues, interpret tongues, prophecy, dream dreams, see visions, &c. &c. I say then either the exercise of these powers among the former day saints was more than perfection, or else the sects of these days are no where near to perfection neither are they making the least advances towards it, and which of the two it is, I will leave a candid public to judge. S. R.