Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-19

righteousness, and VIII hold thine
hand. and will keep thee. and give
thee for covenant of the people. for
n light of the gentlles.
To open the blind eyes, TO bring out
the prisoners from the prison. and
they that sit In darkness out of the
prison house
Again In the 61st chapter of this
same book, another passage on the
same subject
The spirit of the Lord God is upon
me- because the Lord hath anonted
| me TO preach good tidingS unto the
| meek, He hath sent me to bind up the
! broken hearted. to proclaim liberty
| TO the captives, and the opening OF tho
| prison TO them that are bound; to
| proclaim the acceptable year of the
| Lord. and the day OF vengeance of our
| God; to comfort all that mourn.
This passage was the first text that
the Savior took when he began his
| ministry In his native towc. He de-
clared unto the people in that. day.
that the time had come for the full
| hlling of this prophecy: that he had
| been sent to heal the blind. to open
| their eyes; and to bring out of the pri-
| son house all who sat In darkness,
| But the people would not listen to
| him. They rejected him, drove him
| from their city. What he had In mind
| as the prophet Isaiah had in mind, in
recording these things. was that sal
walton had come unto Israel; and not
unto Israel alone. but unto all that
sat in darkness. whether they be liv-
Ing or whether they be dead. for the
gospel of Jesus Christ is not confined
to the living, 1t embraces the dead as
well; and according to the doctrines
taught by the Latter-day Saints. as We
understand the Scriptures. this gospel
shall be preached not alone In all the
world but also in the spirit world
where the dead may have the privilege
of hearing It,
PROPHECY OF ENOCH.
Another ancient prophecy on this
point. taken from the Book of Moses as
1t was revealed to the Prophet Joseph
Smith, and now found in the Pearl OF
Great Price. page 40. reads as follows
Behold, l am God; Man of Holiness
is my name. Man of Counsel is my
name; and Endless and Eternal is my
name, also Wherefore, / can stretch
forth my hands and hold all the crea.
tons which have made, and mine eye
can pierce them also: and among all
the workmanship of my hands there
has not been 50 great wickedneSs as
sins shall be upon the heads of their
fathers Satan shall be their father,
and misery shall be their doom; and
the whole heavens shall weep over
them. even all the Workmanship of my
hands. Wherefore should not the heay-
ems weep, seeing these shall suffer? But
behold. these which thine eyes are upon
shall perish i'm the floods, and behold,
! will shut them w; a prison have l
prepared for them And That which 1
have chosen has plead before my face.
Wherefore ne suffereth, for their sins.
inasmuch as they will repent In the
day that my Chosen shall return unto
me, and until that day they shall be
In torments wherefore. for this sirlll
the heavens weep, yea. all the work
manship of my hands"
This passage is taken from the proph-
ecy OF Enoch Tho Lord declared that
he had prepared a prison house for
those who had been disobedient before
the flood; that they should be shut up
In the prison, where they should suf-
fer for their sins until that day when
his Anointed One should return unto
him; In other words. after the death
and resurrection OF Christ when he
atoned for the sins Of mankind. Then
should the prison doors be opened unto
those who had suffered for their sins
and had repented, that they might come
forth.
Isaiah. in the 24th chapter. 22nd and
29rd verses, in speaking of the wicked
of the latter days, also gays that they
shall be gathered In the pit, and shall
be shut up In the prison. and after
many days shall they be visited, even
as the antediluvians were visited.
These also. when they have repented
Of their sins and are forgiven, shall
come forth from the prison house.
These are some of the promises that
were made to the fathers anciently.
There are others. but 1 cannot take
time now to refer to them.
JUSTICE AND MERCY OF GOD.
Certain blessings pertaining to the
gospel, and the Melchisedek priesthood,
that we enjoy in this day. were with
held from the people anciently, because
they did not have the fulness of the
priesthood. Then, again. there had been
hundreds OF thousands, yes, millions.
cf people unon the face Of the earth
that never had the chance to hear the
gospel who died without that knowl-
edge, in their sins; and they must be
redeemed, for no man can enter into the
kingdom of God and obtain an exalta-
tlon until he has obcyed the laws of
ITldt RlnSuOH1s ana Wnere man died
without the knowledge. II would be un-
just to condemn him eternally and de-
clare that because he had not obeyed
these laws In this life. that he should
be denied them forever The Lord never
intended such a thing: for he himself.
as you read in the NTH chapter of
John. declared that the hour had come
when the dead should hear the voice
of God: and they that heard should
live When the people marveled not
understanding what he meant he spake
more plainly and told them that those
who were I'm their graves should hear
his voice and that they should come
forth to receive q reward according to
the deeds done In the body. Now, no
man can enter into the kingdom Of God
without obeylng his laws, without keep
ing his commandments. for order reigns
there, and his laws must be obeyed
st. John tells us, In his first eplstle,
second chapter. that Christ ''is the
prop;tiatlon for our sins. and not for
ours only. but also for the sins of the
whole world And hereby we do know
that we know him. II we keep his COM
mandments." This is in harmony with
many other passages of Scripture. One
other that shall refer to-flfth chapter
OF Hebrews. Sth and 9th verses:
Though he were a Son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he
suffered; and being made perfect. he
became the author of eternal salvation
unto all men that obey him.