{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_46617/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_46617","id":"gutenberg_46617","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46617","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saints","Salvation"],"text":"THE PLAN OF SALVATION.\n\nBY ELDER JOHN MORGAN.\n\nPRINTED AND PUBLISHED AT THE MILLENNIAL STAR OFFICE, 295 EDGE LANE,\nLIVERPOOL.\n\nIn the midst of the Christian world there are very many conflicting\ntheories, in relation to man's existence here and hereafter; also as to\nthe duties he owes to himself, his fellow-man and to his Creator. It\nis an undisputed question that some knowledge of WHERE WE CAME FROM,\nWHY WE ARE HERE, AND WHERE WE GO AFTER WE LEAVE THIS PROBATION, is\nessential to the enjoyment and well-being of the human family.\n\nIn the following pages of this tract we shall seek to briefly set forth\nthe belief of the Latter-day Saints on these points. While they may\ndiffer widely from the accepted ideas of the Christian world, we may be\nallowed to mildly suggest, that this difference is not so much between\nthe sects of the day and the Latter-day Saints, as it is between those\nsects and the Bible, a fact for which we are in no sense responsible,\nand a fact that we can in nowise alter or change, even were we so\ndisposed.\n\nIt is deemed proper in the commencement of this investigation, to\nrefer to another point, so that we may clearly understand each other.\nIt is this: sincerity of belief does not by any means establish the\ncorrectness of a principle. Testimony of an unimpeachable character\ncan alone do that. Man's belief does not affect a principle in the\nleast. The whole world may believe it and yet it be untrue; the whole\nworld may refuse to believe it, and yet it be true. The unbelief of the\npeople of Noah's day did not stay the flood; the unbelief of the Jews\ndid not prove Jesus an impostor; and the killing of the apostles did\nnot prove their doctrines false. The assassination of Joseph Smith was\nno proof one way or another as to the divine nature of his authority;\nneither will the rejection of the doctrines he taught prove them wrong.\nIf they are true, though he was slain, his followers mobbed, driven\nand persecuted, yet in the end they will rise triumphant over every\nobstacle and grow stronger and stronger, as error shall grow weaker and\nweaker.\n\nIn presenting the principles of _pre-existence_, the _first principles\nof the gospel_ and _baptism for the dead_, we shall simply quote\nscripture; and we again state that if there is any difference of\nopinion it is between the reader and holy writ.\n\nThe apostle Paul's injunction to the Thessalonians, was: \"Prove all\nthings: hold fast that which is good\" (I.Thess. 5:21); and the wise man\nSolomon's assertion, was: \"He that judgeth a matter before he heareth\nit is not wise.\"\n\nLet us, then, refer to the word of the Lord, which is the end of\nargument, and see what the teachings of the Great Creator of all are.\n\nSpeaking to Job, one of the most ancient writers of the Bible, He says:\n\"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up\nthy loins like a man: for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.\nWhere wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? * * * When\nthe morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for\njoy?\" (Job 38:2-7.)\n\nJob certainly must have been somewhere when the \"foundations of the\nearth\" were laid, or why the query?\n\nThere was doubtless more meaning to the words, \"When ALL _the sons of\nGod_ shouted for joy,\" than one at first supposes. The reader asks,\n\"Who were these sons of God?\" Luke, in giving the genealogy of the\nhuman family, gives the necessary information on this subject: \"which\nwas the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of\n_Adam, which was the_ SON OF GOD.\" (Luke 3:38.) But let us turn to\nanother text. One of the ancient writers says: \"Then shall the dust\nreturn to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who\ngave it.\" (Ecc. 12:7.)\n\nLet us ask ourselves how it would be possible to _return_ to a place,\npoint or locality, which we had never visited. How could we _return_\nto God unless we had once been in His presence? The logical conclusion\nis unavoidable, that to enable us to _return_ to him we must have once\nenjoyed His association, which must have been in a pre-existent state,\nbefore our spirit became clothed with this body of flesh and bone.\n\nAgain, we find that the apostles must have had some conception of\npre-existence, judging from their question to Jesus: \"Master, who did\nsin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?\" (John 9:2.) It\nwill, doubtless, require no argument to convince the reader that the\njustice of God would scarcely permit the punishment of the individual\nbefore the crime was committed. If so, then the sin must have been\ncommitted before he came upon the earth, for he was _born blind_. It\nwas evident that the question was not a doubtful one in the minds of\nthe apostles as to whether a man _could_ sin previous to his existence\nin the flesh, but as to whether this particular man had sinned or not.\n\nPaul, in his writings to the Hebrews, says: \"Furthermore we have had\nfathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:\nshall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits,\nand live?\" (Heb. 12:9.) We here gain the information as to who the\nsons of God were who _shouted for joy_ in the beginning. We also learn\nthe reason why we address Him as, \"Our Father which art in heaven,\" to\ndistinguish Him from the father of our earthly tabernacles. In other\nwords, He is the father of the spirits that inhabit our bodies, in\nprecisely the same sense that our earthly fathers are the fathers of\nour bodies of flesh and bone.\n\nWhen death ensues we bury the earthly body, which decomposes and\nmingles with the elements surrounding its place of deposit; but what of\nthe spirit which \"returns unto God who gave it?\"\n\nWhen Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, \"They were\naffrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit\"; but He corrected\nthem, saying, \"Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and\nbones, as ye see me have.\" (Luke 24: 37-39.) From these words we gather\nthe information that man, while existing as a spirit, did not have a\nbody of flesh and bone, but nevertheless, existed in the exact shape\nand form that he now possesses. He had eyes to see, ears to hear,\nand many other faculties with which man is here endowed. He was also\ndoubtless in possession of intelligence, and much that goes to ennoble\nman. He had the ability to pass from place to place, increase in\nknowledge, and perform certain duties that devolved upon him in that\nsphere of action.\n\nAn unembodied spirit is one that has not yet taken upon itself a body.\nAn embodied spirit is one dwelling in the flesh. A disembodied spirit\nis one that has passed through this stage of existence and laid its\nbody down in the grave, to be finally taken up again united, spirit and\nbody, those of the righteous never more to be separated.\n\nThe word of the Lord to Jeremiah was, \"Before I formed thee in the\nbelly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I\nsanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.\"\n(Jer. 1:5.) Here we have the sure word of the Lord relating to one\nof the children of men, who was but a type of the rest, only that in\nthis particular case we have the fact made known that, for good and\nsufficient reasons, our common Father in the heavens saw proper to\nordain one of His children to a certain office prior to sending him\ndown upon the earth. Having so gained the confidence of his Father\nwhile in his first or pre-existent state, he was ordained to a high and\nholy calling, previous to his advent upon the earth, and we learn from\nholy writ, that this confidence was not misplaced, but that he in honor\nfilled his mission and proved himself true to the trust reposed in him,\nnot veering or turning a hair's breadth from the line of his duty,\nthough met by obstacles sufficient to appall the stoutest heart.\n\nThe reader will please be cautious not to confound the principle of\nfore-ordination with that of predestination, in the case of Jeremiah,\nfor there is a broad distinction between the two. A man may be\nfore-ordained, set apart or commanded to do a certain work, yet he\nretains his agency in the matter, and it is optional with him whether\nhe performs the duty assigned him or not. If predestinated to perform\na certain work, there would be no choice but to do that work. Not\nhaving any choice, he would not incur the responsibility of his own\nactions, nor control them, but would be controlled by the power which\npredestined him. While Jeremiah was fore-ordained to be a prophet to\nthe nations, we do not read that he was predestined to fill the office\nof a prophet by any means.\n\nThe principle of pre-existence is plainly illustrated in the life of\nour Savior, who thus spake to the people: \"What and if ye shall see the\nSon of man ascend up where He was before?\" (John 6:62.) Again, \"And\nno man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven.\"\nTo all human appearance, Jesus resembled very much the rest of the\nchildren of our common Father. So close was this resemblance, that\nthose by whom He was surrounded failed to see any contrast between\nHim and any ordinary man. They enquired of each other, \"Is not this\nthe carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren,\nJames, and Joses, and Simon and Judas?\"\n\nLet us ask ourselves the question: Is it so difficult to comprehend\nour own pre-existence, when that of Jesus is so plainly taught, and\nalso that of many of the Biblical characters of whom we read? Paul,\nthe great apostle, speaking of himself, says, \"In hope of eternal\nlife, which God, that cannot lie, _promised before the world began_.\"\n(Titus 1:2.) Here was a promise made to Paul of eternal life, \"_before\nthe world began_,\" conditioned upon obedience, as was said to Cain\naforetime, \"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?\" (Genesis\n4:7.) Yet, notwithstanding this promise, Paul was under the necessity\nof performing certain duties to enable him to claim the promise made.\nAfter being stricken with blindness on the way up to Damascus, and\nhearing the voice of a risen Redeemer, he was told to \"Arise and go\ninto the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.\" (Acts\n9:6.) After fasting and prayer, he was visited at the end of three\ndays, by one Ananias, who had been commanded of the Lord in vision, to\nvisit Paul, and was furthermore told, that he was a \"chosen vessel,\"\nor, in other words, one whom the Lord hath made promises to before the\n\"world began,\" and who had a mission to perform before \"Gentiles, and\nkings, and the children of Israel.\" The question of Ananias was, \"And\nnow why tarriest thou? Arise, and _be baptized_, and wash away thy\nsins, calling on the name of the Lord.\" (Acts 22:16.)\n\nWe have presented for the consideration of the reader but a few\nBiblical proofs of man's pre-existence, out of the many that can be\nselected, yet consider that sufficient has been advanced to show\nconclusively that the claim of the Latter-day Saints to a belief in\nthis principle is founded upon holy writ. Their ideas only coincide\nwith the prophets and servants of God in all ages of the world who have\nalluded to this subject.\n\nHaving answered the question: _Where did we come from?_ let us now\nconsider\n\nWHY WE ARE HERE.\n\nA wise Creator must have had some great object in view in the creation\nof the earth, and placing upon it His children, to pass through what\nthey are called upon to, while in this probation. A knowledge of this\nobject is almost positively necessary to enable the human family to act\nwell their part. Let us then examine what He had in view.\n\nThe primary object of man's existence upon the earth is to obtain a\nbody of flesh and bone; for without this it is impossible to advance in\nthe grand scale of being in which he is to move in the eternal worlds.\n\nIt is necessary also for him to learn, by actual experience, the\ndifference between good and evil. As was said of our first parents,\n\"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know\ngood and evil.\" (Gen. 3:22.)\n\nIt is necessary that man taste the bitter to enable him to appreciate\nthe sweet. No proper appreciation of the value of eternal life could be\narrived at, without having experienced its opposite.\n\nA man must feel the effects of sickness to enable him to fully\nappreciate the great boon of health. He must feel the effects of pain,\nbefore he can enjoy immunity therefrom. He must feel the influence\nand power of death, before he can appreciate eternal life. He must\ncomprehend the effects of sin before he can enjoy \"the rest promised to\nthe faithful.\" There are many experiences that he can gain in the flesh\nthat cannot be obtained elsewhere. There are ordinances to be performed\nand eternal unions to be perfected, that in the wise economy of the\ngreat Creator, must be effected here on the earth. Baptism for the\nremission of sins and marriage for eternity, are prominent features of\nduty that devolve upon man in his second state, or during his existence\nupon the earth. It is not all of man's duty to care for himself alone,\nto selfishly neglect his fellow-man, and seek aggrandizement himself\nat their expense. \"Do unto others as ye would that they should do\nunto you,\" is called the Golden Rule, by which men should be governed\nin this life. In brief, man has a work to do to prepare himself for\na future exaltation in the eternities to come. He is called upon to\n\"work out his salvation with fear and trembling,\" for the work done in\nthis life will have its influence in that to come. By obedience to the\nprinciples of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he prepares himself for the\ngrand and glorious exaltation held in reserve for those who worship\nGod in \"Spirit and in truth.\" As Jesus said to His apostles, \"I go to\nprepare a place for you,\" for \"in my Father's house are many mansions.\"\n\nHaving learned why we are here, let us examine what is the nature of\nthe duties devolving upon us.\n\nFAITH.\n\nTo enable a man to perform any work whatever, requires that he have\nfaith in the ultimate result of the work. No farmer would plant unless\nhe expected to reap; no builder build, unless he expected to inhabit;\nno speculator invest unless he expected to increase his means; no\njourney would be attempted unless there existed hope of reaching the\ndestination. So, likewise, no commandment of God would be obeyed,\nunless there existed faith that certain blessings would follow\nobedience.\n\nWith this idea plainly before us, we can comprehend the assertion of\nthe Apostle Paul to the Hebrews, \"But without faith it is impossible to\nplease him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that\nhe is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.\" (Heb. 11:6.)\n\nWe find the active workings of the principle of faith in the many\ncases of healing performed by our Savior. \"Thy faith hath made thee\nwhole,\" was the invariable remark he made to one and all: and we find\nhim speaking to the apostles in the strongest terms about their lack\nof this great principle. Upon one occasion they came to Him with the\nquestion: \"Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them,\nBecause of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have _faith_\nas a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove\nhence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and nothing shall be\nimpossible unto you.\" (Matt. 17:19, 20.) Again, we read, \"And He did\nnot many mighty works there because of their unbelief\" (Matt. 13:58),\nor in other words, they had no faith in the claim He made to being the\nMessiah; consequently, they were deprived of the blessings that fell\nto those that had faith, as mankind to-day are depriving themselves\nof many _great and glorious_ blessings, through their unbelief in the\ndivine calling of Joseph Smith, the prophet and seer.\n\nWe often hear the same cry to-day that greeted the ears of Jesus,\n\"Master, we would see a sign from thee. But He answered and said unto\nthem, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.\" (Matt.\n12:38, 39.)\n\nWhat was true of the generation was true of the individual, and\nwhat was true then is true now, which places sign-seekers in a most\nunenviable position, but doubtless where they justly belong. Faith is\nnot produced by sign-seeing, but in the words of Paul, \"Faith cometh by\n_hearing_, and hearing by the word of God.\" (Rom. 10:17.)\n\nAfter the death and resurrection of Jesus, He left this grand test of\nfaith upon record, to serve as a guide for all future generations: \"And\nthese signs _shall_ follow _them that believe_\" (or have faith); \"In\nmy name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;\nthey shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it\nshall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall\nrecover.\" (Mark 16:17, 18.)\n\n\"But,\" says one, \"was it not intended that these gifts and blessings\nshould be limited to the days of the apostles, and to the apostles\nthemselves?\" Read again, \"shall follow them that _believe_\"; and again,\nthe preceding verse reads, \"He that _believeth_ and is baptized shall\nbe saved.\" If you limit the signs following the believer to the day\nof the apostles, you must also limit salvation to that day. But it is\nto-day as it was in the day Paul wrote to the Hebrews: \"For unto us was\nthe gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did\nnot profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.\"\n(Heb. 4:2.)\n\nThe cultivation of this principle of faith is the first step in our\nduties in this life. The second step is that of\n\nREPENTANCE. \"Repent, and _turn_ yourselves from _all_ your\ntransgressions: so iniquity shall not be your ruin.\" (Ezek. 18:30.)\n\"Let the wicked forsake his way.\" (Isaiah 4:7.) \"Repent * * * every one\nof you.\" (Acts 2:38.) \"Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.\"\n(Luke 13:3.)\n\nWe understand that repentance does not consist in mourning over sins\ncommitted, and then repeating the same sin or one equally heinous, but\nthat Ezekiel meant for the people to cease from doing wrong, to quit\ntheir evil practices, and walk in the paths of rectitude, virtue and\ntrue holiness. \"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not\nto be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.\" (II.\nCor. 7:10.) We believe that the \"sorrow of the world\" here alluded to,\nis the too prevalent practice of crying, groaning and moaning over our\nwrong-doing, and then continuing the same practice.\n\nThe third step for man to take in this life to secure salvation in the\neternal world, is to be\n\nBAPTIZED.\n\n\"He that believeth\" (that is, he that hath faith) \"and is _baptized_\nshall be saved\" (Mark 16:16), was the emphatic assertion of our Savior.\nAgain we find that man came under condemnation by refusing obedience\nto this commandment; \"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the\ncounsel of God against themselves, being _not baptized_ of him.\" (Luke\n7:30.) So the world of to-day will, in the end, find themselves under\ncondemnation for refusing to obey this principle of the gospel. \"Except\na man be born of water and of the Spirit, he _can not_ enter into the\nkingdom of God.\" (John 3:5.)\n\nPaul, writing to the Hebrews, says: \"Therefore, leaving out the\nprinciples of the doctrines of Christ, let us go on unto perfection:\nnot laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of\nfaith toward God, of the _doctrine of baptisms_, and of laying on of\nhands.\" (Heb. 6:1, 2.) Here are four principles all classed together,\nall equally important, all equally necessary, and all required at our\nhands by those fixed and eternal laws of truth and justice by which the\nworlds are governed, and by which we may return back into the presence\nof God, and dwell with the just, the true and the pure of all ages.\n\nThe fourth step necessary for man to take while in this state of\nprobation, is to receive\n\nTHE LAYING ON OF HANDS.\n\nfor the reception of the Holy Ghost. This is a principle, to a great\nextent, ignored by the Christian world, yet plainly taught in the\nscriptures.\n\nPeter and his brethren of the twelve had doubtless all been baptised,\nand endeavored to lead holy lives during their association with Jesus;\nyet we find Him, just previous to His ascension on high, telling them,\n\"Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the\ncity of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And He\nled them out as far as to Bethany, and He _lifted up His hands_, and\nblessed them.\" (Luke 24:49, 50.)\n\nWe find a still further explanation of the manner of obtaining this\ngift and blessing, in the Acts of the Apostles, where He \"commanded\nthem that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the\npromise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John\ntruly baptized with water, but ye shall be _baptized with the Holy\nGhost_ not many days hence.\" (Acts 1:4, 5.)\n\nTurning to the account of the ministry of Philip in Samaria, we find\nthat after the Samaritans had exercised FAITH sufficient to cause them\nto REPENT, they had been BAPTIZED under the hands of Philip. \"Now when\nthe apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received\nthe word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John; who, when they\nwere come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost\n(for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in\nthe name of the Lord Jesus.) Then _laid they their hands on them and\nthey received the Holy Ghost_.\" (Acts 8:14-17.)\n\nPaul, writing to Timothy, charged him thus: \"Neglect not the gift that\nis in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of\nhands of the presbytery.\" (I. Tim. 4:14); and again, \"Wherefore I put\nthee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in\nthee by putting on of my hands.\" (II. Tim. 1:6.)\n\nWe also call the attention of the reader to the account of Paul's visit\nto the baptized saints of Ephesus, and his inquiry of them: \"Have ye\nreceived the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We\nhave not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. * * * Then\nthey were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had\n_laid his hands_ upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they spake\nwith tongues and prophesied.\" (Acts 19:2-5.)\n\nSufficient has doubtless been said to clearly establish the fact that\nthe gift of the Holy Ghost was formerly obtained by the laying on of\nthe hands of those who held the authority to do so. Nowhere do we\nfind that the order here laid down has been supplanted or annulled.\nOn the contrary, the apostle spoke in the strongest terms against any\ninnovation upon the established forms that Jesus taught them.\n\nPaul, writing to the Galatians, speaks of those who were \"perverting\"\nthe gospel; doubtless teaching that the laying on of hands was not\nnecessary, or else that it was done away with, and says, \"But though\nwe or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that\nwhich we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.\" (Gal. 1:8.)\n\nThe reader has now examined the fourth step for man's advancement\nin the probation in which he is now living; and in the words of our\nSavior, \"He that entereth not by the _door_ into the sheepfold, but\nclimbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.\" (John\n10:1.)\n\nWe have traced man from a pre-existent state, before the world began,\nwhen he dwelt in the presence of the Father, and of our elder Brother,\nJesus, and mingled with the spirits who have or shall come into this\nsphere of action.\n\nAs it is beautifully expressed in one of the songs of Zion:\n\n\n\n\"Oh my Father, Thou that dwellest In the high and glorious place! When\nshall I regain Thy presence, And again behold Thy face? In Thy holy\nhabitation, Did my spirit once reside? In my first primeval childhood,\nWas I nurtured near Thy side?\n\nFor a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast placed me here on earth, And\nwithheld the recollection, Of my former friends and birth; Yet ofttimes\na secret something Whisper'd, 'You're a stranger here' And I felt that\nI had wandered From a more exalted sphere.\"\n\n\n\nThis is certainly a grander and nobler conception of man's origin that\nthat of some of the would-be philosophers of to-day, who advocate the\nidea of evolution from a lower scale.\n\nHaving described the nature of the duties (to have faith in God and His\npromises, to repent of his sins, to be baptized for their remission,\nand to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost)\nthat he must perform in this life to lay a foundation for future\nexaltation, we now turn to the consideration of man's FUTURE EXISTENCE.\n\nUpon this subject there is a great diversity of opinion among men,\nand almost every possible conjecture has, from time to time, held the\nattention of the human family. If we are to judge by the accepted\ncreeds of the Christian world, we find that an almost universal belief\nexists in future punishment.\n\nWe find, also, that the fear of future punishment is used as a mighty\npower to influence the minds of the people in a religious sense. The\nfearful horrors of the never-ending punishment of the guilty are\nportrayed in the liveliest colors from the Christian pulpits of the\nland. They are so clearly defined, that in many instances we find that\nthe love and justice of God are lost sight of in the description of\nthe fearful character of the punishment He inflicts, not so much upon\nunbelievers as upon those who reject the creeds, articles of faith and\ndiscipline, whereby men seek to \"know God.\"\n\nLet the reader lay aside preconceived notions, tradition and prejudice,\nand examine this subject with a desire to know the truth.\n\nWe shall again refer to holy writ, and ask the candid attention of the\nreader to the proofs we place before him.\n\nIf we had the history of two persons, the one good and the other bad,\nafter they left the earth, or laid down their bodies in death, it would\nserve as a guide to decide upon the future destiny of the whole human\nfamily. Fortunately, there is left upon record such information, and by\nit we can determine this all-important question.\n\nNo one will dispute the assertion that Jesus of Nazareth was\nappropriately termed the \"Just One,\" a person of pure and holy life.\n\nThe confession of guilt by one of the men crucified beside Jesus, is\ntestimony enough to convict him of being a bad man. \"We received the\ndue reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss\" (Luke\n23:41), were the words of the malefactor, thus confessing that death\nwas the proper penalty for the many crimes he was guilty of.\n\nNow, here are two persons who were born upon the earth, lived out a\ncertain number of years, and then laid down their lives, their bodies\nbecoming cold and inanimate in death, while their spirits, freed from\ntheir earthly tenements, passed into another stage of existence,\nleaving their remains to be cared for in the ordinary rites of\nsepulture.\n\nWhile suffering the agonies of crucifixion, a conversation was carried\non between them, which will serve our purpose in opening up an\ninvestigation.\n\n\"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy\nkingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt\nthou be with me in paradise.\" (Luke 23:42, 43.)\n\nThe request of the thief was so far favorably looked upon, that he\nhad the promise that he should accompany Jesus to a place which He\ndesignated as paradise. He could not have consistently granted him\nthe privilege of entering into His kingdom, when He had replied to\nNicodemus: \"Except a man be born of water (baptized) and of the Spirit\n(received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost)\nhe cannot enter into the kingdom of God.\" (John 3:5.) The thief,\nnot having attended to these ordinances, could lay no claim to that\nprivilege; but, says Jesus, \"To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.\"\n\nWe are aware that the majority of the Bible-believing world are of\nthe opinion that the thief was permitted to enter heaven, and enjoy\nthe presence of God; but is this idea a correct one? Let us candidly\nexamine it, and see; for upon it hangs a great principle of truth.\n\nAfter the body of Jesus had lain three days in the tomb, the spirit\nagain entered into it. The angels rolled the stone away from the mouth\nof the sepulchre, and the resurrected Redeemer of the world walked\nforth, clothed with an immortal body of flesh and bones.\n\nMary, who seems to have had some special interest in the Savior, came\nearly to the tomb, and weeping, discovered that the body of her Master\nwas not there. A voice spake to her, saying, \"Mary. She turned herself,\nand saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto\nher, Touch me not; for I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER: but go to my\nbrethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;\nand to my God, and your God.\" (John 20:16, 17.)\n\nHere we have the assertion of Jesus, Himself, that during the three\ndays immediately subsequent to His crucifixion, while His body lay in\nthe tomb, His spirit did not go into heaven or the presence of His\nFather. Logically, it must follow, neither did that of the thief. The\ngenerally accepted idea, therefore, of the thief being saved, must\ninevitably fall to the ground. Jesus asserted that \"To-day shalt thou\nbe with me in paradise,\" and upon His return to the earth, He informed\nMary that He had not ascended to His Father.\n\nThe question naturally arises, where had He been during these three\ndays? We are not left in doubt upon this point, but scripture plainly\npoints out the character of the duties He was called upon to perform,\nwhile His body rested in peace in the new-made tomb of Joseph. He to\nwhom Jesus transferred the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and who stood\nat the head of the twelve apostles, would certainly be accepted as a\ncompetent witness in this matter; and, by turning to his epistles, we\ngain this information: \"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,\nthe just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to\ndeath in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also He went\nand PREACHED UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON.\" (I. Peter 3:18, 19.) Here we\nhave an account of what He was doing during the three days absence from\nthe body: preaching \"unto the spirits in prison,\" also a very clear\nexplanation as to where the thief went. It was to a prison world, where\nhe could have an opportunity to hear the Savior preach the gospel of\ndeliverance to the captive spirits, \"which sometime were disobedient,\nwhen once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.\" (I.\nPeter 3:20.)\n\nWe now understand what Isaiah, the prophet, meant, when speaking\nof Jesus. He says, \"That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go\nforth.\" (Isaiah 49:9.) And again, \"He hath sent me to bind up the\nbroken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the _captives_, and the opening\nof the _prison to them that are bound_.\" (Isaiah 61:1.) And again, \"To\nopen the blind eyes, to bring out the _prisoners_ from the _prison_,\nand them that sit in darkness out of the _prison house_.\" (Isaiah 52:7.)\n\nHow appropriately do these passages coincide with, and support the\nassertion of Peter, relative to Jesus preaching to the \"spirits\nin prison.\" Men, who in the days of the flood failed to obey the\ncommandments of God, and for two thousand long, weary years had\nsuffered the penalty for their wrong doing, had been fulfilling the\nprinciple so clearly enunciated by our Savior, when He said, \"Verily, I\nsay unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast\npaid the uttermost farthing.\" (Matt. 5:26.) \"And that servant, which\nknew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according\nto his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not,\nand did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few\nstripes.\" (Luke 12:47, 48.)\n\nWith what joy must these long-suffering spirits, held in confinement,\nhave greeted the Redeemer when He appeared and preached to them the\nglad tidings of great joy, and presented for their acceptance the\nEVERLASTING GOSPEL! Through its means they could have their prison\ndoors opened, and themselves delivered from the grasp of Lucifer, the\nson of the morning, who is appropriately described as one who \"made\nthe earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms; that made the world as\na wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that _opened not the\nhouse of his prisoners_.\" (Isaiah 14:16, 17.)\n\nHow grand and glorious is the plan of salvation that the Creator has\nordained for His children, reaching from eternity to eternity, and\ncovering in its details every possible emergency; controlling, guiding\nand directing their footsteps while in a pre-existent state; teaching\nthem while sojourners upon the earth, and extending beyond the grave\ninto the spirit world, there to cause their hearts to rejoice and\ngladden under its benign influence, growing and increasing in might and\nmajesty, power and glory, as the ages roll by, until the inspired words\nof our Divine Master shall be fulfilled: \"Every knee shall bow, and\nevery tongue confess.\"\n\nWell might Jesus say to the apostles just previous to His death,\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when\nthe _dead_ shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear\nshall live * * * Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming in which\nall that are in the _graves_ shall hear his voice.\" (John 5:25-28.)\n\nTurning again to the epistle of Peter, we find this assertion, \"Who\nshall give account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the\n_dead_. For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that\n_are dead_, that they might be judged according to _men in the flesh_,\nbut live according to God in the spirit.\" (I. Peter 4:5, 6.)\n\nJesus, upon one occasion, when explaining the gospel to the apostles,\nsaid, \"Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be\nforgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall\nnot be forgiven him, _neither in this world, neither in the world to\ncome_.\" (Matt. 12:32.)\n\nThis, in perfect plainness, explains itself to mean, that there is a\nclass of sins that can be forgiven in this world, and a class that\ncannot; also that there is a class of sins that can be forgiven in the\nworld to come, and a class that cannot.\n\nPeter, speaking of the patriarch David, says, \"For David is not\nascended into the heavens.\" (Acts 2:34.) But David himself, knowing\nfull well that the mercy of the Lord endureth forever, says, \"For thou\nwill not leave my soul in hell.\" (Psalm 16:10.) He knew that after he\nhad paid the penalty of the deeds done in the body, there would be a\nway whereby he might gain a place in the midst of the righteous in the\npresence of God.\n\nIf the present generation desire to know what will be the result of\ntheir disobedience to the proclamation of the principles of the gospel,\nand their contending against the servants of God who proclaim them, let\nthem read what Isaiah says: \"The earth shall reel to and fro like a\ndrunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage. * * * And it shall come\nto pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the hosts of the high\nones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And\nthey shall be _gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit,\nand shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be\nvisited_.\" (Isaiah 24:20-22.)\n\nAfter having waited, perhaps, as long as they did who rejected the word\nof God in the days of Noah--after having passed through, perchance,\nthousands of years of punishment, until they have \"paid the uttermost\nfarthing,\" then the gospel will again be presented to them, and \"they\nwill be visited.\" Another opportunity will be given them to hearken\nunto the truth, but in the meantime, the saints of former and latter\ndays will have advanced in the scale of progression and passed beyond\nthe reach of those who, to-day, reject \"the counsel of God against\nthemselves, being not baptized.\" A separation will have taken place, in\nwhich there shall be \"weeping and wailing,\" sorrow and mourning, over\nthe neglect to obey the gospel when there was opportunity.\n\nIn accordance with divine law, \"they were judged every man _according\nto their works_\" (Rev. 20:13), not indiscriminately consigning all\ngrades and classes of sinners to the same punishment, and that to\ncontinue forever, but meting out judgment according to their works,\nsome with many stripes and some with but few.\n\nWould it not be a libel upon justice, if a judge, presiding over one\nof our ordinary courts, should award to every criminal brought before\nhim, the same punishment? \"If ye then, being evil, know how to give\ngood gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is\nin heaven give good things to them that ask Him?\" Certainly the law of\npoor, weak, mortal man is not superior to that of the Judge of all.\n\nPaul beautifully and aptly expresses the principle in writing to the\nCorinthians: \"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of\nall men most miserable\" (I. Cor. 15:19); but knowing that the gospel\nwould be preached to the spirits in prison, and that untold millions of\nthose who failed to accept the gospel here would do so there, he felt\nto rejoice in his heart instead of being the most miserable of men. He\nwas fully aware that there was but one way to be saved, \"One Lord, one\nfaith, one baptism\" (Eph. 4:5); that it was positively necessary for\nman to pass through the door to enter into the sheepfold; that the many\ndevices whereby men sought to save themselves must of necessity fail,\nfor \"God's house is a house of order.\" He knew there was _only_ one\nname under heaven whereby men might be saved; that obedience to this\nlaw was a prime necessity to salvation, for \"in vain do ye say, Lord,\nLord, and do not the things I command you.\"\n\nKnowing these facts, the life of every good and true man, as was Paul,\nwould be rendered miserable at the thought that so many millions of\nthe human family must irretrievably perish, and be subject to torture\nthroughout all the eternities to come; but understanding the great\nprinciple of the mission of our Savior to the prison world, they can\nrejoice in the fact that the plan of salvation is a complete one. They\nhave hope that, not only in this life, but in the life to come, the\ngospel will be preached and men be taught its precepts.\n\nWe here introduce the evidence of some learned men, who have a\nreputation for scholarly ability, far and wide.\n\nProfessor Taylor Lewis, a prominent English writer, states: \"We are\ntaught that there was a work of Christ in Hades, He descended into\nHades; He made proclamation in Hades to those who are there, in ward.\"\n\nBishop Alford says: \"I understand these words (I. Peter 3:19) to\nsay that our Lord, in His disembodied state, did go to the place of\ndetention of departed spirits, and did there announce His work of\nredemption; preach salvation in fact, to the disembodied spirits of\nthose who refused to obey the voice of God when the judgment of the\nflood was hanging over them.\"\n\nProfessor A. Hinderkoper, a German writer, says: \"In the second and\nthird centuries _every branch and division of the Christian church_, so\nfar as their records enable us to judge, _believed that Christ preached\nto the departed spirits _.\" (Haley's _Discrepancies of the Bible_.)\n\nThese writers were willing to ignore the teachings of tradition, and\nlet the words of inspired men mean just what they said, without any\n\"private interpretation.\"\n\nGod, being no respecter of persons, it would be manifestly unjust for\none portion of the human family to have the privilege of hearing the\nsound of the gospel in this life, while so great a proportion never\nhear it, and lie under condemnation from that fact. No; the plan of\nsalvation is complete, and, reaching from our pre-existent state,\napplies to our present condition, and will extend to the future state,\nuntil every son and duaghter of Father Adam has had ample opportunity\nto embrace its tenets, and live in accordance with its spirit.\n\nWe have now examined the gospel proof of pre-existence, and quoted the\ntestimony of Jesus and many of the servants of the Most High. We have\ngone over the ground of the duties that pertain to this life, connected\nwith _faith, repentance, baptism_ for the remission of sins, and the\n_laying on of hands_ for the gift of the Holy Ghost,[A] and examined\nthe scriptures relative _to preaching to spirits in prison_.\n\n[Footnote A: Should the reader desire a more complete treatise on these\nimportant points, we refer him to Tract No. 1.]\n\nWe now take one more step in our investigation, and shall endeavor\nto learn if there is a way wrought out for the deliverance of the\nprisoners bound and captive in the grasp of Satan.\n\nThe fact of their being preached to, is one evidence that something\ncould be done to mitigate their condition, for it would be cruelty\nintensified, if, after being taught the gospel, it would be necessary\nto inform them that there was no deliverance.\n\nThe word of the Lord through the prophet Malachi, was \"Behold, I\nwill send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and\ndreadful day of the Lord: and He shall turn the heart of the fathers to\nthe children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I\ncome and smite the earth with a curse.\" (Mal. 4:5, 6.) Here was a work\nfor the translated prophet of Israel to perform at some future period\nof time, with the fearful consequence of non-compliance placed before\nus, that the Lord would smite the earth with a curse. The nature of\nthat work is briefly set forth as turning the heart of the fathers to\nthe children, and that of the children to the fathers.\n\nThe apostle Paul asserts that they without us could \"not be made\nperfect,\" or in other words, that their salvation was necessary to our\nhappiness or perfection.\n\nJesus, speaking to Nicodemus, said: \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee,\nExcept a man be born of _water_ and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into\nthe kingdom of God.\"\n\n\"But,\" asks the reader, \"how shall a spirit be born of water, or\nbaptized in water?\"\n\nVery many of those who have gone into the spirit world had never\nsubmitted to the ordinance of baptism, while vast numbers of those who\nhad been baptized, had the ordinance administered by persons who had no\nrightful authority whatever, and whose acts God will not by any means\nrecognize.\n\nThey stand in the same position to the \"kingdom of God\" that a man\ndoes, who, as an alien to the government of the United States, has\nreceived his papers of citizenship from a man who held no office under\ngovernment, and, as a consequence, had no authority to confer those\nrights upon any one.\n\nPaul, writing to the Hebrews, speaks of baptism in the plural: \"Not\nlaying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith\ntoward God, and of the _doctrine of baptisms_.\" (Heb. 6:1, 2.)\n\nMany have supposed this passage to sanction the idea of different\nmodes of baptism, but, by turning to another of Paul's epistles, we\nlearn clearly his meaning. We gain also the information how we may be\ninstruments in the hands of a wise Creator in doing a work for the\ndead: \"_Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the\ndead rise not at all? Why are they then baptised for the dead?_\" (I.\nCor. 15:29.)\n\nWe here have an explanation as to how their prison doors may be opened,\nand they set free: by the ordinance of the gospel through the baptism\nfor the dead. Those that are in the flesh can do a vicarious work for\ntheir dead, and become \"saviors upon Mount Zion.\"\n\nWe here insert an account of the visit of Elijah to the earth, in\nfulfillment of the promise of the Lord through Malachi.\n\nOn the 3rd day of April, 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver\nCowdery, while in the temple at Kirtland, had the vision of heaven\nopened, and Elijah, the prophet, who was taken to heaven without\ntasting death, stood before them and said: \"Behold the time has fully\ncome, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that\nhe (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the\nLord come, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the\nchildren to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse.\nTherefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands,\nand by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is\nnear, even at the doors.\" (_Doctrine and Covenants_, new edition, page\n405.)\n\nElijah the prophet having come, and conferred the authority to baptize\nfor the dead, the Latter-day Saints are assiduously engaged in\nerecting temples, wherein this ordinance may be performed. The object\nof Elijah's visit having been partially accomplished, in causing the\nhearts of the fathers, dead and gone, to turn to the children here on\nearth, the children are feeling after the fathers and seeking to open\ntheir prison doors, and to bring them through the door of baptism into\nthe sheep fold.\n\nNot only are the elders of Israel traveling, preaching the gospel, and\nbaptizing the people by the thousand, but the saints are flocking to\nthe temples of the Lord, and redeeming their dead from the grasp of\nSatan. They are performing a great and mighty work for the human family\nwho have lived upon the earth in different ages of the world's history,\nand who, in some instances, by revelation, make manifest to their\nchildren or friends the fact that they have accepted the gospel in the\nspirit world.\n\nThe patriarchs and prophets of former days, with Peter, James and the\napostles who lived in the meridian of time, with Joseph Smith, Brigham\nYoung, and other prophets of the \"dispensation of the fullness of\ntimes\" in the latter days, are earnestly engaged in the work of giving\ninformation and directing the preaching of the gospel in the spirit\nworld.\n\nAssociated with our Father in the heavens, with the angels, and the\ngood and true of the earth, we can afford to smile at the puny efforts\nof man to overthrow the work of God. What! can man strive against\nthe bucklers of Jehovah? Can the designs that have been in process\nof fulfillment since the world began, now be stayed in their onward\nprogress, because they do not happen to meet the approval of the people\nof to-day?\n\nIn conclusion, let us examine one more question that has doubtless\npresented itself to the mind of the reader, and that is the question of\nfuture punishment. If, by preaching to the spirits in prison, bringing\nthem to a knowledge of the truth, and being baptized for them, released\nthem from their prison house, it logically follows that there must be\nan end to future punishment.\n\nWe hear the question asked, \"Do not the scriptures say it is 'eternal\npunishment' and 'everlasting punishment'?\" We answer, \"Yes.\" But let\nus not put any private interpretation on these terms, but correctly\nunderstand their meaning.\n\nEternal punishment is God's punishment; everlasting punishment is God's\npunishment; or, in other words, it is the name of the punishment God\ninflicts, He being eternal in His nature.\n\nWhosoever, therefore, receives God's punishment, receives eternal\npunishment, whether it is endured one hour, one day, one week, one\nyear, one age. \"And they were judged every man according to their\nworks.\" (Rev. 20:13.) Some shall be beaten with few and some with many\nstripes. (Luke 12:47, 48.) Here we have plainly set forth the fact that\nall men are not punished alike, that some receive a greater punishment\nthan others; that as their works are, so shall be the punishment\nawarded them. \"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God:\nand the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the\nbook of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were\nwritten in the books, _according to their works_. And the sea gave up\nthe dead which were in it and death and _hell delivered_ up the dead\nwhich were in them.\" (Rev. 20:12, 13.)\n\nThese were the words of John upon the Isle of Patmos, and most\nimpressively he adds, \"And if any man shall take away from the words\nof the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the\nbook of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are\nwritten in this book.\" (Rev. 22:19.)\n\nWe consider that enough has been said to establish the principles we\nhave advanced, and we call upon all to whom these words shall come,\nto exercise _faith_ in the gospel of Jesus Christ, to _repent_ of\ntheir sins, to be _baptized for the remission of them_, to receive the\n_laying on of hands_ for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then to serve\nthe God of Israel with all their might, mind and strength.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProduced by Villate Brown McKitrick and Jared Ure, Mormon Texts\nProject Intern (MormonTextsProject.org)\n\nTranscriber's Note:\n\nThis edition is meant to reproduce the original 1921 edition. Any\nchanges that vary from the original were minor and essential for\nreadability.","title":"The Plan of Salvation","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":8786}