Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-25
The Resurrection and
The Justice of God
Discourse Delivered by President Joseph F. Smith, at
{ The Funeral of A. Milton Musser i'm the Second
Ward Chapel September Is, 1909.
URcportcd by Il. w. otterstrom.)

or the time, j sincerely hope THAI tho
good spirit OF peace and consolation
may rest upon the congregation, es-
lpeeially upon the family. and that what
l may say and what may follow may
be strictly In accordance with tho
spirit of truth and the purposes Of the
Lord
Death is a common thing All men
are destined to pass through this Or
deal which VIC call the temporal death
IL is the common lot of every beng
who has descended from the first par
ents- They wcro placed in the Garden
of Eden with the commandment to
fmultiply and replcnish the earth, but
with another commandment that of
all the fruits of the garden they might
freely eat, but OF the fruit of the tree
OF knowledge OF good and evil they
were not To partalee, for in the day
they did 1t they should surely die. In
order 10 complete or carry out the great
commandment to multiply and rcplcu-
tsh the earth, 1t was necessary that
they should break the other law, or com
mandment, which wslS given, that they
should not partake of the fruit Of the
This was simply a part of tho economy
OF heaven, and of the great design of
the Creator, which must be fulfilled.
Therefore, death came into the world
because OF the tranSgression of the law,
not only upon the first parents but sue
ceSsivcly upon all that have been born
OF them into the world; and, therefore,
wo meet, day by day and recently Il
seems to me that 1t is more frequent
death" which is not, in reality, death;
for IL is said that blessed are they that
die in the Lord, for they shall not taste
of death, but 1t shall be sweet unto
them. The Savior said, "Whosoever
lveth and believeth on me shall never
die. and though he were dead yet shall
he live" These are remarkable say
ings. and they do not convey to the
ordinary mind their simple truth and
the power. right and authority by
which they We're uttered.
THE SPIRIT OF MAN IMMORTAL.
The spirit of man is an immortal be-
ing The spirit has It's entity. as clear
ly and as surely as the spirit and the
body combined have an entity; and the
spiritual part does not die, except ii
becomes subject to the curse of sin or
wilful tranSgression against the law of
6Ou. III ll1dI event, Qelln COMES, III
very deed. to man and to the spirit of
man-not annihllation, not q disintegra-
tlon OF the organism called the spirit,
but a banishment of the spirit from
light and life. from truth and from Joy
and happiness, into outer darkness
Behold. this IS DEATH The Savior said,
"WhosoeVer liveth and belleycth on
me shall never die; and though he were
dead. yet shall he live" and those who
believe on Jesus Christ Will realize the
fruition or fulfilment of that promise
in the fact that they will never be ban
ished from the presence OF God. nor will
they ever taste of spiritual death.
Though they are separated from their |
tabernaclcs. for n time, yet they live |
and viii continue to live, for in Christ |
they are freed from the power of death |
and are entitled to the blessings OF life |
ever more. |
A LIVING FAITH ESSENTIAL
"Whosoever llveth and believeth on |
me shall never die" Much Is meant |
by this little sentence Does it mean
that he that simply believes shall never
die? 1 think not. Even the Devil |
believes, but he is not entitled !
to the fulflment of the prom
ise that is thus made There
are many who simply believe. but
the works that he did. they do not
do, the works that he commanded they |
do not perform. and consequently they
would not be entitled To the blessing
and fulfiment of the promise that is
made. II does not mean that simply
because n man believes, he shall be
brought to life, and he shall not taste
OF DEATH but it means more. 1t means
all that is implied I'm the great plan Of
HE and salvation, inaugurated before
tho foundation OF the world was laid.
by which men should come to the
earth, by which they should fall, by
which they should multiply and re-
plenish the earth, by which they should
die and rise again from the dead,
and become immortal souls as the body
of Christ rose from the dead, and the |
spirit of Christ and his body again
reunited, and joined together, became
an immortal soul, no more subject to
death. Men should not be carried
away with the thought that all we
have TO do is to believe. In order that
VIC may be saved, and that we may
enjoy the blessings that are promised
unto us He that belieyeth-If his be-
lief is sincere-if honest in his belief.
ne will do the Will of the Father; and
by doing the will of the Father he
Shall know OF the doctrine, that IL is
OF God, and that he will be entitled
through obedience, to the fulnlment OF
the promises that are made to those
that obey, as We'll as believe.
TRIBUTE TO THE DEAD.
Brother Musser was a noble, faith
1nl, true man: man of honor. a man
OF integrity to every trust imposed
In him; man who has been true TO
his family true to his nelehbor true
10 his God, and true 10 the cause OF
Zion from his first acquaintance with
the Gospel until he drew his last
breath HIS whole life has been an
eNemplifcation of that requirement
and the meaning conveyed in the prom.
lse of the Lord. that whosocyer be-
lieveth in him. though he were dead
yet shall he live. and IL he be living
ne shall never die. / viii ask the chill
cren and family and those Immediately
assoclated with Brother Musser, who
are here today, If they feel, In tho nros,