Now, on
another subject. There is a God who lives, and who framed and fashioned this
earth, and who brought forth that which is on the face thereof. He has laws,
Everything is controlled by law. The actions of men, however, are left free;
they are agents to themselves and must
act freely on that agency, or else how could they be judged for their actions?
But God reserves the right to himself to control the results of their acts, and
this no man can hinder. Who of the Christian divines know anything about the
God we serve? I never saw any one, until I met Joseph Smith, who could tell me
anything about the character personality and dwelling-place of God, or anything
satisfactory about angels, or the relationship of man to his Maker. Yet I was
as diligent as any man need to be to try and find out these things. We know
more about God and the heavens than we care to tell. And if we introduce a
principle and try to reduce it to the comprehension of the people, there will
be some even among the Latter-day Saints who would be hard to understand. Where
is the divine who knows the least thing about that Being who is the Father of
our Spirits and the author of our bodies? If we know something about him is
there any harm in it? Not a bit. The world of mankind are infidels. We should
all be infidel to every false principle. I am infidel in regard to many things,
but to the truth, wherever found, I am no infidel. The Christian world is
infidel to the truth in a great degree. Why? Because they know so little of the
mind and will of God. Step outside of this kingdom, and who can tell us the
first process towards covering the earth with the knowledge of God? Who is
there that can tell us anything about that angel whom John saw coming with the
everlasting Gospel as recorded in John's Revelations? I never found any one who
could till I saw Joseph Smith. He could tell me what I had so much desired to
learn. What do the Christian divines know about it even at the present day? If
they do know anything about it I wish they would tell us. But if they do not
know, and will not receive the things of God from those who do know, does not
this make them infidels to the truth? (JOD 16:45-46 | May 18, 1873)
I am
self-determined (I suppose many would call it self-willed and perhaps this is
correct,) . . . (JOD 10:310 | June 11, 1864)
