| Show DISCOURSE peli delivered veed at al the oneida stake slake conference franklin I 1 idaho sunday afternoon january aoth 1835 1895 by RESIDENT PRESIDENT JOSEPH F SMITH BY WINTER we have had some excellent cal al remarks and counsel during the day I 1 instruction is really what we need we are apran a arao people and the work that we are engaged in is not a theory only y it is not loot merely spiritual it is both temporal and spiritual and practical as well as theoretical when we speak of this reat mt latter day work we do 10 not speak of it as a theory we characterize it as the work of god it is a work and it requires work to keep pace with it and to accomplish the p purpose that god had JIM in view in in restoring the gospel to t the h e earth arth in this dispensa dispensation tion not a mere belief or volition of the will sill not mere ideas and theories esq eloquent sermons nd that kind of thing all these may tie be rice nice in their place and may not be butof out of place for it is soul sometimes sonie times to lister listen i to eloquence and r leasing to bear the enunciation of well ao chosen seu words in a discourse but t be great thing that lies before us as a people is the practical salvation of our souls fouls and that means the body and the spirit 1 rit I I 1 in one ne of the he revelations it is declared that the body and spirit con the soul of man the body without the spirit is dead the spirit t without the body is not perfect ber cause to be perfect we must be formed to the likeness of jesus christ F vie kle was perfect he possesses a body as well as a spirit an immortal body not ae that will again suffer death it pos besses the elements ot of eternal existence y that of the spirit L an existence equal to k which will live throughout the count less ages of eternity therefore what we want i is s an immortal body joined with an immortal spirit which together hall constitute an immortal soul in the image of god and possessing the attributes ot of god and also his lavor favor it will pot not avail man to have an immor imbior tal body and an immortal spirit joined together as an eternal being unless he also possesses the favor of god for nass huiess men possess his favor and are permitted to dwell with him and enjoy the we gory of his presence there is no snore nore progression for them they come to aull jub stop this is the doctrine of the bible ais if is the doctrine of thet the 11 boole gip p mormon au ond and of the book of 1 ah n 4 la brif brief it the doctone of jesus christ we are plainly and emphatically told in these books that the spirits of all men as soon as they depart from this mortal body return to god irom from whence they came and there they receive a partial judgment from god and are consigned either to the paradise of god or are banished from his presence there are two places the book of mormon tells us of in language that cannot be misunderstood to which the spirits of men go while their bodies lie in the tomb awaiting their resurrection see alma xa 12 1214 and then it shall come to pass that the spirits of those who are righteous are rece received I 1 ved into a state of happiness which is called paradise a state of rest a state of peace where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care re and sorrow etc and then shall it come to pass that the spirits of the wicked yea who are evil for behold they have no part nor portion of the spirit of the lord for behold they chose evil works rather than good therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them and they take possession of their house bouse and these shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and this because of their own iniquity being led captive by the will of the devil now this is the state of the souls of the wicked yea in darkness and a state of awful fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of god upon them thus they remain in this state as well as the righteous in paradise until the time of their resurrection then all the bodies that lie in the graves are called forth not all at the first resurrection nor in the morning of the first resurrection but some per haps in the last resurrection and every soul will be required to go before the bar of god and be judged according to the deeds done in the body if h his is works have been good then he receives the reward of well doing if it has been evil then he will be banished from the presence of the lord nevertheless he is an immortal being because he possesses his resurrected body every creature that is born in the image or of god will be resurrected from the dead just as sure as he dies you can write that down if you please and never forget it nor never allow yourselves to have any unbelief on that account As in adam all die so in christ shall all be made alive while we can and do see from day to day the children of men passing away from this earth not many have yet been permitted to see one who has returned from the grave but just as sure as we go down into the grave through the transgression of our first parents by whom death came into the world so sure will we be resurrected from the dead by the power of je jesus sus chri christ it matters not whether we have hase done well veil or ill ill whether behave we have been intelligent or ignorant or whether we have been bondsmen or slaves or freemen all men will be raised from the dead and as I 1 understand it whew when they are raised from the dead they become immortal beings and they will no more suffer the dissolution of the spirit and the body those who are right bous and are brought forth in the won morning of the first resurrection shail saiad tie 6 clothed with glory immortality an and eternal lives while those who have sinned unto death shall be banished again from the presence ot god cod into outer darkness where there is weeping and and of teeth let me read a few words from tho the book of doctrine and covenants covenant in ift relation to this matter of the second death wherefore I 1 the lord god caused that he hb should be cast out from the garden of eden from my presence because of riis ms transgression transgressions transgress ioni wherein he became spiritually dead which is the first death even that same death which is the last death which is spiritual which shall hall be pronounced upon the wi wicked 0 ked when I 1 shall say depart ye cursed but behold I 1 say unto you that I 1 the lord god gave unto adam and unto his seed that they should not die as to the temporal death until I 1 the lord god should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption through faith on the name of mine only begotten son and thus did 1 I the lord god appoint unto man the days of his probation that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life even as many as would believe and that they believe not unto eternal damnation for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall because they repent not now it is believed by some people that the second death is a dissolution of the s spirit piri t and body from their organized condition into their native elements for instance the body which is made of the earth when the spirit departs from it will moulder away and become dissolved in the earth this casket or house of the spirit goes back to dust but by the power of the resurrection it is again recalled the elements that composed it before tire are reorganized organized re it is brought into its former shape and form bone to its bone limb to its limb joint to its joints sinew to sinew muscle to muscle with flesh nerves and every essential part thereof all these parts will be brought forth and reorganized organized re and the spirit will enter the body agata again the prophet amules says I 1 say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body that is from death even from the first death unto life that they can die no more their spirits uniting with their bodies never to be divided thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal that they can no do more see corruption alma xi 45 but the question it chatis the second death let merever me refer you to the words of alma he says and now behold I 1 say unto you then cometh a death even a second death which is a spiritual death then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins as to a temporal death shall also die a spiritual death yea he shall the die as to things pertaining unto righteousness then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone brim whose flame ascend eth up for ever and ever and then is the time when they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction according to the power and captivity of having subjected them according to his will then I 1 say unto you they shall be as though there had bad been no redemption made for they cannot be redeemed according to gods justice and they cannot die seeing that there is so 0 o more corruption alma xii 1618 16 18 in this connection I 1 will also read a little from the book of doctrine and covenants section 76 31 48 thus saith the lord concerning all those who know my power and have been made par takers thereof and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome and to deny the truth and defy my power they are they who are the sons of perdition of whom I 1 say that it had been better for them never to have been born for they are the vessels of wrath doomed to suffer the wrath of god with the devil and his angels in eternity concerning whom I 1 have said there is no forgiveness in the world nor in the world to ome a e having denied the holy spirit after having received it and having denied the only begotten son of the father having crucified him unto themselves and put him to open shame these are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone with the devil and his angels and the lyones on only ones on whom the second death shall have any power yea verily the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the lord after the suffering of his wrath for all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection ol of the dead through the triumph and the glory of the lamb who was slain who was in the bosom of the father before the worlds were made 0 0 0 who glorifies the father and saves all the works of his hands bands except those of perdition who deny the son after the father has revealed him wherefore he saves all except them they shall go away into everlasting punishment which is eternal punishment to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity eter nily where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched which is their torment 0 and the end thereof neither the place thereof nor their torment no man knows neither was it revealed neither is neither will be revealed unto man except to those who are made partakers par takers thereof nevertheless 1 I the lord show it by vision vision unto many but straightway shut it up again wherefore Where foie the end the width the height the depth and the misery thereof they understand not neither any man except them who are ordained unto this condemnation now ow I 1 want to go back and repeat a few words that I 1 read before wherefore I 1 the lord god caused that he be should be cast out from the garden of eden from my presence because of his transgression wherein he be became spiritually dead I 1 want to impress upon your minds is wherein he be became spiritually dead now what was his condition when he was placed in the garden of eden he had bad access to the father he was in his presence he walked and talked with him face to face as one man walks and talks with another this was the condition of adam and eve when they were in the garden but when they partook of the forbidden bidden tor fruit they were cast out and banished from the presence of god into outer darkness subject to the power of satan wherein they became spiritually dead which is the first death and it was impossible for adam in that condition to extricate himself from the position in which he had placed himself he was within the grasp of satan he was in the confines of hell he was spiritually dead banished from the presence of god and if there had not been a way of escape provided for him his death would have been a perpetual endless eternal death without any hope of redemption lher wherefrom efrom but there was a plan laid for his redemption it was decreed by the almighty that he should not suffer the temporal death until he should be taught the way of escape from the spiritual death that bad come upon him by reason of sin therefore the angel came and taught him the gospel of salvation held up before him christ the redeemer of the world who was to come in the meridian of time possessed of 0 power to conquer death and to re deem adam and his bis posterity from the fall and from the grasp of satan no son ot of perdition I 1 take it can be more completely lost than was adam after the fall so far as he himself was con berned somebody else had to reach down and help him up some other and higher power than his had to bring brine him forth out of the condition in which he had placed himself for he was subject unto satan and powerless and helpless in and of himself the gospel was therefore preached to him and a way of escape from that spiritual death given unto him that way of escape was through faith in god repentance of sin baptism for the remission ot of sins th the e gift of the holy ghost by the dayi laying ng on of hands thereby he received a a knowledge of the truth and a testimony of jesus christ and was ie redeemed deemed from the spiritual death that came upon him which was the first death and a cor complete and perfect death so tar far as spirit was as concerned although he lived and moved and had his being as he did belore before he partook of the forbidden fruit and became spiritually dead he t had his ent ty and his organization but he was spiritually dead and he had to be redeemed from that condition now why I 1 put so much stress upon this point is that I 1 may impress upon you the word woid of god as declared to us lor for he davs wherefore I 1 the lord god caused that he should be cast out from the garden rif of eden from my presence because of his transgression wherein be became spiritually dead which is the first death even that same death which is the last death which is spiritual which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I 1 shall say depart ye cursed thus we see that the first death which came into the world is also the last death which shall be pronounced upon the sons of perdition what is it banishment from the presence of god banishment from the power of god banishment from the glory of god banishment from the joys of heaven banishment from all progress banishment into outer darkness banishment into hell which is as a lake of fire and brimstone where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched be cause the soul lives and is bound to live on suffering the damnation of hell this is what I 1 understand spiritual death is I 1 do not understand it to be the separation of the body and the spirit agai I 1 oo co not understand it to be the dissolution of the spirit into ats its native clment I 1 understand the second death to be the same as the first death spiritual death the same condition that adam was in and that he had to he be redeemed from by the blood of christ chesl and by faith an obedience to the commands of god by this means adata adam was redeemed from the first death and brought back again into the presence of god back again into the tavor favor of the almighty back again into the channel of eternal inc increase and progress and if a man after being placed in this condition shall deny the holy ghost and jesus esus christ putting him again to open shame and crucifying him afresh then that first death which fell upon our first will again be pronounced upon that man and it is not written |
