The San Francisco call., 1897-10-11

yet assembled to my Father. but go to my
brethren and say unto them, ascend unto
my Father and your Father, and TO my God
and your God"
To one not understanding the two-fold mis-
sion OF our LORD the question would naturally
arise, ''lf you have not been to your Father
and God where have you been and where did
swered in Peter III, xviii 30: ''For Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God, being
put 10 death In the flesh, but quickened by
the spirit. By which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison, which
sometime were disobedient when once the
long suffering of God waited in the days OF
Noah while the ark was preparing, wherein
lew, that is eight souls. were saved by W ater."
Ihls passage proves, first, the TACT that Jesus
preached to the spirits in prison of those peo-
pie who were swept off by the flood; second,
that there is an individual existence OF man,
coupled with that God-given right--freedom
to actor the agency OF man must not be
abridged IN matters pertaining to the soul.
jesus preached to the spirits in prison, which
is conclusive evidence that those spirits ex-
isted and had personal identity and could
assert their individuality by accepting or re-
Jecting the doctrines that he taught. II they
did not en- joy this freedom of exercising obedi-
ence or disobedience, why did the Savior
preach the gospel unto them? 1t would be
solemn mockery to tell them OF the glorieS TO
be attained through obedience TO the gospel
II they were not at liberty TO obey, and thus
secure the promised blessings. Why then was
the gospel preached unto the spirits in prison?
Peter ~ :6.: "For this cause was the gospel
preached also to them that are dead; tnat
they might be judged according to men in the
flesh, but live according 10 GOO in the spirit"
That is, having heard the gospel after death
In the spirit world, If they accept its teach
ings and conform to its requirements they
viii receive the promised blessings as though
they had obeyed the gospel in life, but the
first shall be last and the last shall be first"
for, AS in this case, the gospel was preached
unto the inhabitants of the earth by Noah
and they would not believe, hence they were
compelled to suffer imprisonment for 23OO
years and remain in this state until the Savior
had finished his work upon the earth, at
which time he visited them and the gospel
was again preached unto them.
1t is evident that Jesus taught the same doc
trines to the dead during his soIourn in the
spirit world that he taught and bade his
disciples teach in the Holy Land, viz: Faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ; repentance OF all sin /;
baptism by immersion, for the remiss ion OF
sin, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
laying on OF hands, as they are clearly set
forth by the four evangelists. But these ante
dlluylans, being deprived of their physical
bodies, could not comply with the ordinan ce
of baptism: hence the ne cessity of q vicarious
work to be performed by the living for the
dead, as alluded 10 by Paul, L Cor. xv:29-
ELSE what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead. If the dead rise not at all? Why
are they then baptized for the dead?"
II is here very plain that the living were
baptized for the dead in the days of the
Apostles but where is such doctrine taught
upon the earth to-day except by the Latter
been taught by direct revelation from q cd, as
follows: Book OF Doctrines aud Covenants,
section l03. page 1O-"And build a house TO
my meme for the most high to dwell in; for
there is not place found on eartn that he
may come and restore again that which was
lost unto you, or which he hath taken away,
even the iullness OF the pr esthood, for bap-
l,smal font there is not upon the earth, that
they. my saints may be baptized for those who
are dead, for this ordinance belongeth to my
house. For verify say unto you that after
you have had sufficient time TO build house
unto me, wherein the ordinance of baptzing
for the dead belongeth, and for which the
same was instituted from before the founda-
tion of the world. your baptisms for your dead
cannot be acceptable to me-"
Here is the great secret of the energy mani
fes ted by the Latter-day Saints in building
those magnificent temples that command the
admiration of all believers: that the saints
may be baptized for their relatives who are
dead, and the words of Malachi ful filled, "The
hears of the fathers shall be turned 10 the
children and the hearts of the childrento their
fathers"
But the condition of those who obey the
Gospel IN lie and follow its precepts Till death
Is very different They go away into 4 para
disc OF peace and rest, where their works fol-
low them. AS they have served their great
Master in HE so they may continue 10 do so
after death as ministering angels-beiore their
God continually. This TACT is evidenced by
the case OF John the Revelator while he was
on the Isle of Patmos and was taken by the
angel to the top OF a high mountain and there
shown the New Jerusalem.
Then John fell down at the feet of the angel
TO worship him, but the messenger said
(Rev. xxii:9): ''See thou do it not. for 1 am
thy feilow-.ervant and of thy brethren the
prophets, and of them that Keep the sayings
revelations of God to Jose ph Smith, it Is clearly
shown that Michael the Archangel was Adam
and that the angel Gabriel who visited the
prophet Daniel, Zacharias and the Virgin
Mary was Noah, he who built the ark
All who serve God in Righteousness on the
earth become his ministering angels after
q dNy N h rt.,,.N
eternity, according to the revelations of the
past, which are confirmed by modern revela-
lion