Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-09-08

| 'N'l9 Ht|N OF lN' I..iN '.L"i' lA hi'"H
and als5 Tho creation OF man, male and
female. spoken OF in Gen. /: a. referred
to a spiritual creation;
For tho Lord God. created an
| thIn-s. of which / have pokan. spirit-
/ ually before they were naturally upon
The faco af the earth. Pearl % Great
| Price .. u.
let e be here observed. that this
word Creation does not signify the
forming OF something out OF nothing
but the organizing OF eternal elements
whether spiritual or physical.
In a translation OF the Book OF Abra-
ham by Joseph. the Prophet, we find
this.
'Now me Lord had shown unto me,
Abraham the iuteINsences that Were
organized before the World was; and
among these were many ~ the noble
and great ones, and God saw these
souls That they were GOOD and He
stood in he midst on them, and lie
said. these win / make ny rulers ~
j.. VI O. r.. page g..
These quotations win perhaps suffice
IA beams OF light on the subject from
modem revelation. In the Bible there
are many flashes Of the same intelli-
gence. For instance:
"There IS q spirit in man. and the
inspiration of the Aimight gyeth them
understanding. job xxi. s.
Where vast thou when ] laid the
foundations of the carth3
when thc morning stars sang toge-
Tier and AN the sons OF God shouted
for ioy?'-Job xXxylii a.
Then shall the dust return 60 the
earth as it was; and the spirit shall re-
turn unto God who gave it"-Eccles
XII, Z.
Master who did sin. this man or his
parents, that he was born blind2'-Jno.
'Forasmuch then as we are the Of
spring OF God, ctc.-Acts Xvii, 20,
Furthermore. we have had fathers
Of our flesh which corrected us and we
gave them reverence; shall we not
much rather be In subsection 20 the
Father OF spirits, and liye?'-Heb, XII,
O.
"And the angels which kept not their
FIRST estate, but left their own habita-
tlon he hath reserved IN everlasting
chains. under darkness, unto the judg-
ment Of the great day jude, 6.
In explanation Of the last quotation
we refer once more to the Pearl Of Great
Price. In which an account Is given Of
the revolt Of those spirits who kept not
their first estate" and Of the glory Of
those who keep their second estate %
that Is. the probation Of mankind on
this earth In the flesh.
From what we have cited It will APP
pear that the pre-existent spirits Of men
aud women were entities having each
the distinctive pecuiaritIes exhibited
in and through their bodies, which are
IN the likeness Of their spirits. This will
answer the first question as fully as
consistent with a newspaper article.
As TO the second questions That IS
partly answered IN the foregoing. But
10 be explicit the revelations OF God, both
ancient and modern, announce the eter-
nal existence both Of the spirit and the
body. after the latter has been resur-
rected 10 Immortality In the Book Of
Mormon and IN the Doctrine and Cove
nants It is affirmed that both the body
and the spirit OF man. quickened by the
spirit OF lfe, shall not die after" but
II prepared Tor the highest glory will
be perfected in the complete image Of
their Eternal Father and His Son Jesus
Christ. and enjoy and exercise all the
powers Of their spiritual and physical
being forever Therein Is "a fulness Of
Joy"
The doctrine Of life after death and
the identity OF each individual in the
everlasting future is 80 familiar TO
modern theology. and to readers Of the
Hebrew scriptures, that We need not
take up further space by quotations on
that subject
Now as to tho forgetfuIness Of our
FIRST estate. That Is accounted for boy
the complete environment OF the spirit
on entering the body prepared for H..
This quckeung Of the fnius shuts out
the former estate from memory, and
subjects the new inbabl,ant OF this
lower sphere TO the laws that govern
this material universe. There are oc-
caslonal echoes IN the soul, Of past
conditions and associations, and there
are afnnItles and repulsions that cannot
be accounted for by physical influences;
and, when needful, a little concerning
the spiritual original home may be I'M
folded, as the Almighty IN His wisdom
and mercy may reveal. But, normally
a veil Is drawn between the spirit life
and the natural world and that is the
vein OF the flesh.
We are sensible OF the incomplete
ness OF thls brief response 20 the Ques-
lions we have attempted 20 answer.
The subject IS SO deep and wide and
flr-reachng. that one article In dali
ly Journal could not fully open Il. or
touch any more than the surface Of
the theme
To the lat,er-day Saints. the pre-cx-
Istent spiritual state is as much OF a
reality as the future immortal state,
for which they are euieayJrlng TO pre-
pare by q right course in The present
condition of existence The thought,
which IS 20 them fur more than q mere
theory That they are the actual sons
end daughters OF the Eternal God. sent
down 20 this earth as 90 a school, and
also 90 o testing place. 90 determine
t7oir fitness for future eyaltauons or
r.trihuti0as and that by obedience TO
His laws ana yielding TO the guidance
o' tha. spirit that flows from Ills pres
.-cs Go Hlghten comfort and lead
mis- .n|IIH.n fF.g frrt y...f- tft. ..t