The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-11
THE HERALDg MONDAY. JANUARY ii. 1897

changing, resistless, advancing force.
Perfection, like salvation, is only rela-
tive. Were absolute perfection once
achieved, there would then remain no
reason for life; the motive for exer-
ton would be wanting and the product
OF the stagnation that must follow the
absence of effort would be eternal
death. Such a heaven as the generally
accepted one offers to those blessed of
God is therefore unthinkable TO the
rational mind. No one can serve the
Maker who does not make eternally
for good.
If, therefore,, the resurrected flesh
and bone, reinhabited by the spirit
that gave II power in this life. NAV
begin anew the task suspended here.
to what heights may not man con-
fidently soar? Created by God. by him
endowed with an immortal spirit,
blessed with divine intelligence, what
in reason shall he the limit of his as
pirations, once the barrier of death is
passed?
The Savior declared he did only that
which the Father had done Certainly
there can be conceived no higher pur-
pose for the doing than animated Jesus
Christ to save the countless dead from
that death which knows no awakening,
into that life in which every hope may
be nationally INDUCED. AS the children
comprehend his purposes. This eX-
pectation. is toerable only on the as
sumption that the intelligence vested
in the race is possible of quickening
and development to a point where it
becomes akin to Gods.
Why should Jesus say: BE We there
fore perfect even as our Father which
is in heaven is perfect" Matt. V 49,,
were that perfection in any degree I'LL
timately unattaina ble2
MAN GODS IMAGE.
The scriptures are false or God fash
joined man in his own image. Jesus,
the only begotten son of God was like
unto a man. The Savior speaks of
himself as the 'son OF man" only.
Why should not man become a God?
In all the researches of biologists
and naturalists no form bodied with
life has been discovered that is filter
to be worshipped than mans. Fix in
the mind any definite form of what
reverence asserts should be the fash
ion of the infinite and the shape is
mans. Why theologians with such
unanimity and such persistence close
their eyes to one of the plainest teach
ings of the Bible can only be specu-
lated upon. How can the God of the
Bible, having made man in his own
image, who is the Father of all, merci-
full, pleading, angered at times, warn
ing at others. long suffering and loving
and patient ever, be, as nearly all ex-
poundings DECLARE, void of body. parts
and passions? Atheists even might
concede that God must be a man, if he
exists.
Grant the resurrection and a life
beyond the grave; grane also the in
telligence of God in every being-the
exercise of its power now, however linn
tied by physical decay-and why, in
that fathomless abyss we call eternity,
should not the endless striving for
knowledge and the leading of an ever
better existence. win, as an ultimate
reward, the power to create and people
To become Gods? What else
could Jesus have meant? BE We there
fore perfect even as your Father which
is in heaven is perfect"
If the Savior did only what Our
Father had done before him, then at
some period of time our Father which
is in heaven took upon himself a tab
ernacle of flesh, borne by the spirit on
earth, and the man became God.
Why should not God be man?
There are still other collateral rea
sons.
Bible reading makes clear beyond the |
of doubt that to the He
brew patriarch the greatest blessing |
God could bestow upon the deserving |
was 3 posterity of generous proper |
tons. Barrenness was the shame of !
4 Hebrew woman. Her untiring prayer |
to God was for children, that her |
shame might be put from her The |
nigh reward to Abraham, father of the /
'aithful, was Gods assurance of bOun
-eous prosperity The Jew did not fear |
leath-that was the punishment of |
he adulterer-it was the penalty TO be |
paid by all of Adams race; it was in |
,vitable. Death became dreadful, how |
,ver. To those unblesSed by the hope of |
1osterity. To the JeN no lesson of /
he scripture was clearer than this.
'Lo children are an heritage Of the
Lord. and the fruit of the womb is his
'eWard; as arrows are in the hands of !
man, so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his culver
ull of them; they shall not be
ashamed, but they shall speak with
he enemies in the gate. Psalms
xviii
When the thoughtless one thrust
orth his arm to steady the ark of the
covenant, punishment fell not only
lpon the man, but his family was also
stricken with him; his posterity was
wiped out; all record of his genera
ions was swept away; his name was
no more remembered in the street,"
like dumb beasts all persisted"
VAGUE DOCTRINE.
Vague as the doctrine now is to us,
through the mystifying of irrational
xhortationS and eXpOundings. l be-
ieve that no religious truth was
learer to the Jew in the days of
Abraham than that the powers of God
we're with him, and that his posterity
houid. in the eternity before as be-
ind him, people worlds, should call
i'm Father Cod The direst
punishment. therefore, was the knowl-
dge that he had lost the power to be-
ONE q God in new worlds-lost be-
ause to him without issue to per-
etuate his species, because, as in the
ase of him struck dead for touching
he ark of the covenant, all his genera
ions persisted with him and his kin
fas no longer to increase on the earth.
1t would be fruitless to undertake a
especially in advance of all
he arguments that will be urged
gainst these deductions. One Objec-
ion, however may be conceded and
arried, if not met fully.
It will be said that the ATTEMPT to
how that man may become a God will
estroy reverence for the Almighty
nd belittle the Savior in the minds CT
Il accepting the idea.
VIII it? Can it justly be held that
ne especially bright child IS degraded
ecause another exists? Does the in
reasing light of an ecclesiast or a
cientist in any way diminish the
nowledge Of one whose light has long
cen recognized?
VIII it be humiliating to CD 20 con-
amplate the development Of the chill
rem created by Him, and by Him ;