Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-03-09

organism, IN the attributes of the soul.
and the qualities of the mind may IL not
be that we resemble Him Boo the matter
Of pfe.cNi.tcncc2 Why, it is 500 pro-
claimed Zoo the scriptures. Il Is said. as
already quoted, 1--WE have had fathers
OF our flesh which corrected us. aud we
gave them reverence. shall we not much
rather be iu subsection unto the Father
OF spirits, and live" Indeed the Lord
says 90 one OF the prophets. "Bciorc !
formed thee in the belly. ! knew thee.
and before thou earnest out Of the womb
/ slnctihcl thee and ! ordained thee TO
be prophet unto the nations Tbs is
the language used Boz respect 90 the
Prophet jeremiah, That prophets spirit
existed BOO The heavenly kingdom before
Dc was formed In the womb. God knew
d. aud lie knew that that spirit had the
qualities 10 make "a prophet unto the
nations. hence. lie called him aud ore
daincd him before Zoe was born To- occupy
that exalted position. There is also Boo
the book Of Abraham % statement made
that IS truly grand. Abraham. 100 this
record, says Nov the Lord had shUwn
unto me, Abraham, the intcI.igcnccs
that were organized before the world
was; and among al these there were
many OF the noble and great ones. AND
God saw these souls lIlt they were
good, and be stood Boo the midst ui
them, and hc said, These ] will make
my rulers, i0r DO stood among those
that were spirits, and be- saw that they
were good. and he said unto mg, Abfa.
ham. thou 900 one ui them; thou vast
chosen before thou vast born" lie, boz
other words was Just like jeremiah, and
like the son 0i God. the uubIcst aud the
best OF them all-ghosUn and ordained
TO the work that lie performed 10 this
life.
The Prophet Joseph, cnIarging upon
this theme, declared that not only did
mans spirit have q pfc-cN.g,cnee, but
that when the plan OF salvation was
formed We were 40 present. We saw
the Savior chosen, We voted to sustain
aud uphold Him IN that capacity aud
doubtless 10 Is because of this cifcum
stance that condemnation will come 20
those who reject Him, for 900 the light
and intelligence unto which man attain.
ed 10 his pTc.CN.stcut tate has not been
blottcd out aud obIitJmtgd by bis
coming 90 this world. Sometimes, like
the fragments % half forgotten dream.
knowledge and Intelligence unto which
man had attained IN his pre.cyistcncc
comes back 10 him. lie hear whisper.
ings, prompting directions, which come
90 him boz psrt at least from "a rccollgc.
ton OF those ideas aud knowledge that
he had loo his prg-eNistCnt state Even
the heather philosophers teach these
things. The great Cicero, commenting
on the teachings OF Plato declares it to
be the teaching of Plato that the facility
with which children learn so rapidly
acquire so much knowledge and do Do SO
quickly, arises OUT OF the fact, not that
they absolutely learn ideas, lut that
which We call development and In.
tclleclull growth in this lie is merely
the recollection Of their former ideas.
All Of Gods truth has not been
b|uttcd out To- this world, not even in lbs
darkest ages; but here and there CLEANS
OF iis light have shot forth T. direct men
towards God.
There Is q wonderful amount Of inior-
nation that runs side by side with this
doctrine Of the prg-cx.stcncc OF mans
splrI. There Is a world OF knowledge
uui0.dcd when this principle is recognil-
el. / can now understand how h IS
that sometimes. IN spite Of an adverse
circumstances, there are spirits that rise
from the lOWliCst and most unilvofablc
conditions to grandeur and nobility OF
heart aud head. Tue philosophers OF
the world, On accounting for character
have laid, believe, too much stress up
ON the influence Of parcniagc and OF
environments There are those who be.
leye that u you will only surround the
child with the proper influence You may
mould and fashion q TO what you will.
There are others who believe that II YOU
only give TO d child good parcn,age %
will inherit 40 the good qualities, not
iulrcQuglly % is solution 20 the dill,
Guilty OF getting rid Of vicious characters.
For myself ] believe that character
primarily is based upon the nature of
the spirit the extent Of is development
the amount OF growth IL had before il
tabernaclud In the flesh; and that parcn.
tagc, instead OF creating character, can
only modify 10; that instead OF environ.
ment creating character Il can only
modify n. Hence, you sometimes see
this strange thing, that in spite OF vicious
plTeutIgu, iu spite Of uniavllble en-.
ylrunmcnt you see a character rising 20
iis own native heights OF nobility and
grandeur purely because the spirit be-
fore 1t came here had stamped upon IL
Gods own nobility, and no amount OF
influence coming from vicious parentagc
or from uuiayOub.e environment could
altogether crush out the native nobility
OF that spirit but IL sprung upward,
took rs place In the earth, aud became
a bgnelaCtOr TO the children OF men.
Not only do the revelations given
through Joseph Smith explain to us our
pre-eNistencc but we are given founder
stand that in that pre-eXistcuCe are there
various degrees OF development and of
Intelligence, aud God selected the
noble ones and said concerning them, II
will make these my rulers" Hence
God took these noble spirits and from
time TO time, Ia different ages OF the
world, has given them 10 a nation or
race Of men to bless them. Aud TO the
aucienis lie gave Seth, an Enoch, "a
Noah, an Abahlmi and moving out OF
that direct line OF the recognized ser
wants Of God, may say that lie sent a
COuuciui TO the Chinese who II he fhd
not teach them q religion did teach
them philosophy that has stood them
in very good stead. lie raised up
Plato aud a Socrates among the Greeks.
lie also remembered that branch of
Abahdms family, the ArahMny the
descendants Of Abraham by Hagar-He
raised up TO them a Mahomet. And #
these men did not teach the lulness OF
the Gospel OF Christ, they did at least
teach that measure Of truth that the
people could receive, and II has been "A
benefit 10 thlm Thus lie has hld "A
care over His children, and has raised