Certainly a system of such grandeur and comprehensiveness as the Gospel must have within itself the seeds of perpetuity. No catastrophe the mind of man can contemplate would compare with that which would result if all this beautiful fabric should at some time, by any mischance, go to pieces. But the elements not only of continuity but of continuous growth, are in the Gospel, and the wisdom of God shall not be destroyed.
The spirits, whether they place themselves under the course of instruction provided for in the Gospel or not, are eternal, as are, also, the elements with which, under its plan, they become united; and by following the thought behind the revelations here to be quoted, we may trace therein the design of the Maker for the stability of His work.
In relation to the union of spirit and element, we read in the Doctrine and Covenants:
"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and, when separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy."[27]
Here, without doubt, it may be noted in passing, we have one of the great discoveries by which God came to be God.
As to the continuity of the union between spirit and matter, we quote the words of the Prophet Amulek, recorded in the Book of Mormon:
"Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is, from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more, their spirits uniting with their bodies,never to be divided, thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption."[28]
Our next step will be a consideration of the Priesthood, which is designed by the Gospel plan to form a never-ending bond of union between those who arrive at their exaltation under its provisions.
We read in the Book of Mormon:
"This High Priesthood being after the order of His Son, which order was from the foundation of the world—or, in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to His foreknowledge of all things."[29]
We may now turn to a consideration of the process by which an increase of the dominion of all those who are faithful, is provided for in the Gospel. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we read:
"And, again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of the Priesthood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity, and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds for ever and ever.
"Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be Gods, because they have all power."[30]
It is not the purpose of this work to go outside of the strict boundaries of revelation, but one cannot refrain at this point from giving a little rein to the spirit of inquiry. When this glorious consummation shall have been attained, will not the whole process of world-making and world-peopling, in this order of spirits, be gone all over again? Shall spirits who have never heard of this plan of organization be visited by such a being, who shall afterward be in a position to say, "In the beginning I came down into the midst of these spirits, and taught them this same Gospel plan, a new earth was formed, another Adam came upon it, a Savior was provided?"
In the enduring union between the spirits and element, in the eternal nature of the bond entered into by those who receive the Holy Priesthood, and in the never-ending increase of those who properly contract the marriage relation, is manifest, therefore, the wisdom of God in providing for the perpetuity and growth of His dominion, as well as for the exaltation of those spirits who render obedience to the Gospel.
Summarizing the Outline of the Gospel here presented, we find:
I. That the Gospel had its inception when "God, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself."
II. That the purpose of God in so doing was "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
III. That under the plan of the Gospel there are two estates, the keeping of both of which shall entitle the spirits to be "added upon for ever and ever."
IV. That the covenants entered into by the parties involved were, on the part of the spirits, obedience in all things to whatsoever the Lord their God should command them, or, in other words, to the best light under which they lived upon the earth; and, on the part of the Lord, that all who receive the Holy Priesthood and are faithful thereto, shall receive a fullness of His glory.
V. That the perpetuity of the Gospel plan is assured by the increased power of those who receive bodies, with which their spirits shall be inseparably connected; by the eternal bond entered into under the covenant of the Holy Priesthood; and by the enduring union of the sexes in a never-ending increase of posterity.
"But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you."—Book of Moses 1:35.
We come now to consider the fruits of this tree of life, the Gospel, as relates to nature, the environment of man. While we may view with wonder and with awe the marvelous works of God about us in the heavens, sill our interests, as ourselves, are confined to the earth upon which we dwell.
It is true, the Lord has given us some notion of the vastness of His works, of Kolob, "the first creation, nearest the celestial or residence of God; first in government, last pertaining to the measurement of time," whose day "is equal to a thousand years, according to the measurement of this earth;"[31]of "Oliblish, which is the next grand governing creation, holding the key of power also, pertaining to other planets;"[32]and has revealed to us that "were it possible that men could number the particles of the earth, yea, and millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of His creations;"[33]yet a knowledge of His dominions, except in this general way, concerning any other of His creations than this earth, is withheld from us.
We have, however, a number of revealed truths concerning the earth that would add greatly to the interest as well as to the enlightenment of the scientific world, if they were accepted. If, for instance, it had been known to and received by science, that "this earth was organized or formed out of other planets, which were broken up and remodeled and made into the one on which we live,"[34]how many vain theories and how much useless work would have been saved!
How many times the earth, or portions of it in another planet, was peopled by the Lord before Adam was placed upon it, we are not informed; but from the fact that he was commanded to replenish, or re-fill it, we may infer that it had, in some form, been inhabited before our first parents came here. But of this no account is given us by revelation.
How fully and how wisely the earth was prepared before being sent on its present voyage, with provisions, with material for clothing, with fuel, and with all the necessities and comforts of life, is matter of common knowledge.
The Lord has given us the name by which this part of His dominion is known to Him, as "Idumea,"[35]and, as to the order to which it belongs among His diversified creations, we have a wonderful revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants, as follows:
"The poor and meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father; that bodies of the celestial kingdom may possess it for ever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.
"And, again, verify I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation and transgresseth not the law, wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it."[36]
The following passage respecting the final condition of the earth, gives further light upon this beautiful thought. The Prophet Joseph Smith says:
"This earth, in its sanctified, immortal state, will be made like unto crystal, and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's."[37]
As to the final condition of the animals and plants of the earth, the Lord explains:
"For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fullness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air and the fishes of the sea; and not one hair; neither mote shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand."[38]
From all of which, and from other like revelations, too numerous to mention here, we gather:
That while we may speculate upon the multitude of the Lord's creations, we have, except from our observations of the heavens about us, and the meager information vouchsafed us by revelation, no detailed account of any planet but of the earth on which we dwell.
That the earth is on the way to eternal, celestial glory, where it will shine of its own light, in which condition it will be inhabited by celestial beings, not only by mankind, but by the elect of the animal and vegetable kingdoms as well.
"And it came to pass that Moses looked and beheld the world upon which he was created, and as Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created of the same, he greatly marveled and wondered."—Book of Moses 1:8.
The fruits of the Gospel as relates to the peopling of the earth through Adam, are not fully ripe. The generations of that lineage are still incomplete; but it is interesting to study the general outline of the plan which was laid for that purpose before the earth was formed, a part of which has now been rendered into history. As made known to John the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos, this plan, presented to him by signs the meaning of which was revealed[39]to the Prophet Joseph Smith, contemplated the division of human history into seven periods of one day each, according to the Lord's reckoning.
The first should be a day of peace; the second, a day of war and conquest; the third, a day in which commerce should have its rise; the fourth, a day of war; the fifth, a day of persecution; the sixth, a day of preparation for the Sabbath, or Millennium; the seventh, a day of peace and rest. Let the student follow down the history of the world with this outline in mind, and he cannot fail to be impressed with the coincidence, so far, of the prophecy and its fulfillment.
Not only were the periods set, and the work to be accomplished in each determined, but the order in which the spirits to take bodies on this earth should come forth, was outlined before the earth was made. Abraham says, as hereinbefore quoted:
"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was, and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said, These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and He said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of them, thou wast chosen before thou wast born."[40]
When we recall the promise made to Abraham, after his advent upon the earth, that through him and his seed should all the children of the earth be blessed; when we see in the history of the world how the seed of Israel has been scattered among all nations; and when we witness the purpose of the Lord, now going forward, to gather into one family under that lineage all the descendants of Adam, this passage and that promise take on peculiar significance.
Furthermore, that the course of the star of empire was set from the first, is evident from the revelation given to Adam three years before his death at the altar of Adam-ondi-Ahman, as related in the Doctrine and Covenants. We read:
"And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghostpredicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation."[41]
Among those spirits in the midst of whom the Lord stood when He saw and chose as His rulers the noble and great ones, there were no doubt many who were less intelligent. How could these spirits be so placed in the generations of Adam's race as to make the most of them? The solution of the problem is disclosed in the following extract from the Book of Mormon:
"For, behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore, we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true."[42]
Superior minds, that is to say, have been sent to the earth, among all peoples, in all ages of the world, to teach, to bring forth new inventions, to give laws, to make discoveries, to establish or to overthrow governments, according to the varying capacities and intelligence and necessities of the peoples among whom they were appointed by the Supreme Head to labor.
The sentiment awakened by a contemplation of this passage of scripture, is one of the utmost reverence, admiration and love for a Being of such wisdom and mercy.
But not only has the Lord determined the general course of civilization on the earth, but even the work of individuals, apart from His prophets, has been under His direction, as was that of Columbus, of whom we read in the Book of Mormon, as follows:
"And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated from the seed of my brethren by many waters; and beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land."[43]
Instances of this character, however, are too numerous to mention here, but they show that not only in a general way, but in many details, the peopling of the earth has proceeded under a well-defined, predetermined plan.
Not only has the history of mankind on the earth been outlined from the beginning, but the rewards awaiting them, according to the light they have received and their obedience thereto, have been fixed. For it will be remembered from what was developed under the head of "Covenants of the Gospel," that all who have taken bodies upon the earth in the lineage of Adam, are under the same promise of obedience to "whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them," in their day and generation.
After describing the torment of those spirits who become sons of perdition, the revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, continues:
"And again, we bear record, for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ, concerning them who come forth in the resurrection of the just, they are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
"They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fullness, and of his glory. And are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchisedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God—wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's.
"And they shall overcome all things; wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet—these shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
"These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
"And, again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the first born, who have received the fullness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, and also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh.
"Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable men on the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fullness. These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father; wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.
"These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. And now this is the end of the vision which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord commanded us to write while we were yet in the Spirit.
"And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have finished his work.
"These are they who receive not of his fullness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial; and the terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial; and also the celestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation.
"And thus we saw in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial,which surpasses all understanding, and no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it.
"And thus we saw the glory of the terrestrial, which excels in all things the glory of the telestial, even in glory, and in power, and in might, and in dominion.
"And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things— where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne for ever and ever; before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence and give him glory for ever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the first born, and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace; and he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
"And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one.
"And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.
"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
"These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
"These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fullness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work. When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father spotless, saying—I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign for ever and ever.
"But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the sea shore, and heard the voice of the Lord, saying—these all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne for ever and ever; for they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared, and they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end."
From all of which it appears that the history of mankind was pre-arranged from beginning to end, before the foundations of the earth were laid.
"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." —II Nephi 2:25.
Many of the results of the Gospel with regard to man have been dwelt upon in the discussion up to this point, but there remain some considerations of importance yet to be detailed, particularly the object of his coming to this earth. We turn now, therefore, to a study of the special end in view under the Gospel plan, in clothing the spirit with mortality.
The purpose of man's existence here is two-fold. One object is manifest from a revelation already quoted, as follows:
"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and when separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy."[44]
The spirit of man, we here learn, must become inseparably connected with element in order to receive the fullness of joy designed for him by the Gospel, therefore, he must take upon him a mortal tabernacle, and, for that reason, after having advanced in intelligence far enough to retain his first estate, he is sent to an earth. Under the Divine plan, a Savior, one who is given power to lay down His life and to take it up again, is provided, to become the first fruits of the resurrection, to open the grave, that the spirit and body may be reunited, nevermore to be separated.
Another object of our coming here is equally important, and relates to our spiritual growth. We may use a comparison.
The teacher in school, acquainted with the order in which the different powers of the mind develop in childhood, adapts his instructions to the growth in progress at any particular period. While not at all neglecting the general training of the child, he will direct his efforts particularly, at different stages of progress, to the development for example of perception, of imagination, of comparison or reason, in his pupil, as the mind under his charge grows in power. This procedure is necessary from the fact, that, as psychologists tell us, unless the powers of the mind are exercised as they develop, they remain dormant or only partially developed, as, for instance, the love of poetry or of music, if these pleasures are not cultivated in childhood.
And just so, we may be assured, is the plan of the Gospel adapted to the development of the powers of the spirit of man in the different stages of his progress through the first and second estates.
At what stage of progress, then, it may here be asked, have we now arrived; and what powers of the soul are the experiences of mortality specially designed to enlarge?
Man finds himself thrust into the world, surrounded by sorrow, injustice and poverty, and, if he contemplates these conditions without knowing the purpose of the Lord in sending him here, he may exclaim with Schopenhauer, "If God made the world, I should not care to be God." But the Gospel testifies to the mercy and wisdom and goodness of the Lord, for in it we learn that the very conditions of which the philosopher complains are designed to develop the attributes for the full growth of which the spirit is given the schooling of mortality.
Let us consider. We are here cut off from any understanding of our pre-existent state or any knowledge of the hereafter, and must perforce accept the providences of the Lord and His designs for our future welfare on trust, and so the attribute of faith is developed.
Furthermore, notwithstanding all the failures and sorrows and trials of life, we are impelled by an innate self-renewing power to press onto the end, thus exercising hope. Dr. Johnson has well said:
"It is necessary to hope, though hope should be always deluded; and its frustrations, however frequent, are yet less dreadful than its extinction."
And, again, all our environments, as children, as husbands or wives, as parents, as brothers or sisters, as rulers, as ruled, as king or shepherd, as neighbors, as citizens, call our our affections; and, so is love developed.
The attributes of faith, hope and love, or, as Wagner has it, in his "Simple Life," confidence, hope and kindness, are, moreover, ever spoken of by inspired writers as those most to be cultivated.
And, too, these qualities and the means for their exercise are universal. They obtain alike with all classes, in all ages of the world.
Man, therefore, is placed upon the earth to develop spiritually, in faith, in hope and in love, but most of all, as is consonant with the part that sentiment played in the inception of the Gospel, in love. Accordingly, Paul exclaims:
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."[45]
Further and final evidence as to the importance of the cultivation of love is found in the reply of the Savior to the lawyer who asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" for, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."[46]
That there is a reason, and what the reason is, for the paramount importance of the cultivation of the attributes of faith, hope and love in the present stage of our progress, is disclosed in a remarkable passage in the Book of Mormon. It reads as follows:
"Behold, I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity, bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said, O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith; for the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, remove, and it was removed. And if he had not had faith, it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith, for thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples. For after they had faith, and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power.
"And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man; yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.
"And again I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men, is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity, they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father."[47]
We may here summarize the last topic:
Why is man thrown into the world without a knowledge of his pre-existence, of the purpose for which he is here, or of his destination?
That faith may be engendered in his bosom.
Why is his life made up of failures, of disappointments, of sorrow?
That he may cultivate hope.
Why is he surrounded by the ties of kinship; why are sickness and sorrow and death all about him; why are care and responsibility the portion of each individual in every station in life?
That the attribute of sympathy, of affection, of love, may be developed within him.
Why does he stand in particular need at this stage of his advancement of faith, hope and love?
He has kept his first estate and is well on the way toward his trial for the keeping of his second estate, where he will require the attributes of a God, and these three, faith, hope and love, are the means by the exercise of which he must acquire the power to reach that exalted destination.
Herein is the justice of God in His dealings with mankind made manifest; for, in the light of eternity, who should care for worldly honors or a seat among the mighty? The poor and humble have within their reach every facility for advancement that is vouchsafed to any, in this state of probation. Indeed, it would seem that even more opportunity to gain eternal riches is afforded the meek of the earth than is given to those most highly favored of the world.
The Gospel is, therefore, at once the true incentive to, and the sufficient justification of, the simple, the courageous, the hopeful and the kindly life.
What, then, of our text? Does the Gospel, as revealed by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith, furnish a thoughtful man with "a firm center about which he can organize his knowledge of the world?" Could any man originate a system of philosophy at once so simple, so reasonable, so comprehensive and so beneficent? Do not the answers it gives to the questions of life bear all the marks of Divinity?
In answer, we shall here revert, both by way of summary, and by way of conclusion, to those universal questions with which we opened this discussion, and answer them in behalf of each son and daughter of Adam.
Who am I? Whence am I? Why am I here? Whither am I going?
From the time when, as an intelligent, self-existent, independent being, abroad in boundless space, surrounded by exhaustless, indestructible matter, with limitless time in which to operate, I received a knowledge of the Gospel plan which was formulated by the Great God who upholds this world and all worlds and all things by His power, I have been pursuing the course of advancement therein provided; under the covenant that if I shall render obedience to Him in all things, I shall become like Him; or that, failing in so high an exaltation, I shall have glory added upon my head forever, in degree according to my faithfulness.
Having kept my first estate, I am here to take upon my spirit a body, thus inseparably connecting spirit and element; and to exercise particularly the attributes of faith, hope and love; that in so doing I may gain power, and may thereby be enabled to keep my second estate.
From this state of probation I am going to the world of spirits for a season, and later to a reunion with my body, when I shall be given all the glory I am capable of receiving; conditioned always upon my faithfulness to the light the Lord has given me here.
For this is the message of the Gospel to each soul in the world:
Be true to the light God gives you and perform with integrity the work He has assigned you, exercising faith, hope and charity; so doing, you may rest your soul secure in the arms of His love.
[1]"In this series of light rays it is plain that there are two gaps, or unknown regions, regarding which we have to confess total ignorance relative to the part they play in the economy of the universe. May there not exist vibrations still more rapid? That question we are not permitted to answer. Be that as it may, the invisible rays are incomparably more numerous than the visible ones. Our eyes thus see almost nothing of that which exists. Our assumed knowledge is only an insignificant islet in the midst of the ocean of the infinite."—Sir William Crookes.
[2]Introduction.
[3]Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1. No attempt is made here, nor in other references to this passage of Scripture, to place a limitation to the activities of the Great Creator. It is sufficient to say that He has given us information so far back and no farther.
[4]Book of Abraham, 3:1-4, and Diagram No. 2.
[5]Doctrine and Covenants 68:12.
[6]Great First Cause, Par. 1.
[7]Compendium, p. 287.
[8]Brown's Metaphysics p. 220.
[9]Book of Abraham 3:18.
[10]Doctrine and Covenants 93:33.
[11]Journal of Discourses, VI., p. 6.
[12]1 Corinthians 15:44.
[13]Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 3:5-7.
[14]Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 29:31, 32.
[15]Sermon by Pres. Joseph F. Smith, at the funeral services of Wm. C. Staines, 1881.
[16]The late James S. Brown, in telling his experience at the time his leg was amputated, related that his spirit left his body, and, as the spirit hovered above the mutilated and lifeless remains, he could see that, while the leg of flesh and bones had been removed, yet the spiritual body remained whole, and the place from which the leg had been removed was still occupied by the spiritual leg, over which the knife and saw of the surgeon had no power. There was the spirit, the life, hovering above the death bed, there was the spiritual body only partially enveloped by the mutilated remains, and there was the mortal body dismembered and cold in death. The common experience of those who have had any limb amputated, that they, without thinking, try to use the dismembered part, is to the same effect.
[17]Book of Abraham 3:18.
[18]Journal of Discourses VI., p. 6.
[19]Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1.
[20]Journal of Discourses VI., First Discourse.
[21]Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 1:30-39.
[22]Book of Abraham 3:26.
[23]Book of Abraham 3:27, 28.
[24]Sec. 29:36, 37.
[25]Book of Abraham 3:21-25.
[26]Sec. 84:35-40.
[27]Sec. 93:33, 34.
[28]Alma 11:45.
[29]Alma 13:7.
[30]Sec. 132:19, 20.
[31]Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1.
[32]Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 2.
[33]Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 7:40.
[34]Compendium, p. 287.
[35]Doc. and Cov. 1:36.
[36]Sec. 88:17-26.
[37]Doc. and Cov. 130:9.
[38]Doc. and Cov. 39:24, 25.
[39]Doc. and Cov. Sec. 77.
[40]Book of Abraham 3:22, 24.
[41]Sec. 107:56.
[42]Alma 29:8.
[43]1 Nephi 13:12.
[44]Doc. and Cov. 93:33, 34.
[45]I Cor. 13:13.
[46]Matt. 22:35-39.
[47]Ether 12:28-34.