Mormonism Exposed (Hancock)/Chapter 4
As previously said, the inspiration and revelation afforded in order to the development of the old covenant, while it gave the proposed demonstration, could not afford the necessary knowledge of God. The apostle says, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."—Heb. 8: 7. The first covenant being faulty from the fact that the inspiration and revelation necessary to the fulness of its purpose did not give the required knowledge, there was a demand for a second—a demand, hence, for inspiration and revelation in order to the full development of the second. Therefore, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord; but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more."—Jer. 31: 31–34. Here is the promise of a new covenant, and one that would afford the necessary knowledge, for through it all would be enabled to know God. There would, hence, be no need of further teaching. This amounts to the affirmation that, when the new covenant should be given there would be no need for further revelation from God. The mediator of this new covenant was to be the anointed One of the Most High, the one Teacher who alone could give a true knowledge of God, and through whom everlasting righteousness should be brought in. When a knowledge of the true God, as revealed through Christ, was given, and all the necessary provisions to enable man to lay hold on eternal life were complete the revelation from God was perfected. Christ said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Matt. 11: 27. This again affirms perfection on the part of the mediator of the new covenant. In the language of Paul we say, If the second covenant be faultless there could be no place for a third—no demand, hence, for inspiration and revelation in order to the development of a third. From a Mormon standpoint one might, with all propriety, have approached the Savoir with the question, "Art thou sufficient or shall we look for another?" From that same standpoint, John 17: 3, should read, "And this is life enternal, that they might know the only true and living God, Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, and from whence the Aboriginees of America came." Unhesitatingly do we say, If the origin of the American Indians be not a gospel idea there is not a gospel idea in the Book of Mormon but what was borrowed from the Bible. Take the professed account of the first settling of America out of the Book of Mormon and the remainder is a game of plagiarism, from beginning to end. The Book of Mormon could not contain any information concerning God, or His Son Jesus Christ, without borrowing such from the Bible. It is, hence, that Jesus warns all against any claims to inspiration this side of the completion of the New Testament. Matt. 11; 27 contains such warning. The statement of Christ being true the prophet of Mormonism did not know either the Father or the Son. He, like all others, since the completion of the New Testament, was limited to the Bible for saving knowledge.
Inspiration and revelation were never afforded for the mere gratification of man's curiosity. It had no purpose except the glory of God and the salvation of man. It's purpose being to impart knowledge, when the knowledge essential to its purpose was afforded, it's work was done. A knowledge of God and of Christ is all that is necessary in order to the desired end. With the impartion, hence, of that knowledge, the work of inspiration and revelation ceased. With the revelation given through Christ, as recorded in the New Testament, that knowledge was perfected. Therefore, with the completion of the New Testament revelation from God ceased. This being so, all pretended revelation since the completion of the New Testament are fraudulent. That such is the case we now purpose to demonstrate.
What man needed in his fallen and benighted condition was light. Christ is the light of the world. He is to the people of God what the luminary of day is to the inhabitants of earth. One enjoying the fullness of the noon day sun does not need a jack o'lantern to enable him to see his way. To deny that Christ brought the needed light to man is to surrender the claims of the Bible. Surely, those who enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son are heirs of eternal life, and have the needed light. The apostle says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full."—I. John 1: 3. 4. Here it is affirmed that through what was delived by the apostles, we have thecessary knowledge in order to Fellowship with the Father and the Son, and in order to fulness of joy. The trouble has ever been and ever will be:—"And this is the condmnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3; 19. To reveal is to bring to light. The inspiration and revelation from heaven were designed to bring man the light of God. That light could only be afforded by bringing to man the true knowledge of God. As to the amount of light necessary man could not know. It was, hence, a matter to be decided by the Almighty. God having decided this matter, would, of necessity, be governed by his own decision or acknowledge that he made a mistake. As we cannot think of the Almighty making a mistake and having to repent of his error, we know that he having decided as to the amount of revelation necessary has never afforded any beyond that.
In the ninth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle treats of the tabernacle that was erected by Moses in the wilderness, and tells us emphatically that it was a typical institution, giving us, hence, in prophetical representation the provisions of God in the Church of Jesus Christ. The tabernacle proper was divided into two apartments, the holy and the most holy places. The first of these, the holy place, represented the Church of Christ on earth. That tabernacle was so securely enclosed that no light entered from without. The light for the priests in their ministrations was provided within, and all the light, hence, that they could have was that afforded by the seven lights of the golden candlestick. Paul's statement being true, that the tabernacle was a type of the heavenly institution, the institution of which Jesus Christ is the head, the golden candlestick was a type of that which was to afford the light for the people of God under Christ. The type being a true one the church was to have no light beyond what was represented by the golden candlestick. There is no light from God beyond what was therein represented. Therefore if we can know what was represented by the golden candlestick we can know the limitation of the light afforded the Church of Christ—can know, hence, the bounds of inspiration and revelation in order to the glory of God, and the eternal interests of humanity. As we have said, God has thrown a safe guard around these matters, and his lessons are a guarantee to all that will accept them, against the possibility of deception.
In the fourth chapter of Zechariah we have a record of his vision of the golden candlestick. There were two olive trees by the candlestick, one upon the right side, and the other upon the left side. There were seven pipes, one for each division of the candlestick, and they furnished the golden oil for each bowl. Of the candlestick, the angel said to Zechariah, "This is the word of God." And of the olive tree it is said, "These are the two anointed ones [Marginal and R. V. Sons of Oil] that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." In the eleventh chapter of Revelations we are told that these are the two witnesses. The type being true and the vision correct, we have certain facts. 1. The word of God is the only light that He affords His people. 2. That word would be in two grand divisions, standing as two witnesses for the great Jehovah. 3. That word as a whole was to be given in seven divisions. 4. The inspiration, represented by the golden oil, was to be by virtue of two olive trees. 5. In consequence of these there were to be, in man's behalf, two sons of oil. This gives just what we have in the Bible. The two divisions are the Old and the New Testaments, in other words, the two covenants. These properly viewed would give us seven subdivisions, one division answering as a center stem, with three divisions on either side. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written for one purpose, namely, to give the demonstration that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This being the central idea in the canon of revelation, those four books constitute the center stem. Jesus gives the entire Old Testament in three divisions, namely, "The law, the psalms, and the prophets." This gives the three divisions on the one side. On the other side we have just three divisions, namely, Acts of Apostles, the Epistles to the churches, and the Book of Revelations. The olive trees represent the two covenants. Moses was the mediator in the first; was, hence, the revelator—the law giver for the people of that covenant. Jesus is the mediator in the New; is, hence, the revelator—the law giver for the people of the new covenant. We have, hence, in Jesus and Moses the two sons of oil. God in his providential workings has guarded the counsel that he designed for man. We have in the Book called the Bible, in its present arrangement, just what was represented by the golden candlestick. We have, hence, a demonstration of the fact that
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no light of inspiration is afforded beyond what we have in the development of the two covenants. There is no third olive tree, no third son of oil, no golden pipe for an eighth division, no golden oil for any book except what we have in the Bible. In view of the facts now before us we unhesitatingly say: If such as Mohammed, Swedenborg, Jo. Smith, Ellen G. White, et al., have been favored with inspiration it was from the infernal regions, not from above.