Mormonism Exposed (Hancock)/Chapter 11

When the worlds and systems of worlds were made there was perfection. There were no planets out of place nor out of shape. God did not have to go over His work and make improvements by additions, subtractions or alterations. The smallest planet was just right, in its right place, and the movements in all the parts exhibited perfection. When this earth was peopled with living creatures and man appeared as lord of creation, no creature could point to a single mistake, but on the other hand God pronounced all very good. When Moses had erected the tabernacle according to the pattern that God gave there did not need to be patches here and there. No Israelite could suggest an addition at any point, as an expedient, but for the purpose in view the building was perfect. The Infinite Being has never made a mistake, neither can He go in anything beyond His own perfections. The institution and the revelation given through Christ being the embodiment of the perfection of God there could be no addition to either unless there could be demands, in view of man's spiritual welfare, beyond God's perfection. Such could not be. Therefore, since the completion of the New Testament there has been no revelation from God to man. In view of man's eternal interest he must be found within the perfection of God. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."—Jas. 1: 25. There is nothing clearer than the fact that Christ represents His teaching as an embodiment of perfection—the culmination of all inspiration and revelation from God, and that the eternal interests of all depend upon its reception. Christ says, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth ​not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."—John 12: 48.

But, tell me, gentle reader, what would you think of a teacher that would appeal to you, and, in view of your eternal interest, present a system of doctrine, induce you to believe that your salvation here and hereafter depended upon your receiving and abiding in that doctrine; and further, to believe that the anathemas of heaven would rest upon you if you received any other doctrine, then, after having you confirmed in such belief, make sport of and ridicule you because of your credulity? Just such a teacher Jesus of Nazareth is, if the Book of Mormon be true!! The Book of Mormon represents the Lord as pleading in behalf of that book in the following language: "And my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel. And because my words shall hiss forth, many of the Gentiles shall say, A bible, a bible, we have got a bible, and there can not be any more bible. But thus saith the Lord God: O fools they shall have a bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travels and the labors and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? O ye Gentiles have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I, the Lord hath not forgotten my people. Thou fool, that shall say, A bible, we have got a bible, and we need no more bible."—B. of M. 93: 31–40. In order to get the, real gist of this pitiful, special pleading, one would need to substitute the term gospel for the term bible in the above. It did not take much inspiration to foresee that people would argue the sufficiency of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in opposition to the claims of the Book of Mormon. As we have ​seen, however, the New Testament contains the fulness of the gospel of Christ, and by the authority of Christ God's people are commanded to contend just as the auther of the Book of Mormon anticipated. If a people are a set of fools for pursuing a certain course, the teacher who would direct them in such a course would be a fool, worse than a fool. But Christ in directing his people to contend for the sufficiency of His gospel directs them in a course that none but fools would go!! Therefore, Christ is a fool, or worse than a fool. Such is the logic of the Book of Mormon. This demonstrates one fact, namely, the spirit by which the author of that book was inspired was a lying blasphemous spirit!

We now submit the following emphasized proposition. God does not furnish light or life to any object, either in the spiritual or material universe except through mediation. It is a scientific fact that electricity is the source of light and heat, the medium, hence, of life to all objects in the material universe, whether animate or inanimate. God is the fountain of life and light. Through the arrangements of God the necessary light and heat, in order to animal and vegetable life are distributed. While the universe of worlds constitute one grand system, there are millions of systems of worlds, each having a common center upon which all the members of the system are dependent. These centers are the mediums through which the light and heat, essential to each member are distributed. The sun is the common center of this planetary system. It is what astronomers call a luminous body. The planets, of which our earth is one, are opaque bodies, having no light within themselves, but are dependent upon the one luminous body for their light. Our sun is, hence, in the light of a mediator between the members of its system and the center of the universe. That man or set of men who would think of bringing the light and heat essential to animal and vegetable life direct from the seat of the universe independent of the sun would be by all intelligent people, considered insane, or, if possible, worse.

​As we have learned, Christ is the Alpha and Omega in the spirit realm. It is, hence, that he could say: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." As there is no approach unto the Father but through the Son, there can be no blessings from the Father except they come through the Son. The secret of this is given in the statement of Paul: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."—I. Tim. 2: 5. Christ being the one mediator, through whom man must be reconciled to God, he could truthfully say: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." There is no power that can effect reconciliation outside of the mediation of Christ. In order to man's reconciliation God's arrangements are as fixed and sure as the throne of the universe.

The great difficulty has ever been for man to realize and appreciate the importance of Christ's mediatorship. While the arrangement in Christ has ever been a stumbling block to the legalistic Jew and foolishness to the Grecian mind it is an exhibition of the power and the wisdom of God. God cannot be found out of His own wisdom and power. He cannot, therefore, neither in behalf of the alien nor the saint, be approached except through the mediation of Christ. The approach of the alien in order to reconciliation to God, and the devotions of the saint in order to the approval of God must be governed by the authority of Christ. In order to this all must be governed by the instructions of the apostles. As we have seen, it would be evil in the sight of God for His professed people to bid any God speed that would come to them with any thing except the apostles' doctrine. See II. John 6–12. God, in order to the redemption of man, is in Christ, and in order to the end in view the apostles were commissioned as the ambassadors of Christ to the human family. To them, hence, was committed the word of reconciliation. II. Cor. 5: 18, 19. That word being delivered by the inspiration of God, and confirmed by miraculous attestation, to it God and Christ are ​pledged for all time. Matt. 28: 20. It is, hence, that John could say: "He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." That word was from the Father, by the Son to the apostles. John 17: 8.

Christ said to His apostles: "He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me."—Luke 10: 16. If we ask, For how long a time shall this be? The answer is: "Unto the end of the world." The word embodying the will of God upon the subject of the reconciliation of the alien was to be first proclaimed in Jerusalem. See Isaiah 2: 2, 3. Micah 4. 1, 2. As it had been so prophesied when Christ gave the great commission to the apostles he commanded them to tarry in Jerusalem till they were endued with the necessary power. That the word spoken of by Isaiah and Micah embodied the will of God upon the subject of remission of sins is shown by the following: "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24: 46, 47. Upon this word the Father and Son depend to accomplish the desired end. Through Isaiah the Lord said: For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."—Isa. 55: 10, 11. Whatsoever it was God's will to accomplish by words of inspiration was to be accomplished by the word delivered by His Son. God had no pleasure beyond the purpose to be accomplished in His Son. Therefore He had no words for man beyond what was delivered by His Son. All other words tend to lead away from the counsel of God. Concerning the salvation to be enjoyed here, it is said of Christ: "Though He were a ​Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."—Heb. 5: 8, 9. As the obedience required in the proclamation that began at Jerusalem is an obedience to the Son and brings into reconciliation with God in Christ, it is the only way whereby the alien can approach God through Christ. An effort, hence, on the part of an alien to approach God in any other way, is an effort to approach Him independent of the mediation of Christ. The apostles, hence, were commissioned to bear that word to the nations in order to the one end. To the Roman brethren Paul wrote as follows: "By whom," that is, by Christ, "we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name."—Rom. 1: 5. Again, "Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to My gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."—ib. 16: 25; 26. This obedience is an obedience to the conditions stated in the commission. In order to this obedience no revelation was needed except what is given in the words of Christ. Therefore, in order to the enjoying of eternal salvation no words are needed except what we have in the apostolic proclamation. Another revelation would necessarily ignore the mediatorship of Jesus.