The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-24
He Points Out the Difference
Between Faith and
Imagination.
REASON JOSEPH SMITH
FAILED OF HIS END
He Could Not Distinguish Be-
tween the Two: Faith Is
the Factor.

lng hishoP J., y. Spalding preached an
ape sermon, taking for his text,
- ; n0flhlhIanS, Y. !, For VIC walk by
falth, not by sight. - In part, he said
IS -. Paul panl contrasts faith with sight;
reason or knowledge Faith is making
assumptions and acting on them. Faith
is is SGE@ins tEai that that Which Is Invisible, Faith
TO what We hope for, evidence OF the
truth OF things not seen Ii viii ho
seen that faith enters into All reason
ing. - step in the requirement OF all
Mr.. Darwin conceived the idea of or
smnlc evolution, u was faith which
patience TO experiment and gather facts
i" establish with greater certainty n
tn;3' winch was at first accepted by
ldtn, our forcfathers conceived OF II
republican form of government So by
!hlth the Republic OF tho United states
vas .s organized. Even after 1873 years GER
ta,iily mas not come and We stul have
.hIth rather thln absolute confidence in
lbc permanency OF our national form of
government \ prophet catches a glimpse
sphere Of morals. Through the mists of
ms moral incnpacity and the clouds OF
MS intellectual insufficicncy the light of
truth and love ana riehtcousness sends
peam, ana he procaims his message
Hnu TIn men are are gradually lifted To higher
PlahtS OF hVing, Whether, therefore. il
ue sclehcr. IN civics; in morals. or In
religion. knowledge begins with faith.
ana never while We are in this world be-
low. where We see through a glass bur
darl1iy, will knowledge be able 10 do al
together without faith.
The Christian. therefore, does not de-
Sinre Si1,ta. mat he walk; without knowledge or
without reason when he says that he
walks by faith and not by sight. lie
claims 10 use that power OF mind and
heart which IS neodful ir reason and
knowledge are ever to prevail But he
docs decline 10 limit his interest To the
I'LL IJo 10, 10 ,hm temporal. 10 the immediate.
lls niue world OF the seen. felt. tasted
heard. He catches sight OF heavenly
VISION and is not disobcdient 10 it.
victory OF Gods right and Gods truth
and Gods righteousness never wavcrcd,
lie believed in his fellow men, and after
he loved and ' trusted tH tRc % as baS, %STn9fS GS
strength and goodness He had faith i'm
The church hc had fc> ided and declared
that the gates OF hell could not prevail
against IT, lie walked by faith ana not
by sight.
Faith Makes Man Strong.
:, 1t Is not the degree of brain. Il Is not
'hc amount OF capital. it is not the
Eh,a,nGes To enjoy the indulgences OF life
faith, indomitable faith In the ultimate
triumph of God and all that God is and
Is doing How, petty and small are the
does for us. Its appctites tempt to in
temperance and siuttony. its passions TO
senSuall%; nut ialth gives us moral
power, clear vision. undaunted hope.
TO walk by. faith then is the part of a
Wise man. He is willing To let God lead
MN. even though ii be one step at a
But here we must be on our guard. II
the man OF faith dreams dreams ana secs
VISIONS. what is To save him from being
dreamy visionary theorist? There arc
so many imprac,icablc people who saw
thcy believe all sorts Of things which SEN
slnIe people and that means peoples who
L..
clear UP this rather confusing matter |
want TO insist on a distinction which |
ieel .el rs most important and valid. the dis
nncton between faith and Imagination.
Imagination Is sight and not faith TO
say we walk by faith aud not by sight
rs not me same as saying We walk by
thc same as saying We walk by faith, not
by Imagination For what is imaeina-
ilon? II Is the building of alrcsstles'' 1t
is the putting together of realities in iIn-
real fashion. IL Is the taking of ones
STOCK OF sense perception and putting
t9em 9m together in novel forms. This is
Your imagination and mine may not be
alike II they are alike it will be be-
cause We have had the same expert
cnces. lima agInatIon can only work with
Nllat mas been seen and tasted and felt
and Smelled. You can build Just as won
dcrlui an aircastlc as you please. but
tower is in terms Of your own store of
past experiences. The originality of the
imagination consists In arrangement and
method. not materials.
suppose man who has lived I'm the
tropics be told of the northern winters.
Sy taith he c9n accept the facts He
appreciate and accept tho truth that heat
Is lost under certain conditions and that
lce anu snow cover land and water. and
vegetation dies. But suppose he tries 10
Imagine 1T. The snow will have to be
2s white as something he has seen. The
Ice as cold and hard something he
q :sn a ',fl lY-1e F.1,
ShNthlnC hk" any of these things his
Imagination will he as unreliable AS his
ialth may be correct.
Now. let us apply this to matters OF
/. By faith VIC believe in God. \
power not ourselves that makes for
atcs for We cannot think OF creation
except as VIII. an infinite intelligence
who orders all things. Here arc great
truths which appeal TO us. They arc
Dcyond our understanding. they are
Deeper than our powers OF thought. God
must be infinite and absolute. We know
only the relative and the hnito and vct
by faith wo can and "" must believe in
' ne power In whom We live and move and
the imagination picture God and a once
order and truth are driven from the !
ileld and confusion and impossibility take
its place. For the only possible result !
can he that Imagination will construct |
a God out of its own Impressions. He I
VIII be bigger than man. wiser than a |
Joseph Smith. the founder or the theology |
OF tll" l-aiter-day Saints. had been able |
10 distinguish between faith and imaglna- |
tion nc would not have described God as |
no Old. He would have bnnn wise enough |
not to Try 10 describe God at all In |
our relation Ia Cod. then. we walk by |
faith. not by sight.
>, Another illustration OF this dsiino-
non and the danger OF forgetting il is
the belief In immortality. NV faith be-
lieNc III the pcrpetuity or my personal !
IDENTITY. | cannot help doing Tint il I |
lake Il proper view Of my own life and its .
dignity: If | measure at their tr,lc worth |
my longinss and aspirations. | cannot
mink myself as noncNistent and thai |
fc"ling. thai longing for fuller satisfac- !
lion. freedom and knowledge than | now
have hero makes the faith In immor-
tality not only comfort. but a strength !
So far fair. But how few arc wise
enough to stop here: Imagination must
have its chance, and 7 believe that most
OF the doubt-and II is The saddost J
doubts due to the confusion which
Imagination brings into the subject
What the character of eternal life is we
cannot know. Why saould wc try 10
know? When YOU use your imagination
YOU make your heaven ont of earthly ma
tcrlals. You may arrange them I'm pleas
ing forms. in attractive shapes bur no