CHAPTER VII.
The Lamb of God
A stranger Star that came from far
To fling its silver ray
Where, cradled in a lowly cave,
A lowlier Infant lay;
And led by soft sidereal light,
The Orient sages bring
Rare gifts of gold and frankincense,
To greet the homeless King.O wondrous grace! Will Gods go down
Thus low that men may rise?
Imprisoned here the Mighty One,
Who reigned in yonder skies?
Hark to that chime!—What tongue sublime
Now tells the hour of noon?
O dying world, art welcoming
Life's life—Light's sun and moon?Proclaim him, prophet harbinger!
Make plain the Mightier's way,
Thou sharer of his martyrdom!
Elias? Yea and Nay.
The crescent Moon, that knew the Sun
Ere Stars had learned to shine;
The waning Moon, that bathed in blood
Ere sank the Sun divine."Glory to God, good will to man!—
Peace, peace!" triumphal tone.
Why peace? Is discord then no more?
Are Earth and Heaven as one?
Peace to the soul that serveth him,
The Monarch manger-born;
There, ruler of unnumbered realms;
Here, throneless and forlorn.He wandered through the faithless world,
A Prince in shepherd guise;
He called his scattered flock, but few
The Voice did recognize;
For minds upborne by hollow pride,
Or dimmed by sordid lust,
Ne'er look for kings in beggar's garb,
For diamonds in the dust.Wept he above a city doomed,
Her temple, walls, and towers,
O'er palaces where recreant priests
Usurped unhallowed powers.
"I am the Way, the Life, the Light!
"Alas! 'twas heeded not.
Ignored—nay, mocked; God scorned by man!
And spurned the truth he taught.O bane of damning unbelief!
When, when till now, so rife?
Thou stumbling stone, thou barrier 'thwart
The gates of endless life!
O love of self, and Mammon's lust,
Twin portals to despair,
Where bigotry, the blinded bat,
Flaps through the midnight air!Through these, gloom-wrapt Gethsemane!
Thy glens of guilty shade
Grieved o'er the sinless Son of God,
By gold-bought kiss betrayed;
Beheld him unresisting dragged,
Forsaken, friendless, lone,
To halls where dark-browed hatred sat
On judgment's lofty throne.As sheep before his shearers, dumb,
Those patient lips were mute;
The clamorous charge of taunting tongues
He deigned not to dispute.
They smote with cruel palm a face
Which felt yet bore the sting;
Then crowned with thorns his quivering brow,
And, mocking, hailed him "King!"Transfixt he hung—O crime of crimes!—
The God whom worlds adore.
"Father forgive them!" Drained the dregs;
Immanuel—no more.
No more where thunders shook the earth,
Where lightnings tore the gloom,
Saw that unconquered Spirit spurn
The shackles of the tomb.Far-flaming light, a sword of might,
A falchion from its sheath,
It cleft the realms of darkness, and
Dissolved the bands of Death;
Hell's dungeons burst, wide open swung
The everlasting bars,
Whereby the ransomed soul shall win
Those Heights beyond the Stars.
—("Elias," Canto Three, Part One.)
The Consummation.—It was finished!—not the work of the Lord, nor the revelation of his word and will to man; but the sacrifice, the immolation of the Spotless One, whose acceptable offering, the ransom of a lost creation, made it possible for redeemed humanity, by faith and good works, to lay hold upon eternal life, the greatest gift that Divinity can bestow.
Commission of the Twelve Apostles.—"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
"And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
"They shall take up serpents: and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."—(Mark 16:15-18.)
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."—(Matt. 28:18-20.)
Such was the commission given by the Savior to the chosen Twelve, after his resurrection, and prior to his ascension into heaven.
Knowledge and Belief.—The Twelve Apostles were the special witnesses of the risen Redeemer. They knew that he had risen, for they had seen and heard him. They had even been permitted to feel of him, that they might know beyond all question that he was indeed the Resurrection and the Life. This was their privilege, but not the privilege of all men. The world at large was required to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that salvation might come to them; they were to believe what the apostles told them regarding his resurrection, and the principles he had taught. They were to receive in faith from his servants the message he had commanded them to deliver.
The Case of Thomas.—Thomas, one of the Twelve, believed because he had seen (John 20:29) and as a special witness, he had the right to see, in order that he might know, not merely believe, whereof he and his brethren testified. "But blessed are they," said the Savior, "who have believed and have not seen." Why? For the reason, no doubt, that this life was instituted for the exercise of faith. Mortal man must "walk by faith." "The just shall live by faith," reaching after God, as a flower after the sunlight. Exercise of faith brings spiritual development—a factor, and the most important one, in man's eternal progress. Knowledge swallows up faith, removing the opportunity for its exercise, thus hindering the process of advancement. Therefore, until faith shall have done its perfect work, it is better to believe than to know. Premature knowledge is fatal to joy, and fetters progress.
A Message Simple and Sublime.—Obedient to their Lord's behest, the apostles and their fellow laborers, having been endued with power from on high (Acts 2), went forth to preach the gospel to every creature. "Christ and him crucified," was the slogan they sounded; faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the principles they proclaimed. A simple message, plain enough for a child to comprehend. And behold in this one proof of its divinity! Christ died for all men, and his gospel is for all men, not merely for a clique, a cult, a school, or a coterie, learned or otherwise. It had to be plain, that the common people might understand it, that the poor and lowly, as well as the high and mighty, might be attracted to it, and be saved by it. It is at once simple and sublime, capable of making men godlike, and of lifting them to the highest heaven, if they will receive it and live it "as a little child."
On Both Hemispheres.—The plan of salvation was proclaimed, and the Church of Christ organized, on both hemispheres; the risen Savior, after confirming the faith of his Jewish disciples, visiting the Nephites for a similar purpose, and departing thence to pay like visits to other branches of the house of Israel, whose whereabouts were as unknown to the descendants of Lehi as was the existence of the latter to their brethren in and around Jerusalem.—(III Ne. 15, 16.)
Unto His Own.—Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world, but not to every people in the world are vouchsafed his personal ministrations. The God of Israel "came unto his own"—that is, unto the house of Israel, and through Israel he ministers for the salvation of mankind. That is why he appeared to the Jews, to the Nephites, and to the "other sheep" not of those folds; while the Gentiles were visited by the Holy Ghost, which the Son of God had promised to his disciples, and which came, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, after he had re-ascended into heaven.
The Lord's Supper.—Both in Judea and in the Land Bountiful, the Savior instituted, among those who had received his gospel, the Lord's Supper, superseding the Passover, as a memorial of his sacrifice, once prospective, now retrospective, once a prophecy, and now a fulfilment. It was while eating the Passover, just before his crucifixion, that Jesus instituted the Supper. Concerning this incident the New Testament says:
"As they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."—(Matthew 26:26-28.)
The institution of the Sacrament among the Nephites, unlike its institution among the Jews, was after the Redeemer's resurrection. It is thus described in the Book of Mormon:
"And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him.
"And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth.
"And when the disciples had come with bread and wine, he took of the bread, and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples, and commanded that they should eat.
"And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.
"And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples, behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread, and bless it, and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.
"And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread, and blessed it, and gave it unto you.
"And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shewn unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father, that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me, ye shall have my Spirit to be with you."—(III Ne. 18:1-7.)
"The Real Presence."—Uninspired "private interpretation" has maintained, and still maintains, that when Jesus said, "Eat, this is my body; drink, this is my blood," he intended his words to be taken literally; and from this has sprung the doctrine of transubstantiation, with its twin heresy, consubstantiation, the former a Roman Catholic, the latter an unorthodox Protestant, tenet relating to the Eucharist. Men and women have been condemned as heretics, and put to death, in ages past, for denying "the real presence"—the actual flesh and blood of Christ—in the elements of the Lord's Supper.
Figurative, not Literal.—But no Latter-day Saint need go astray as pertaining to this matter; for the Spirit that inspired the writing of the Scriptures is present in the Church of Christ to interpret them; and by that Spirit, the source of all divine revelation, we know that the language of Jesus, when he instituted the Lord's Supper at Jerusalem, was not literal, but figurative. When he said, of the bread and wine, This is my body and my blood, he simply meant, These are the emblems of my body and my blood.
To Illustrate.—In elucidation of this subject, I have known the following comparison to be used. Suppose one were to go into an art gallery, and the attendant in charge, pointing to a statue of Julius Caesar, should remark, This is Caesar; or, indicating a portrait of George Washington, should say, That is Washington; would the visitor be apt to conclude that Caesar and Washington were actually there before him? Would he be under any obligation to think so, even if a priest were to tell him it was true? Instead of that, would he not infer, and would it not be his right and duty to maintain, if need be, that the statue and the painting were merely representations of those august personages? Then why strain the simple metaphor, "This is my body," in an ineffectual attempt to make it mean more or less than the Savior intended it should mean?
Water Instead of Wine.—In ancient days wine was used in the Sacrament, though some of the early Christians used water instead. The Savior authorized the use of wine, both among the Jews and among the Nephites. But the Latter-day Saints have been commanded of God not to use wine under present conditions; water is used instead.
"It mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins;
"Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink, of your enemies;
"Wherefore, you shall partake of none, except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
"Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth."—(D. and C. 27:2-5.)
Meanwhile the use of water, and the disuse of wine, must continue, until the change predicted in this revelation shall have been divinely ordered; for that is the law governing the Latter-day Saints in this matter—not the law given to other peoples in former dispensations.
Signs of the Second Coming.—Jesus prophesied to the Nephites, as he had prophesied to the Jews, concerning the last days and the signs of his second coming. Those who would be wise upon this subject, or who desire to refresh their memories in relation thereto, should read the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, especially Joseph Smith's rendering, as it appears in the Pearl of Great Price. Read also the fifteenth, sixteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first chapters of Third Nephi.
Consecration.—The Savior having ascended into heaven, his servants, bearing the priesthood, and filled with the Holy Ghost, carried forward the mighty work he had inaugurated. The Gospel was preached, and the Church built up, as he had commanded, upon both hemispheres. Among Jews and among Nephites was introduced and practiced the law of consecration, the permanent establishment of which, in the days of Enoch, had resulted so gloriously. The Jewish record tells us:
"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. * * *
"Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
"And laid them down at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."—(Acts 4: 32, 34, 35).
The Book of Mormon thus testifies:
"And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another;
"And they had all things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift."—(IV Ne. 1:2, 3.)
The Apostasy.—Then came the universal apostasy—a departure from the pure, primitive faith, as general and as worldwide as the known promulgation of its principles; and the Gospel and the Priesthood were taken back to heaven, to await the decreed time of their final restoration. This apostasy, foretold by Paul and other apostles, is represented symbolically in the Revelation of St. John, the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of which are particularly pertinent in this connection.