Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-12-08
ELDER JOHN NICHOLSON.
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jeremiah was informed Of his pre-.
existence. The voice Of the Lord came
to him and informed him that he was
selected before he was formed in the
body to be a prophet Of the Most High
God; and logically there can be no Sc
lection Of anything before is existence.
II jeremiah existed previous 20 entering
upon an earthly career, so did the whole
Of the human race. AS have already
said, behold the wonderful nature Of
man, his achievements, what he accom-.
plishes by the mighty intellect he
possesses. Where did he get this com.
preheusion, and this intelligence Be-
cause in iunumcablc cases he no
sooner natures than he exhibits the
power OF his mental strength. In all
, nature, wherever you observe Il, there is
process Of graduation In is develop
ment, there IS nothing that leaps sud-
denly into state OF perfection from a
condition Of comparative crudity Then
why should man be an exception The
idea that we possess Is, that his present
| condition OF perfection Is due TO the fact
that before he came here he was
thinking, acting, intelligent and indie.
pendent individuality In the presence Of
/ God the Father that he had a pre- mortal
experience and consequent develop
| ment.
1t Is almost universally claimed by
! religi0nisls that men live after death; or
they hold that the soul Of man Is
immortal. At least, all the Christians
Cling to this idea. Thus they take the
position that after man has laid aside
this mortal coil, and his remains are laid
I Lea q IA.
Split still lives and will continue to
exist throughout the endless ages Of
eternity. So far as natural philosophy
or reason Is concerned see no stronger
logic in that position than ! can see In
the enunciaton that man lived before
he came here, In the spirit life. Aud
this truth accounts for, as nothing else,
Il appears TO me can explain, the plan
OF the Gospel, at the head OF which
Christ stands. Why Because the plan
Of redemption was to save mankind;
that Is TO say, there was a pre.arranged
design with our Father and God that
the spirits that were bcgotten OF Him
should come here and take upon them
selves physical conditions, that through
the experience they gain here, coming
IN contact with good aud evil and par
taking Of sorrow as well as 10y, they
might be prepared for "a greater and
more exceeding weight Of glory" or as
the Lord has said through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, that spirit and element
are inscpafably connected, otherwise
there Is not a iulness Of JOY" Hence
our spirits have come here that they
and the elements in the midst OF which
we live might be combined, and that
we, through the combination, might
have a iulness OF JOY; Tor man IS, the
Lord says, that he might have JOY.
by the transgression Of one man, Paul
says, came death into the world; and
the fiat OF death Is OF universal applica-
ton. II applies to all without distinc.
/ ton; none can escape IL. and Il Is there,
at least, where all men are equal when
they stand at the gates Of death and
pass through rs dark shadow. The
| Gospel OF Christ is also OF universal
/ application to the dead as well rs the
| living lie came TO save al, without
| distinction, that would be saved. As
the Apostle says, "As by the transCrcs-
sion OF one man, all die; so in Christ
| shall all be made alive" That Is to say,
| that although all have TO undergo the
| fat Of Jehovah and suffer the penalty OF
| death, by the atoning blood OF lesus
| Christ all shall be ressuuected, There
is no limit in regard TO the extent OF
| the application OF this atonement.
| Christ atoned for what Is called the
| original sin, and gave himself ransom
| for that which was lost, and by that ran
som all are redeemed from dcath-the
death OF the body whether they died
before or after His crucilixion; and thus
| cometh TO pass the resurrection, when
the body aud the spirit, by the power
| that is In Christ, who holds the keys Of
the resurrection, shall be reunited and
man become an immortal being, physi.
cal as well as spiritual possessed OF
spirit clothed upon with an eternal res.
directed body. This is the RHiy0sai
effect.
Then there are SPECIAL effects; that is
10 say, that which is the destiny OF one
may not be the destiny Of another; for
as the Apostle Paul, in speaking COM
paratvely OF the resurrection OF the
dead. says, there are different degrees
OF glory. "There is one glory OF the
sun, and another glory OF the moon,
and another glory OF the stars; Tor one
star dillereth from another star In glory.
So Is also the resurrection OF the dead
Now, in order for God to be iust-and
lie has said himself, Except / am Just,
am no longer God"-these possible,
ties must be placed within the reach Of
all His children. In other words, the
Gospel IS to every creature, and the
time is to come, according to the voice
of revelation, "when every knee shall
bow and every tongue confess that
Jesus is the Christ"
How will this grand conversion to
Christ be brought about For there are
myrlads Of human beings who, while
they live in mortality never hear the
name OF Christ uttered. Then how are
they to bow the knee and with the
tongue confess that Jesus Is the Christi
Ii cannot be ON the ground OF lnlorma'
ton received In mortality; Tor they have
not heard His name while IN the flesh,
Then how shall they get the necessary
Enowledgep This IS another phase OF
Inc Gospel OF the Son Of God as under.
stood by the Latter-day Saints, The most
beautiful and sublime that could enter
into the human mind, and stands in
unison with the principle OF pre-eNlstcnce
and the brotherhood Of mankind-that
Is. that the preaching and application OF
the Gospel OF Jesus Christ IS not con-
fined to this lite, but extends beyond
mortality, In order that Christ may be
the victor, and that Satan may not be
TRIUMPHANT over our Lord and Master
Hence when Christ was upon the earth
| He had a two-iold mission to perform;