Show ADDRESS of PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG to the assembly in the tabernacle 7 sunday afternoon aftem oon july 1853 life and death are set before us and we are at liberty to choo choose S e which we will I 1 have frequently reflected upon these two principles but were I 1 to explain in full my own views upon thein theia they hey might pei haps come too in contact wit with th the feelings and views of many people to me these principles are like the vision of open day upon this beautiful earth life ani death de 1 I tb are easily understood in the light of the holy ghost but like every thing else they are hard to be understood in its absence to choose life is to choose an eternal existence in an organized capacity to refuse life and choose death is to refuse an eternal existence in an organized capacity and be contented to become decomposed and return again to native element lite life is aa a a accumulation of every property prop eity an aprin ciple that is calculated to enrich to endo ennoble K ae to enlarge and to increase in in i every pa particular reticular the dominion amnion of individual in man an to me life would signify an extension I 1 hav have e the privilege of sp spreading abroad of enlarging my borders of in increasing creasing in endless knowledge wisdom and power and in every gift of god I 1 to live as I 1 am without progress pr oness ia is not life in in fact we may say that is is impossible anere is is no such principle in i it existence neither either in can there be all organized existence exis teace is in ili pi progress ogress either to ar an endless advancement in in eternal perfections or bacic 0 o dissolution you ma may y explore all the eternities that have been were it possible then come to that which we now understand according to the principles of natural philosophy and where is is there an element an individual living thing an organized bod body of whatever vei nature that continues as it is isa IT CAN NOT BE as FOUND all things that have come within the bounds of mail mana I 1 limited knowledge the things he naturally understands teach him that there is is no period in ili all the eternities wherein oi 01 g amazed existence will become stationary that it cannot ot advance in in knowledge wisdom power and glory it if a man could ever arrive at the point that boull aull put an end to the accumulation of lite life the pont at which lie he could increase increase no more and advance no f fu urther r ther we should matui naturally ally say lie he comine need to deci decrease ease at the same point again when he has gained the zenith of knowledge wisdom and power it is is the po poat nt at which lie he begins to betro retro retrograde g rad 0 7 his natural abilities will begin to contract conti act and so he be will conti continue atie to decrease until alt he be knew is is lost in the chaos of forgetfulness As we unde stand naturally llata av this i if the conclusion we must come to li ir a termination to the increase inci ease i life and ad tile the acquis acquisition tion of knowledge is true because of the vi weakness of human nature it must crumble to the dust B BA A it in all the revolutions inions and changes in in the existence of man in in the eternal world which he inhabits and in in the knowledge know lede they have obtain o as people on the earth there is no such thing as power wisdom knowledge life position or anything that can be imagined that remains stationary they must increase or decrease to me life is increate increate death is is the opposite when our fellow creatures die is is it the death we talk about the ideas we have of it are conceived in in the mind iund according accord ing to a false tradition death does not mean what wh at we naturally think it means appe apparently a bently it destroys puts out of existence and lea leaves s empty p t pace but there is po no such death as this pe death a i in rea reality ity is is to decompose or decrease deci ease and life lif els is to indrea increase e much kiich is is written in the bible and in in the other revelations of god and much is is said by the people publicly and pi iva tely upon this subject life and death are in tiie the world and all are acquainted with them more or less we live we die we are we are not are ai e mixed up in in the cor conversation conie ration of every person to a lesser or a gre greater te r degree why is is it sa soa because all creation is in progress c coming into existence and g going 0 in out of existence as we use the terms but ano another t h er foi form m of language fits this phenomenon of nature much better kviz via forming growing increasing then begins the opposite operation decreasing decomposition returning back to native element el emert etc these revolutions we measurably understand but to simply take the path pointed out in the gospel by those who have given us the plan of salvation is to take the path pah that leadston leads to life to eternal inci n crease ease it is is to pursue that con couise se bel ein we shall NEVER NEVER lose what we obtain but continue to collect to gather together to increase increase to spread ead a abroad ur oad and extend to an endless duration duration those persons who strive to gain ETERNAL LIFE gain that which will produce the increase increase their hearts will be satisfied with nothing les than the privilege of in increasing eternally in every sense of the word can satisfy the immortal spirit it if the bendles stream of knowledge from f i om the eternal fountain could all be drank in in by organized so sure immortality ty would come to an end anil and all eternity be thrown upon the retrograde path if mankind will choose the opposite 0 to o life held out in in the gospel it will lead them to dissolution to d decomposition composition to lo death they will be destroyed hilt but not as it is commonly understood for instance WP we would have destroyed more of the material mate called flour had we toss possessed essed it this spring in greater abundance we should have destroyed more of the wood that grows on the mountains could we have got it with iloie e ease which seems seem to us to be utterly destroyed when it is is consumed with fire B but u t such is not lot the case it will exist in native element th at which is is consumed by 1 eating oi 01 by burning is noth nothing ing moreal more rel alun n simply reducing it to another sha pein wh ell it is for another process pio cesis of action we grow and we behold all the visible creat on growing una and in increasing creast ng and continuing to increase until it has arrived at its is Z ni bai at which point it il begins begin to decompose tins this is the nat ire of all things anich constitute this organized organ zed world even the solid rocks in in the dinou mountains con continue dinue to grow row tin until f i I 1 they havercome have come to theia perfection at which point pint they begin to de ose T the lie forests ture sits gro grow W I 1 met n crease ease extend and spread I 1 read abroad their branches 9 u util until n they attain a certain t i a age ge what then thena do t hey die dieb are they annihilated nol no aney begin to decompose at and 1 d pass pais into native element men and all things upon the earth are subject to the same process we siv say this is is natural and easy to com comprehend p r cehand being plainly manifest before our eyes it is is easy t to 0 see anything in in sight but hard very h hard ard to see anything out of sight if I 1 look through my telescope and my friends frends in inquire how far I 1 can call see I 1 tell them em I 1 can see anything in sight 11 tin nr matter how far from me ahe ill e object jobje ct may be but I 1 cannot see ee anything out of sight or that which is is beyond tile the power of the instrument so it t is in in the intellectual faculties of mankind min kind it il is s easy for them to see that which is is before then their eyes but when the object is out of sight it is is a difficult matter tor for them to gospe tospe see it and they are aie a a loss how to form an estimate of it or what position to put themselves in in so as to see the object they desire to ses see in regard to eternal things they are all out of sight bothem to them and will so remain unless the lord lifis the curtain ofle only reasa reason why I 1 canoot see the heavy range of mountain mount ainz situated in in the middle states of he Aze american acreman rican confederacy is is bebau because e of the natural elevations that raise themselves betwixt me and them above the level of my eye making them out of sight si lit to me why cannot we behold au things in in space because there is is a curtain drop pea d which makes them out of sight to us why cannot we behold tha inhabitants in in dolob or the inhabitants in in any of those distant planets for the same reason because there is is a curtain dropped that t IS our vision so it is something intern venes between us and them we cannot p penetrate epe we are short sighted and deprived deprive of the knowledge k which we might have I 1 might tay say this is right without offering any explanation but there are many I 1 Tea reasons song hii and much good sound logic that could be produced showing why we are arethus thus in in the dark touching eternal things if our agency vias was not giyen given to its K we might perhaps now h have been enjoying that we dowiot do not enjoy on oa the other I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 II I 1 I 1 hand band it if our agency had not nia taen sam gilken tto to ps us we could never have enjoyed that we norroy ap nori oy I 1 I 1 which would produce the greatest good to man w 0 give him his agency q and draw a veil vail aver W him 01 to give him certain blessings an legs let him bin jure jive i in n a e certain e rt ai n d degree e gree of li light g ht 3 a and n 1 e enjoy n j a g glory lo 10 r V a and nd t take a k e b his is a agency g cy fi from 0 m h him i m c compelling 0 m p gyuli n him to r remain e in that position without wi any possible 10 chance of progress I 1 say the greatest good that could be produced by the all wise conductor of the tha uE iverse to his creature man was to do just as he has hag done brill bring us forth upon the face of the earth drawing a vail before our eyes he has caused caus edus us to forget everything we once knew before our spirits entered within this vail of flesh for instance it is ill lika this when we lie down to sleep on our minds are often I 1 as bright and active as the mind of at an angel at least they are as active as when our bodies are awake awak they will range over the earth visit distant dikant friends and for ou ought 11 we know the tl planets lanet ard ara ac accomplish compus great feats do that which will enhance our happiness happi iacre increase ase to us every en enjoyment ament of lit fand us tor for celestial globy but I 1 tit when we wake in ili nub morning it is al all gone from us we have for forgot gottoli tao it tais illustration will explain in part the nature of the vail which is over the inhabitants of the earth they have forgot that they once knew this is ri right lit were it different where would be ehfe trial of our faith in a word ward be it so it is as it should bs be now understand to choose life is to choose prin caples that will lead you to an eternal increase and nothing not liing short of them will produce life in the resurrection for the faithful those thos that ahat choose death 0 make choice of the path which leads to the end egil of 1 their organization the one leads to endless increase and progression the other to the destruction or the organized organised sed ted being ending in its entire entyre decomposition into the particles that compose the nati elements Is this so in all cases you inai inquire lire i yes sees for ought I 1 know I 1 shall not pretend to aberly but ut what it is sr ar in ii all cases this much I 1 wanted to say to the bro br thren with regard to life and death As to the word annihilate as we understand it there is no such principle as to put a thing whick exists entirely out ou of existence so that it does not exist in any form shape or place whatever it would be as reasonable to say that which is ii synonymous synoni to the word etera eternity ity has haas both a he b ginning and an end for instance supposing we get one of the best mathematicians that can be found and let him commence at one point of time thed pe ration of multiplication muli when he has exhausted ex ha ed all his knowledge of counting in millions etc until he can proceed no further he is no eigher the outside ot eternity than when he commenced T this it i S il has as i been alon understood from the beginning the ancients ca i entina under ert stood it it was taught by jesus jesua and his apostles who mho understood the true principles pies of eternity I 1 in n consequence of some expressions of thi the e ancie ancient aser servants of god has c ome come the tradition of thi the der s of the church of jesus christ of latter day Sai saints Ats you hear some of I 1 them hem preach and teach that which I 1 never taught you hear bear them preach people into hell sich a doctrine doctrin never entered into my heart apar but you hear others preach that people will go t hire bere t to 0 dwell throughout the endless ages of eternity sl such ac la persons know no more about eternity and are n I 1 0 more capable of in instructing trusting truc ting others upon the subject i than a little child they tell about going goin to bell beil where the worm dieth not f t nd the fire I 1 is not gencsi ed where you must dwell how long loag why salow d say just as long as you please one thing more morel the beauty of our religion tuf that wry wary erroneous doctrine which ali the e world call juato monism lonisin mo nisin 1 we had set before us ua this morning in 0 r n jak bylder V tt parley P pratt the whole oba object e c f ia of ayea 1 istance is is to continue contin 11 e to I 1 ive i ve I 1 to 0 iacre a M 40 d abroad and gather around tte to an endless luron what shall isay I 1 aay you yon may unite he efforts mathematicians the world can pro produce duce knowlien and mylien they have counted as many millions of ages e s worlds a and eternities as the power of nu numbers s 1 t beir jj knowledge will embrace they are still as ignorant of ef c I 1 eternity as when they began be 9 an then ask popple people of general intelligence people who understand ina a great v degree the philosophical principles of cr cation iii which they have studied ond and learned by a practical course of education and what do they know about a i it it is true th they ey know a little and t ever every other sane person knows knob whether he is educated or uneducated they know about that portion of eternity called TIME suppose I 1 ask the learned when 1 waa a s J i the beginning of eternity can they them think of i iff t 1 not no and I 1 should very much doubt some of the sayi ings of one ene of the best beef philosophers and vf writer riter of I 1 the age that w we e call brother with reg regard aid ia t aw character of the lord lard god serve I 1 very much doubt whether it ho has ever entered into 40 heart to comprehend eternity cheze are principles and ideas I 1 scarcely ever meddle with the practical part of our religion re I 1 igdon i is is i th that at which more particularly lj interests me still my mind reflects upon life afa dea death bt J eternity knowledge wisdom the expansion of s avi soul and knowledge of the gods that are that have been and that arc an to be what shall i we we are lost in 1 the he depth of our own th W og pose we say there was oace a begin beginning nini MR t FV then we must conclude there will undoubted undoubtedly t y be e an end can eternity be circumscribed it if it can there 11 is an end and of all wisdom knowledge power and gloia all will sink into eternal annihilation I 1 what is life to you and me it is the utmost extent Z of our |