| Show ad I 1 S 0 0 TT T T IR S t 11 I 1 I 1 f BY av MB ELDER ORSON tam kum jcak jelk IT moung Mount Pleasant i forenoon novem 6 18 7 9 s u reported BY OW F F GIBBS THROUGH the kind providence of our heavenly father eather weare we are permitted on this pleasant day to assemble liere here in this comfortable hou house sefor for the purpose of worshipping shipping wor god and hearing instruction as the lord may mav see proper in I 1 n his kindness and wisdom to pour out his tand make manifest the truth to us it is a pleasing thing for the human mind to contemplate that it has some object to worship that there is a being far exalted above dwells in th tile e heavens avlo who is worthy ot of all adoration and praise and that we archis children in possession of a portion of his attributes the world which we inhabit is a fallen creation a fallen world shut out from the ohe presence of our father the being beag whom we worship so that we cannot behold his hia face nor the glory giry of his presence it is for a wise wise purpose that we are placed here in this fallen nallen condition it seems beems to be pe doaa far as we have been made madd acquainted with the purposes of the great jehovah it seems to be the ordeal through which all intelligent tell igent beings must passin pass in order to gain that falness of exalt exaltation atlon in the presence of god which is promised in his word we were not always in the condition we are now in we are only placed here for a few years and are adapted ted to our present condition A long iong time before you and I 1 came here upon this stage of action we had an intelligent existence we dwelt ina better world than this and a that had been redeemed edW world that had been sanctified and glorified in other wordia world that had been made celestial just as we are in hopes that our present world twill at bome some some future period be exalted to the celestial glory and become the habitation of celestial beings that world we occupied before we came here was celestial our father had his dwelling place here or at least one of his dwelling places and surrounded by our Fa fathers fathera therra therla gid glory r y we were familiar with his countenance familiar with the beautiful mansions that were there familiar with all the glory that existed thereso far as we were capable of comprehending there was no vail vall drawn between us and ou our r father no vall vail drawn between us and the associates of our father who were also celestial beings many of them having been redeemed from a world more ancient than thail ours we had a long experience 1 ence enee I 1 suppose in that world at abu least we know from tha which gur gun father has revealed taus to musj that we w were bom born t there here that this intelligent being that has power honer to discern power to reflect power mer to reason that this intel intelligent being was bom born in that previous estate these were some of the first revelations actions s given in in this last dispensation the lord did not wait several years before he revealed unto us in in some measure concerning our condition before we came here hence it was away back in the year 1830 that this doctrine of the pre existence of man was revealed in greater falness ful ness than it was given kiven in the book of mormon there are two or three places in the book of mormon that reveal the pre exis tence of man but not in sueh auch great plainness la inness as was given soon after the the publication of that book through the prophet joseph smith before behare the saints began to gather informing us that we wd were in reality the children of our father and god that we had a pre pro existence in which we had learned many very important principles connected with spirl spiritual fual tuai existence before taking bodies of flesh and bones which was also necessary ry to afford us a still greater experience peri ence nowlin this plan that god has devised for the advant advancement ement of these intelligent beings by passing them through various stages of existence under dif dlf different circum in different conditions he gives them experience that they neet could have gained had they remained in the presence of the father in that world which was celestial in other words we were his ills spring in that idour worl wor dour spirit UW lial bodies not having flesh and tames but being in th linage of the father and the son his own sons and daughters he had a great desire that we should be educated and taught he could teach us a great many things in that world aa as we teach our children he could impart to us a great many truths for there were as many truths in existence in that day as are in existence now but truths were taught to us as we were capable of under understanding them the lord felt anxious that we might come up and eventually be made like him as it is written in the new testament who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body I 1 have no doubt before we came into this world we had a great anxiety that we might t be brought up in ift the same way vay he was instructed and taught and led along passing through different conditions of existence that we finally might be counted worthy to be exalted at his right hand a and na receive the falness of his celestial glory the same that he is in possession of and that we might have all his attributes dwelling within us as separate individuals and person ages that he might exalt us like unto himself now there is a great deal to be comprehended when we are told that we are children who will become like our father that we were like him in kurfirst our first stage and condition of existence we were there as it were children childre without a falness ful fui ness of knowledge many experiences had not yet been given tou s but we were like him in our genera general outline the outline of our persons our general form was like him after his image ac itis it is thus writ written in the book of mormon in that great vision given to the brother of jared in which the lord condescended descended con to take th e vail vall eyel eye rhe fhe broth brother of jared had gone up into the mou mountain and had moulten out of a rock sixteen small stones which he carried up into the top of the mount he went vent there with an object in view the object was to get the lord to touch the stones that they might shine forth in darkness in the eight vessels which had been built to convey him and his brother across the great waters one to be placed at each end of each of the vessels it would naturally increase the faith of the brother of jared to believe it possible that he might see the finger of the lord he was going to th pray that god would touchy the stones tones fa the thesa same meas as we pray for the lord to put forth his finger and touch the particles of oil when we dedicate it for sacred purposes if we pray in faith we must suppose that t the he finger of the lord touches that oil and jared prayed in rai rat faith falth th he did dl d not know but what it might be his privilege lege to see his s finger he e did 1 see it ata it jt a appeared r to him like the finger of a man like unto flesh and bl blood but his faith was too great for his nervous system for when he saw the finger of the urd lord he fell to the earth through fear and the lord looked upon him and aud asked him why he had fallen he answered and said 1 I saw the finger of the lord and I 1 feared last he should smi smite teme me for I 1 knew ikney not that the lord had flesh and blood he did not know but what his imperfections were so great that the lord would smite him but he was commanded to arise adise the lord th then en asked him cS thou more than this and he be answered nay lord shew thyself unto me here was a prayer that extended a little further the lord wanted to see what amount of faith he had and he put another question to him bei Bel believes levest thou the words which I 1 shall speak and he answered yea aryea lord I 1 know that thou speak est the truth for thou art a god of truth and canet not lie and when the brother of jared had manifested his faith the lord con descended to shew personage to him and said seest thou tie bhat at to y ye are created after mine own image age Behold this body which ye now behold is the body of my spirit and man have I 1 created after the body kody of my spirit here the pre existence of man was taught in the book of mormon ail ali all AU men in the beginning were created after the image of this body which he was then sli sh ewing all the human family that then existed and that would exist in future time upon the earth were created in the beginning after the image of that body bo y that is that body which he chewed was not a body of flesh and bone bona but a pure spiritual body organized out of pure spiritual sub au instance filled with light and truth he improved this great man of god that he was prepared from before the foundation of the world to redeem liis his people behold says he 1 I am jusus christ chrisi I 1 am the father and the tae son in me shall all mankind have light and that eternally even eyen they who shall be lieve on my name here then was a great deal of information given to us concerning the formation oath of the elixman human s spirit pir vir it the formation of men ae mentee ia tee formation ua n of their person sand their individual the foundation of this ihli world glis glss 4 WC it barmore was after r this this 11 was given and the book of mormon was published that the church chuilli of jesus christ of ratter latter day saints arose but the lord thinking that we badnow hadnot bad had poi pot not noi sufficient understanding 0 of lf this pre ex istance began to tell us in the montu month of J june une 1830 only a few months after the thip organization of the church chuich more about these things he told us about the spiritual creation something we did not comp comprehend before we used to read the first and second chapters of genesis which give an account of the of the almighty but did not distinguish between the spiritual work vork and the temporal work of christ although there are some things in king james translation that give us a little tittle distinction between the two creations yet we did not comprehend Lre ere hend it the light shone in I 1 some measure in darkness but so dark were our minds through bradl tion that we did not comprehend the light or the few feeble glim of light contained in i these first and second chapters of the uninspired translation but our heavenly father inspired hi his s F servant joseph smith to translate several chapters more in in the book 0 of k genesis in december 1830 which gave a more full account down to the days of the flood he told us a great many man important principles principles that he be did not give so fco far as the historical matter was concerned in the book of Mor mormon moll they were an addition in some respects and therefore they were new to us who lived in the early rise riso of fre ire the church and calculated to give us great joy jos in these two creat creations lone ione that t ook took place in n the beginning respires represented anted as the beginning orthis of this creation not absolutely the beginning of all the creations of god for his works are without beginning and without end they never cease nor does his hi s word cease he speaks to Us bs so far as this creation is concerned according to our natural ideas and understanding he says all things I 1 have created by the word of my power which is the power of my spirit 1 I created them firstly spiritual and secondly temporal wh which ich is the beginning of my work I 1 and aga again I 1 n firstly temporal and se secondly co adly spiritual which is the jast last of my work speaking unto you that you may naturally understand bilt but unto myself my works have no end neither beginning ve we learn therefore when speaking of this spiritual creation that nou not only all the th ildren children of men of all generations and of all ages were created spiritually in heaven but that fish and fowl and beast and all animated things having life were first made spiritual in I 1 n heaven fifth and sixth days before bodies boales of flesh were prepared for them on the earth and that there was no flesh upon the earth until the morning of the seventh day on that morning god made the first fleshly tabernacle and took mans spirit and put within it and man became a living soul the first flesh upon the earth the first man also though it was the seventh day no flesh but this one tabernacle was yet formed ko no fish fowl nor beast was as yet permitted to have a body of flesh the second chapter of genesis new translation informs us that the spirits of fowls were created in heaven the spirits of fish and cattle and all things that dwell upon the earth had their pre existence they were created in heaven the spiritual part of them not their flesh a bones we are also told in this inspired translation that these living trees which we behold for god has given life unto all things bad their spiritual existence in heaven before their temporal I 1 existence every herb and every tree tripe before it was planted out on the earth that IS is the spiritual part of it the life of it that which in other words animates that which ch gives power to the vegetable to bring forth fruit after its likeness thesper the spiritual part existed heaven iu it was a spiritual creation first we are also told that the earth was organized in a spiritual form that is i that portion that gives life to the earth we vve read about the earths dying and that it shall be quickened again what is it that will make the earth die it will be the withdrawing the spiritual portion from jt it th vb which ich gives it life that which animates it and causes it to bring forth fruit that which quickens the earth is the spirit of god that spiritual creation existed before the temporal was formed this was the begin V of st part artof of hii hig to this creation on the seventh day he began the temporal portion there was not yeb to till the ground and the gods formed man from the dust of the ground and took his spirit that is the th mana emanEl spirit and put it into him and breathed into his nostrils the breath of ilfe life addman and man became a livings soul this we read in the ad chapter of genesis and you will nind find and jt recorded on the ath and pages of the new edition of the pearl of great price abraham also obtained a knowledge of the spiritual creation as well as the temporal in giving givin 9 a history of the creation bespeaks he speaks of the formation of man out of the ground how he took mans mana spirit that was created in heaven and put it within the body of or man and man became a living soul the first flesh upon the earth as M recorded in the second of genesis now we have been in the habit of thinking that the various kinds of animals that have jived lived ac according cordin to geologists were the first flesh fleishon on the earth and we go away back millions of ages to see that these lower formations of lif life ilfe e existed before man but the lord gives us different informs forma in tion from this he shows us that among all the animated animate if creatures of flesh man was the first that was ever placed plated upon the carthin earth in this temporal condition contradicting the theories of geologists that is so far as placing amir man on the earth in this is concerned what may have taken place millions of ages before the world was organized temporally for man to inhabit is not revealed but so far as this present change is concerned that took place about six thousand years ago man was the first being that came upon the earth bearth and inhabited a body of flesh and bones afterwards on the seventh d day ay out of the ground the lord god created the beasts of the field go back to the first chapter of gen genesis esis and you |
