Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-19
PRESIDENT ANTHoN II. LuNp.

The subject Brother Winder alluded
to--work for the dead--ls a very inter-
esting one. II is principle peculiar to
the Gospel as preached by us, There
are churches whose members believe In
praying for the dead; but we believe in
working for the dead. II was new
thing when the Prophet Joseph laid
this principle before the world. The
Christian world had been taught for
hundreds OF years that death ends all
with man; that II he did not believe
In Christ Mt his death there was no
hope for him, When YOU consider the
small number of the inhabitants OF the
"c'li VINO have heard OF the name Of
Christ, and then think OF all the rest
being damned because they did not
obey that which they had never heard,
the Inconsistency and injustice of such
a doctrine as that is very apparent.
The Gospel OF Christ was formulated In
love. God Is love. lie loved His chill
dren so much that He sent His Only
Begotten Son, who gave Himself sac
riflce for the sins OF all. Jesus came
and filed His mission. His name has
been preached TO the nations for CEN
turtles. Yet the Christian world today
does not constitute third of the whole
population OF the globe. The other two
thirds do not believe In Christ, and
when they die, according 20 some, their
chance of salvation is gone. We believe
L.. hoo, 4 4 49,,
this, We believe that the plan OF sal
walton, formulated before this earth
rolled into existence, was framed by
heavenly beings who could see the fut-
urei and who understood what would
take place, and were able to provide for
the salvation of all who should inhabit
TINS earth. They did so. We have
learned, through the Prophet Joseph,
that there Is a possibility for those who
nave departed. TO hear the truth, TO
believe in God and in His Son. to re-
pent, and TO have the ordinances of the
Gospel performed for them. ] know
that many have held that these doc
trlnes are blasphemous; but they are
not They are principles that give
nope unto men. You have heard per-
maps OF the savage chief who was
converted by the Christians and.
~ Noo SUNS W SNtD llllO the waters
or baptism, he asked what had
become of his father and his forefath-
ers. The priest who was to baptize him,
being a little more jealous than wise
perchance, told him they had all gone
to hell, He stepped back and said,
Then | want to go where they have
gone Now, those who hear the Cos
pei today may ask where their fore
fathers have gone, and II can be said
TO them. They all shall hear the name
of Christ. for the Gospel will be
preached unto them. II they have not
heard 1t here. they will hear II yonder;
and every knee shall bow. and every
tongue shall confess His name" Re-
member, Il Is the spirit in man that
hears, and understands, and wills.
This tabernacle of clay is not capable
OF these functions. The spirit uses the
different senses TO obtain perceptions
from the outer world. And when the
spirit, after leaving the body, goes
into the spirit world. II can stlll think.
and will. and reason. The intelligent
part of man does not die. At some
time or other, those authorized to
preach the Gospel will minister unto
the spirits In the spirit world and lay
before them the glorious principles of
truth, When the thief on the cross
ushtu lHe pdNlOT 10 remember MN
when He came into His Kingdom, Jesus
saw that the man was penitent that he
had a broken heart and contrlte
spirit, and he comforted him with the
promise that today shalt thou be with
me In paradise" / do not think He
held out fallaclous hope to this man
when He said that he should be with
Him in paradise that day. / believe
that when the Savior's spirit left His
body hanging upon the tree, 1t went
into paradise, and He gladdened the
hearts of the spirits there with the
glorious tidings that He had conquered,
that He had given His life for their
redemption, and that everything they
had done In their worship pointing for
ward 10 His great sacrifice had been
fulfilled, thereby giving validity to their
acts.
What Joy must have filled them
when they heard this! But He did not
visit them alone. He went further
into the spirit world. He visited the
spirits In prison who had once heard
and rejected the Gospel. He preach
ed the Gospel unto them, so Peter
tells US. Peter also gives us to under
stand who they were They were the
who rejected the message
Of salvation as preached by the Gospel