Prophecies and Promises of the Lord, XVII–XVIII

Prophecies and Promises of the Lord As Recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants

Study Course for Joint Advanced Senior M. I. A. Classes, 1919-20 LESSON XVII.—DOMINATING WITHOUT DOMINEERING Part I. —Introduction Dominating without domineering means conquering without crushing; it means overcoming without unnecessarily injuring; it means ruling in righteousness. It forbids the making of conquests under the pressure of malice; it provides against exultation over the discomfiture of the conquered. The joy of victory must be found in the feeling of success of the victor, and not in the defeat of the vanquished. Divinity enjoys not the agony of the enemy. God wept in the presence of Enoch, because men must suffer. The Lord wept because of the sufferings of the wicked. Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:2840. Jesus sighed in sorrow over the sin-brought sorrows of Jerusalem. Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:41. The Revelator, John, saw that the Messiah should rule with a rod of iron. Rev. 12:5. Happily the Book of Mormon harmonizes this vision of the apostle on the Isle of Patmos, with the rule of love doctrine of the Hero of Calvary by telling us what the rod of iron is. I Nephi 15:23, 24. Against this doctrine of the absolute absence of enmity in a ru'e oi righteousness, it may be urged that the scripture says: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19. Certainly this cannot mean that divinity desires a monopoly on revenge, but rather a warning against the application of the law of retribution, by any one who, through ignorance or arrogance, would exercise corrective authority or power simply f&r the enjoyment of the exercise. Pains and penalties applied by the Allwise have behind them the purpose of either correcting the offender or protecting the offended, and whoever hurts or hinders with tongue, pen, or weapon, without a righteous cause, is running wide of both the precept and example of Him whose life was a revelation of God to man. It is mercy not malice in the mind of God which makes the way of the transgressor hard, just as it is love unbounded, which makes his yoke easy and his burden light. Domineering, whether it be by a peevish child or an enthroned churl, can not make any claim for existence except the "I-want-to." It is entirely void of the "I-ought-to." Domineering may be anger consuming without cause; it may be greed forcing a right of way; it may be envy struggling with its snaky coils; it may be revenge burning and blasting all before it; it may be unrighteous ambition driving the chariot of destruction. Faith is dominating; distrust is domineering. Luke 16:19-31. Hope is dominating; despair is domineering. Intelligence is dominating; ignorance is domineering. "The glory of God is intelligence." They cried, Crucify him, crucify him. Luke 23:21.

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PROPHECIES AND PROMISES OF THE LORD 439

Love is dominating, hate is domineering. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." I John 4:18. The Christ life is dominating; "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32. "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:2. "Love — conquers, and we must yield to love." Virgil's Aeneid, Dryden's translation. The course of Lucifer is domineering, but his domineering will be surpassed by his first convert Cain, who will yet dethrone Satan. Genesis 4:7. "Behold, here am I, send me * * * Give me thine honor." Pearl of Great Price 4:1. "Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven." Milrcn, also Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses, 5:23. When the Seventy were sent out and later exultingly reported to priesthood, Jesus tkil evil spirits were humiliated in the presence oi the he reminded them of his witnessing the fall of Satan and cautioned them against the encouragement of any domineering sentiment even against

the fallen angels. Luke 10:20. "One shriek of hate would jar all the hymns of Heaven. Generosity is dominating; greed is domineering. "It is more blessed than to receive." Acts 20:35. "For God loveth a cheerful giver. to give II Corinthians 9:7. Covetous Cain gloried in that which he had done, saying, "I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands. Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 5:33-38. "He buys, he sells, he steals, he kills for gold. President Joseph *. In his message to the boys, in the war service, righteousness which Smith said, "Let them go in the spirit of truth and rather than destroy." Gospel Doctrine, pages will direct them to save 535-7, inclusive.

Questions and Problems, for Part One

1.    Discuss this problem:   God is the dominating force in the universe,
   

and evil is the domineering power. 2 Show that prohibition is a process of dominating. income lesson, is the 3*. In the light of the third definition of the tax dominating or domineering? , and that the 4. Show that the Allies were dominating in the late war, Germans were domineering. „,..„„ 5. Illustrate the making of conquests under the pressure off malice. and the ven- 6. What is the difference between malicious retaliation geance ^God?^ pun- Ae Lord gorrows oyer the necesshy of inflicting ishment. , . . , wru.,9 8. Is hurting to help dominating or domineering? 7'wiUnn "No SSo President Guy C. Wilson, 9. Apply to this topic this saying^ of wound can heal with proud flesh in it." effects of doubt and -

Prove from Luke 16:31 that the domineering 10 distrust 11. rob us of the ability to believe "an angel from What saying of the Savior is exemplified in a ^^ life dominated ny .

generosity? ^ ^ ^ A « or an officer to be who ^s domm afraid to hurt, when hurting will help, permits his calling eer n0 e 1 Tiv^rder Ippirc aln "p'oral punishment to the say- 3 ing: D?scS: i; SP ^fo^fr^ktf kld« O. F. Whitney: "It is true heaven,' but that does not prevent him that 'God wUl force no man to

440 IMPROVEMENT ERA from bringing about circumstances that will cause men to willingly obey the laws by which he will enter heaven." 15. Commit to memory this saying of President A. H. Lund: "A good thing may be done in such a bad way that it becomes a bad thing."*

LESSON XV III ^-DOMINATING WITHOUT DOMINEERING Part — Prophecies and Promises II.

The prayer and prophecy recorded in Sec. 121, in Liberty jail, is a marvelous document from many points of view. The first six paragraphs contain an appeal to Divinity for an immediate and swift enforcement of the law of equity. In the dungeon, the prophet yearns for the hour of retribution, when righteousness shall dominate and the domineering of unrighteousness shall not only cease, but be compensated for. Paragraph 7 contains an expression made to few men who have lived on the earth. The Lord addresses Joseph Smith in the words, "my son,"' and then he calls on him to be calm and promises him but momentary duration of his affliction. Paragraph 8 conditionally promises the seer exaltation on high and predicts that through patient endurance the prisoner should dominate all his foes. Paragraph 29 contains comfort through comparison. Paragraphs 11-22 pronounce against those who seek to domineer the Lord's anointed by false accusation. Special attention should be given to paragraph 16, which predicts the fearful fate of those who work or speak against the Lord's anointed, not being willing to leave his servants to the correction as well as to the care of the Master. Paragraphs 23-24 promise woe against all who seek to domineer by discomforting, driving, murdering, and lying about the Latter-day Saints. Their viperous conduct fixes their fate among the condemned. Paragraphs 26-33 promise universal dominion or dominating position, and emphasizes the spiritual basis of governmenfal supremacy. Paragraph 36 is an emphatic declaration of the truth that the powers of heaven, though dominating in the highest degree, are not dependent upon, nor even tolerant of, domineering policies or practices in the least degree. Paragraph 37 specificially points out three conditions of misuse of delegated divine authority, leading inevitably to the loss of the power of that authority; first, making it a shield for sin; second, gratifying pride; third, for reaching vain ambitions; fourth, seeking to domineer souls, that is, control or compel in unrighteousness. It also predicts the grief of divine intelligence, and its withdrawal from the domineering agent. Paragraph 38 pronounces the penalty for domineering as being, first, estrangement; second, opposition; third, enmity; fourth, rebellion against God's authority. Paragraph 39 warningly refers to the tendency of human nature to domineer with supposed authority; paragraph 40 indicates that whoever supposes that there is any divine authority for domineering will not be found among the chosen of the Lord. Paragraphs 4144 mark out a line of procedure which brings into exercise the desirable qualities of the officer, provides for the suppression of undersirable officious tendencies, makes way for acquiesence rather than for unwilling compliance on the part of the governed. The first indispensable quality of an official is sincerity, marked by the expression, "love unfeigned," "without hypocrisy," "without guile;" the second, intelligence, indicated by the terms, "persuasion," "meekness" (or teachableness), and "pure knowledge;" the third, love, brought into