The plan proposed by God for the government of the spirits who entered upon their earth careers is revealed only so far as it is necessary for the guidance of man. We may remain certain that the Great Plan is based upon eternal laws that always have been and always will be operative. Matters pertaining to man's earth-life are matters of eternal interest; and the laws formulated for the guidance of man on earth must be laws which in some form are fundamental for the guidance of man in any place and at all times. Nothing is temporary or transient about the Plan itself, for it rests on eternal foundations.
**Forgetfulness.** A condition of the Plan seems to be that the spirits, transferred to this earth, shall remain on earth in forgetfulness of an earlier existence. As in a dream, in moments of deep spiritual fervor, do we occasionally seem to recall our preexistent life. A veil has been drawn over the past; and, without the aid of memory, man fights his battle with the world of gross matter. This forgetfulness seems reasonable. The spirit of man accepted the earth-plan in detail, and if he remembered every step that led to this acceptance, and every detail of the Plan itself, there would not be much reason for the exercise of will in adhering to it. Left as he is, with little memory to steady him, he must exercise all his power, to compel surrounding forces to serve him in searching out the past and in prophesying for the future. By such vigorous exercise of his will he develops a more intimate acquaintanceship with the things of the earth.
**Subject to Earth Conditions.** Intimacy with the conditions of earth, alone, will give a man final knowledge of them. Such information can not be obtained second hand nor by casual or superficial acquaintanceship. For that reason, probably, man has been brought so completely under the subjection of gross matter, that he has no power over it beyond that which he gains as he obtains knowledge of it. Hence, on this earth, stripped of all power, and left, as it were, helpless in the midst of contending universal forces, man must search out the nature of the things about him and determine their laws before he acquires power over nature and thereby brings himself into a condition of joy. In the face of the impending change called death, man is possibly more determined to acquire the power that will lift him from the grave and give him an eternal association with all the elements of the universe, including his earthly body.
**Laws to be Obeyed.** To enter into the fullness of progressive joy, a man must, as has been said, naturally subject himself to the laws of the universe. In God's Plan for life on earth, is a system of laws, representing eternal realities, to which man must conform. Such a law, for instance, is faith, which, in its simple universal meaning, is man's certainty that in the universe is found everything he may desire for his upbuilding and advancement, and that the eternal relations of universal forces will prevail for his good. Another such fundamental law to which man must conform, is that of repentance, which in its larger sense, is merely faith made active. Passive faith can do little for man's advancement. Yet another such law is that of baptism, which is essentially obedience to existing laws. And still another such law is that of the gift of the Holy Ghost, which perhaps means that a man may place himself in touch with the whole of the universe and to draw knowledge from it, including the beings of superior intelligence that it contains. These and other laws are given as guides for man. They sharpen his free agency; develop his habits of obedience to law, and establish for him communication with God. Moreover, a plan formulated by an intelligent Being must be composed of laws, for even the infinite relationships of matter and energy fall naturally into groups of invariable laws. The laws of the Plan, like those above stated, are logical necessities, if the earth-plan is at all accepted.
**An Organization.** It follows of necessity that if there is a plan, there must also be an organization. The plan is not for one alone, but for many. All must be served and blessed by the Great Plan. Those, therefore, who subject themselves to the earth-plan with its laws, must needs group themselves so that the laws may be operative for all. A person may be able to serve in the advancement of the whole race of man, only when there is a unity of purpose and effect, which can be secured only by organization. The question of organization involves those of priesthood, authority, and others, later to be discussed.
**All to Accept the Plan.** The earth-plan, fully completed, must be accepted or definitely rejected by all the spirits who have appeared on earth in conformity with their vote in the Great Council. That is fundamental. Those who enter upon their earth-careers may accept or reject the Gospel; but, since the full success of the Plan is based upon the advancement of all the spirits, it becomes necessary to use every possible effort to secure for the Plan a recognition of all those who accepted it in the spirit world, and who, therefore, entered upon the pilgrimage of earth. God's purpose in the Plan will be incomplete so long as one soul remains unconverted.
Life on earth deals directly with gross matter and the forces pertaining to it. The laws formulated for the guidance of man, are especially devised for earth conditions, and belong to the earth. For instance, baptism, the symbol of obedience to God and acceptance of his love, is not necessarily an ordinance that belongs elsewhere than on earth. More probably, water baptism is essentially an ordinance of and for this earth. It is unlikely that water baptism is practiced in a future estate. If it be true, then all who enter upon the earth-career, and who desire at the years of discretion the perfected joy derived from the Gospel, must have baptism on this earth. Should some of the spirits refuse, while on earth, to accept the Gospel, or fail to hear it, baptism, belonging to the earth, must be done for them, vicariously, on earth, so that they, having had the work done for them here, may accept or reject the ordinance in their life beyond the grave. This is the motive of the work for the dead. The earth ordinances must be done by or for every soul born upon the earth so that the earth experience may not be in vain, should the Gospel be accepted in the remotest day of eternity. This view becomes more important when it is recalled that ordinances of the earth, belonging primarily to the earth, stand for vast, eternal realities, indispensable to man's progress.
When the simple ordinances of the Gospel, as pertaining to the earth, have been done for the dead, then may the dead be judged as of the earth, and may receive the blessings of the obedient who conform to law.
**The Meaning of the Earth Plan.** The earth-plan, plan of salvation, or Great Plan, for the guidance of the spirits placed on earth, may perhaps be more clearly understood if it is compared to the great chart in the captain's cabin by which the vessel is steered. Life on earth is as the large and angry ocean. The chances of shipwreck and of being driven out of the set course, are many. If, however, the ocean is well charted, the mariners can better avoid the sunken reefs, and the dangerous places, and after the storm can more readily return to the course so that the destined port may be entered with a good bill of health. The Gospel is such a chart, on which the journey is outlined, showing the dangers of the journey, the havens of rest and the final destination. If a man accept the chart, and use it in his life's career, he will find the voyage pleasant and his arrival secure, and his life will be as that of one cast in pleasant places. earth so that the earth experience may not be in vain, should the Gospel be accepted in the remotest day of eternity. This view becomes more important when it is recalled that ordinances of the earth, belonging primarily to the earth, stand for vast, eternal realities, indispensable to man's progress.
When the simple ordinances of the Gospel, as pertaining to the earth, have been done for the dead, then may the dead be judged as of the earth, and may receive the blessings of the obedient who conform to law.
**The Meaning of the Earth Plan.** The earth-plan, plan of salvation, or Great Plan, for the guidance of the spirits placed on earth, may perhaps be more clearly understood if it is compared to the great chart in the captain's cabin by which the vessel is steered. Life on earth is as the large and angry ocean. The chances of shipwreck and of being driven out of the set course, are many. If, however, the ocean is well charted, the mariners can better avoid the sunken reefs, and the dangerous places, and after the storm can more readily return to the course so that the destined port may be entered with a good bill of health. The Gospel is such a chart, on which the journey is outlined, showing the dangers of the journey, the havens of rest and the final destination. If a man accept the chart, and use it in his life's career, he will find the voyage pleasant and his arrival secure, and his life will be as that of one cast in pleasant places.
The decision arrived at in the Great Council was promptly carried out by those to whom the authority to do so was confided.
**Making of the Earth.** The first step, in carrying out the Great Plan, was to secure a place on which the desired experience might be gained. To accomplish this, the earth was made from materials, found in the universe, which, by the intelligent power of God, were collected and organized into the earth. The earth was not made from nothing, nor by the fiat of God, except as his will and words determined that the work should be undertaken. In the clumsy way of man, by adding stone to stone or material to material, the earth was not made; rather, great forces, existing in the universe, and set into ceaseless operation by the directing intelligence of God, assembled and brought into place the materials constituting the earth, until, in the course of long periods of time, this sphere was fitted for the abode of man. In the making of the earth, as in all other matters pertaining to the destiny of man, the work was done in complete and orderly harmony with the existing laws of the universe. The Mosaic six days represent successive stages in the earth's construction, each measured by ages of time. The forces of nature act steadily but slowly in the accomplishment of great works.
**The Builders.** The creation of the earth, the details of which are not known, must have been marvelously and intensely appealing in its interest to the intelligent beings who, because of their exalted knowledge, had the necessary power over the elements and forces of the universe to accomplish the forming of an earth. Three great intelligent Beings were in supreme authority in the building of the earth, namely, God, the Father, his Son, Jehovah, who became the Christ, and Michael, who became the first man, Adam. These three beings were naturally the ones concerned in the making of an earth for the sojourn of the spirits, for it was through the agency of God, the Father, that the spiritual bodies were started on the road of eternal progression; it was about the mission of Jehovah, the Son of God, that the differences of opinion raged in the Great Council, and, finally, it was Adam, or Michael, who was appointed to be the one to come upon the earth, and there to subject himself to death, so that the procreation of spirits in earthly tabernacles, might be started. These three beings, who are so vitally concerned in the destinies of the human race, had charge of the making of an earth which should be a suitable and a pleasant habitation for the earth-clad spirits.
**The Coming of Man.** The earth at last was finished. Adam, the first man, and his wife, Eve, then appeared on earth. The statement that man was made from the dust of the earth is merely figurative, and means that he was made of universal materials, as is the earth. Likewise, the statement that God breathed into man the breath of life is only a figure of the existence of the spirit within the body. The exact process whereby man was placed upon earth is not known with certainty, nor is it vital to a clear understanding of the plan of salvation. We may rest assured that the first man and the first woman were eternal beings, who subjected themselves to life on this earth, so that the process of clothing eternal spirits with mortal bodies might begin on the earth. Adam and Eve, in view of the great sacrifices they made to make the Great Plan a reality, are the great hero and heroine of human history.
**The "Fall."** Biblical lore and traditions among all of the races of man, tell of the "fall" of the first parents from the grace of God. An event called the fall did occur, but it was a necessary part of the Great Plan. Adam and Eve were eternal beings, and were not under the ban of mortal death. Subject to death they must become, however, if their posterity should inherit corruptible bodies. The fall then was simply a deliberate use of a law, by which act Adam and Eve became mortal, and could beget mortal children. The exact nature of this event or the exact manner in which the law was used is not understood. The Bible account is, undoubtedly, only figurative. There was no essential sin in the fall, except that the violation of any law, whether deliberately or otherwise, is always followed by an effect. The "fall" of Adam and Eve was necessary, for without it, there would have been no begetting on the earth of spirits with mortal bodies, and the Plan proposed and confirmed in the Great Council would have remained inoperative. "Adam fell that man might be."
**The First Blessing.** The curse, so-called, pronounced by God upon Adam as he went out of the Garden of Eden, that in the sweat of his brow he should earn his bread, is possibly the greatest of all human blessings, and it is a simple extension of a great eternal law. From the beginning of the dim past, when man slumbered with only a feeble thought of his possible vast future, the great law of his progress has been that only personal effort can achieve desirable things. The price to be paid for advancement is vigorous self-effort. The active will precedes every step of progress. To exercise the will means labor, which may well be represented by "the sweat of the brow." The so-called curse, however, carries with it the magnificent promise that man, by the exercise of his powers, may subdue the earth, and make it serve all his needs. In a universe controlled and directed by the intelligent God, there can be no question but that, ultimately, the intelligent will shall control for its own use not only the things of this earth but all the forces of the universe. The subjection to which the earth will be brought depends entirely upon the degree to which man exercises his will, that is, the degree to which he accepts the benefits of the first blessing.
**The Garden of Eden.** The first days on earth of the first man and the first woman are of intense interest to every student of the subject, and it is to be regretted that so little knowledge of those early times has survived the vicissitudes of time. In the Garden God walked with man and taught him the living truth. According to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Garden of Eden, the first home of Adam and Eve, was located near the city known as Independence, Missouri. To the north and east of Independence, some scores of miles, is probably the place where Adam dwelt after he had been driven out of the Garden. The State of Missouri, and the country around it, is, therefore, of tremendous interest to those who accept the Gospel as restored in the latter days.
**A Wise Beginning.** In all matters pertaining to the beginning of man's earth career, it may be observed that proper preparations have been made. There has been no blind destiny working out unknown purposes; instead, intelligent forces have provided for man from beginning to end, so that the whole scheme of man's life, here and hereafter, is one of order and system.
The Great Plan provided that man should come upon earth with the memory of his past taken from him, so that, beginning his earth-life as a child, he might repeat on earth the efforts that earned for him progress in the pre-existent life. Even Adam and Eve forgot the details of their previous lives, for it was necessary that all be under the same law, and that no improper strength be derived, by anyone, from the pre-existent experiences.
**Adam Hears the Gospel.** The only rational thing that could be done to spirits so placed on earth was to teach them fully the story of man's origin and destiny and the meaning and duties of the earth-life. The plea of ignorance would not then be valid. Consequently, soon after the first parents had been driven out of the Garden of Eden, an angel appeared and taught Adam the story of man from the first to the last day. The plan of salvation, including the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the organized Church, the purpose and powers of the priesthood and the rights and duties of man upon earth, whether within or without the Church, was fully unfolded. Adam, the first earth-pupil of God, was taught, as his first lesson, the great philosophy overshadowing the existence of man. When Adam had been taught all this, and had accepted the truth, he was baptized, even as men are baptized today, and he entered into all the other ordinances of the Gospel and was given full authority through the Priesthood conferred upon him to officiate in God's name in all matters pertaining, under the Great Plan, to the welfare of man.
**The First Dispensation.** As children and children's children came to Adam he taught them carefully all that had been taught him, so that the knowledge of the law might remain upon the earth. The ordinances of the Gospel were practiced, the righteous were organized into the Church, even as today, and the authority of the Priesthood was transmitted by Adam to his children, and by them to their children, so that the precious gift might not be lost. In those days the Church was probably fully organized, according to the patriarchal order; at least in the days of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, it seems quite clear that the Church was established with all of its essential parts. The activity in behalf of the Gospel which began with Adam and continued until Noah, at the time of the great flood, is ordinarily known as the first dispensation of the Gospel.
**The First Apostasy.** From the beginning of his earth-career, Adam retained his free agency. God, directly or through agents, might teach and command, but Adam, a free agent, had the right to accept or reject as seemed him best. Adam's children, likewise, though taught by the patriarch of the race of the way of righteousness, could accept or reject for themselves whatever was taught them. Free agency was with man in that early day as it is now.
The descendants of Adam soon began to exercise their free agency, some for, and many against, the Great Plan. Cain exercised his free agency in the murder of Abel. As time went on, large numbers departed from the truth concerning man's place in the universe as taught by Adam, and refused to accept the Gospel. Concurrently with the establishment of the Church in the first dispensation there was, therefore, a first great apostasy. It is ever so, it has ever been so, and will ever be so, that in a world of intelligent beings, possessing free agency, some will accept and some will reject the truth. No doubt, in the process of time, truth will triumph, and all may be brought to understand the will of God, but the conquest is attended by many temporary departures from the truth. Nevertheless, Adam and those who remained true to his teachings, continued, faithfully, to teach to others the eternal truth, so that they might perchance be made to return to the great truth which they had so lightly cast aside.
**The Later Dispensations.** The first apostasy culminated in the flood, which was sent because of the violence of the first apostasy and the corruption of men. As far as known, only Noah and his immediate family were preserved. In them, however, was represented all the blood of the world. To the new race Noah explained fully that the flood was due, entirely, to the wicked hardness of the hearts of the people, and their refusal to accept eternal truth or to respect the authority of God, and that it was necessary, should calamity be avoided, to live in accordance with the Great Plan. To them all, the Gospel was taught in its purity. Nevertheless, it was only a short time before apostasy again occurred among many. The free agency of man can not be curbed. Yet, probably, there has not been, since the flood, such utter corruption as prevailed during the first apostasy.
From the days of the flood, God or his messengers have appeared on earth, at various times, to restore the truth or to keep it alive in the hearts of the faithful, so that man might possess a full knowledge of the Gospel and that the earth might never need to be without the story of the Great Plan and the authority of the Priesthood. For instance, Melchizedek, the high priest, possessed a full measure of the authority of the holy priesthood. To Abraham, God and his angels appeared, and endowed him with the authority of God. So on, down the course of time, there are numerous instances of the appearance of God to men to help the children of men to a perfect understanding of the great truths that must be understood and obeyed, if men are to continue in their progressive development. It is not known how many men and women at various times have received such visitations, but it is probable that hosts of men and women at various times, even when the Church has not been organized, have received and used the truth of life as embodied in the Great Plan.
**The Dispensation of the Meridian of Time.** In the course of human history and in accordance with the Great Plan, Jesus the Son of God, appeared on earth, to atone for the act of Adam and Eve, who "fell" that men might be. This is called the dispensation of the meridian of time. Jesus did live on earth, and gave his life so that mortal bodies may rise from the grave and pass into an eternal existence, beyond the reach of corruption. During the sojourn of Jesus on earth, he devoted himself to a restatement of the Gospel, including the story of the past and the present and the hope of the future. At no time since the days of Adam, had the Gospel been so fully taught and made so simply clear to the understanding as in the days of Jesus. Under the teachings of the Savior, the Church was re-established in order and completeness.
**The Great Apostasy.** After the ascension of Jesus, the Church remained, for some time, fully organized. Thousands flocked to it, and the people lived in accordance with the doctrines taught by the Savior. Soon, however, history repeated itself. In the right of their free agency, men refused, in many cases, to obey the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, and more often changed them to suit their own convenience. Such departures from the truth became more numerous and more flagrant as time wore on, until error permeated the whole Church. At last, about six hundred years after Christ, the Gospel laws and ordinances had become so completely warped that it was as if the Church had departed from the earth. The authority of the Priesthood no longer remained with the Church. This was the great apostasy. From that time, complete darkness reigned for many centuries. In those days, however, many honest men could see that the truth was not upon the earth, and hoped that the simple principles of the Gospel might again be correctly practiced by man. Among such men were Luther and many others, who used their best endeavors to show the people that error ruled. At last many were awakened, and the days of the Reformation began. The Reformation was a period of preparation for the last restoration of the Gospel on earth. Many years were required before the darkness of centuries could be lifted from the souls of men.
**The Restoration.** Finally, as men broke through the darkness, as intelligence became diffused among all men, and as liberality of thought grew and became respected, the world was ready for the eternal truth. Again the Gospel was restored with the authority of the Priesthood and the organization of the Church. On an early spring day, in the year 1820, in the woods of western New York, God the Father, and God the Son, appeared to a fourteen-year-old boy named Joseph Smith, who had faithfully asked for divine help. Through the instrumentality of this boy, guided constantly by God, the Church was re-established, the authority of the Priesthood again conferred upon many men, and a fulness of knowledge pertaining to man's place in the universe offered to all who would listen. In time the Church was organized precisely as was the primitive Church, and more fully than at any other time in the history of the world. This was the great restoration.
**The Vital Facts.** The Gospel was fully taught to the first man, who in turn taught it to others. The Church was organized from the beginning. As apostasy dimmed men's knowledge of the Gospel and undermined the Church, the full truth was repeatedly restored. At least four times has a complete statement of the Great Plan been made to the people of the earth—at the time of Adam, of Noah, of Jesus Christ and of Joseph Smith. Consequently, the Gospel has been on the earth and within the reach of men practically during the whole course of the earth's history. The fundamental truths of the Great Plan were taught to Father Adam and since that time have been scattered broadcast over the earth. This wide dissemination of the truth, in all ages, explains the fact that practically every life philosophy proposed by man contains some of the truths of the Gospel. In every system of theology and in every sect there is a certain measure of truth, for all have drawn from the one fountain. All, no doubt, seek for truth, and believe that they have found it; but, in fact, they have only fragments, picked up here and there and worked into a system. The full truth must encompass the complete philosophy of man and the universe, including the authority to act for God in the working out of the Plan. Those who thus accept the whole Plan, constitute the Church of Christ. In the churches of the world there is much of truth and consequently none is wholly wrong, though at times the truth has been so warped that it appears worse than untruth. In the matter of full truth, and of authority, however, do the Church and its imitators differ absolutely. There can be no duplicate set of truth, and no double seat of authority.
It is clear that free agency, for which the heavenly battle was waged, is in full operation upon the earth. At first sight it may seem that Lucifer's plan would have been best, for by it all men, in spite of themselves, would have been given the earth-experience and kept in the righteous path that leads to salvation. Yet, the origin of man, and the doctrine that he can advance only by self-effort, make it unthinkable that he should allow himself to be, as it were, blindfolded and then compellingly directed by some greater power. Men are directed, no doubt, by beings of higher intelligence, but in that directing our wills must be allowed to play their part. There can be no real satisfaction, if it were possible, in advancement which has been forced upon man Lucifer's plan was impossible.
It must also be remembered, that men are not necessarily evil because they do not accept the Gospel. Some find it impossible to understand the truth because their hearts are so set upon other things, and others have been led by their free agency in one direction, whereas the Gospel would lead them in another. Nevertheless, though men are not evil because they refuse to accept the Gospel, they retard themselves of necessity, when they fail to obey the law; and thereby they invite upon themselves the punishment that comes without fail to all who are not in full harmony with the great, controlling universal laws.
The conception of a universe directed by a God of intelligence can not include a God of mystery. In mystery there is only confusion. It does not follow that because he is not mysterious he is fully comprehended. In our general conception of God, his origin, his destiny, and his relation to us, we understand him clearly; but, in the details of his organization, powers and knowledge he transcends our understanding. Intelligent man dwelling in a universe containing many superior intelligent beings will often find need of the help that higher intelligence only can give. Earth-bound as we are, we need a close acquaintance with the God who shapes the destinies of men. The better God is known, the better may the eternal truths we learn be applied in our daily lives.
**The Order of Gods.** God has had no beginning and will have no end. From the first, by the exercise of his will, he has constantly acquired new knowledge and thereby new power. Because of the wisdom which he has gained, and the love thereby begotten for the unnumbered hosts of striving intelligent beings, he formulated the plan which will lead them readily and correctly in the way of continued progression. In so far as man accepts the plan of salvation he is being educated by God, to become even as God is. God and man are of the same race, differing only in their degrees of advancement. True, to our finite minds, God is infinitely beyond our stage of progress. Nevertheless, man is of the order of Gods, else he cannot know God.
**Plurality of Gods.** Since innumerable intelligent beings are moving onward in development, there must be some in almost every conceivable stage of development. If intelligent beings, far transcending the understanding of man, be called Gods, there must be many Gods. God, angel and similar terms denote merely intelligent beings of varying degree of development. The thought, however, that there is a plurality of gods and other beings of varying grades, is a thought of fundamental truth, which may be applied in every-day life, for it gives the assurance that it is possible for all, by self-effort and by gradual steps, to attain the highest conceivable power.
A division of labor is necessary among men on earth, and it is only reasonable that a similar division of labor may exist in all intelligent systems. The conception of a community of men may be applied to the community of heavenly beings. In the community of men, different men have different duties; so, perhaps, on an exalted scale, the gods are organized with a perfected division of labor.
**God, the Father.** God, the Father, the greatest God concerned in our progression, is the supreme God. He is the Father of our spirits. He is the being of highest intelligence with whom we deal. To our senses and understanding he is as perfection. In his fulness he can not be fathomed by the human mind, and it is, indeed, useless for man to attempt to define in detail the great intelligent beings of the universe. God, the Father, the supreme God, has gone through every phase of the Great Plan, which we are working out. Therefore, he has had our experiences or their equivalents, and understands from his own experience the difficulties of our journey. His love for us is an understanding love. Our earth troubles we may lay fully before him, knowing that he understands how human hearts are touched by the tribulations and the joys of life.
God, the Father, the supreme God of whom we have knowledge, is the greatest intelligence in the infinite universe, since he is infinite in all matters pertaining to us and transcends wholly our understanding in his power and wisdom. We know no greater God than the omniscient, omnipotent Father.
**God, the Son.** With the Father is associated his only begotten Son on earth, Jesus Christ, who came on earth and submitted himself to a painful and ignoble death so that all men might be raised from the grave with the body of flesh and bones made indestructible and everlasting. Because of the central position occupied by Jesus in the Great Plan, he is essentially the God of this earth. He, also, is beyond our understanding, he sits on the right hand of the Father, and is one with the Father in all that pertains to the welfare of the human race. To us he is perfect, possessing all the attributes of the Father. Whether he is as far advanced as the Father is an idle question, since he surpasses our understanding. In all matters pertaining to the earth, the Son is the agent of the Father. Through him the will of the Father pertaining to this earth is given. All our communications with the Father are made in the name of the Son, so that they may be properly authorized. This is in simple accord with the order that prevails in the heavens and that should prevail everywhere on earth.
**God, the Holy Ghost.** The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost constitute the Godhead, or Trinity of Gods, guiding the destinies of men on earth. God, the Holy Ghost, is a personage of spirit, who possesses special functions which have not yet been clearly revealed. We know that this member of the Godhead is a knowledge-giver and an inspirer of all that is great and noble and desirable, and that his functions in the Godhead are indispensable to the welfare of man.
**Other Beings.** Many other intelligent beings, superior to us, no doubt take part in the work of man on earth. There are angels and spirits who no doubt have assigned to them the care of the men and women who walk upon the earth. Man is not alone; he walks in the midst of such heavenly company, from whom he may expect help if he seek it strongly. A plan for the schooling of intelligent spirits, walking in semi-darkness through the acquiescence of beings of higher intelligence, must of a certainty include such continuous though invisible help.
**Sex Among the Gods.** Sex, which is indispensable on this earth for the perpetuation of the human race, is an eternal quality which has its equivalent everywhere. It is indestructible. The relationship between men and women is eternal and must continue eternally. In accordance with the Gospel philosophy there are males and females in heaven. Since we have a Father who is our God, we must also have a mother, who possesses the attributes of Godhood. This simply carries onward the logic of things earthly, and conforms with the doctrine that whatever is on this earth, is simply a representation of great spiritual conditions, of deeper meaning than we can here fathom.
Man is not left to himself on the face of the earth. Though his memory has been taken away, he will not be allowed to drift unwatched and unassisted through the journey on earth. At the best, man is only a student who often needs the assistance of a teacher. It is indispensable, therefore, to know how communication may be established by man with intelligent beings wherever they may be.
**The Will to Ask.** The first of the fundamental principles by which man may confer with God, is that man must show his desire to receive, by asking for help. Man has the right to reject whatever is offered him; in the midst of plenty he may refuse to eat. Therefore, whatever a man gains from the surrounding wisdom is initiated either by a petition or by a receptive attitude which is equivalent to a request. Unless a man ask, he is in no condition to receive, and ordinarily nothing is given him. On extraordinary occasions, when God uses a man to accomplish his purposes, something may be given without the initiatory prayer, but such gifts are rarely of value to the man himself. To get help from without, a man must ask for it. That is the law. History confirms this doctrine. Adam prayed to God and the angel came to explain the plan of salvation. Joseph Smith, the latter-day restorer of the Gospel, prayed in the grove and the Father and the Son appeared. It is unnatural to believe that gifts are given without prayer. That the answer is often overwhelmingly greater than the expressed desire, is only a sign of the love of the Giver, and does not remove the necessity of asking, as the first step in obtaining what a person desires. It is probable that no request, addressed to a being of superior intelligence, is refused. However, the answer comes at a time and place not predetermined by man.
**By Personal Appearance.** In answer to prayer, God may appear personally. There is no physical or spiritual reason why God should not appear to his children in person whenever he so desires. In fact, sacred history indicates that God appeared to Adam in the Garden of Eden, to Abraham in the Holy Land, to Moses on the mountain, to Joseph in the sacred grove, and to many others at various times during the earth's history. Likewise, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived upon this earth and walked and talked with men. To limit the powers of God by saying that he cannot or will not now appear to man, is to make him a creature of less power than is possessed by man.
**By the Visitation of Angels.** The will of God may be transmitted to man by visible representatives who are beings of a lower degree of intelligence. Angels have frequently visited men and brought to them divine messages concerning their own affairs or the affairs of the world. After Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, an angel came and laid before him the philosophy of man's existence. Similarly, angels appeared to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith and numerous others, many of which are not recorded in history. These vivid personages, intelligent beings vastly superior to man, knowing well the laws of nature and therefore able to control them, may be with man, though they are not seen with the natural eye. Most probably we walk in the midst of such invisible intelligent spirits. The development from the earth-journey comes largely from the self-efforts of man, who, apparently, must depend upon himself. If at will he could bring to his aid visible, supernatural beings, to tide him over his difficulties, his need of self-development and self-dependence would become very small, and the man would not grow strong.
**By the Holy Spirit.** God is a personal being of body—a body limited in extent. He cannot, therefore, at a given moment be personally everywhere. Time and space surround him as they surround us. It is difficult to believe that God can in person answer the numberless petitions reaching his throne. Nevertheless, it is known distinctly that God, by his power, will and word is everywhere present. It is almost as difficult to believe that, in spite of the hosts of heavenly beings, personal administrations are possible in the great majority of the countless petitions to God. God must be, therefore, in possession of other agencies whereby his will may be transmitted at his pleasure to the uttermost confines of space. The chief agent employed by God to communicate his will to the universe is the holy spirit, which must not be confused with the Holy Ghost, the personage who is the third member of the Godhead. The holy spirit permeates all the things of the universe, material and spiritual. By the holy spirit the will of God is transmitted. It forms what may be called the great wireless system of communication among the intelligent beings of the universe. The holy spirit vibrates with intelligence; it takes up the word and will of God as given by him or by his personal agents, and transmits the message to the remotest parts of space. By the intelligent domination and infinite extent of the holy spirit, the whole universe is held together and made as one whole. By its means there is no remoteness into which intelligent beings may escape the dominating will of God. By the holy spirit, God is always with us, and "is nearer than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." The intelligent earthly manifestations of the holy spirit are commonly spoken of as the natural forces. It is conceivable that the thunders and the lightnings, the movements of the heavenly bodies, the ebb and flow of the oceans, and all the phenomena known to man, are only manifestations of the will of God as transmitted and spread by the measureless, inexhaustible, infinite, all-conducting holy spirit.
By the holy spirit, which fills every person, man may obtain information from God. By its means come the messages which transcend the ordinary methods of acquiring knowledge. By it man may readily communicate with God, or God with him. When a person utters his prayer in faith it is impressed upon the holy spirit, and transmitted, so that God may read the man's desire.
This doctrine of a rational theology has been duplicated in a modest way by the development of wireless telegraphy. According to science, the universe is filled with a subtle substance called the ether, on the waves of which the message is spread throughout the universe to be taken up by any person who has the proper receiving apparatus.
**The Eternal Record.** So thoroughly permeated with the holy spirit is the immensity of space that every act and word and thought is recorded and transmitted everywhere, so that all who know how to read may read. Thus we make an imperishable record of our lives. To those whose lives are ordered well this is a blessed conception; but to those of wicked lives, it is most terrible. He who has the receiving apparatus, in whose hands the key is held, may read from the record of the holy spirit, an imperishable history of all that has occurred during the ages that have passed in the world's history. This solemn thought, that in the bosom of the holy spirit is recorded all that pertains to the universe—our most secret thought and our faintest hope—helps man to walk steadily in the midst of the contending appeals of his life. We can not hide from the Master.
The knowledge of means of communication between man and God is of great help to man in all the affairs of his life.
**Reading God's Message.** In possession of the holy spirit is a record of the will of God with respect to all things and all occurrences, great or small, in the universe from the first day. The big problem of man is to read the message of God as it is held by the holy spirit. In wireless telegraphy, a spark coil sets up waves in the ether and other coils similarly "tuned," receive the waves anywhere in the universe. In wireless telegraphy the all-important thing is that the transmitting and receiving instruments be tuned alike, for only then may the message be read. The same principle holds with the holy spirit. The giver and the receiver must be "tuned" alike, that is, must be in harmony, if the messages are to pass readily and understandingly from one to the other. The clearness of the message depends wholly upon the degree to which this tuning approaches perfect harmony.
**Spirit Blindness.** There are many who, walking among vast spiritual forces, yet feel themselves wholly alone. They do not have the assurance that there is something or someone near them which may not be known by the ordinary judgment of the senses, yet which may be known by man. These persons are so untuned as to be unable to understand the messages of the holy spirit. Many will not be brought into an understanding harmony with the holy spirit; others merely find it so hard to be brought into tune with the infinite that they would rather be without the messages than to do the necessary labor of acquiring harmonious relations with the holy spirt. Those who can not feel and in part commune with the holy spirit, are blind to the larger part of the universe, which lies outside of the circumscribed world, swept by our immediate senses. In terms of the unseen forces will the earth at last be cleared of all its mystery. In yesterday and tomorrow shall today be glorified. The eternal concern of man will be, as it has been, to secure an understanding knowledge of all the forces of space. They, therefore, who cannot on this earth possess a direct assurance of the existence and assistance of the great unseen world, are indeed spiritually blind, and much to be pitied.
**Prayer.** As already stated, all communication between man and a higher intelligent Being must be initiated by a request from the man. Thus, the place of prayer in the life of man is at once established. Prayer is a request for further light, protection, or whatever else is desired. Prayer is the first and greatest means of reading God's messages, for by intense prayer man gradually places himself in tune with the infinite so far as his request is concerned. Those who do not ask, naturally do not establish an understanding relationship with the unseen world, and no message appears. The Being of higher intelligence, to whom the request is directed, may or may not grant the prayer, but some answer will be given. Prayer has been said to be "the soul's sincere desire." Only when it is such will the highest answer be obtained, and it is doubtful if such a prayer is ever refused. No prayer is unheard. The place and time of prayer are of less importance. Morning, noon and night, prayer is always fitting. However, it is well to be orderly, and to beget habits of prayer, and certain hours of the day should therefore be set aside for prayer, both in private and in the family. Frequent and regular prayer helps to remind man of his dependence on a Being of higher intelligence in accomplishing the great work of his heart. A man should pray always; his heart should be full of prayer; he should walk in prayer. Answers will then be heard as God pleases. Seldom is a man greater than his private prayers.
**Active Prayer.** To become properly tuned with the guiding intelligent Being, one must not pray in a stereotyped way. A man must give himself to the matter devotedly desired, in the form of prayer, and then support it with all his works. Prayer is active and not passive. If a thing is wanted a man must try to secure it. Then, as a man devotes all of himself to the matter of the prayer, his attitude becomes such as to make him susceptible to the answer when it shall be sent. Prayer may be said to be the soul's whole desire.
**The Gift of Understanding.** Every now and then a man is found who seems to possess a knowledge above that of his fellow men. Knowledge is gained by tremendous self-effort, and the men who know most are usually those who have exerted themselves most to learn. However, it is well known that those who have given themselves with all their might to a certain study, often have great flashes of insight, whereby they leap as it were from knowledge to knowledge, until their progress becomes tremendously rapid, compared with that of ordinary men.
This means of acquiring knowledge may be compared crudely with the switch of an electric lighting system. When the switch is out, though the great dynamo in the canyon mouth hammer and generate its electricity, there is no flow of current through the city system and all is darkness. Yet a man, with a slight effort, can raise the switch and connect the wires, thereby flooding the city with light. The result appears to be infinitely greater than the cause. Thus, those who by great effort build up systems of truth often reach a place where by relatively little effort a flood of new light may be thrown upon the subject to which the mind has given itself. That is one of the compensations to those who strive with all their might for the mastery of any subject. This power becomes the gift of understanding, which may come to all who study deeply.
The gift of understanding is the result of the operation of the holy spirit. The holy spirit which is in communication with the whole universe, is in a measure subject to those who give themselves devotedly and with all their heart to any righteous matter. It is one of the most precious of gifts, and one that should be sought after by all men, because by its aid, the chance for development is greatly increased.
**Man Walks with God.** Literally, then, through the assistance of the mighty and all-pervading holy spirit, man is, indeed, always in the presence of God and his agencies. From this point of view man is immersed in the light and power of Godliness. He, who by earnest prayer, close attention, and noble desires seeks the intelligence above and about him is not alone. He walks hand in hand with intelligent beings and draws from them the power that he does not of himself possess. In times of need such a man may reach into the black unknown and bring out hope, born of high knowledge.
If there is progression, there may also be retrogression; if there is good, there may be evil. Everything has its opposite.
**Descending Beings.** In a universe containing eternal, intelligent, personalities possessing free agency, there may be beings who are in opposition to the general law of progress. In fact, such opposing intelligent spirits or men have always and everywhere been found. Naturally, those who devote themselves to the opposition of law are waging a hopeless battle, and lose their strength as time goes on. Nevertheless, since many of them have acquired great knowledge before they turn against the truth, they may long continue active in their opposition to righteousness. The final end of such beings is not known. As they are eternal, it is doubtful if they can ever fully destroy themselves. Nevertheless, as they oppose law, they will at last shrivel up and become as if they were not. Beings who would stand in the way of progress, also use the forces of the universe, as best they can, and must be considered, in the ordering of life, whether in or out of the earth.
**The Devil.** The number of descending spirits in the universe is not known. In fact, little is known about the whole matter, which probably is for the good of man. The scant knowledge that we have, comes largely from the account of the Great Council. One of the great spirits there present, proposed to save men without the use of their free agency. When he and his numerous followers failed to secure the adoption of this plan they left the Council, and set themselves thenceforth against the plan adopted by the majority. The leader in this rebellion was Lucifer, said to be a prince of the morning, who, undoubtedly, through much diligence, had acquired a high position among the spirits. Even those of high degree may fall. No man is sure of himself, unless from day to day he can keep the germ of opposition from settling within his breast.
Lucifer and his followers, who fell from the Great Council, are the devil and his angels, possessing definite wills and free agencies, who are still continuing the battle that originated in the heavens. The fundamental conceptions of eternalism, including eternal beings, make reasonable the existence of a personal devil, with personal agents, whose indestructible wills are used to oppose the Great Plan through adherence to which man entered upon his earth career.
**Man and the Devil.** In a measure, God and all other intelligent beings are affected by the active will of man. If man wills not to be helped by God, it is difficult for God to send him divine help. Even so, in the face of the will of man, the devil has little or no power. It is only when man so wills that he hears fully the voice of God; and it is only when man so wills that he hears the message of the devil. The doctrine that a request must initiate the gift is as true in the relationship that may be established between man and the devil as between man and God. God sends his messages throughout the universe; so does the devil as far as his knowledge permits him. However, the messages of the evil one need not be heard unless man so desires. In reality, therefore, man does not need to fear the evil one. He is not a force that can work harm, unless man places himself under the subjection of evil; but, if the devil be allowed a hearing, he may become the master of the man, and lead him downward on the road of retrogression.
**The Devil Subject to God.** Though the free agency of man is supreme with respect to himself, under the direction of a perfected intelligence, it must not interfere with the free agencies of others. This law holds for all ascending or descending intelligent beings. For that reason the devil is subject to God, and is allowed to operate only if he keeps within well-defined limits. He can suggest ways of iniquity, but he cannot force men to obey his evil designs. A man who sincerely desires to walk in righteousness need have no fear of the devil.
By the knowledge of opposites, man may draw conclusions of far-reaching importance in his course of progression. The operations of the devil and his powers may, therefore, serve some good in giving contrasts for man's guidance. This does not mean that it is necessary for man to accept the suggestions of the evil one, or to commit evil to know truth. On the contrary, every rational impulse resents the thought that a man must know sin so that he may know righteousness better. Unfortunately, the works of the evil one may be plentifully observed in the world, among those who have forsaken the Great Plan and the path of progression.
Those who believe in the Great Plan form the community known as the Church. Many men, who have given the subject only superficial study, find it difficult to understand why a church should be necessary.
**Man Helped by God on Earth.** It was not intended, in the plan of salvation, that man, though in forgetfulness, should wander alone and helpless through the earth. Rather was it intended and made necessary that men should gain experience by actual contact and contest with the earth and earthly forces, under the watchful care of beings of superior intelligence, who would help as demanded by man's free agency. In an intelligent world it could not well be otherwise. In fact, without the help of superior intelligence, the earth would be chaotic instead of orderly. The Great Plan is founded on intelligence, guided by a God of intelligence, and has for its purpose greater intelligence.
Avenues of communion with God have been pointed out, but many men are impervious to divine messages and need earthly help to understand the will of God. The Church, the community of persons with the same intelligent faith and desire, is the organized agency through which God deals with his children, and through which such help may be given man. Through the Church, God's mind may be read by all, at least with respect to the Church community. Moreover, the authority to act for God must be vested somewhere on earth. The Church holds this authority for the use of man. Besides, it is the common law of the universe that when intelligent beings are organized, as of one body, they progress faster, individually and collectively. The Church as an organization represents God on earth and is the official means of communication between men and God.
**The Plan of Salvation for All.** In the Great Council the earth-career was planned for all the spirits there assembled who accepted the Plan. The earth and whatever pertains to it, are for all and not for the one or the few. This means that man must not go through his earth-life independently, doing as he pleases, living apart from his fellowmen and accepting the Great Plan in his own way. By his own free agency he became a member of the hosts of the earth, and by his own promise, given in the Great Council, he must live in accordance with definite rules to be enforced by God. The Church is the community of those who, having accepted the Plan, desire unitedly to work out their mutual salvation under the settled authority of God.
The purpose of the Great Plan can not be wholly fulfilled until all have heard the Gospel. The Church as a body undertakes to carry out this purpose. Only when the Church is not organized on earth, may individuals who know the Great Plan, stand alone; but even in such case it is the bounden duty of those having the knowledge, to give themselves to the converting of others, so that the Church may be organized.
**Orderliness.** If each intelligent being placed on this earth, were to lead an independent life and deal independently with his God, relative to all matters concerning him, many of which would of necessity involve others, there would soon be disorder among humanity. It has been found desirable in all earthly affairs to organize so that order may prevail. By the organization known as a church all things may be done in order. Chaos is abhorrent to the intelligent mind.
**Test of Attitude.** There is yet another reason for the organization of a church. The plan of salvation is one founded in intelligence. Man must accept and live its laws and ordinances intelligently. The Church, by his adherence to these laws and ordinances, gives a man a means of testing himself as to his attitude towards the whole Plan. Whatever is done in life somehow connects itself with the Church. A Church which separates itself from the actual, daily life of the man does not acknowledge the essential unity of the universe and is not founded on man's intelligent conceptions of the constitution of the universe. The Church, therefore, must possess a system of laws the compliance with which will enable a man or his fellows to test his progress and spiritual condition, which, in turn, will be a guide for his future work. It would be difficult for a man to apply such tests to himself if he stands alone, away from his fellow men and making laws for himself to fit his apparent needs.
**Authority.** There is much to be done for man and by man during the earth-career. Every day brings its problems; laws are to be enforced; ordinances to be performed, and God must communicate with his earthly children. Much of this work involves authority, which must be settled somewhere if order is to prevail. The authority to act for God is committed to the Church, as the organized community of believers, and, indeed, authority is a distinguishing characteristic of the Church. Every man has or may receive authority to act in his own behalf in many matters, but to exercise authority in behalf of others, requires the kind of authority which God has delegated to the Church. Some form of authority from God is necessary in all our work, and the earthly source of God's authority is the Church, organized by the supreme, intelligent God.
**The Great Purpose of the Church.** Finally, the plan of eternal progress involves every living soul who comes upon earth. To the Church is committed the great task of keeping alive this Plan and of carrying it to all the nations. Those who have accepted the truth must be kept active; those who have not accepted it must be taught; all must hear it; even for the dead must the essential ordinances be performed. The Church, then, is a great missionary organization. This, of itself, justifies, the existence of the Church, for it is improbable that any individual would or could undertake the conversion of all the people to eternal truth.
Members of the Church must necessarily accept the conceptions for which it stands. These are, essentially, the plan of salvation, the progressive development of all spirits concerned in the Plan, and the authority of a supreme intelligent Being, to deal with the men and women placed on earth. The conditions of membership are not many, nor difficult to understand. They are, rather, of a kind naturally appearing before an intelligent being concerned in any organization.
**Faith.** All who enter the Church, or accept the Great Plan must, as a first condition, possess the faith which has been defined as "the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." In other words, they must first acknowledge the existence in the universe of things and powers that may not be sensed directly, but which may be used to accomplish the purposes of man. Such an attitude is required to admit the existence of a God or a plan of salvation. Such a faith yields to man a comprehensive possession of the universe, and may establish a philosophy of life that conforms to every law of nature. The man who has no such faith stands before the plan of salvation as before a sealed book. He can not open it, nor opened, can he read it. A faith that admits the universe, seen and unseen, enables man to accomplish great things; in fact, all who have done the great labor of the world, have had such a faith. The law of faith is a general law.
Faith is not necessarily removed from the ordinary experiences of life. On the contrary it is the beginning of all knowledge. Man observes the phenomena of nature, classifies and groups them until he reaches great general laws representing many individual phenomena. By the use of such laws, reasoning from the known to the unknown, laws may be inferred, the existence of which cannot be sensed directly. By this method of using human knowledge, man rapidly becomes aware of the certainty of the great universe that lies around him but beyond his immediate ken. Moreover, and possibly of chief importance, such inferred but certain knowledge makes man confident that he can continue forever in the acquisition of knowledge and power, and it thus becomes a help in every duty of life.
**Repentance.** Another fundamental requirement of those who enter the Church is repentance. This is also self-evident, for if man is convinced of the correctness of a certain procedure, that is, if he has faith in it, he certainly will use that faith, if it is to become of any value to him. An active faith is repentance. It is commonly felt that repentance is only the turning away from evil practices. It is probably just as important for man to act out the good he learns as to refrain from doing evil. Repentance, then, is not merely negative; it is also positive. This also is a general law. Great work can be done by those only who have faith and who put that faith into action.
**Baptism.** The third requirement of those who desire entrance into the Church is baptism. The candidate for baptism, presenting himself to one who has authority from Jesus Christ, is buried in the water and taken out again, as a symbol of the death and resurrection, the atoning sacrifice, and the conquest over death, of the Savior. The ordinance of baptism, as far as man is concerned, is essentially an acknowledgment of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, a promise of obedience to the requirements of the Great Plan, and the acceptance of divine authority. Baptism is also a principle of general application, for in whatever pursuit a man may be engaged, whether in or out of the Church, he must first have faith in the work he has to do, then repent, in the sense of putting his faith into action and, finally, he must give obedience to the laws involved in the work.
**The Gift of the Holy Ghost.** The fourth condition of Church membership, which is in the nature of a result of the three first requirements, is that the candidate receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is accomplished when one having authority places his hands on the head of the candidate, confirms him a member of the Church, and says, "Receive the Holy Ghost." This establishes an authoritative connection between man and God, the Holy Ghost, by which it is possible to secure, through the active support of the Holy Ghost, more light and power and confidence than man may secure unaided. Every man born into the world has life by the holy spirit and may, through its operations, and his own self-effort, be in communication with all other intelligent beings in the universe; but, only those who conform to the first ordinances of the Gospel are connected officially with the powers of the Holy Ghost in such a way as to secure added help. A distinct and real power conies to the individual who has received the Holy Ghost. It is as if he had been given a key to a great and wonderful building which he enters at his pleasure. However, the key may be kept unused; then the gift has been of no value. Man must draw upon the Holy Ghost, if the gift shall be real. The gift of the Holy Ghost also represents a general law, for it is evident that all who have faith made active by repentance, and have shown obedience by baptism, will be in such harmony with intelligent forces as to receive great light from them if desired or needed.
**Continued Conformity.** It is not sufficient that a man secure entrance into the Church by compliance with the first four principles of the Gospel. After he has attained membership he must become active in the practice of the laws which constitute the body of Church doctrine, and which are quite as important as the fundamental ones preceding entrance. Passivity will not suffice; activity only constitutes an unqualified membership in the Church. The man will be "in tune" with the work only when he lives out daily the principles of the Great Plan. This is self-evident, moreover, because the Church has the mission of bringing the Gospel to the understanding of all men on earth, and unless the members of the Church are active in missionary work, they will not acquire the full spirit of the Church. Unselfishness should characterize the members of the Church.
**Acceptance of Authority.** The conditions of membership here mentioned are all vital. Nevertheless, in addition to them, candidates for admission to the Church must acknowledge the full authority of the Church as a divine institution, to which has been committed, by God, the authority to act for him in all matters pertaining to the plan of salvation. Without this authority, the Church is no more than any man-made institution. The acceptance of authority means that all the laws of the Gospel must be obeyed, by every member. The law cannot be varied for individuals, to please their fancies or supposed needs. This is clearly brought out by the historical fact that Adam, after he had been taught and had accepted the Gospel, was baptized, confirmed, and received all the ordinances of the Church. Similarly, Jesus, the Son of God, began his official labors by being baptized by one having authority. The pattern has been set for all; and it has been followed in all dispensations. If men be on the full road of progress they will comply with the laws of membership, and become active in the support of the Church and its work.