Till smoothed and squared and fitted to its place,
Does but encumber whom it seems to enrich."
6. The Foundation of Faith.—In a theological sense, we understand by faith as already outlined, a living, inspiring confidence in God, and an acceptance of His will as our law, and of His words as our guide, in life. Faith in God is possible only as we come to know, or at least to believe, that He exists, and moreover, that He is a Being of worthy character and attributes. The grounds upon which man founds his belief or knowledge respecting the existence of God, have been examined in a previous lecture;[274] some of the Divine attributes, as made known through God's dealings with mankind, have been likewise specified. A restatement of the principal facts relating to the character of the Supreme Being may be in place here, inasmuch as some knowledge concerning the attributes of Deity is essential to the exercise of faith in Him. Let us adopt the summary of facts as set forth by the prophet, Joseph Smith; he presents, on the testimony of scripture, the following statements respecting the character of God.
"(1.) That He was God before the world was created, and the same God that He was after it was created.
"(2.) That He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and that He was so from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.
"(3.) That He changes not, neither is there variableness with Him; but that He is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; and that His course is one eternal round, without variation.
"(4.) That He is a God of truth and cannot lie.
"(5.) That He is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of Him.
"(6.) That He is love."[275]