--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Talmage, James Edward collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 5 published: 1918-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "James E. Talmage, “God's Foreknowledge Not a Determining Cause,” *Improvement Era* 21, no. 5 (March 1918): 404–406." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2105unse 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: improvementera2105unse start_page: 404 end_page: 406 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2105unse publication_year: 1918 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 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # God's Foreknowledge Not a Determining Cause God's Foreknowledge Not a Determining Cause By James E. Talmage, of the Council of the Twelve [Note: This article is one of the late numbers of a series of fifty-two, which have been published in many of the great and influential newspapers of the country during 1917. In some of the papers the articles ran through the entire year, and in others they are still in course of publication. Among the journals through which the teachings of the Gospel have thus been spread broadcast are Boston Herald, New York World, Philadelphia Record, Kansas City Journal, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Atlanta Constitution, Wash- ington Herald, New Haven Times-Leader, Hannibal Morning Journal, Joplin News Herald, Portland Oregonian, San Francisco Chronicle. Dr. Talmage's articles will continue to appear in all the foregoing papers in 1918, and with the beginning of the new year the New York Evening Tele- gram, Florida Times Union, Chattanooga Times, and other jour- nals have been added to the list. A second series of articles was begun with 1918; which series it is hoped will continue throughout the year. Copies of these articles printed weekly aggregate over a million and a half.] Prophecy is one of the specified gifts of the Spirit, and one of the distinguishing graces of the Church of Christ. If there be prophecy there must be prophets, men through whom the purposes of God are made known to the people at large. Pre- diction of events more or less remotely future is a prophetic function, though constituting but part of the gift of prophecy. Divine revelation of what is to come is proof of foreknowl- edge. God, therefore, knows, and has known from the begin- ning, what shall be, even to the end of the world. The trans- gression of Adam was foreknown, even before the man was em- bodied in flesh ; and because of the results entailed upon human- kind a Redeemer was chosen, even "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The earthly life, ministry, and sacri- ficial death of the Savior were all foreseen, and their certainty was declared by the mouths of holy prophets. The apostasy of the Primitive Church, the long centuries of spiritual darkness, the restoration of the Gospel in these latter days in a land specifically prepared as the abode of a liberty- loving nation — each of these epoch-marking events was known to God, and by Him was revealed through prophets empowered to speak in His name. But who will venture to affirm that foreknowledge is a de- termining cause? God's omniscience concerning Adam cannot reasonably be considered the cause of the Fall. Adam was free GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE NOT A DETERMINING CAUSE 405 to do as he chose to do. God did not force him to disobey the Divine command. Neither did God's knowledge compel false Judas to betray the Christ, nor the recreatn Jews to crucify their Lord. Surely the omniscience of God does not operate to make of men automatons, nor does it warrant the superstition of fatalism. The chief purpose of earth life, as a stage in the course of the soul's progression, would be nullified if man's agency was after all but a pretense, and he a creature of circumstance compelled to do as he does. A mortal father who knows the weaknesses and frailties of his son may by reason of that knowledge sorrowfully predict the calamities and suffering awaiting his wayward boy. He may foresee in that son's future a forfeiture of blessings that could be won, loss of position, self-respect, reputation, character, and honor. Even the dark shadows of a felon's cell and the night of a drunkard's grave may loom in the visions of that fond father's soul. Yet, convinced by experience of the son's deter- mination to follow the path of sin, he foresees the dread develop- ments of the future, and writhes in anguish because of his knowledge. Can it be truthfully said that the father's foreknowledge is even a contributory cause of the evil life of his boy? To so hold is to say that a neglectful parent, who will not trouble himself to study the character of his son, who shuts his eyes to sinful ways, and rests in careless indifference as to the probable future, will by his very heartlessness benefit the boy, because the father's lack of forethought diminishes the son's tendency toward dere- liction. By way of further illustration, consider the man versed in meteorology, who by due consideration of temperature, air- pressure, humidity, and other essential data, is able to forecast weather conditions. He speaks with the assurance of long ex- perience in foretelling a storm. The storm comes, bringing bene- fit or injury, contributing to the harvest perhaps or destroying the ripening grain; but, whether it be of good or ill effect, can he who prophesied of the approaching storm be held account- able for its coming? It may be argued, however, that in these illustrative in- stances neither the mortal parent nor the human forecaster had power to alter the respective course of events, while God can direct and over-rule as He wills. But, be it remembered that God has granted agency unto His children, and does not control them in its exercise by arbitrary force. He impels no man toward sin; He compels none to righteousness. The Father of our spirits has a full knowledge of the nature 406 IMPROVEMENT ERA and disposition of each of His children, a knowledge gained by observation and experience in the long ages of our primeval childhood, when we existed as unembodied spirits, endowed with individuality and agency — a knowledge compared with which that gained by earthly parents through experience with their children in the flesh is innnitesimally small. In that surpassing knowlege God reads the future of child and children, of men individually and of men collectively. He knows what each will do under given conditions, and sees the end from the beginning. His foreknowledge is based on intelligence and reason. He fore- sees the future of men and nations as a state that naturally and surely will be; not as a state of things that must be because He has arbitrarily willed that it shall be. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). He willed and decreed the mortal state for His spirit off- spring, and prepared the earth for their schooling. He provided all the facilities necessary to their training, and thus proclaimed His purpose: "For behold, this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39).