--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1841 to 1842. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 3 number: 5 published: 1842-01-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Spiritualizing the Scriptures,” *Times and Seasons* 3, no. 5 (January 1, 1842): 644–646." printed_title: SPIRITUALIZING THE SCRIPTURES. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-01-01_3_5 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v3n05.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-01-01_3_5 start_page: 644 end_page: 646 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1842 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1842-01-01_3_5 publication_year: 1842 --- # Spiritualizing the Scriptures As we intend in this and the following numbers of this work to enter into a scriptural investigation of the gospel of Christ, and the work of God in the last days, it is necessary to establish some definite rule for interpretation. The idea of spiritualizing the writings of the prophets and apostles, and considering them the same in amount as allegories, or so highly figurative that none but the learned can understand them, is certainly repugnant to the word of God; and has involved communities in darkness, and led thousands of precious souls who had but a common education astray, and caused them to say, "great is the mystery of the scriptures and who can understand them except the learned." They peruse the scriptures, but in vain, for tradition and popular opinions have established the above mentioned system of interpretation, and they never dreamed that the contents of the bible were to be as literally understood, as those of any other book. Some mistify [mystify] the whole of the sacred volume, others such parts as does not suit their particular tenets. Indeed, I must confess that this system above mentioned, which has been carried into effect, and practised [practiced] for the last several hundred years, has been the most effectual scheme for the propagation of the modern systems of religion, that has ever been invented. For who would have ever thought that the church of Christ in this age of the world was to be organized different from what it was in the days of the apostles, had it not been for the spiritualizing system? Who would have dreamed this when the scriptures are so plain on this subject, if all had believed them as they read? This evil practice which the clergy are guilty of has thrown a mist of darkness over the plain and simple truths that are in the bible: and they have also used it as a cloak for their iniquities. It also has given the wild and enthusiastic too much latitude for their enthusiasms: it has caused splits in societies, and has been the means of many controversies.-Again, there are thousands of individuals to this day who believe they cannot understand the scriptures when they read them, because they do not believe they mean what they say. Therefore, books of commentaries have been written interpreting the scriptures, and indeed bending them to suit their different religious tenets instead of arranging their tenets to agree with the scriptures. I do not pretend to say that parables are to be considered any thing else but parables; but the explanations that Christ gave of his parables are to be taken literally. Neither do I pretend to say but what there are figurative expressions in the bible, as well as in any other book. We often exprsss [express] our views by figurative expressions, and illustrate subjects by comparisons; but who ever thought of mistifying [mystifying] our literal relation of facts. When we read other works we do not think that the author said one thing and meant another, and why should we have such a conjecture with regard to the scriptures? I leave the reader to answer this question for himself. Again it is a very singular thing and a very unreasonable one too, that God should make known his will, and cause it to be written to the human family and command all to obey it, and at the same time in so mysterious a way that none but the learned can understand it. Christ chose illiterate men for his apostles, and Paul says, "not many wise men were called but God had chosen the weak things of this world to confound the wisdom of the wise:" and it is a strange thing that they have preached the law of God, and written the same for the benefit of future generations, and that none but the wise of this world can comprehend it. Furthermore, admitting the scriptures are to be spiritualized, it is unreasonable to suppose that uninspired men are capable to interpret them, and give the true meaning; for it most certainly will require the same spirit of inspiration to interpret, that dictated the writer to write them. Peter says, "we have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your heart; knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation."-2 Peter i. 19,20. A light in a dark place is an excellent thing to enable any person to guide his foot steps in the right path:-so are the scriptures a sure guide in the path of holiness when we read and apply them according to Peter's rule of interpretation: "no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." We shall now examine the literal fulfilment [fulfillment] of prophecy that is already fulfilled, that the reader may see the propriety, and necessity of adopting the above rule for the application and interpretation of prophecy yet future. We will commence with the Lord's prophecy to Noah. In the days of Noah the inhabitants of the earth were very wicked, and the Lord in his just wrath resolved to destroy them, if they would not repent and forsake their evil ways. Therefore, He prophecied [prophesied] to Noah that He would bring a flood of waters upon the earth and destroy all flesh: He also commanded Noah to build an ark for the saving of himself and family.-Now if Noah had considered this any thing else than a literal relation of facts, and considered it the figure of some spiritual event, and the ark a spiritual one, he most certainly would have perished with the Antediluvians. He had no knowledge of the modern spiritualizing system, therefore he moved forward and prepared the ark to the saving of himself and family. The next prediction we will notice is the Lord's to Abraham, telling him that his seed shall remain in bondage four hundred years. (See Gen. xv. 13,14.) Moses says, the children of Israel were in bondage four hundred years. (See Ex. xii. 40.) Indeed, Joseph's interpretation of Pharoh's [Pharaoh's] dream, and prediction of the seven years' famine; and Moses predictions to the children of Israel in the wilderness, were all literally fulfilled. Isaiah's prophecy to Hesekiah [Hezekiah] that his days should be lengthened fifteen years, and also his prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon were literally fulfilled. Also Jeremiah's prophecy that the Jews should be taken to Babylon and there remain in bondage seventy years, which was literally fulfilled We might cite the reader to passages of this kind and their literal fulfilment [fulfillment], till he would be weary reading them; but we forbear knowing that the honest in heart are willing to accept of a few as a sample of the literal fulfilment [fulfillment], of prophecy. It sufficeth, to say that all true prophecies, when the prophets said thus and thus saith the Lord, were literally fulfilled. For instance the predictions concerning the first coming of Christ, and the important events connected with the history of his life, were all fulfilled to the very letter: and the fact that the apostles, whenever they quoted a prophecy from the Old Testament, applied it as a literal relation of facts without making any comments upon it whatever, is sufficient proof that the predictions of the prophets generally, were designed as literal relations of facts not to be spiritualized. I always take it for granted when I hear any person spiritualizing the scriptures, that he is an unbeliever, and is trying to modify, or convert them unto something else to suit his notions or tenets. At the same time he professes to be a believer; but when we sum up the whole of his spiritualizing, we discover that he disbelieves what the prophets and apostles said, but believes what they meant. The infidels would be willing to believe the bible if they could have the privilege of manufacturing it over to suit themselves. And I conclude by saying that it is time that this evil practice of spiritualizing the scriptures, which is so closely connected with priestcraft, was done away, that the noble and the ignoble, the learned and the unlearned, may read the sacred book and understand it, and no longer trust to others to interpret for them. "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm." Paul.