The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-09-30

SOh 41tiO ODJCCt Ill So DlaClnS
them. Jesus Christ had a great work
to perform-the establishing of the
plan OF salvation and redemption
of the human family. The earth had
been formed for purpose. Many had
stumbled over the idea of the Justice of
God, and the question of the existence
of God had seriously troubled a great
number, on account of the cireum-
stances which surrounded the people on
the earth. Some had said that if he was
all-powerful he would interpose and not
allow them to suffer as they frequently
did and some of the trials, prosecutions
and sufferings have been cited as evil
dence that there is no God Many had
been deluded by this reasoning into in
fidelity, into denying the existence of
God, and into disbelief of providence
in connection with man on the earth.
But those who had sought after God
humbled themselves and sought after
lnowledgein the way appointed, though
they did not know all in relation to God
themselves. They knew that it had not
been Gods purpose to reveal himself to
all alike. Many have stumbled at this,
idea also. From the records in the
Bible, it was shown that it was
heavenly plan that God should with
draw himself from man, and that there
should be veil between both. Why is
this necessary? is asked Why has he
not revealed himself to all the
inhabitants of the earth and proven
t to them that he is God? Why leave
them prey to the adversary, to doubt
and darkness, when he could relieve them
so easily? There was no one born, he
remarked, who had not received his or
her free agency, and they had as much
right to exercise that agency as God had
to exercise his. There was no sacrilege
in this view. Jesus said: "Be We per-
feet, even as your Father in heaven is
perfect" How could this be, if man had
not the agency to become so perfect?
Man has had given to him, to
exercise, his own agency. Adam, in the
| garden of Eden, had Eve given him;
they were told what to do and what not
| to do, and penalties were prescribed for
violating this command Some say that
! Adam might have been prevented from
doing wrong. He was told he might eat
of every tree ''but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil thou shaltnot
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die" In this
| injunction there was no interference
with his agency. Eve partook of the
fruit, being beguiled, and subjected her
self to the penalty; she communicated
to Adam what she had done; he knew
we'll the penalty would be executed; yet
death had entered into Ewes tabernacle
and they would be separated forever,
and he with a full sense of the conse-
quences partook of the fruit. AS
the prophet Lehi said: Adam
fell that man might live This
was part OF plan organized
in heaven. God knew Adam would
partake of the fruit, and because he did
know it, he had prepared an expiration,
Redeemer, in the person of his Son,
Jesus Christ, he who was slain from the
! beginning of the world. Had it not been
for this, Adam would have slept an
eternal sleep. 1t was necessary for
Redeemer, and he was provided in the
all Christians approach the Father.
Why did not God prevent man from
pursuing such a courseP was asked by
some. Because he would not; because
it would have been in violation of his
own laws; he would be depriving men
and women of their own agency. 1t
was part of design, President Cannon
maintained, that mankind should be
born and subjected to trials, tests and
tribulations on the earth. What would
heaven be if they were not tried? 1t
would not be such heaven as God in
habits. The Almighty designs that
people shall attain to the Godhead, and
before they can reach that state they
must pass through sufferings such as
the Latter-day Saints are passing
through. He then read a passage from
the new translation of the Bible, in the
Pearl of Great Price," showing the
feeling OF humanity's first parents after
being turned out of the Garden of Eden.
They blessed God because of their
transgression. God had said they
should die; Lucifer had told them they
should not; they exercised their agency,
partook of the fruit and became as God,
knowing good and evil. Everyone COM
ing into the world possessed this know
ledge, which would be of incalculable
| benefit in the celestial world, enabling
| those who desire to progress through
out eternity. On earth we are subjected
to the power of the adversary, who in
the exercise of his agency, rebelled
against God and drew with him one
third of the hosts of heaven; he has
power over humans to try and prove
them. AT the same time the sweet
| spirit of God is with everyone, pleading
with them to do right; this is some
times called conscience; but it is the
spirit of God, though not the Holy
Ghost, for that is given only through
/ obedience to the ordinances of the gos-
pei. The spirit of God pleads with all
Pagan, Jew, Mahommedan and
Christian-as well as with the Latter
day Saints; it leads men to do right, to
resist the Establishments of sin; man
never did do wrong without the spirit
| first warning him not to do it. On the
other hand there is contrary spirit,
working with an opposite influence.
There is no child who has arrived at
years of accountability-no child of s
years of age-who has not these two
influences; the one pleading to do right,
the other enticing to do wrong. Thus
man has his agency to act according to
one or the other. The Latter-day
Saints have heard the gospel, they
have received the Spirit of God, which
| taught them that it was the truth; ii
was testimony which would lead them
to a greater enjoyment of the Holy
Ghost. All had existence before they
came to the earth, and though they
could not remember incidents of the
days OF their infancy, they could not
deny they once had an existence. If we
could remember our associations with
our Father in heaven, how homesick we
should feel. Sometimes, when people