The truth uttered by the great "poet of nature" touching the previous life, was probably accepted by thousands of advanced thinkers; and their acceptance helped to prepare the way for a more positive and more complete presentation of the great doctrine of man's pre-existence. In this connection the subjoined verses from the pen of a "Mormon" poet, tell their own eloquent story:
O my Father, thou that dwellestIn the high and glorious place!When shall I regain thy presence,And again behold thy face?In thy holy habitationDid my spirit once reside;In my first primeval childhoodWas I nurtured near thy side.For a wise and glorious purposeThou hast placed me here on earth,And withheld the recollectionOf my former friends and birth.Yet, ofttimes a secret somethingWhispered, "You're a stranger here,"And I felt that I had wanderedFrom a more exalted sphere.I had learned to call thee Father,Through thy Spirit from on high;But until the Key of KnowledgeWas restored, I knew not why.In the heavens are parents single?No, the thought makes reason stare!Truth is reason-truth eternalTells me I've a Mother there.When I leave this frail existence,When I lay this mortal by,Father, Mother, may I meet youIn your royal courts on high?Then, at length, when I've completedAll you sent me forth to do,With your mutual approbationLet me come and dwell with you.[10]
O my Father, thou that dwellestIn the high and glorious place!When shall I regain thy presence,And again behold thy face?In thy holy habitationDid my spirit once reside;In my first primeval childhoodWas I nurtured near thy side.
For a wise and glorious purposeThou hast placed me here on earth,And withheld the recollectionOf my former friends and birth.Yet, ofttimes a secret somethingWhispered, "You're a stranger here,"And I felt that I had wanderedFrom a more exalted sphere.
I had learned to call thee Father,Through thy Spirit from on high;But until the Key of KnowledgeWas restored, I knew not why.In the heavens are parents single?No, the thought makes reason stare!Truth is reason-truth eternalTells me I've a Mother there.
When I leave this frail existence,When I lay this mortal by,Father, Mother, may I meet youIn your royal courts on high?Then, at length, when I've completedAll you sent me forth to do,With your mutual approbationLet me come and dwell with you.[10]
How wonderfully clear and comprehensive!—past, present and future circumscribed in brief compass, the mystery of the former life unfolded, the meaning of all existence made plain.
Maeterlinck and "The Bluebird."—Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet, author of "The Bluebird," in that section of his dramatic masterpiece entitled "The Kingdom of the Future," deals with the pre-mortal life, and with the spirits of little children waiting to be brought down to earth to be born here. Old Father Time is there with his barge, gathering in the tiny passengers, holding back some whose turn is not yet, and permitting others whose birth-hour is about to strike. The barge being filled, he sails away, and mingling with the sweet strains of children's voices, hailing the distant planet that is to be their new abode, rises from below the song of the mothers coming out to meet them. When the poet's inspired mind conceived this beautiful creation, had he heard of Eliza R. Snow and her invocation to the Eternal Father and Mother?
The Same Note.—I do not impute plagiarism in such cases. There is no monopoly of Truth. It reveals itself to whomsoever it will, and sometimes it tells to several persons, at different times and places, the same thing. Suffice it, that Eliza R. Snow, when she sang of the "first primeval childhood," sounded the identical note subsequently struck by Maurice Maeterlinck, when portraying so tenderly and so tellingly the heavenly origin and earthly advent of the spirits that tabernacle in mortality.
Fame's Partiality.—Inspiration was kind to both poets, but fame has been somewhat partial. Some day, when bigotry is dead and prejudice no longer has power to blind men's eyes to the truth and pervert their judgment, the just claims of all inspired teachers will be recognized, if not recompensed. Meanwhile the world will go on glorifying one and crying down another, as it always has done. It will continue "tossing high its ready cap" in honor of Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet, for the beautiful truths set forth in his sublime symbolic drama; little realizing that the American prophet, Joseph Smith, and some who sat at his feet learning wisdom from his lips, taught the same and greater truths long before Maeterlinck was born.
Communications from the Departed.—Many instances might be given of the action and influence of "the other world" upon this world The experiences of the Latter-day Saints alone would fill volumes. I refer particularly to those connected with the gathering up of genealogies for use in temple work, and the work itself done vicariously for the benefit of the departed. By dreams and visions, by voices and other manifestations, spirits "behind the veil" have made known their wishes to surviving relatives in the flesh, so that their left-over tasks might be done for them, the records of their ancestors secured, and they in like manner redeemed through sacred ordinances performed in their behalf and necessary to their progress and happiness in spheres beyond.
1. Gospel Doctrine, pp. 15, 16. "Columbus."
2. J. R. Lowell's Poems, "A Glance Behind the Curtain."
3. Ib. "Columbus."
4. 1 Nephi 11:11; 13:10:19.
5. D. & C. 130:22.
6. John 16:13.
7. Wordsworth's Poems, "Intimations of Immortality," first published in 1807.
8. John 17:5.
9. Ib. 1:1-14.
10. Eliza R. Snow's "Invocation," L. D. S. Hymn Book.
Do the Dead Return?
Hamlet and the Ghost.—I had always thought it strange that a great Christian poet like Shakespeare, after portraying, as he does in "Hamlet," an interview between the Prince of Denmark and his father's ghost, should refer to the spirit world as "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns." Had not the ghost returned from that very "country," for the special purpose of this interview?
While deeming it contradictory, my admiration and reverence for the immortal bard induced me to minimize and even excuse the apparent inconsistency. In his behalf I argued that it was Hamlet, not Shakespeare, who interviewed the Ghost at Castle Elsinore; that it was the prince and not the poet who soliloquized relative to the non-returning "traveler." I took the ground that Shakespeare, in writing the play of "Hamlet," was not presenting the author's autobiography, and should not, therefore, be held responsible for the idiosyncrasies of "the melancholy Dane;" he being mad, and mad people having the right to say what they please, no matter how much they contradict themselves or speak and act inconsistently.
A Better Defense.—But all the while there was a better defense for both Shakespeare and Hamlet—it a certain hypothesis be well founded, the supporters of which would have us believe that the famed soliloquy, "To be or not be," wherein the allusion to the spirit "traveler" occurs, originally had place nearer the beginning of the play and before Hamlet had seen the Ghost. Not Shakespeare, therefore, nor Hamlet, but some one who tampered with the poet's masterpiece after his death—"a custom more honored in the breach than the observance"—is to be held responsible for the incongruity. Such is the suggestion put forth by one or more literary savants. Allowing it to be true, Shakespeare and the Bible are thus reconciled, and Hamlet is no longer in the attitude of disputing the sacred account of the risen Savior's personal appearing to his disciples, after his return from the spirit world.[1]
Belasco and "Peter Grimm."—That the creator of Hamlet and Macbeth believed in spirits, and made plentiful use of them as part of his "celestial machinery," is evident from the works of the master dramatist; and that his talented disciple, David Belasco, likewise favors such usage, is plainly shown in that intensely interesting book and play, "The Return of Peter Grimm." Let me briefly review the story.
Peter Grimm, an honest, elderly Dutch-American, carrying on the business of florist at Grimm Manor, a suburb of New York City, has a friend and family physician in Alexander McPherson, who, I need not say, is a Scotchman. He is also a spiritualist, deeply interested in the laws of psychic phenomena, and exceedingly tenacious of his occult views.
Grim is bluntly skeptical upon the subject, and he and his Scotch friend have many a warm debate thereon. Finally McPherson proposes a compact to this effect: Whichever one of the twain shall pass away first, his spirit will return, if possible, and communicate with the other, making known the secrets of the after life. Grimm laughs at the idea, even ridicules it, but at last consents, and with a flash of humor suggestive of his name, says: "If I find I am wrong, when I come back I will apologize."
A little later the florist dies suddenly of heart failure. He passes into the spirit world, and there obtains leave to "revisit the glimpses of the moon," as Hamlet puts it; in other words, to return to Grimm Manor and rectify a mistake made by him while in the flesh—a mistake affecting the happiness of his adopted daughter Kathrien, who, yielding to his insistence, has given up the man she loved, and has agreed to marry Grimm's nephew, Frederic. This young man is a villain, whose unworthiness his uncle discovers after his arrival in "the undiscovered country," from which he now proposes to "return" and prevent the marriage previously planned.
The wrong is to be righted by the delivery of a message. But how "get the message across?" That is the problem of the play. "Not every one can receive a communication from the spirit world." So McPherson has said in one of his conversations with Grimm, adding that "the receiver must be a sensitive, a medium."
Strange to say, the old Scotch physician is of no help whatever in the predicament now facing his departed friend. He knows all about spirits—is saturated with the lore of the subject; but he is not a "sensitive," and cannot therefore "receive."
The spirit of Grimm, re-entering his old home, makes persistent efforts to be seen or heard by some member of the household; but all in vain. None of his family, none of his friends, can behold him or hear his pathetic pleadings. Yes—there is one who can; a little invalid boy, Frederick's illegitimate child, who is wasting away with a fever. The veil is thin between him and the spirit land, to which he will accompany Peter Grimm, after the latter's earthly errand is accomplished. This little lad is a "sensitive." He sees the spirit, receives the message, and the threatened misalliance is averted, Kathrien and her worthy lover being happily reunited.
Fiction and Fact.—Such is the story of Peter Grimm and his return from the world of spirits. It is pure fiction, of course; but fiction often supports fact, and is even less strange, as a well-worn proverb affirms. Nevertheless, it will be seen from what follows that I am not in absolute harmony with Belasco's ingenious presentation of the spiritualistic theme. My views upon the subject are not based upon the theories of men; they are founded upon the revelations of God.
Spirits in Prison.—That the inhabitants of the spirit world, or some of them, return at times and communicate with mortals, I am perfectly well assured. But I am not convinced that any and every spirit is at liberty to return, whatever the "compacts" that may have been entered into beforehand. Some spirits are "in prison."[2]Of what avail would a compact be in their case, unless their jailor or some higher power were a party to it? Evidently the spirits that communicate with mortals are not of that class, unless it be in exceptional cases, where leave of absence has been granted for some special reason.
A House of Order.—God's house is a house of order, and the spirit world is a room in that house. This being the case, it is only reasonable to conclude that before anything important or unusual can take place there, the Master of the Mansion must first give consent. Otherwise confusion would prevail, and the divine purpose for which the veil was dropped between the two worlds might be thwarted.
Unembodied and Disembodied Spirits.—Spirits are of two kinds—the unembodied and the disembodied; that is to say, those who have not tabernacled in the flesh, and those who after taking bodies on earth, have passed out of them. It matters not which class is considered; in any case, permission from the Great Father would have to be obtained before one of his children, either an unembodied or a disembodied spirit, could make itself manifest to mortals.
The Question of Receptivity.—Moreover, as Belasco, through Dr. McPherson, aims to show, not every mortal is qualified to receive a message from "the other side." One must be fittingly endowed, must have the proper gift, in order to get a communication of that kind.[3]Earthly ties would not necessarily govern. Other and higher relationships are involved. There must be capacity as well as a desire to receive. Because men like Moses and Joseph Smith saw God, is no sign that any man can see him. "Choice seers" were they, very different from ordinary men. All human beings can obtain blessings from heaven, but not always in the same way. There are diversities of gifts and varying degrees of receptivity. Wireless telegraphy furnishes a hint in this connection. Unless there be a receiving station with an apparatus properly attuned, a message launched upon the ether would find, like Noah's dove, "no rest for the sole of her foot."[4]
Future Occupations.—In one of the supposed conversations between Peter Grimm and Doctor McPherson, the subject of future occupations is discussed. The "compact" having been entered into, the Doctor says: "I would like you to find out, if you can, what we do in the other world. I would like to know if I have got to go on being a bone-setter throughout all eternity." Grimm's reply is characteristic: "Well, you would stand a better chance for success, having practiced it all your life here, than a novice who simply took it up there, wouldn't you?"
The florist's argument is logical, but like the question that called it forth, somewhat misapplied. "A spirit hath not flesh and bones."[5]Bone-setting, therefore, does not belong to the spirit world. Nevertheless, there must be occupations in the future life, of which those in the present life may be regarded as typical, or in the nature of a preparation, leading up to loftier employments. If a follower of Joseph Smith were asked: "How do you expect to spend eternity?" he would not agree with that clergyman who said, in answer to the same question: "I expect to spend the first million years gazing upon the face of the Savior." The Latter-day Saint would be very apt to reply: "I expect to do hereafter what I have learned to do here, but with more perfect means and in higher and better ways."
"And every power find sweet employ In that eternal world of joy."
Evil Spirits at Large.—A very important question now arises: How may good or bad spirits be known? For every spirit is not good, nor is every spiritual manifestation genuine. There are frauds and counterfeits innumerable. Even if real spirits and actual manifestations are alone considered, we must still be on our guard against deception. There are many evil spirits in this world—spirits that have never had bodies. They are here by permission or toleration of the Most High, against whom they rebelled when the Savior was chosen. Satan and his legions, those cast out of heaven, are all wicked spirits, and they wander up and down the world, endeavoring to lead mortals astray. Wherever possible, they take possession of the bodies of men and even of the lower animals.[6]Therefore is power given to the Priesthood to "cast out devils."[7]Against these fallen spirits, mortals must be ever on the defensive, lest their souls be ensnared. Temptation, however, is an important factor in man's probation; for by resisting it, the soul is developed and made stronger. This is probably one reason why the pernicious activity of such spirits is tolerated. Punished in part by being denied bodies, the full penalty for their misdeeds—the second death—is yet to be visited upon them.
Spiritualism a Reality.—Spiritualism is not altogether what some people imagine. Despite the frauds connected with it, it is a reality, and was recognized as such long before Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir A. Conan Doyle proclaimed their conversion thereto, thus lending to it the prestige of their illustrious names. But all realities are not righteous. Because there is a devil—an actual demon and his dupes, is no reason why we should associate with them, confide in them, or accept their evil communications.
How can We Know?—There are bad spirits as well as good, and the vital question is: How can we know the difference between them? Let us at this stage consult an expert—for there are such—one who came in contact with spiritual forces to a marvelous extent, not only receiving messages from other worlds, but also interviewing the messengers. Joseph Smith knew the difference between good and evil communicants, and here is his testimony concerning them:
Expert Testimony.—"When a messenger comes, saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand, and request him to shake hands with you.
"If he be an angel, he will do so, and you will feel his hand." [An angel is a resurrected being, with a body as tangible as man's.]
"If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect, he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear.
"Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still deliver his message.
"If it be the Devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands, he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything [he also being without a body]. You may therefore detect him."[8]
In another place, the Prophet says: "Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits and laws, by which they are governed; and it is very evident that they possess a power that none but those who have the Priesthood can control."[9]To his declaration that "a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge," he adds that if men do not get knowledge, including the knowledge of how to control evil spirits, the latter will have more power than the former, and thus be able to dominate them. This is precisely the condition of "the spirits in prison." They are dominated by a power which they cannot control. They are in Hell, and Satan sways the scepter over his own dominion.
Seek Knowledge Aright.—To those in quest of spiritual light, this word of counsel: Seek it only in the Lord's appointed way. Follow the advice of the Apostle James and the example of Joseph the Prophet.[10]Never go upon the Devil's ground. Keep away from all deceptive influence. One may believe in hypnotism, without being a hypnotist, without surrendering one's will to the will of the person exercising that power—a very dangerous power when wielded by an unprincipled possessor. In like manner, one may believe spiritualism real, without becoming a spiritualist, without attending "seances," without consulting "mediums," without putting trust in planchettes, ouija boards, automatic pencils, false impersonations, or in any way encouraging the advances of designing spirits, who thus gain an ascendancy over their victims, leading them into mazes of delusion, and often into depths of despair. Go not after them; and if they come to you, put them to the test. "Try the spirits."[11]If they speak not according to revealed truth, if they conform not to divine standards, "it is because there is no light in them."[12]
The Great Return.—Yes, the dead, or the departed, do return. They are no more dead than we are. Nay, not so much. The Savior's reappearance after death to his amazed and incredulous disciples—what was that but a return, a real return, from the realm of the departed, where in the interim between his crucifixion and resurrection, he "preached to the spirits in prison?" Moreover, the ascended Lord promised another return, or his angel promised it for him, when the "men of Galilee" stood "gazing up into heaven," after "a cloud" had "received him out of their sight."[13]That glorious return is nigh. All the signs so indicate. May the kingly Traveler from heaven to earth meet a royal welcome when he appears!
1. Luke 24:36-39.
2. 1 Peter 3:18-20.
3. 1 Cor. 12:4-11.
4. Gen. 8:9.
5. Luke 24:39.
6. Acts 19:13-16; Mark 5:12, 3.
7. Ib. 16:17; Hist. Ch. Vol. 5, p. 403.
8. D. & C. 129:4-8.
9. Hist. Ch. Vol. 4, p. 576.
10. James 1:5; Hist. Ch. Vol. 1, pp. 4, 5.
11. 1 John 4:1.
12. Isa. 8:20.
13. Acts 1:9-11.
The Goal Eternal.
Dante and the Divine Comedy.—In the thirteenth century a great Italian poet, the immortal Dante, produced a wonderful work, "La Divina Comedia"—in English, "The Divine Comedy." In one part of the poem the author represents himself as passing through Hades. In the first circle of the infernal depths, a region called "Limbo"—described by a footnote in my copy of the work as a place "containing the souls of unbaptized children and of those virtuous men and women who lived before the birth of our Savior"—he comes upon such characters as Homer, Virgil, Plato and others of their class, and the spirit guide who is conducting him through "the realms of shade," says:
—Inquirest thou not what spiritsAre these, which thou beholdest? Ere thou passFarther, I would thou know, that these of sinWere blameless; and if aught they meritedIt profits not, since baptism was not theirs,The portal to thy faith. If they beforeThe Gospel lived, they served not God aright;And among such am I.For these defectsAnd for no other evil, we are lost;Only so far afflicted, that we liveDesiring without hope.[1]
—Inquirest thou not what spiritsAre these, which thou beholdest? Ere thou passFarther, I would thou know, that these of sinWere blameless; and if aught they meritedIt profits not, since baptism was not theirs,The portal to thy faith. If they beforeThe Gospel lived, they served not God aright;And among such am I.For these defectsAnd for no other evil, we are lost;Only so far afflicted, that we liveDesiring without hope.[1]
And this was all that thirteenth century theology could say for worthies of that stamp—the best and brightest spirits of their times. Blameless, and yet in hell, "desiring without hope," simply because they had lived on earth when the Gospel was not on earth, and had not been baptized! Whether or not, as some think, it was the intent of the poet to covertly satirize such teachings, is immaterial at the present time. It is sufficient that he had such teachings to satirize.
Truth's Restoration Imperative.—If any reader of mine wishes to know why Joseph Smith and "Mormonism" came into the world, he need look no further to find one of the cardinal reasons. It is furnished in those lines from Dante's masterpiece, setting forth the orthodox tenet and teaching of the Christian Church regarding the spirits of the good who depart this life without undergoing the baptismal ordinance. This, and that other man-made doctrine, that half to be damned, regardless of any good or evil done by them—little children being included in both classes—were widely preached in Christendom at the time of the advent of "Mormonism." It was imperative that a prophet should arise, that the pure primitive faith should be restored, and God's word go forth once more on its mission of justice and mercy.
"According to Their Works."—Whatever Christian theology may have taught, or whatever it may teach, in support of such doctrines, the fact remains that the Gospel of Christ does not, and never did dispose of men's precious souls in that unrighteous, unreasonable, unscriptural manner. It does not prejudge, nor save nor damn, regardless of men's deserts. Rewarding all according to their works,[2]it gives to every creature, living or dead, the opportunity to accept or reject it before final judgment.[3]God is not trying to damn the world; he is trying to save it—but not independently of the principles of truth and righteousness.
A Nautical Illustration.—I was crossing the Atlantic on an ocean-liner, and had been fortunate enough to secure a first-cabin berth, the only one remaining unsold when I made my purchase. There were upwards of a hundred passengers in that part of the vessel. The second-cabin compartment contained perhaps twice as many; and in the steerage were several hundred more.
The first-cabin berths were the best furnished and the most favorably situated for comfort, convenience and safety. The passengers were shown every courtesy; their food was of the choicest; the captain and other officers were their associates, and they enjoyed the full freedom of the ship. They might go down onto the second-cabin deck, or lower down, into the steerage, and return without hindrance or question. They had paid for these privileges, and were therefore entitled to them.
But it was different in the lower compartment. There the food was not so good, the berths were less comfortable, and the privileges fewer. The second-class passengers could descend into the steerage, but were not permitted upon the first-cabin deck.
Conditions in the steerage were even less favorable. The food was still poorer, and the restrictions were yet more rigid. The occupants of that section were not allowed even second-class privileges. They had to remain right where they were. Having paid only for steerage accommodations, these were all that they could consistently claim.
A Likeness of Human Destiny.—I was struck with the analogy existing between the things that I beheld and the higher things which they seemed to symbolize. I saw another illustration of the proverb, "The earthly typifies the heavenly," and received fresh confirmation of the poetic truth: "All things have their likeness." That ocean-going steamer was a likeness of human destiny, projecting the eternal future of Adam's race, as made known by divine revelation. All souls rewarded according to their works—their varied works—and saved and glorified in the "many mansions" of the Father.[4]
Celestial Glory—The Church of the First Born.—"And this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning those 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; . . . .
"That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on 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 the Church of the First-born.
"They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—
"They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness and of his glory . . . .
"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 . . . .
"These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever 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 shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.
"These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
"These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the first-born.
"These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all.
"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."[5]
In other words—if the maritime metaphor be allowed—they were first-cabin passengers over the sea of mortal life. They gave to the great Captain the fulness of their obedience, and received from him the fulness of recognition and reward. All privileges, all possessions, are theirs. They associate with divine beings, and are themselves divine.
Terrestrial Glory.—Concerning those who attain to a terrestrial sphere, "whose glory differs from that of the Church of the First-Born, as the moon differs from the sun," the Vision goes on to say:
"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 of the earth who were blinded by the craftiness of men.
"These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.
"These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness 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."[6]
Continuing the comparison: These voyagers paid only for second-rate privileges. They "drew the line," giving a part but not all of their allegiance to Him who hath said: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The things of this world were more precious in their eyes than the riches that perish not and that thieves cannot steal. They loved Truth, but not whole-heartedly. They loved money and pleasure more, and strove for fame and the applause of this world, rather than for the approval of heaven. Though clean of conduct and honorable in deal, they were not zealous for Christ, and knew not the meaning of self-sacrifice. These are worthy of the Kingdom, but not of the Crown; and they shine, not like the golden sun, but like the silvery moon, with a diminished or secondary radiance, with reflected rather than with original light.
Telestial Glory—Servants of the Most High.—As for those who inherit telestial conditions, differing from the terrestrial as the stars differ from the moon—were they not symbolized by the steerage and its occupants?
"These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the Devil, until the last resurrection," at the close of the Millennial reign. Criminals of every type and grade, they "suffer the wrath of God until the fulness of times, until Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet and shall have perfected his work." They receive not of "his fulness 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 telestial 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."[7]
The heirs telestial are those who "receive not the Gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant." According to the Vision, they "were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sands upon the seashore." Concerning this vast multitude, the voice of the Lord was heard, saying:
"These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to Him who sits upon the throne forever 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."[8]
The Damned Can Be Saved.—Yes, such is "Mormonism's" astounding declaration—and not only saved, but glorified, if they will repent. The glorified planets are God's kingdoms, and "all kingdoms have a law given"—celestial, terrestrial or telestial. Whosoever inherits any of these kingdoms, must abide the law pertaining to that kingdom. If he cannot abide "the Law of Christ," he must inherit a glory other than the celestial—even a terrestrial or a telestial glory. If he cannot abide a telestial law, he is "not meet for a kingdom of glory;" and if he willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, then must he "remain filthy still."[9]
Sons of Perdition.—One class alone remains outside salvation's pale, permanently condemned—they who commit the unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost. For them there is no forgiveness. But one must receive the Holy Ghost before he can sin against it, must have knowledge and power sufficient to entitle him to celestial exaltation; and then prove utterly recreant to the great light that has come to him. Such a sin can be committed only by men equipped with every qualification for the highest degree of eternal glory. It is an offense so heinous that the sinner cannot repent. This is what makes his case hopeless; salvation being predicated upon repentance. If he could repent, he could be forgiven; but being unable to repent, incapable of reformation, he cannot be reached by the pardoning power.
They who commit the sin unpardonable are as first-cabin passengers who, in the full enjoyment of every privilege and advantage pertaining to that highly favored condition, wilfully throw all away, and recklessly fling themselves overboard, to go down in unfathomable depths. Sons of Perdition, these—"the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power"—"the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord." They "deny the Son, after the Father has revealed him. Wherefore, he saves all except them."[10]
Desires As Well as Deeds a Basis of Judgment.—But the final word was not yet spoken. At a date subsequent to that upon which Joseph and Sidney received this wonderful manifestation, the heavens were again opened to the Prophet, and he beheld the glory—the transcendent glory of the Celestial Kingdom,[11]He saw that little children, those "who die before they arrive at the years of accountability," are saved in that kingdom. He also saw his brother Alvin—a good and worthy man, but one who had not been baptized, he having died before the Gospel came—saw him in celestial glory! Joseph marveled at the sight, wondering how Alvin could have risen to so exalted a plane. Then came the voice of the Lord to him, saying: "All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts."[12]
Mormonism's Magnanimity.—And yet "Mormonism" is said to be narrow, small and illiberal. Narrow, forsooth! Then where will you find breadth? Where find justice, mercy, magnanimity, if not in a religion that saves the living, redeems the dead, rescues the damned, and glorifies all who repent? "Mormonism" a small thing? It's the biggest thing in the universe! It is the Everlasting Gospel, the mighty soul-ship of the dispensations, launched in the days of Adam upon the heaving ocean of the ages, and now on its last voyage over the stormy billows of Time to the beaconing coast of Eternity.
1. Hades or Hell, Canto 4, lines 29-39.
2. Rev. 20:12.
3. I Peter 4:6.
4. John 14:2.
5. Vision of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, D. & C. 76:50-70. See also 131:1. Compare 1 Cor. 15:40-42.
6. D. & C. 76:72-79.
7. D. & C. 76:84-88.
8. D. & C. 76:110-112.
9. Ib. 88:21-40.
10. D. & C. 76:31-44.
11. February 16th, 1832, was the date of Joseph and Sidney's vision; January 21st, 1836 the date of the other manifestation.
12. Hist. Ch. Vol. 2, p. 380. Compare Alma 29:4,5.
We are not to infer that Alvin Smith or anyone else could inherit celestial glory, without receiving the fulness of the Gospel. It was a prophetic vision, showing what would be when Alvin had done his part, and the part that he could not do had been done for him. The same vision showed the parents of the Prophet—Joseph and Lucy Smith—in celestial glory; and yet at that time they were still alive on earth. We are not to infer that Alvin Smith or anyone else could inherit celestial glory, without receiving the fulness of the Gospel. It was a prophetic vision, showing what would be when Alvin had done his part, and the part that he could not do had been done for him. The same vision showed the parents of the Prophet—Joseph and Lucy Smith—in celestial glory; and yet at that time they were still alive on earth.