The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-12-26
JOSEPH SMITHS LAST SERMON,
Delivered at Nauvoo, Illinois, Short Time
Before the Prophets Martyrdom

we say that God himself is a sell
existing God: who told you so? 1t is
correct enough, but how did you get 1t
in your heads? Who told you that man
did not exist in ike manner upon the
same principles? (Refcrs to the old
Bble) How does it read i'm the Hebrew?
1t don't say so in the Hebrew, it says
God made man out of the earth, and
put into him Adams spirit, and so be-
came a living body.
The mind of man is as immortal as
God himself. | know that my testi-
mony is true, hence when talk to
these mourners: what have they lost,
they ale only separated from their
bodies for short season; their spirits
co-equal with Gods, and they now
exist in a'place where they converse
together, the same as we do on the
earth. Is it logic to say that a spirit
is immortal, and yet have beginning?
Because if a spirit have beginning it
will have an end, good logic. ! want
to reason more on the spirit of man,
for am dwelling on the body of man,
on the subject of the dead. l take my
ring from my finger and liken it unto
the mind of man because 1t has no be-
ginning. Suppose you cut it in two;
but as the Lord lives there would be
an end. AL the FOOLS learned and wise
men, from the beginning Of creation,
who say that man had a beginning,
proves that he must have an end, and
then the doctrine of humiliation
would be true. But if ! am right, /
might with boldness proclaim from
the house tops, that God never did
have power to create the spirit of man
at all. God himself did not create him
self; intelligence exists uppn IL self
existing principle, it is ri, from
age to age, and there il 30 creation
about it. All the spirits that God
ever sent into the world are susccpti-
BILE of enlargement. The first prln-
cipleS of man are self-eXistent with
God, that God himself finds himself
in the midst of spirits and glory, be-
cause he was greater, and because he
saw proper to institute laws whereby
the rest could have privilege to adj
vance like himself, that they might
have one glory upon another, in all
that knowledge, power, and glory, &C.,
in order to save the world of spirits.
know that when j tell you these
words of eternal life, that are given to
me- l know you taste it and know
that you believe it. You say honey is
sweet and so do l. can also taste
the spirit of eternal life; know it is
good and l tell you of these things
that were given me by inspiration OF
the Holy Spirit you are bound to re-
ceive it as sweet, and ] rejoice more
and more.
! want to talk more of the relation
of man to God. will open your eyes
in relation to your dead; all things
whatsoever God of his infinite wis
dom has seen proper to reveal to us,
while we are dwelling in mortality,
in regard to our mortal bodies, are
revealed to us in the abstract and
independent of affinity of this mortal
tabernacle, but are revealed TO us as II
we had no bodies at all, and those
revelations which will save our dead,
will save our bodies; and God reveals
them to us in view of eternal dissolu-
ton OF the body; hence the RESPONSE
bility, the awful responsibility, that
rests upon us in relation to our dead:
for al! the spirits which have not
obeyed the gospel in the flesh, must
either obey the gospel or be damned.
Solemn thought, dreadful thought.
Is there nothing to be done, no saliva
tion for our fathers and friends who
have died and not obeyed the DEGREES
of the Son of man? Would to God
had forty days and forty nights to tell
you all, | would let you know that
am not fallen prophet. What kind
OF characters are those who can be
saved although their bodies are de-
caying in the grave? When his COM
mandments teach US, it is in view Of
eternity. The greatest responsibility
in this world that God has laid upon
us, is to seek after our dead. The
apostle says they without us cannot
be made perfect. Now will speak of
them: say TO you Paul. you cannot
be perfect without us; it is necessary
that those who have gone before, and
those who come after us should have
salvation in common with us, and
thus hath God made it obligatory to
man. Hence God said he should send
Elijah, &c; ! have a declaration to
make as to the provisions which God
hath made TO suit the conditions of
man; made from before the founda-
IN OF the world. What has Jesus