{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_49357/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_49357","id":"gutenberg_49357","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49357","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines","Latter Day Saints"],"text":"Outlines of Mormon Philosophy\n\nor\n\nThe Answers Given by the Gospel, as Revealed Through the\n\nProphet Joseph Smith, to the Questions of Life.\n\nBy\n\nLycurgus A. Wilson,\n\nAuthor of the Life of David W. Patten.\n\n\"Mormonism, as a theory, offers the most comprehensive and consistent\nexplanation of the great mystery of existence.\"--Non-Mormon.\n\nSalt Lake City,\n\nUtah\n\n1905\n\n\n\nDedication.\n\nTo the Memory of The Prophet Joseph Smith Through whom the Lord\nrevealed these principles to man, and who gave his life in testimony of\ntheir truth, this book is reverently dedicated.\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\nEvery person, whether consciously or not, gradually builds up, from his\nobservations and reason, a system of philosophy by which he explains,\nto himself at least, the problems that the new experiences of his life\npresent for solution. It is of great importance, therefore, that,\ninstead of basing one's system of thought upon the contradictory\nhypotheses of speculative philosophy, we start right, so that our ideas\non the questions of life may square with the truth as it is known to\nthe Lord. And these considerations are the excuse for this work.\n\nThis work is designed rather for study than for reading. To the hasty,\nillusioned reader, it will prove a short, dull book; but the studious\nreader, who can render a thought into experience, will find it a\nvoluminous work, profusely illustrated with pictures such as no painter\never transferred to canvas; for to him, because of the nature of the\nsubject, it will tell the whole beautiful story of life.\n\nThe thanks of the author are due, most of all, to the First Presidency\nof the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the helpful\ncriticism of their committee of this work; and, next, to the scores of\nfriends who have given him the benefit of their suggestions.\n\nL. A. W. Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1905\n\n\n\nDIAGRAM AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.\n\nINTRODUCTORY\n\nCONDITIONS PRECEDENT\n\nSpace\n\nTime\n\nMatter\n\nIntelligences\n\nTHE GOSPEL\n\nInception\n\nPurpose\n\nPlan\n\nCovenants\n\nPerpetuity\n\nCONDITIONS SUBSEQUENT\n\nNature\n\nMan\n\nCONCLUSION\n\n\n\nBY WAY OF TEXT.\n\n\"What a thoughtful man most longs for is some firm center about which\nhe can organize his knowledge of the world, his experiences of life, a\npoint of view from which he can gather all into an intelligible unity\nand from which he can press forward with a deep assurance of divine\nguidance and an adequate outcome.\"--Selected.\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY.\n\nHistory relates of Hypatia, the daughter of Theon, an eminent\nmathematician of Alexandria, that before being committed to the flames\nby an ignorant mob, she exclaimed:--\n\n\"Who am I, whence am I, and whither am I going?\"\n\nThese questions, elaborated and particularized, are universal. They\nbelong neither to any time, nor sect nor civilization. They are the\nquestions of life. They recur to us at every turn in life, and when\nlife nears its close, the master-thought with studious men is that they\nshall soon know the answer.\n\nBut from that bourne no traveler returns, as the poet has it, to\nenlighten those who remain. And so we are beset by limitations. Swung\ninto space with no means of exploring it, bound to this whirling ball,\ncircumscribed in all our activities, without power to determine our\nlot here, the moment of our entrance, nor to extend the time of our\nexit; when we seek to know the mysteries of life, our condition is, in\na way, as would be that of a family, inhabiting from time out of mind,\na miniature island in mid-ocean, without means of communication with\nthe world, should they, by conjecture, try to learn the history and\ncivilization of mankind.\n\nOur means of observation of the forces about us are very limited, [1]\ntradition is cut off at our birth, reason stands powerless for want of\nanalogy, and the only recourse we have for direct communication with\nreality, is revelation. Professor Lewes, in his _Biographical History\nof Philosophy_, closes the door of inquiry upon us in this way: \"To\naspire to the knowledge of more than phenomena, their resemblances\nand successions, is to aspire to transcend the limitations of human\nfaculties. To know more we must be more.\" [2]\n\nIn the midst of these perplexities comes the Gospel to us as a welcome,\ngracious visitor from the realms beyond the reach of our knowledge.\n\nThe object of this work as intimated by the text, is to suggest a firm\ncentral point about which may be grouped in orderly arrangement, all\nour knowledge, and our guide shall be revelation. In this endeavor\nwe shall be assisted materially, if we attempt, however crudely, a\nclassification of the subject-matter; and we shall, therefore, consider:\n\nFirst,--The universal, all-prevailing, eternal conditions of\nexistence, under the head of,\n\n1. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.\n\nSecond,--The inception, purpose, plan, covenants and perpetuity of\nthis system of organization in which we now find ourselves, under the\nhead of,\n\n2. THE GOSPEL.\n\nThird,--The results, the fruits of this All-wise arrangement, under\nthe head of,\n\n3. CONDITIONS SUBSEQUENT.\n\nIt may be said at the outset that the attempt here made is to present\nin order and to hold up, as the answer to all the problems of life, the\nGospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as restored to the earth through the\nProphet Joseph Smith.\n\nThere are only two reasons that come to mind, why this effort may\nnot be acceptable; one is a disbelief on the part of the reader in\nthe divinity of the Gospel, the other, is the inadequacy of this\npresentation.\n\nTo the former objection it is sufficient for the inquiring mind to\nsay, Judge for yourself whether or not the Gospel as here set out\nanswers every requirement of life, where other systems of philosophy\nall fail; to the latter we reply, No attempt is here made to present in\ndetail the principles of the Gospel, but only to sketch the outlines;\nand, moreover, the reader is at perfect liberty to supply whatever\ndeficiency he may detect.\n\n\n\nPART I.\n\nCONDITIONS PRECEDENT.\n\nSPACE.\n\nTIME.\n\nMATTER.\n\nINTELLIGENCES.\n\nI.\n\nAS TO SPACE.\n\nThe school-boy is told that the idea held by people generally in the\ndays of Columbus was that if the venturesome ships were to sail too\nfar out on the ocean they would fall off into space; and in his silent\nmeditations he often wonders where, in such a case, those ships would\nhave gone. The natural answer to his mind is that they would have gone\ndown; but when he learns later that the words \"down\" and \"up\" relate\nonly to the earth, and that in speaking of space, there are no such\nterms as up or down, or east or west, or north or south, all his ideas\nof direction are at sea. His conception of space increases, however.\n\nLater in school life he studies with interest the movements of the\nplanetarium, and is surprised to find the earth, whose geographical\nextent has hitherto seemed so vast, represented by such an\ninsignificant ball, so near the sun. This, however, is only the\nbeginning of his surprises. He is told later that, large as the solar\nsystem seems, yet if our sun, viewed from one of the fixed stars, were\nas large as the orbit of Neptune, it would be eclipsed by a pin-head\nheld at arm's length. And so his ideas of space continue to enlarge as\nhe grows in understanding.\n\nAs we study Herschel's diagram of the group of stars in which we dwell\nand let the mind contemplate with the astronomer the nebulae, supposed\nby some to be other groups of stars, much more magnificent than our\nown, the mind is lost in wonder at the immensity of space and the\ngrandeur of the works of God. But even this is simply a beginning.\n\nThe Lord gives us a still deeper insight into the situation when He\nreveals to us the fact that all these vast systems, as well as other\nsystems of which as yet we know nothing, are revolving about other\nsystems which are all controlled from a common centre, His \"first\ncreation,\" [3] the great Kolob. [4]\n\nWhen, therefore, the Lord, standing in the midst of His works,\ncomprehending and controlling them all, speaks to us of the \"immensity\nof space,\" [5] how shall mortal, finite man, state his conception of\nspace! How far is the philosopher advanced above the school-boy with\nhis query about the ships of Columbus?\n\nSo far as reason can answer the question as to the bounds of space,\nit is answered by Professor Orson Pratt. Discussing the necessity for\nendless time and boundless space, he says:\n\n\"That there must be an endless duration and a boundless space, are\nnecessary truths which cannot possibly be conceived to be otherwise\nthan they are. These are necessary truths, whether any being exists\nto conceive them as such or not. Indeed, if there were no being in\nexistence, the same unalterable and unchangeable necessity would\ncharacterize these truths. Endless space and duration cannot be created\nnor annihilated by any being, but their continuance has been and must\nbe eternal. These truths do not admit of being proved; for that which\nhas no beginning cannot be preceded by a cause, and where no cause\nexists, there cannot possibly be any foundation for reasoning. There\ncan be no reason why space and duration are as they are and yet we\nperceive a necessity for them to be as they are.\" [6]\n\nBut we have a more sure word than unaided reason can offer. We are not\nleft without revelation on this subject, meager though the reference\nmay be. The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of the light of the sun,\nremarks:\n\n\"The sun has no beginning nor end; the rays which proceed from himself\nhave no bounds, consequently they are eternal.\" [7]\n\nFrom this simple statement we receive more information than any man\nin our present condition, uninspired by the Lord, could ever obtain.\nIndeed, this very question is classed by the philosopher, Herbert\nSpencer, as among those the answer to which is \"unknowable.\" But when\nwe have this basic fact from which to reason, we are safe in concluding\nthat if there are no bounds to the light of the sun, then it must\nfollow that space is boundless.\n\n\n\nII.\n\nAS TO TIME.\n\nAnother of the questions of life, the answer to which is classed by\nHerbert Spencer as among the \"unknowable,\" is time; and of the same\nmind apparently is Thomas Carlyle, who says:\n\n\"The illimitable, silent, never-resting thing called 'time,' rolling,\nrushing on--this is forever very literally, a miracle, a thing to\nstrike us dumb.\"\n\nAll sorts of ideas have been advanced in all ages of the world as to\nthe mystery of time, and even its very existence has been called into\nquestion, as witness the following;\n\n\"But the present has no duration and is not time at all. It is but the\nplane which, without thickness, divides past and future. Time then is\nnot made up of past, present and future, but of past and future only;\nand, as these do not exist, time itself cannot exist.\" [8]\n\nBut the only question that concerns us here, in our search for eternal\nconditions, is as to the duration of time. As to this, we may again\nrefer to the reasoning of Orson Pratt; and we have, also, an additional\nand final assurance from the Lord, when He says, in speaking to Abraham:\n\n\"If there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the\nother, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent\nthan the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have\nno end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.\" [9]\n\nThe inference is plain. If spirits always existed and always will\nexist, there never was a beginning and there never will be an end, of\ntime.\n\n\n\nIII.\n\nAS TO MATTER.\n\nSome writer has characterized the passage in Genesis, \"God said, 'Let\nthere be light,' and there was light,\" as the perfection of beauty in\nexpression; but we venture to place over against it another, this,\nhowever, directly from a Divine source through the Prophet Joseph\nSmith. What could be more succinct or beautiful or more richly laden\nwith truth respecting conditions precedent than the words, \"The\nelements are eternal?\" [10]\n\nThat expression is worth more to the scientist who will receive it,\nthan all the fine-spun theories of so-called philosophy. An acceptance\nof this truth would put to rest no end of controversy. Since the\nearliest times investigators have believed in the transmutation of\nmatter, that if they could only find the secret, they could, for\ninstance, turn silver into gold; and, again, it has been the belief\nuntil recent years, that matter could be annihilated.\n\nNow, however, the idea is accepted throughout the entire scientific\nworld that no particle of matter can be destroyed. It may be changed\nfrom one form into another, as water is converted into steam, but the\nelements remain unchanged.\n\nThe transmutation theory, however, still haunts the human mind.\n\n\"The elements are eternal.\" The Prophet Joseph Smith adds to this\nnugget of truth another beautiful thought, when he says:\n\n\"Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of\nchaos--chaotic matter, which is element, and _in which dwells all the\nglory_.\" [11]\n\nFrom which we may be assured that in the Gospel scheme of organization,\nthis life's drama in the large, matter plays no unimportant part.\n\nWe, therefore, may conclude:\n\nThat all the matter now existing always existed and always will exist.\n\nThat there never was any more matter than there is at present and there\nnever will be any more than there is now.\n\n\n\nIV.\n\nAS TO INTELLIGENCES.\n\nNotwithstanding the desire for knowledge, the simplicity of truth has\never entailed upon it an unfriendly reception at the hands of men.\nIt seems to be almost a law of the human mind that our preconceived\nnotions, whether true or false, stand in the way of new ideas, and\nusually our principal effort is put forth in trying to reconcile a\nnew thought with the old theory, rather than in an endeavor to give\nto each its proper valuation. And this is preeminently the case in\nrelation to our ideas on the eternal existence of personal, individual\nintelligences. We can easily conceive of eternally existing matter, but\nnot so of spirits.\n\nPerhaps an excuse is afforded us in the fact that God is our Father;\nbut no earthly father who understands the Gospel thinks for a moment\nthat his children had no existence until they were begotten by him. He\nknows they have existed in the spirit world co-equally with himself. He\nis their father by reason of having given them a tabernacle in which to\ndwell, and in the same way did God become our Father.\n\nMan has a spiritual body as well as a body of flesh and bones, or, as\nPaul has it, \"There is natural body and there is a spiritual body.\" [12]\nThis explains the teachings as to the body, the astral body, and the\naura, of the Yogis, of India, and is explained by the Lord as follows:\n\n\"For I, the Lord God, created all things of which I have spoken,\nspiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.\nAnd I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet\na man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was\nnot yet flesh upon the earth; neither in the water; neither in the air\n... And I, the lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living\nsoul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless\nall things were before created; but, spiritually, were they created and\nmade according to my word.\" [13]\n\nBut the whole scheme of the progress of the spirit is detailed in\nanother revelation from the Lord. This, however, is in the Doctrine and\nCovenants:\n\n\"For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things, both\nspiritual and temporal.\n\n\"Firstly, spiritual--secondly, temporal, which is the beginning of my\nwork; and again, firstly, temporal--and secondly spiritual, which is\nthe last of my work.\" [14]\n\nThat is to say: first, the spirit is clothed upon with a spiritual\nbody, and afterwards with a temporal, or mortal body; secondly the\nspirit, at the time of the resurrection, is again clothed upon with\nthe same body, just as it is laid down; and afterwards, the body, at\nthe time of the restoration, undergoes a change by which it is not\nonly restored to its proper form in case of malformation,[15] but is\nrendered immune to the disabilities of mortality, as was the case\nwith the Savior when He passed into the room where the Twelve were\nassembled, though the door was locked, or with the Angel Moroni when\nhe passed up through the ceiling of the room at the close of his first\ninterview with the Prophet Joseph Smith, or made himself visible or\ninvisible at will.[16]\n\nAnother cause of misconception is the meaning we attach to the word\nCreator, in describing our relationship to the Lord. We usually take\nthe expression, \"He is our Creator,\" to mean that we had no existence\nas individuals until He called us into being, and this in the face\nof His own declaration to the contrary. He says to Abraham, as\nhereinbefore quoted:\n\n\"If there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the\nother, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent\nthan the other, _have no beginning_, they existed before; they\nshall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum or\neternal.\" [17]\n\nThe construction of this statement seems purposely designed to negative\nthe doctrine that spirits owe their origin to God, for, in that case,\none might well question the justice of the Creator in giving one spirit\nso much more intelligence than another.\n\nBut the fact is, as the Prophet Joseph Smith has said:\n\n\"God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God\nhimself could not create himself.\"\n\nAs if determined so to state the fact that his meaning could not be\nmisunderstood, the Prophet Joseph further says:\n\n\"I have another subject to dwell upon, which is calculated to exalt\nman. But it is impossible for me to say much on this subject. I shall,\ntherefore, just touch upon it; for time will not permit me to say\nall. It is associated with the subject of the resurrection from the\ndead, the mind of man, the immortal spirit. Where did it come from?\nAll learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in\nthe beginning. But it is not so. The very idea lessens man in my\nestimation. I do not believe the doctrine. I know better.\"\n\nContinuing, he adds:\n\n\"We say that God himself is a self-existent being. Who told you so? It\nis correct enough; but how did it get into your heads? Who told you\nthat man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? Man\ndoes exist upon the same principles. The mind or the intelligence which\nman possesses, is co-equal with God himself.\"\n\nAnd again:\n\n\"There never was a time when there were not spirits, for they are\nco-equal with our Father in Heaven.\" [18]\n\nFrom all of which we may conclude:\n\nThat all the spirits now existing always did and always will exist.\n\nThat the spirits now existing are all that ever did, or that ever will\nexist.\n\nSUMMARY OF CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.\n\nSummarizing conditions precedent, we, therefore, find:\n\nI. That space is, always has been, and ever must be, without bounds.\n\nII. That time never had a beginning and cannot have an end.\n\nIII. That matter is uncreated, indestructible, eternal.\n\nIV. That intelligences always were and always will be individual\nentities, and, however varied in capacity, never had a beginning and\ncan never be annihilated.\n\nAbroad in boundless space, therefore, with unlimited time in which to\nlearn, and labor, are intelligences surrounded by matter.\n\n\n\nPART II.\n\nTHE GOSPEL.\n\nINCEPTION.\n\nPURPOSE.\n\nPLAN.\n\nCOVENANTS.\n\nPERPETUITY.\n\nV.\n\nINCEPTION OF THE GOSPEL.\n\n\"_The glory of God is intelligence_.\"\n\nPerhaps our best conception of chaos, in miniature, may be had by\nobserving the floating, restless, erratic particles of matter to be\nseen in the path of a ray of sunshine, when admitted into a dark room.\nOne's uppermost longing at such a time is to introduce order into this\njarring, discordant sphere. And that condition and that sentiment have\nno doubt met before. The psychologist would trace the desire back\nto a time before the formation of Kolob, when myriads of eternal,\nself-existent spirits lived in the midst of boundless space, surrounded\nby unlimited, indestructible, unorganized matter, in a universal chaos.\nIt may be asked if there ever was such a chaotic condition. So far as\nthe creations of God are concerned, it would appear that there was, for\nwe are informed that Kolob is the \"first creation.\" [19]\n\nTurn now from this chaos in the streak of sunshine, chaos in the small,\nand let the mind contemplate that chaos at large, before any of the\nvast concourse of worlds that roll in space were formed, when the\nmatter composing Kolob was yet unorganized; and the first desire that\npresents itself to the mind is to know how all this beautiful system by\nwhich we are not surrounded was evolved from that riot of matter, where\nthis order had its inception, how God came to be God.\n\nIn what is without doubt the most wonderful revelation ever given\nto mankind, in that it reaches the farthest back and states some of\nthe most important truths, the Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking at the\nfuneral of Elder King Follett, at Nauvoo, explains in the simplest\nterms the sublime conception.[20]\n\nFirst, however, let him state his purpose:\n\n\"In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of\nthose who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary that we\nshould understand the character and being of God, and how He came to be\nso; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined\nand supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that\nidea, and will take away and do away the vail, so that you may see.\"\n\nThe mind is here carried back to a time antedating anything of which we\nhave an account anywhere else in the world, and that there may be no\ndoubt as to the time and the personage referred to, the Prophet is very\nexplicit.\n\nWith reference to the time he says:\n\n\"You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of\nnothing; and they will answer, 'Doesn't the Bible say He created the\nworld?' And they infer from the word create, that it must have been\nmade out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau,\nwhich does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize--\nthe same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we\ninfer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos--\nchaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory.\nElements had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles\nof element are principles which can never be destroyed. They may be\norganized and reorganized but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and\ncan have no end.\"\n\nAs to the personage meant, one may say, There are many Gods, an almost\nendless chain of creators; to which one does the Prophet refer? We are\nnot left in doubt, for he explains:\n\n\"If the vail were rent today, and the great God, who holds this world\nin its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power,\nwere to make Himself visible,--I say, if you were to see Him today,\nyou would see Him like a man in form.\"\n\nAnd further:\n\n\"My object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God,\nand what kind of a being He is.\"\n\nWith these prefatory remarks, the Prophet Joseph proceeds to tell how\nGod came to be God, in what must appeal to one as among the divinest\nwords ever uttered. He says:\n\n\"God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because\nhe was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest\ncould have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we\nhave with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has\npower to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they\nmay be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon\nanother, and all that knowledge, power, glory and intelligence which is\nrequisite in order to save them in the world of spirits.\"\n\nNo wonder that, in the ecstasy of the moment, he exclaimed:\n\n\"This is good doctrine. It tastes good, I can taste the principles of\neternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the revelations\nof Jesus Christ; and I know that when I tell you these words of eternal\nlife as they are given to me, you taste them, and I know you believe\nthem. You say honey is sweet, and so do I. I can also taste the spirit\nof eternal life. I know it is good; and when I tell you of these things\nwhich were given me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are\nbound to receive them as sweet, and I rejoice more and more.\"\n\nHere, then, is the inception of the Gospel; the course of study under\nwhich we are now working; the plan of salvation, by virtue of which all\nthe creations of God, beginning with Kolob, were made; instituted in\nthe beginning by our Father, to which Jesus the Christ acceded in the\ngrand council in heaven before this earth was made.\n\nWhether or not, in the vast eternities preceding the creation of Kolob,\nother plans had been tried and found wanting, we are not told; but the\nfact that, as the Prophet Joseph tells us, God \"worked out His Kingdom\nwith fear and trembling,\" would indicate that He had seen many failures.\n\nIt should be noted here, that the ruling sentiment in the inception\nof the Gospel was the most unselfish love of the Great God for\nHis fellow-creatures. Not satisfied with His own power, glory and\nintelligence, He must, by force of His affection for those of lesser\nestate, formulate a plan by which they might arrive at the same station\nas Himself. It will not, therefore, be surprising to find that Love\noccupies a high place among the virtues cultivated by the Gospel.\n\n\n\nVI.\n\nPURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nThe instructor in school or college, before commencing his work,\ncarefully lays out his courses of study with a definite purpose in view\nfor each course, and is able at the outset to give not only an outline\nof the work to be done, but the purpose of each course, so that he\ncan tell the applicant for instruction which course will fit him, for\nexample, for practice as a civil engineer. And this line of procedure\nis of great importance.\n\nUnder such an arrangement, the student at every stage of his\nadvancement, will have in mind the purpose of his work, and whatever\nthe obstacles in his path may be, will be impelled to press on with\nconfidence in the wisdom of each step, and an assurance that success\nwill finally crown his best endeavors.\n\nIt is, therefore, necessary for us to inquire the purpose for which\nthe Gospel was instituted; and, aside from the inference that may be\ndrawn from what has already been said on the inception of the Gospel,\nthe Lord has given us a direct statement of His designs. After giving\nan account of a vision in which Moses \"beheld the earth and all the\ninhabitants thereof,\" the record proceeds:\n\n\"And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying, Tell me, I\npray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?\n\n\"And, behold, the glory of God was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in\nthe presence of God, and he talked with him face to face; and the Lord\nGod said unto Moses, For mine own purpose have I made these things.\nHere is wisdom, and it remaineth in me. And by the word of my power\nhave I created them, which is my Only Begotten Son, who is full of\ngrace and truth. And worlds without number have I created; and I also\ncreated them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which\nis mine Only Begotten. And the first man of all men have I called Adam,\nwhich is many. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants\nthereof, give I unto you. For, behold, there are many worlds that have\npassed away by the word of my power. And there are many also which now\nstand, and numberless are they, unto man, but all things are numbered\nunto me, for they are mine and I know them.\n\n\"And it came to pass, that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Be\nmerciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth,\nand the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant\nwill be content.\n\n\"And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying, The heavens, they are many,\nand they cannot be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me,\nfor they are mine, and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens\nthereof, even so shall others come; and there is no end to my works,\nneither to my words.\n\n\"For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and\neternal life of man.\" [21]\n\nWe have here, then, a plain statement of the purpose of the Lord in\nformulating the Gospel, and we may now inquire as to the course of\nprocedure to be followed to accomplish the object in view.\n\n\n\nVII.\n\nPLAN OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nWe may use still further the comparison of instructor and pupil. The\nplan of the work he is to pursue is laid before the student at the\noutset. All the steps of his progress are pointed out to him from the\nopening of his course until his graduation. In outline he can trace his\nwork throughout, and can tell at any stage of his advancement how far\nhe has come, and what yet remains to be done before he can claim his\ndiploma.\n\nJust so the Lord has outlined the course of procedure under the Gospel\nplan, and, as with the student, so we may know how far we have advanced.\n\nFollowing is a remarkable disclosure in which we have the plan outlined:\n\n\"And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who\nkeep not their first estate, shall not have glory in the same kingdom\nwith those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second\nestate, shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever.\" [22]\n\nWhen the time had arrived for the council in heaven to name a Savior,\naccording to the plan of the Father, to come to the earth in the\nmeridian of time and make possible the resurrection from the dead,\nthere was a rebellion, the account of which gives us an indication\nof the dividing point in our progress between the first and second\nestates. It reads as follows:\n\n\"And the Lord said, Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto\nthe Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said:\nHere am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the\nsecond was angry, and kept not his first estate, and at that day, many\nfollowed after him.\" [23]\n\nAdditional information as to the proportion of that host of spirits who\n\"followed after him,\" is given in the Doctrine and Covenants:\n\n\"For, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me,\nsaying, Give me thine honor, which is my power: and also a third part\nof the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;\nand they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels.\" [24]\n\nWe learn, therefore:\n\nThat, according to the plan of the Gospel, there are two estates, with\nvarying glories attached to each.\n\nThat one-third of the host of heaven into the midst of whom the Lord\ncame down in the beginning, had not made sufficient progress when the\ntime came for peopling this earth, to keep their first estate, and\n\nThat the two-thirds who remained faithful up to that time, were\nintroduced to the next step of advancement by being permitted to take\nbodies upon this earth, and are, accordingly, on the way to the keeping\nof the second estate, to which is attached the glory of eternal lives.\n\nHere, then, with an illustration in the case of this earth, is the\noutline plan of the Gospel.\n\n\n\nVIII.\n\nCOVENANTS OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nPursuing the comparison of instructor and student still further,\nwe find that their relations are governed by an implied contract\nfrom beginning to end. The student who sets out to take a course of\ninstruction in civil engineering, for instance, agrees, on his part, to\nfollow the directions of the instructor throughout the term of years\nprescribed to complete the work. On the part of the instructor an\nagreement is made that if the student will so follow the course laid\nout, for the stated number of years, he shall receive a diploma as a\ncivil engineer.\n\nIt is proper, therefore, for us to make an inquiry as to the agreement,\nif any, entered into in the beginning between the Great Formulator of\nthis course of study we are pursuing, and the world of mankind.\n\nIt is interesting to note here that the late President Lorenzo Snow\nlooked upon the passage about to be quoted, \"I came down in the\nbeginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen,\" as\ngoing the farthest back of any of the revelations we have, direct from\nthe Almighty.\n\nWe may here gather from the following quotation, the covenant entered\ninto by the spirits, \"in the beginning:\"\n\n\"I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences\nthou hast seen.\n\n\"Now, the lord had shewn unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were\norganized before the world was; and among all these there were many of\nthe noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good,\nand he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my\nrulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that\nthey were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them,\nthou wast chosen before thou wast born.\n\n\"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said\nunto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space\nthere, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth\nwhereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if\nthey will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command\nthem.\" [25]\n\nThe spirits, therefore, after this plan of the Gospel had been\npresented to and accepted by them, had agreed to \"do all things\nwhatsoever the Lord their God should command them.\" In accord herewith\nis the statement of President Joseph F. Smith that not order, but\nobedience, is the first law of heaven.\n\nAs to the covenant made by the Lord in His part of the contract, we\nread in the Doctrine and Covenants:\n\n\"And also all they who receive this Priesthood receiveth me, saith\nthe Lord; for he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; and he that\nreceiveth me receiveth my Father; and he that receiveth my Father,\nreceiveth my Father's Kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall\nbe given unto him; and this is according to the oath and covenant\nwhich belongeth to the Priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive\nthe Priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he\ncannot break.\" [26]\n\nAs it is designed in the Gospel plan for the redemption of the dead,\nthat all men who have arrived at years of accountability and who during\ntheir life time here were subject to law, shall have the Priesthood\nconferred upon them, either in person or by proxy, it will be seen how\nwide the application of this covenant will extend.\n\nThe great covenants pertaining to the Gospel are, accordingly; on the\npart of the spirits, obedience to whatever law is given them; on the\npart of the Lord, to those who are the most faithful, a fullness of His\nglory. But, as will be seen hereafter, provision is made for all, even\nfor the least of His creatures.\n\n\n\nIX.\n\nPERPETUITY OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nCertainly a system of such grandeur and comprehensiveness as the Gospel\nmust have within itself the seeds of perpetuity. No catastrophe the\nmind of man can contemplate would compare with that which would result\nif all this beautiful fabric should at some time, by any mischance, go\nto pieces. But the elements not only of continuity but of continuous\ngrowth, are in the Gospel, and the wisdom of God shall not be destroyed.\n\nThe spirits, whether they place themselves under the course of\ninstruction provided for in the Gospel or not, are eternal, as are,\nalso, the elements with which, under its plan, they become united; and\nby following the thought behind the revelations here to be quoted, we\nmay trace therein the design of the Maker for the stability of His work.\n\nIn relation to the union of spirit and element, we read in the Doctrine\nand Covenants:\n\n\"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element,\ninseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and, when\nseparated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy.\" [27]\n\nHere, without doubt, it may be noted in passing, we have one of the\ngreat discoveries by which God came to be God.\n\nAs to the continuity of the union between spirit and matter, we quote\nthe words of the Prophet Amulek, recorded in the Book of Mormon:\n\n\"Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal\nbody, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say\nunto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is,\nfrom death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no\nmore, their spirits uniting with their bodies, _never to be divided_,\nthus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more\nsee corruption.\" [28]\n\nOur next step will be a consideration of the Priesthood, which is\ndesigned by the Gospel plan to form a never-ending bond of union\nbetween those who arrive at their exaltation under its provisions.\n\nWe read in the Book of Mormon:\n\n\"This High Priesthood being after the order of His Son, which order was\nfrom the foundation of the world--or, in other words, being without\nbeginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all\neternity, according to His foreknowledge of all things.\" [29]\n\nWe may now turn to a consideration of the process by which an increase\nof the dominion of all those who are faithful, is provided for in the\nGospel. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we read:\n\n\"And, again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word,\nwhich is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is\nsealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed,\nunto whom I have appointed this power, and the keys of the Priesthood;\nand it shall be said unto them, ye shall come forth in the first\nresurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next\nresurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and\npowers, dominions, all heights and depths--then shall it be written\nin the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby\nto shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit\nno murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them\nin all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and\nthrough all eternity, and shall be of full force when they are out\nof the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which\nare set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath\nbeen sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a\ncontinuation of the seeds for ever and ever.\n\n\"Then shall they be Gods, because they have no end; therefore shall\nthey be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then\nshall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then\nshall they be Gods, because they have all power.\" [30]\n\nIt is not the purpose of this work to go outside of the strict\nboundaries of revelation, but one cannot refrain at this point from\ngiving a little rein to the spirit of inquiry. When this glorious\nconsummation shall have been attained, will not the whole process of\nworld-making and world-peopling, in this order of spirits, be gone\nall over again? Shall spirits who have never heard of this plan of\norganization be visited by such a being, who shall afterward be in a\nposition to say, \"In the beginning I came down into the midst of these\nspirits, and taught them this same Gospel plan, a new earth was formed,\nanother Adam came upon it, a Savior was provided?\"\n\nIn the enduring union between the spirits and element, in the eternal\nnature of the bond entered into by those who receive the Holy\nPriesthood, and in the never-ending increase of those who properly\ncontract the marriage relation, is manifest, therefore, the wisdom of\nGod in providing for the perpetuity and growth of His dominion, as well\nas for the exaltation of those spirits who render obedience to the\nGospel.\n\nSUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nSummarizing the Outline of the Gospel here presented, we find:\n\nI. That the Gospel had its inception when \"God, finding he was in the\nmidst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper\nto institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance\nlike himself.\"\n\nII. That the purpose of God in so doing was \"to bring to pass the\nimmortality and eternal life of man.\"\n\nIII. That under the plan of the Gospel there are two estates, the\nkeeping of both of which shall entitle the spirits to be \"added upon\nfor ever and ever.\"\n\nIV. That the covenants entered into by the parties involved were, on\nthe part of the spirits, obedience in all things to whatsoever the Lord\ntheir God should command them, or, in other words, to the best light\nunder which they lived upon the earth; and, on the part of the Lord,\nthat all who receive the Holy Priesthood and are faithful thereto,\nshall receive a fullness of His glory.\n\nV. That the perpetuity of the Gospel plan is assured by the increased\npower of those who receive bodies, with which their spirits shall be\ninseparably connected; by the eternal bond entered into under the\ncovenant of the Holy Priesthood; and by the enduring union of the sexes\nin a never-ending increase of posterity.\n\n\n\nPART III.\n\nCONDITIONS SUBSEQUENT.\n\nNATURE,\n\nMAN\n\n1. General,\n\n2. Special.\n\nX.\n\nNATURE.\n\n\"_But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give\nI unto you.\"--Book of Moses 1:35_.\n\nWe come now to consider the fruits of this tree of life, the Gospel,\nas relates to nature, the environment of man. While we may view with\nwonder and with awe the marvelous works of God about us in the heavens,\nsill our interests, as ourselves, are confined to the earth upon which\nwe dwell.\n\nIt is true, the Lord has given us some notion of the vastness of\nHis works, of Kolob, \"the first creation, nearest the celestial\nor residence of God; first in government, last pertaining to the\nmeasurement of time,\" whose day \"is equal to a thousand years,\naccording to the measurement of this earth;\" [31] of \"Oliblish, which\nis the next grand governing creation, holding the key of power also,\npertaining to other planets;\" [32] and has revealed to us that \"were it\npossible that men could number the particles of the earth, yea, and\nmillions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number\nof His creations;\" [33] yet a knowledge of His dominions, except in this\ngeneral way, concerning any other of His creations than this earth, is\nwithheld from us.\n\nWe have, however, a number of revealed truths concerning the earth that\nwould add greatly to the interest as well as to the enlightenment of\nthe scientific world, if they were accepted. If, for instance, it had\nbeen known to and received by science, that \"this earth was organized\nor formed out of other planets, which were broken up and remodeled and\nmade into the one on which we live,\" [34] how many vain theories and how\nmuch useless work would have been saved!\n\nHow many times the earth, or portions of it in another planet, was\npeopled by the Lord before Adam was placed upon it, we are not\ninformed; but from the fact that he was commanded to replenish, or\nre-fill it, we may infer that it had, in some form, been inhabited\nbefore our first parents came here. But of this no account is given us\nby revelation.\n\nHow fully and how wisely the earth was prepared before being sent on\nits present voyage, with provisions, with material for clothing, with\nfuel, and with all the necessities and comforts of life, is matter of\ncommon knowledge.\n\nThe Lord has given us the name by which this part of His dominion is\nknown to Him, as \"Idumea,\" [35] and, as to the order to which it belongs\namong His diversified creations, we have a wonderful revelation in the\nDoctrine and Covenants, as follows:\n\n\"The poor and meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore it must\nneeds be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared\nfor the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of its\ncreation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God\nthe Father; that bodies of the celestial kingdom may possess it for\never and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for\nthis intent are they sanctified.\n\n\"And, again, verify I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a\ncelestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation and\ntransgresseth not the law, wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea,\nnotwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall\nabide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall\ninherit it.\" [36]\n\nThe following passage respecting the final condition of the earth,\ngives further light upon this beautiful thought. The Prophet Joseph\nSmith says:\n\n\"This earth, in its sanctified, immortal state, will be made like unto\ncrystal, and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell\nthereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all\nkingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it;\nand this earth will be Christ's.\" [37]\n\nAs to the final condition of the animals and plants of the earth, the\nLord explains:\n\n\"For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new,\neven the heaven and the earth, and all the fullness thereof, both men\nand beasts, the fowls of the air and the fishes of the sea; and not one\nhair; neither mote shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine\nhand.\" [38]\n\nFrom all of which, and from other like revelations, too numerous to\nmention here, we gather:\n\nThat while we may speculate upon the multitude of the Lord's creations,\nwe have, except from our observations of the heavens about us, and the\nmeager information vouchsafed us by revelation, no detailed account of\nany planet but of the earth on which we dwell.\n\nThat the earth is on the way to eternal, celestial glory, where it will\nshine of its own light, in which condition it will be inhabited by\ncelestial beings, not only by mankind, but by the elect of the animal\nand vegetable kingdoms as well.\n\n\n\nXI.\n\nMAN.\n\nGENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.\n\n\"_And it came to pass that Moses looked and beheld the world upon which\nhe was created, and as Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and\nall the children of men which are, and which were created of the same,\nhe greatly marveled and wondered.\"--Book of Moses 1:8_.\n\nThe fruits of the Gospel as relates to the peopling of the earth\nthrough Adam, are not fully ripe. The generations of that lineage are\nstill incomplete; but it is interesting to study the general outline of\nthe plan which was laid for that purpose before the earth was formed,\na part of which has now been rendered into history. As made known to\nJohn the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos, this plan, presented to him\nby signs the meaning of which was revealed[39] to the Prophet Joseph\nSmith, contemplated the division of human history into seven periods of\none day each, according to the Lord's reckoning.\n\nThe first should be a day of peace; the second, a day of war and\nconquest; the third, a day in which commerce should have its rise; the\nfourth, a day of war; the fifth, a day of persecution; the sixth, a day\nof preparation for the Sabbath, or Millennium; the seventh, a day of\npeace and rest. Let the student follow down the history of the world\nwith this outline in mind, and he cannot fail to be impressed with the\ncoincidence, so far, of the prophecy and its fulfillment.\n\nNot only were the periods set, and the work to be accomplished in\neach determined, but the order in which the spirits to take bodies on\nthis earth should come forth, was outlined before the earth was made.\nAbraham says, as hereinbefore quoted:\n\n\"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were\norganized before the world was, and among all these there were many of\nthe noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good,\nand he stood in the midst of them, and he said, These I will make my\nrulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that\nthey were good; and He said unto me, Abraham, thou art one of them,\nthou wast chosen before thou wast born.\" [40]\n\nWhen we recall the promise made to Abraham, after his advent upon the\nearth, that through him and his seed should all the children of the\nearth be blessed; when we see in the history of the world how the seed\nof Israel has been scattered among all nations; and when we witness the\npurpose of the Lord, now going forward, to gather into one family under\nthat lineage all the descendants of Adam, this passage and that promise\ntake on peculiar significance.\n\nFurthermore, that the course of the star of empire was set from the\nfirst, is evident from the revelation given to Adam three years before\nhis death at the altar of Adam-ondi-Ahman, as related in the Doctrine\nand Covenants. We read:\n\n\"And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and\nnotwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy\nGhost _predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest\ngeneration_.\" [41]\n\nAmong those spirits in the midst of whom the Lord stood when He saw and\nchose as His rulers the noble and great ones, there were no doubt many\nwho were less intelligent. How could these spirits be so placed in the\ngenerations of Adam's race as to make the most of them? The solution\nof the problem is disclosed in the following extract from the Book of\nMormon:\n\n\"For, behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation\nand tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit\nthat they should have; therefore, we see that the Lord doth counsel in\nwisdom, according to that which is just and true.\" [42]\n\nSuperior minds, that is to say, have been sent to the earth, among\nall peoples, in all ages of the world, to teach, to bring forth\nnew inventions, to give laws, to make discoveries, to establish or\nto overthrow governments, according to the varying capacities and\nintelligence and necessities of the peoples among whom they were\nappointed by the Supreme Head to labor.\n\nThe sentiment awakened by a contemplation of this passage of scripture,\nis one of the utmost reverence, admiration and love for a Being of such\nwisdom and mercy.\n\nBut not only has the Lord determined the general course of civilization\non the earth, but even the work of individuals, apart from His\nprophets, has been under His direction, as was that of Columbus, of\nwhom we read in the Book of Mormon, as follows:\n\n\"And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated\nfrom the seed of my brethren by many waters; and beheld the Spirit of\nGod, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon\nthe many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the\npromised land.\" [43]\n\nInstances of this character, however, are too numerous to mention here,\nbut they show that not only in a general way, but in many details, the\npeopling of the earth has proceeded under a well-defined, predetermined\nplan.\n\nNot only has the history of mankind on the earth been outlined from\nthe beginning, but the rewards awaiting them, according to the light\nthey have received and their obedience thereto, have been fixed. For it\nwill be remembered from what was developed under the head of \"Covenants\nof the Gospel,\" that all who have taken bodies upon the earth in the\nlineage of Adam, are under the same promise of obedience to \"whatsoever\nthe Lord their God shall command them,\" in their day and generation.\n\nAfter describing the torment of those spirits who become sons of\nperdition, the revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney\nRigdon, continues:\n\n\"And again, we bear record, for we saw and heard, and this is the\ntestimony of the gospel of Christ, concerning them who come forth in\nthe resurrection of the just, they are they who received the testimony\nof Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner\nof his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this\naccording to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the\ncommandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and\nreceive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is\nordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and are\nsealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon\nall those who are just and true.\n\n\"They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his\nfullness, and of his glory. And are Priests of the Most High, after the\norder of Melchisedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was\nafter the order of the Only Begotten Son; wherefore, as it is written,\nthey are Gods, even the sons of God--wherefore all things are theirs,\nwhether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are\ntheirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's.\n\n\"And they shall overcome all things; wherefore let no man glory in man,\nbut rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under\nhis feet--these shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ\nfor ever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him when\nhe shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his\npeople. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.\n\n\"These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the\nmediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement\nthrough the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are\ncelestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the\nhighest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as\nbeing typical.\n\n\"And, again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are\nthey who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the\nchurch of the first born, who have received the fullness of the Father,\neven as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. Behold,\nthese are they who died without law, and also they who are the spirits\nof men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel\nunto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh.\n\n\"Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards\nreceived it. These are they who are honorable men on the earth, who\nwere blinded by the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of\nhis glory, but not of his fullness. These are they who receive of the\npresence of the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father; wherefore\nthey are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in\nglory as the moon differs from the sun.\n\n\"These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus;\nwherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. And\nnow this is the end of the vision which we saw of the terrestrial, that\nthe Lord commanded us to write while we were yet in the Spirit.\n\n\"And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of\nthe lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the\nglory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the\ngospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they who\ndeny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell.\nThese are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the last\nresurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have finished\nhis work.\n\n\"These are they who receive not of his fullness in the eternal world,\nbut of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial; and\nthe terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial; and also the\ncelestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed\nto minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits\nfor them, for they shall be heirs of salvation.\n\n\"And thus we saw in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial,\n_which surpasses all understanding_, and no man knows it except him to\nwhom God has revealed it.\n\n\"And thus we saw the glory of the terrestrial, which excels in all\nthings the glory of the telestial, even in glory, and in power, and in\nmight, and in dominion.\n\n\"And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things--\nwhere God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne for ever and\never; before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence and give\nhim glory for ever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the\nchurch of the first born, and they see as they are seen, and know as\nthey are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace; and\nhe makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.\n\n\"And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is\none.\n\n\"And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon\nis one.\n\n\"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars\nis one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so\ndiffers one from another in glory in the telestial world;\n\n\"These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and\nwhoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.\n\n\"These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of\nAlmighty God, until the fullness of times when Christ shall have\nsubdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work.\nWhen he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father\nspotless, saying--I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press\nalone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty\nGod. Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on\nthe throne of his power to reign for ever and ever.\n\n\"But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the\ntelestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the\nfirmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the sea shore, and heard the\nvoice of the Lord, saying--these all shall bow the knee, and every\ntongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne for ever and ever;\nfor they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall\nreceive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions\nwhich are prepared, and they shall be servants of the Most High, but\nwhere God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end.\"\n\nFrom all of which it appears that the history of mankind was\npre-arranged from beginning to end, before the foundations of the earth\nwere laid.\n\n\n\nXII.\n\nMAN.\n\nSPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.\n\n\"_Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.\"\n--II Nephi 2:25_.\n\nMany of the results of the Gospel with regard to man have been dwelt\nupon in the discussion up to this point, but there remain some\nconsiderations of importance yet to be detailed, particularly the\nobject of his coming to this earth. We turn now, therefore, to a study\nof the special end in view under the Gospel plan, in clothing the\nspirit with mortality.\n\nThe purpose of man's existence here is two-fold. One object is manifest\nfrom a revelation already quoted, as follows:\n\n\"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element,\ninseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and when separated,\nman cannot receive a fullness of joy.\" [44]\n\nThe spirit of man, we here learn, must become inseparably connected\nwith element in order to receive the fullness of joy designed for him\nby the Gospel, therefore, he must take upon him a mortal tabernacle,\nand, for that reason, after having advanced in intelligence far\nenough to retain his first estate, he is sent to an earth. Under the\nDivine plan, a Savior, one who is given power to lay down His life\nand to take it up again, is provided, to become the first fruits of\nthe resurrection, to open the grave, that the spirit and body may be\nreunited, nevermore to be separated.\n\nAnother object of our coming here is equally important, and relates to\nour spiritual growth. We may use a comparison.\n\nThe teacher in school, acquainted with the order in which the different\npowers of the mind develop in childhood, adapts his instructions\nto the growth in progress at any particular period. While not at\nall neglecting the general training of the child, he will direct\nhis efforts particularly, at different stages of progress, to the\ndevelopment for example of perception, of imagination, of comparison\nor reason, in his pupil, as the mind under his charge grows in power.\nThis procedure is necessary from the fact, that, as psychologists tell\nus, unless the powers of the mind are exercised as they develop, they\nremain dormant or only partially developed, as, for instance, the\nlove of poetry or of music, if these pleasures are not cultivated in\nchildhood.\n\nAnd just so, we may be assured, is the plan of the Gospel adapted to\nthe development of the powers of the spirit of man in the different\nstages of his progress through the first and second estates.\n\nAt what stage of progress, then, it may here be asked, have we now\narrived; and what powers of the soul are the experiences of mortality\nspecially designed to enlarge?\n\nMan finds himself thrust into the world, surrounded by sorrow,\ninjustice and poverty, and, if he contemplates these conditions without\nknowing the purpose of the Lord in sending him here, he may exclaim\nwith Schopenhauer, \"If God made the world, I should not care to be\nGod.\" But the Gospel testifies to the mercy and wisdom and goodness\nof the Lord, for in it we learn that the very conditions of which the\nphilosopher complains are designed to develop the attributes for the\nfull growth of which the spirit is given the schooling of mortality.\n\nLet us consider. We are here cut off from any understanding of our\npre-existent state or any knowledge of the hereafter, and must perforce\naccept the providences of the Lord and His designs for our future\nwelfare on trust, and so the attribute of faith is developed.\n\nFurthermore, notwithstanding all the failures and sorrows and trials of\nlife, we are impelled by an innate self-renewing power to press onto\nthe end, thus exercising hope. Dr. Johnson has well said:\n\n\"It is necessary to hope, though hope should be always deluded; and\nits frustrations, however frequent, are yet less dreadful than its\nextinction.\"\n\nAnd, again, all our environments, as children, as husbands or wives,\nas parents, as brothers or sisters, as rulers, as ruled, as king or\nshepherd, as neighbors, as citizens, call our our affections; and, so\nis love developed.\n\nThe attributes of faith, hope and love, or, as Wagner has it, in his\n\"Simple Life,\" confidence, hope and kindness, are, moreover, ever\nspoken of by inspired writers as those most to be cultivated.\n\nAnd, too, these qualities and the means for their exercise are\nuniversal. They obtain alike with all classes, in all ages of the world.\n\nMan, therefore, is placed upon the earth to develop spiritually, in\nfaith, in hope and in love, but most of all, as is consonant with the\npart that sentiment played in the inception of the Gospel, in love.\nAccordingly, Paul exclaims:\n\n\"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of\nthese is charity.\" [45]\n\nFurther and final evidence as to the importance of the cultivation\nof love is found in the reply of the Savior to the lawyer who asked,\n\"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?\" for, \"Jesus said\nunto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and\nwith all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great\ncommandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy\nneighbor as thyself.\" [46]\n\nThat there is a reason, and what the reason is, for the paramount\nimportance of the cultivation of the attributes of faith, hope and love\nin the present stage of our progress, is disclosed in a remarkable\npassage in the Book of Mormon. It reads as follows:\n\n\"Behold, I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity, bringeth\nunto me--the fountain of all righteousness. And I, Moroni, having\nheard these words, was comforted, and said, O Lord, thy righteous\nwill be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men\naccording to their faith; for the brother of Jared said unto the\nmountain Zerin, remove, and it was removed. And if he had not had\nfaith, it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men\nhave faith, for thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples.\nFor after they had faith, and did speak in thy name, thou didst show\nthyself unto them in great power.\n\n\"And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a\nhouse for man; yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man\nmight have more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot\nreceive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.\n\n\"And again I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the\nworld, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou\nmightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men.\nAnd now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of\nmen, is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity, they cannot\ninherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy\nFather.\" [47]\n\nWe may here summarize the last topic:\n\nWhy is man thrown into the world without a knowledge of his\npre-existence, of the purpose for which he is here, or of his\ndestination?\n\nThat faith may be engendered in his bosom.\n\nWhy is his life made up of failures, of disappointments, of sorrow?\n\nThat he may cultivate hope.\n\nWhy is he surrounded by the ties of kinship; why are sickness and\nsorrow and death all about him; why are care and responsibility the\nportion of each individual in every station in life?\n\nThat the attribute of sympathy, of affection, of love, may be developed\nwithin him.\n\nWhy does he stand in particular need at this stage of his advancement\nof faith, hope and love?\n\nHe has kept his first estate and is well on the way toward his trial\nfor the keeping of his second estate, where he will require the\nattributes of a God, and these three, faith, hope and love, are the\nmeans by the exercise of which he must acquire the power to reach that\nexalted destination.\n\nHerein is the justice of God in His dealings with mankind made\nmanifest; for, in the light of eternity, who should care for worldly\nhonors or a seat among the mighty? The poor and humble have within\ntheir reach every facility for advancement that is vouchsafed to any,\nin this state of probation. Indeed, it would seem that even more\nopportunity to gain eternal riches is afforded the meek of the earth\nthan is given to those most highly favored of the world.\n\nThe Gospel is, therefore, at once the true incentive to, and the\nsufficient justification of, the simple, the courageous, the hopeful\nand the kindly life.\n\n\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\nWhat, then, of our text? Does the Gospel, as revealed by the Lord\nthrough the Prophet Joseph Smith, furnish a thoughtful man with \"a\nfirm center about which he can organize his knowledge of the world?\"\nCould any man originate a system of philosophy at once so simple, so\nreasonable, so comprehensive and so beneficent? Do not the answers it\ngives to the questions of life bear all the marks of Divinity?\n\nIn answer, we shall here revert, both by way of summary, and by way\nof conclusion, to those universal questions with which we opened this\ndiscussion, and answer them in behalf of each son and daughter of Adam.\n\n_Who am I? Whence am I? Why am I here? Whither am I going_?\n\nFrom the time when, as an intelligent, self-existent, independent\nbeing, abroad in boundless space, surrounded by exhaustless,\nindestructible matter, with limitless time in which to operate, I\nreceived a knowledge of the Gospel plan which was formulated by the\nGreat God who upholds this world and all worlds and all things by\nHis power, I have been pursuing the course of advancement therein\nprovided; under the covenant that if I shall render obedience to Him\nin all things, I shall become like Him; or that, failing in so high an\nexaltation, I shall have glory added upon my head forever, in degree\naccording to my faithfulness.\n\nHaving kept my first estate, I am here to take upon my spirit a body,\nthus inseparably connecting spirit and element; and to exercise\nparticularly the attributes of faith, hope and love; that in so doing I\nmay gain power, and may thereby be enabled to keep my second estate.\n\nFrom this state of probation I am going to the world of spirits for\na season, and later to a reunion with my body, when I shall be given\nall the glory I am capable of receiving; conditioned always upon my\nfaithfulness to the light the Lord has given me here.\n\nFor this is the message of the Gospel to each soul in the world:\n\n_Be true to the light God gives you and perform with integrity the work\nHe has assigned you, exercising faith, hope and charity; so doing, you\nmay rest your soul secure in the arms of His love_.\n\n\n\nFootnotes\n\n[1] \"In this series of light rays it is plain that there are two gaps,\nor unknown regions, regarding which we have to confess total ignorance\nrelative to the part they play in the economy of the universe. May\nthere not exist vibrations still more rapid? That question we are\nnot permitted to answer. Be that as it may, the invisible rays are\nincomparably more numerous than the visible ones. Our eyes thus see\nalmost nothing of that which exists. Our assumed knowledge is only an\ninsignificant islet in the midst of the ocean of the infinite.\"--Sir\nWilliam Crookes.\n\n[2] Introduction.\n\n[3] Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1.\nNo attempt is made here, nor in other references to this passage\nof Scripture, to place a limitation to the activities of the Great\nCreator. It is sufficient to say that He has given us information so\nfar back and no farther.\n\n[4] Book of Abraham, 3:1-4, and Diagram No. 2.\n\n[5] Doctrine and Covenants 68:12.\n\n[6] Great First Cause, Par. 1.\n\n[7] Compendium, p. 287.\n\n[8] Brown's Metaphysics p. 220.\n\n[9] Book of Abraham 3:18.\n\n[10] Doctrine and Covenants 93:33.\n\n[11] Journal of Discourses, VI., p. 6.\n\n[12] 1 Corinthians 15:44.\n\n[13] Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 3:5-7.\n\n[14] Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 29:31, 32.\n\n[15] Sermon by Pres. Joseph F. Smith, at the funeral services of Wm. C.\nStaines, 1881.\n\n[16] The late James S. Brown, in telling his experience at the time\nhis leg was amputated, related that his spirit left his body, and, as\nthe spirit hovered above the mutilated and lifeless remains, he could\nsee that, while the leg of flesh and bones had been removed, yet the\nspiritual body remained whole, and the place from which the leg had\nbeen removed was still occupied by the spiritual leg, over which the\nknife and saw of the surgeon had no power. There was the spirit, the\nlife, hovering above the death bed, there was the spiritual body only\npartially enveloped by the mutilated remains, and there was the mortal\nbody dismembered and cold in death. The common experience of those who\nhave had any limb amputated, that they, without thinking, try to use\nthe dismembered part, is to the same effect.\n\n[17] Book of Abraham 3:18.\n\n[18] Journal of Discourses VI., p. 6.\n\n[19] Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1.\n\n[20] Journal of Discourses VI., First Discourse.\n\n[21] Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 1:30-39.\n\n[22] Book of Abraham 3:26.\n\n[23] Book of Abraham 3:27, 28.\n\n[24] Sec. 29:36, 37.\n\n[25] Book of Abraham 3:21-25.\n\n[26] Sec. 84:35-40.\n\n[27] Sec. 93:33, 34.\n\n[28] Alma 11:45.\n\n[29] Alma 13:7.\n\n[30] Sec. 132:19, 20.\n\n[31] Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 1.\n\n[32] Book of Abraham, Diagram No. 2, Fig. 2.\n\n[33] Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 7:40.\n\n[34] Compendium, p. 287.\n\n[35] Doc. and Cov. 1:36.\n\n[36] Sec. 88:17-26.\n\n[37] Doc. and Cov. 130:9.\n\n[38] Doc. and Cov. 39:24, 25.\n\n[39] Doc. and Cov. Sec. 77.\n\n[40] Book of Abraham 3:22, 24.\n\n[41] Sec. 107:56.\n\n[42] Alma 29:8.\n\n[43] 1 Nephi 13:12.\n\n[44] Doc. and Cov. 93:33, 34.\n\n[45] I Cor. 13:13.\n\n[46] Matt. 22:35-39.\n\n[47] Ether 12:28-34.","title":"Outlines of Mormon Philosophy: Or the Answers Given by the Gospel, as Revealed Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to the Questions of Life","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":12862}