--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Nicholson, John collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 2 number: 1 published: 1898-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'John Nicholson, "Philosophy of Inspiration, Free Agency, and Revelation", *Improvement Era* 2, no. 1 (November 1898): 38–43.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera21unse start_page: 38 end_page: 43 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1898-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21unse publication_year: 1898 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1898, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Philosophy of Inspiration, Free Agency, and Revelation — PHILOSOPHY OF INSPIRATION, FREE AGENCY, AND REVELATIOR BY ELDER JOHN NICHOLSON. "A spirit actually does exist which teaches the ant her path, the bird her building, and men whatever lovely arts and noble deeds are possible to them." Ruskin. INSPIRATION IS dual: UNIVERSAL AND SPECIAL. Man is a centre of intelligence. He is operated upon by external forces. He is a spiritual as well as a physical entity. Experience and observation teach that he is susceptible of being inspired. Every man, religiously disposed or otherwise, who is mentally active, must know that he has been the subject of inspiration. When thus acted upon he seems to rise above himself. His being is quickened and his mind enlarged. While man in general is willing to admit that he, as an individual, on occasions during his lifetime, has been the instrument of inspiration, as a rule he professes skepticism when his neighbor makes a claim to having been the centre of a similar operation. Yet his ovm inspiration is a proof that his fellow-men, as an entirety, are inspired. It is reasonable then to presume that mankind, as a whole, is the medium of inspiration. If there be a diffusive source of inspiration directing man toward the beautiful, the pure, the noble, the good, and the true, it must be supremely intelligent. As its activity leads toward the right it must also itself be supremely good. Being both good and intelligent it must necessarily avail itself of every opportunity to increase the quantity of that which is good. Every individual, male and female, presents in some degree, an opportunity PHILOSOPHY OF INSPIRATION. 39 of this character, however limited it may be in myriads of instances. Experience teaches this: that inspiration comes in response to individual effort, opening to mental view the field of truth as if a light were flashed first upon the mind and then upon the subject under contemplation. When the inspiration is full the soul is enraptured with the spirit of truth. Circumstances and surroundings, as well as capacity and intellectual activity, have much to do with the degree of inspiration, not only in regard to individual cases but as relating to aggregate bodies of mankind, such as communities and nations. The nature of the source of inspiration is such that it must conform to law. Indeed, it must be a power which acts in concert with truth; hence its operations must be economic. Having power to operate upon man, it makes the best possible use of every Man knocks at the door opportunity which each individual presents. leading to the expansive field of truth; the spirit of truth, if it may be so designated, illumines the threshold, presents the seeker with a key (faith and mental effort) and bids him enter and explore. It would be illogical to contend that it is only the truly good who are inspired. Men who are regarded as being in some respects bad are made the mediums of inspiration. They are sometimes inspired with great thoughts and accomplish great good. This is because in some directions they present opportunities to the spirit of truth to economize them in the interest of progress and development. It would be unprofitable, because a man were unprogressive and even bad in one or more directions, to shut him off from assistance in lines in which his capacity and activity would be serviceable. An Omnipotent, Intelligent, Almighty Power could not pursue a course antagonistic to progress. A man possessed of a farm, a portion of the soil of which is barren while the remainderis prolific, would be esteemed as unwise if he neglected to cultivate the good ground because of its being in the same tract as the unprofitable part. He might, however, with consistency virtually abandon the whole if, as an entirety, it failed to respond to his efforts to render it productive. To expend his energies upon such an unresponsive subject would be waste, and consequently a violation of the natural law of economy. If there be an inspirational influence or power which inspires men to pursue truth and righteousness, it follows that there must be a force whose inspiration leads to error and to unlawful deeds. The existence of good and evil cannot be denied, as man is constantlyconfronted by and associated with both. If there isan inspiration in the one direction there must also be a power which operates in favor of the other. Both these forces are in constant activity, and, being opposites, they are in continual conflict. As with light and darkness, to the extent that the one gains the mastery, the other is driven from the field. In the midst of the warfare man is developed by gaining, through experience, a knowledge of good and evil. Everything by which man is surrounded indicates that it is only by experience that he can obtain this information; hence the economy of his present sphere of action. Without it he would remain in ignorance and consequently without progress. MAN A FREE AGENT. The situation elucidated in the foregoing involves the free agency of man. This independence of action is inherent. It necessitates his being brought in contact with both truth and its opposite, and, as a natural sequence, with the spirit, influence, or inspiration belonging to each of these conditions. If there were an inspirational induce- ment connected with good and none associated with evil there would be no continuance of warfare; man would have no experimental probation and would be without the necessary educational facilities for progress. The conditions of man's existence are such that the expulsion or retention of good or evil and their influences largely depends upon himself, in the exercise of his agency; as he seeks the good and the true and the inspiration thereof, the influence of the opposite departs, and vice versa. Hence, when there shall be universal brotherhood it will be the result of the legitimate exercise of the agency of man. He will obtain the good and the true while retaining a knowledge of the evil and its consequences, and, so far as he shall be developed, he will have become like the Gods. REVELATION IS PERFECTED INSPIRATION. It is clear that man is the subject of inspiration, by a spiritual power which aids and develops him according to the direction in which he bends his mental activity along the lines of truth and profit- PHILOSOPHY OF INSPIRATION. 41 able productivity. It is equally clear that he is manipulated, so far as he yields himself to its seductive influence, by a spiritual power which is opposed to his progress. If this be established another and more pronounced connection between the divine and human follows as a sequence, in logical order. What is now referred to is direct and specific communication between the Creator and the creature. In other words, revelation from God to man may be called divine inspiration perfected. Those who enjoy this inestimable boon belong to a class in advance of their fellow-men who are not thus highly favored. The words, "highly favored," should perhaps be modified by directing attention to the law of adaptation and economy, already referred to, and the necessity for conformity to the conditions upon which revelation must be predicated. That is to say: that when a divine communication is to be given to individual man, and through the latter to a portion of the race or to humanity at large, the medium must be the most economic selection for the purpose. The choice must be made upon the basis of suitability. It would be unprofitable to choose as the leader and conductor of a great musical organization one whose mind has but little capacity in the direction of the harmony of sound. Success cannot be obtained unless the person selected to lead in the accomplishment of any great undertaking is open to the conditions involved in the enterprise. This is beyond the domain of controversy. This reasoning is introduced to meet objections that have been offered against any one or number of men being selected by the Almighty as mediums to whom He directly speaks, while the great mass of the race are ignored in this regard. Is it not plain that these matters must be subject to laws and conditions? Would it not be unreasonable, for instance, for one who raises an objection of this character and who happens to possess intelligence in some specific direction, far above that of the ordinary run of mortals, to demur to the comparative superiority of his own capacity in a given line over that possessed by individuals composing the mass of mankind? It has already been stated that a basis of suitability in any great enterprise must be the open condition of the mind in regard to the elements involved in the subject. For instance, it becomes necessary, for the public good, to construct a mammoth bridge over a broad river whose current is not only wide but deep, swift, and powerful. Would it be proper to confide this great undertaking to one who does not believe that the project could be consummated? The wise choice would be the man who not only believed in the feasibility of the enterprise but who, by a process of mental activity aided by an inspirational power, could construct the bridge in his "mind's eye." He thus erects a veritable mental or spiritual structure, as the principles of force, suspension, support, and adhesion are unfolded to his view; he places his detailed thought upon paper, in the form of plans and specifications. He thus creates the bridge before it becomes a handiwork. It is purely mental or spiritual. The unbeliever did not have the necessary degree of the true "basis of action in all intelligent beings " — faith. The other had faith and built upon that basic principle. After the latter had completed his mental bridge all that was necessary was to construct it physically. This done the bridge becomes a material reality and the position of the builder in reference to it passes from the sphere of faith to that of knowledge. The man who did not believe was not intrusted with the enterprise. He could not produce the bridge, spiritually or mentally, and therefore could not construct it materially. Faith is a principle of universal application. It, as stated, is the basis of action in all intelligent beings. It has the same connection with things divine as with those that are human. This being the case, the person who does not believe that God has communicated nor that He does or will communicate directly with man, is deficient of a constituent indispensable to his reception of a divine revelation. In searching for God, men are almost universally governed by the idea that He has merely an expansive existence, and is therefore without form. That He has a diffusive existence is admitted. This truth is beautifully conveyed in the expression of the celebrated John Ruskin, quoted in the beginning of this article. There are reasons for the belief that Deity has a concentrated as well as an expansive or diffusive being. There certainly is power in the principle of concentration as well as that of expansion. Man is an exemplification of the fact that both principles can exist in association. He is called the child of God. If this designation of the creature means anything it implies that, limited as the re- PHILOSOPHY OF INSPIRATION. 43 semblance may be, he possesses the characteristics of the source of his being. Man is a concentrated power. He is likewise an expansive force. He is surrounded by an influence which can be felt without personal contact, by those who come into his presence. This invisible something has been designated, for convenience, his personal atmosphere. It can be felt even if he may not utter a word. By his influence and operations he may circumscribe the globe and affect the well being of myriads of people who never beheld him, his influence continuing after death. It may be asserted that the disparity between God and man is so great as to be incomprehensible. That cannot be logically held as conclusive evidence that there is no co-relationship between the two. Time is a minute division of duration. It is of a character to be understood by man. Duration as a whole, however, is without beginning or end, and is therefore beyond finite comprehension. It would not be maintained, on that account, that there is no corelationship between eternity and time. There is a spark of Deity in man. He has not only a concentrated existence, but also one which is in a sense expansive, or diffusive. If those dual conditions are associated with man, why not with God, in whom there must be every great quality capable of being possessed. Greatness and power are associated with concentration as well as with expansion. When a claim of Divine revelation and appointment from God is whom the presentment is addressed gen- set up, the people to erally divide into four classes. They may be designated thus: (1.) Those who are indifferent in relation to the subject. (2.) Those who repudiate without investigation. (3.) Those who demand proof. (4.) Those who investigate and either accept or reject. With the first class it is useless to deal, beyond attempting to dissipate their indifference and bring them into one of the other three grades. The condition of the inactive is hopeless. Those who come under the second head are unreasonable, because they do not apply the same test to the things that are spiritual or divine that they would bring to bear upon and demand for the most ordinary matters that affect the welfare of humanity. Those who belong to class three are in no better situation. They place the