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AN EXAMINATION INTO AND AN ELUCIDATION OF THE GREAT PRINCIPLE OF THE

MEDIATION AND ATONEMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.

BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR.

"Wherefore the fruit of thy loins shall write, and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions."—Gen., 1, 31, Inspired Translation.

"For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them: for out of the books which shall be written, I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according that which is written. For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth, and they shall write it. And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall come to pass that my people which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one."—2 Nephi, xxix, 11-14.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

DESERET NEWS COMPANY, PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS,

1882.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory—Christ's Testimony with regard to His Sufferings—
Christ came to do the Will of His Father—The Testimony of the
Father at His Baptism and Transfiguration.

CHAPTER II.

The Testimony of Jesus the Spirit of Prophecy—The Declarations of
the Ancient Servants of God—Extracts from the Writings and
Testimonies of Moses, Job, David, Isaiah, Zechariah, Micah and
Hosea, to be found in the Old Testament, with remarks.

CHAPTER III.

Extracts from the New Testament, touching the Personal History of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine of the Atonement—Remarks on the "Times of Refreshing"—Results accruing to the Redeemer through His Death on the Cross, etc.

CHAPTER IV.

Extracts from the Pearl of Great Price and Inspired Translation of
Genesis—Record of Moses regarding Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and
Joseph, and of their Faith in the Coming of the Savior.

CHAPTER V.

The Book of Mormon and the Atonement—Extracts from the Books of
Ether, Nephi, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and Mormon.

CHAPTER VI.

Extracts from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—Christ's Testimony
of Himself, of His Power and Calling, etc.—Testimony of Joseph
Smith and Sidney Rigdon—Record of John the Baptist—Extract from a
Sermon by President Brigham Young.

CHAPTER VII.

Introduction to the Historical Portion of this Treatise—The
Dealings of God with Adam, Cain and Abel—The Institution of
Sacrifice—The Symbolism of this Rite—The Words of the Angel to
Adam—Lucifer—His Rebellion in Heaven—His Conflict with Michael
for the Body of Moses—He tempts Christ—He is cast into a Lake of
Fire and Brimstone.

CHAPTER VIII.

Seth—His Sacrifice Accepted—Rebellion in the Heavens—The
Gathering of the Patriarchs in the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman—
Sacrifices Offered There.

CHAPTER IX.

Enoch, his Life and Translation—References to Him by Paul and Jude—Copious Extracts from His Prophecy—The Prophet Joseph Smith on Enoch and the Doctrine of Translation—The Office of Translated Saints—Enoch's Future Work—Translation and Resurrection—Christ the Creator—Summary of the Results of Enoch's Faith in the Saving Blood of Christ.

CHAPTER X.

Noah—His Sacrifice—God's Covenant with Him—Melchizedek—His Priesthood—Its Powers—Instances thereof Recorded in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon and in Latter-days—All Power of the Priesthood the Result of Faith in Christ, and Impossible without the Atonement—The Power of the Priesthood the Power of God—The Glory of God in the Immortality of Man—Christ the Word, the Creator.

CHAPTER XI.

Abraham's Record Concerning the Creation—The Council in Heaven—The Father's Plan, the Son's Acceptance, Satan's Rebellion—The Agency of Man—Suggestions Regarding Satan's Plan to Save All Mankind.

CHAPTER XII.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—Sacrifices Offered by Them—Abraham and the Gospel Covenant—Extracts from the Book of Abraham and the Writings of Paul.

CHAPTER XIII.

Sacrifices in the Days of Moses—The Institution of the Passover and
the Exodus—The Symbolism of the Paschal Lamb—The Covenant of the
Atonement between Christ and His Father—The Redeemed—Tokens of
Covenants—The Rainbow—The Name of Jesus the Only Name—The
Levites.

CHAPTER XIV.

History of Sacrifices and the Law of Moses among the Nephites—
References to the Books of Nephi, Jacob, Mosiah and Alma—The
Testimony of Jesus regarding the Law of Moses.

CHAPTER XV.

The Offering of Sacrifice in the Times of the Restitution of all
Things—Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith thereon—The Sons of
Levi—Malachi's Prophecy—The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.

CHAPTER XVI.

Brief Retrospect of the History of Sacrifice and its Symbolism—The
Passover and the Lord's Supper—Christ's Relation to Both these
Ordinances—The Last Supper.

CHAPTER XVII.

The Atonement and the Resurrection—Adam and Christ—Why a Law was
Given unto Adam—The Results of Disobedience to that Law—Testimony
of our First Parents—"Adam fell that Man might be"—The Fall a
Necessary Portion of the Plan of Salvation—God's Plan a Merciful
Plan—The Plan of Lucifer—Man's Free Agency—The Chain Complete.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Christ as the Son of God—A Comparison between His Position, Glory, etc., and those of other Sons of God—His Recognition by the Father—Christ called the Very Eternal Father.

CHAPTER XIX.

Man as Man—His Excellency and His Limitations—Salvation and Eternal Progression Impossible without the Atonement—In Christ only can All be made Alive.

CHAPTER XX.

Christ to be Subject to Man—His Descent below all Things—Man's
Condition had there been no Atonement—The Sons of God—Man's
Inability to Save Himself—Christ's Glory before the World Was—
Necessity for an Infinite Atonement—The Father and Son have Life in
Themselves.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Relation of the Atonement to Little Children—Jesus Assumes the
Responsibility of Man's Transgression, and Bears the Weight of his
Sins and Sufferings—The Inferior Creatures and Sacrifice—The
Terrors and Agonies of Christ's Passion and Death—The Tribulations,
Earthquakes, etc., when He gave up the Ghost—Universal Nature
Trembles—The Prophecies of Zenos and Enoch—The Testimony of the
Centurion—Heirship, and the Descent of Blessings and Curses.

CHAPTER XXII.

The Operations of the Priesthood in the Heavens and upon the Earth, in Time and Eternity—The Heirs of the Celestial Kingdom—Those who Die without Law—The Judges of the Earth—Priests and Kings—Christ the King of Kings—Condition of Patriarch Joseph Smith, Apostle David Patten and Others—Moses and Elias—The Visits of Angels and their Testimonies—Peter, James and John—The Angel in the Book of Revelation.

CHAPTER XXIII.

The Laws of God Unchangeable, Universal and Eternal—Examples and Definitions—Evolutionists—Kingdoms and Light—Christ the Creator, etc.—Deviations from General Laws—Every Kingdom has a Law Given.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Results of the Atonement—The Debt Paid—Justice and Mercy—
Extracts from the Teachings of Alma and Others.

CHAPTER XXV.

The Resurrection—The Universality of the Atonement—The Promises to those who Overcome—The Gospel—Its First Principles—Faith, Repentance, Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost—Its Antiquity—It is Preached in Various Dispensations, from Adam until the Present—The Final Triumph of the Saints.

THE MEDIATION AND ATONEMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory—Christ's Testimony with regard to His Sufferings—
Christ came to do the Will of His Father—The Testimony of the
Father at His Baptism and Transfiguration.

In the last chapter of St. Luke's Gospel is to be found a deeply interesting account of several events that took place on the day that the Redeemer was resurrected. Amongst other incidents, he relates that on that day two of the disciples took a melancholy journey from Jerusalem to the neighboring village of Emmaus. Whilst they walked, the sadness of their hearts found expression on their tongues, and they mournfully rehearsed to each other the story of the crucifixion of their Master. By and by, they were joined by an apparent stranger, who, though none other than the resurrected Savior, was not recognized by them. In answer to His inquiries, they repeated the sad history of the days just passed, and expressed the disappointment that His death had brought, for they trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel. Then Jesus said unto them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."—Luke, xxiv, 25-27.

When they reached Emmaus, with characteristic eastern hospitality, they constrained the stranger to abide with them. He consented, and as they sat at meat He took bread, and blessed it, brake and gave unto them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight. "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."

After the Savior had convinced the disciples then present of His identity, and had partaken of some broiled fish and an honey comb, He said unto them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things."

One great and very striking statement is here made by the Lord Himself, to the effect that it behooved Christ to suffer, and the question at once presents itself before us, why did it behoove Him? Or why was it necessary that He should suffer? For it would seem from His language, through His sufferings, death, atonement and resurrection, "that repentance and remission of sins" could be preached among all nations, and that consequently if He had not atoned for the sins of the world, repentance and remission of sins could not have been preached to the nations.

A very important principle is here enunciated, one in which the interests of the whole human family throughout all the world are involved. That principle is the offering up of the Son of God, as a sacrifice, an atonement and a propitiation for our sins. Jesus said, He came not to do His will, but the will of His Father, who sent Him. He came, as we are told, to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself; and not only did He come, but He came in accordance with certain preconceived ideas that had been entertained and testified of by Prophets and men of God in all preceding ages, or from the days of Adam to the days of John the Baptist, the latter being His precursor or forerunner, who indeed, when he saw Him coming, made the declaration, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. At His baptism the Spirit of God bore witness to this testimony and descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, or, rather, the form of a dove was the sign of the Holy Spirit; whilst a voice was heard from heaven proclaiming: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

This manifestation of God's acknowledgment of His beloved Son was spoken of by personal witnesses who bore record to the facts.

Matthew testifies: "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."—Matthew, iii, 13-17.

Whilst Mark relates, "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."—Mark, i, 9-11.

And John, in his Gospel, states that John the Baptist bare record, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record, that this is the Son of God."—John, i, 32-34.

We have this great truth of the open recognition of Jesus, by His Father, as His beloved Son, again enunciated when the three Apostles, Peter, James and John, were on the Mount, and Jesus was transfigured before them. It is declared that "a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."—Matthew, xvii, 5.

The Son, thus openly acknowledged, came not to earth to do His own will, but the will of His Father. The will of the Father appears to have been that the Son should suffer, for He, Himself, prayed: "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew, xxvi, 39.) Or, as the New Translation by the Prophet Joseph Smith has it, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done." The Father did not let it pass from Him; He therefore drank it, and finally, on the cross He said, "It is finished," and bowed His head and gave up the Ghost.

In regard to this Jesus Himself testifies. First to the Nephites: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the Prophets testified shall come into the world; and behold, I am the light and life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning."—iii Nephi, xi, 10, 11.

And again, in this dispensation, He bears witness: "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink, nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."—Doc. and Cov., xix, 16-19, page 118.

The saying of our Savior, to which we have already alluded, "Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer," is a very important one, and it would seem to be necessary, in the consideration of our subject, for us to obtain, from the writings of the servants of God that we have, an understanding what these statements were; how extensively they were corroborated by the sacred records; and what is said with regard to the necessity of Christ's sufferings thus referred to: and, furthermore, we may notice the reason why they should be thus necessary.

In making this examination, we will first quote from the writings of the Old and New Testaments, and, although we are informed by later revelations that "many parts which are plain and most precious" have been taken away therefrom, yet there is a large amount of testimony left in this valuable and sacred record, which plainly exhibits that the principle of the atonement was fully understood by the Prophets in former ages.

CHAPTER II.

The Testimony of Jesus the Spirit of Prophecy—The Declarations of
the Ancient Servants of God—Extracts from the Writings and
Testimonies of Moses, Job, David, Isaiah, Zechariah, Micah and
Hosea, to be found in the Old Testament, with remarks.

In the chapter of Luke's Gospel, to which we have already referred, speaking of Jesus, it is written, "Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

If this be taken in the fullest sense, and we know of no reason why it should not thus be received, there is a great principle developed, which is, that not only Moses, but all the Prophets, testified concerning the coming Redeemer. As elsewhere stated, this must have been the case, for we are told that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy;" and this being admitted, how could they have the spirit of prophecy, or be Prophets without having the testimony of Jesus? And we are told further that the Prophets sought "what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."—1 Peter, i, 11.

These scriptures evidently show that the testimony of Jesus was the very principle, essence and power of the spirit of prophecy whereby they were inspired.

We find a great many statements corroborative of these facts in those portions of the writings and prophecies of the ancient servants of God, that have been handed down to us in the Old Testament, and from these testimonies we select a few to show how various and how detailed have been the inspired utterances regarding the life and death of the Messiah.

"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, [Moses,] unto him ye shall hearken. * * * And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."—Deut., xviii, 15, 17-19.

"For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me."—Job, xix, 25-27.

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."—Psalm ii, 1-12.

While the first portion of the above psalm refers to the Anointed of the Lord, and matters that would take place at His first appearing, still many of the things, therein mentioned, have not yet transpired. The same may be said of the following passages from Zechariah, which speak of His being pierced and of His rejection by the Jews as a thing accomplished, when at that time these events had not taken place. But it does prove that His people would reject and pierce Him, and that afterwards when He should come as their deliverer (like Joseph, whom his brethren sold, appeared as their deliverer in Egypt), they should look upon Him whom they had pierced.

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born."—Zech., xii, 10.

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thy hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."—Zech., xiii, 6.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."—Isaiah, ix, 6, 7.

"Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and beat a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."—Isaiah, vii, 14.

"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."—Psalm cx, 1-4.

"Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."—Psalm xlv, 7.

"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord."—Isaiah, lix, 20.

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."—Isaiah, xlii, 1-9.

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."—Isaiah, liii, 1-12.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."—Zech., ix, 9.

"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver." —Zech., xi, 12.

"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of
Egypt."—Hosea, xi, 1.

Regarding which prophecy Matthew writes, "When he arose he took the young child [Jesus] and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son."—Matthew, ii, 14, 15.

"Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."—Jeremiah, xxxi, 15.

The same evangelist refers also to the fulfilment of this prophecy: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."—Matthew, ii, 16-18.

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."—Micah, v, 2.

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."—Psalm xvi, 9, 10.

This expression of the Psalmist evidently refers to the resurrection of the Son of God. It is so quoted by Paul in his sermon at Antioch: "And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption."—Acts, xiii, 32-37.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the 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; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."—Isaiah, lxi, 1-3.

This prophecy is referred to in the following incident in the life of
Jesus, narrated by Luke:

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."—Luke, iv, 16-21.

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory, Selah."—Psalm xxiv, 7-10.

The above is made much more plain in the inspired version, where it appears as follows:

"Lift up your heads, O ye generations of Jacob; and be ye lifted up; and the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, who is the King of glory, shall establish you for ever. And he will roll away the heavens, and will come down to redeem his people, to make you an everlasting name, to establish you upon his everlasting rock. Lift up your heads, O ye generations of Jacob; lift up your heads, ye everlasting generations, and the Lord of hosts, the King of kings, even the King of glory, shall come unto you; and shall redeem his people, and shall establish them in righteousness. Selah."

CHAPTER III.

Extracts from the New Testament, touching the Personal History of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine of the Atonement—Remarks on the "Times of Refreshing"—Results accruing to the Redeemer through His Death on the Cross, etc.

From the New Testament we will first introduce some texts with regard to the birth of the Savior, followed by testimonies of the Lord Jesus with regard to Himself, and afterwards give extracts from the teachings and epistles of His disciples, etc.

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."—Matthew, i, 18-23.

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren: for with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Juda, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb: and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she spake out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him, from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed, forever."—Luke, i, 26-55.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."—Luke, ii, 1-15.

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias: and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that. I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. * * * Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ."—Matt., xvi, 13-17, 20.

Of this same conversation Mark records: "And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly."—Mark, viii, 27-32.

Whilst Luke testifies, "And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him; and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering, said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering, said, The Christ of God. And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."—Luke, ix, 18-22.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."—John, iii, 16, 17.

"And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say, and to judge of you: but he that sent me, is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."—John, viii, 23-29.

"Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. * * * But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: And they are they which testify of me."—John, v, 19-23, 36-39.

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world; that they which see not might see, and that they which see, might be made blind."—John, ix, 35-39.

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. * * * My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."—John, x, 14-16, 27-30.

"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry."—Matt., xvii, 22, 23.

Of this same prophecy Mark relates: "And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him."—Mark, ix, 30-32.

And Luke states, "And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not, and they feared to ask him of that saying."—Luke, ix, 43-45.

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying; Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins."—Matt., xxvi, 26-28.

"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." Mark, xiv, 22-24.

"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."—Luke, xxii, 19, 20.

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."—Matt., xvi, 27.

"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."—Matt., xviii, 10, 11.

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."—Matt., xxviii, 16-20.

"Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe, and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."—John, vi, 67-69.

"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom
God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was
not possible that he should be holden of it."—Acts, ii, 23, 24.

"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.—Acts, ii, 32-36.

"And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heavens must receive, until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days."—Acts, iii, 17-24.

Does it not seem from this that these men, having committed the infamous act of crucifying Jesus, or consenting to His death, although they may have done it ignorantly, could not at that time, even by repentance and conversion, be placed in a state of salvation, but that they would have to wait until Jesus Christ should come again before their sins could be blotted out; when Jesus Christ should be sent, who before was preached unto them and whom they had crucified? Is not this the same condition that the antediluvians were in, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, when they were cast into prison and remained there until the time when Jesus went and preached to those spirits in prison? In their day they rejected the offers of mercy through the atonement of Jesus Christ, as the Jews did in their time; but afterwards they had the same Gospel preached to them by Jesus, and those Jews who had participated in those deeds, or who had consented thereto, to whom the Apostle then spake, even if they then repented, would have to wait for forgiveness and salvation until Jesus should come again. Furthermore, the Jews who will live in the times of the restitution in the last days, after the testimony of the Gospel shall have gone to the Gentiles through this same atonement, and the introduction of the Gospel, will again have it preached to them on the earth, and will, through Him, the Elias, or restorer, be gathered again to their own land.

"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone, which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."—Acts, iv, 10-12.

"But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."—Acts, vii, 55, 56.

"The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth."—Acts, viii, 32, 33.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."—Acts, xx, 28.

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! "—John, i, 29.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."—Rom., iii, 23-25.

"But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."—Rom., iv, 24, 25.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."—Rom., v, 8-12.

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."—1 Cor., xv, 3-9.

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."—Ephesians, i, 6, 7.

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature. * * * And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."—Col., i, 12-15, 18-20.

From the above passage we learn that our redemption is obtained through the blood of Jesus; that He is in the image of God; again, that He is "the firstborn of every creature;" also that He is "the first-born from the dead;" and furthermore, that He stands preeminent as the representative of God in the interests of humanity pertaining to this world, or the world which is to come, and that He is the head of the Church, the Grand Medium through which all blessings flow to the human family.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."—Col., ii, 8-10.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."—1 Tim., ii, 5, 6.

"For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."—Heb., i, 5, 6.

"Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him: but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." —Heb., ii, 8-10.

Here we have something said of the results accruing to the Redeemer Himself, through His sufferings and death. He stands next to the Father, "and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." (1 Peter, iii, 22.) Or as He elsewhere says of Himself, "All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth." And again, it is written that He "forever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool;" and "that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians, ii, 10, 11.)

"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forevermore."—Heb., vii, 26-28.

There is something peculiar pertaining to the expression here used, "forevermore," which manifestly exhibits an eternal principle. We find the same expression (as elsewhere alluded to) in the Pearl of Great Price. To Adam it was said, "Thou shalt do all that thou doest, in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son forevermore." The same principle continued both on the Asiatic and on this continent; and was recognized by all men of God holding the Melchisedec Priesthood, and will be recognized throughout all time until the final consummation of all things, when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God, the Father.

"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? * * * And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."—Heb., ix, 12-14, 22.

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God: from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."—Heb., x, 10-14.

Or, as the thirteenth and fourteenth verses are rendered in the inspired translation: "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth to reign until his enemies be made his footstool."

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. * * * Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."—1 Peter, i, 2, 18-20.

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels, and authorities, and powers, being made subject unto him."—1 Peter, iii, 18-22.

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth;' but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."—1 John, i, 5-7.

"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."—1 John, ii, 1, 2.

Or as it is written in the inspired translation, "But if any man sin and repent, we have an advocate," etc.

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."—Rev., i, 5.

"These things, saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God."—Rev., iii, 14.

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts, and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."—Rev., v, 8-10.

Thus it would seem that the redeemed of the Lord from all nations and peoples are indebted to the Lord Jesus Christ, through His atonement, for the position that they will occupy in the state of exaltation here referred to; and if they are exalted to be kings and priests unto God, it is through the ordinances which He has appointed for the accomplishment of this object, as the wise will understand. As regards the Book mentioned in the above passage, an explanation thereof will be found in the Key to the Revelation of John.—Doc. and Cov., Sec. lxxvii, page 277. (Latest edition.)

"And it was given unto him [the Dragon] to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."—Rev., xiii, 7, 8.

CHAPTER IV.

Extracts from the Pearl of Great Price and Inspired Translation of
Genesis—Record of Moses regarding Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and
Joseph, and of their faith in the Coming of the Savior.

We shall now introduce some extracts from the Pearl of Great Price and the Inspired Translation of the Book of Genesis, which replace some of those parts, "plain and most precious," which are said to have been taken from the version of the Holy Scriptures known as King James' or the authorized version. These extracts are taken from the revelations and writings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

"And God spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this Endless? And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands, but not all; for my works are without end, and also my words; for they never cease; wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the 'flesh on the earth. And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and my Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all."—Pearl of Great Price.

"And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and for ever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed; and all mankind, even as many as will."—Ibid.

"But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent. And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him, If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said, Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam, Behold, I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden. Hence came the saying abroad among the people, That the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world."—Ibid.

"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name; and the name of his Only Begotten, is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying, That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory: For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power, according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment. And now, behold, I say unto you, This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time."—Ibid.

"And he gave unto me [Enoch] a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, who is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the' Father and the Son."—Ibid.

"And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying, The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me!"—Ibid.

"And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men."—Ibid.

"And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying, Hearken, and give heed unto my words; believe and repent of your sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers did, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you."—Ibid.

"And if thou shalt die, yet thou shalt possess it [the land of Canaan], for the day cometh, that the Son of Man shall live; but how can he live, if he be not dead? He must first be quickened. And it came to pass that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness."—Inspired Translation, Gen., xv, 11, 12.

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come: and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."—Gen., xlix, 10.

"The Lord hath visited me [Joseph], and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins the Lord will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet; (not the Messiah who is called Shiloh;) and this prophet shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage. And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country; nevertheless, they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom."—Inspired Translation, Gen., 1, 24, 25.

CHAPTER V.

The Book of Mormon and the Atonement—Extracts from the Books of
Ether, Nephi, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and Mormon.

We next quote from the Book of Mormon, making our selections in chronological order; first from the Book of Ether, and afterwards from the records of the Nephites.

"And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him [the brother of Jared], and said, Because thou knowest these things, ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."—Ether, iii, 13, 14.

"And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father Abraham."—Ether, xiii, 10, 11.

"Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews; even a Messiah; or, in other words, a Savior of the world. And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer. And he spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah to prepare the way of the Lord; yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing. And my father said he should baptize in Bethabary, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water: even that he should baptize the Messiah with water. And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record, that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world."—1 Nephi, x, 4-10.

"And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the sins of the world."—1 Nephi, xi, 32, 33.

"He doeth not anything, save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life, that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."—2 Nephi, xxvi, 24.

"Yea, I know that ye know, that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behoveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him. For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord."—2 Nephi, ix, 5, 6.

"Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld, that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men. And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. And men are instructed sufficiently, that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law, no flesh is justified; or, by the law, men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law, they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable for ever. Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved. And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement; for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass; neither wickedness; neither holiness nor misery; neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body, it must needs remain as dead, having no life, neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore, there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God, and his eternal purposes; and also, the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness, there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness, there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not, there is no God. And if there is no God, we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things, for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them is; both things to act, and things to be acted upon. And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life: the one being sweet and the other bitter; wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself, save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other. And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose, that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven: wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable for ever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies; wherefore he said, Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth. And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth. And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he shewed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.—2 Nephi, ii, 3-21.

"And now, my brethren, I have spoken plain, that ye cannot err; and as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations, after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock, and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven, save it be this Jesus Christ of whom I have spoken, whereby man can be saved. Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write, shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand. Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written; for we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. And notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled; for, for this end was the law given; wherefore, the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ, because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments; and we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. Wherefore, we speak concerning the law, that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him, when the law ought to be done away."—2 Nephi, xxv, 20-27.

The reference, in the above quotation, to the serpent which Moses raised up before the children of Israel in the wilderness, directly confirms the statement of our Savior:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."—John, iii, 14, 15.

We now return to our extracts from the Book of Mormon. King Benjamin teaches:

"For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent, who reigneth, who was and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven, among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases; and he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death: for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things, from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men, even through faith on his name; and even after all this, they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him. And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done, that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died, not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God; for salvation cometh to none such, except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, even as though he had already come among them. Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses. And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows shewed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing, except it were through the atonement of his blood. And even if it were possible that little children could sin, they could not be saved: but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins. And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given, nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls, except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent; for the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever; but if he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come, when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent."—Mosiah, iii, 5-21.

"And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them; and they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying, O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ, that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words, the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. And king Benjamin again opened his mouth, and began to speak unto them, saying, My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you; for behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state; I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long suffering towards the children of men, and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life; I mean the life of the mortal body; I say that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or whoever shall be, even unto the end of the world; and this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation, save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved, except the conditions which I have told you."—Mosiah, iv, 1-8.

"And now Abinadi said unto them, I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people; and because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be called the Son of God: and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son; the Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh, thus becoming the Father and Son: And they are one God, yea, the very eternal Father of heaven and of earth; and thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, As a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth; yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father; and thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men: having ascended into heaven; having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions: having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice."—Mosiah, xv, 1-9.

"And now it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words, he stretched forth his hand and said, The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall see eye to eye, and shall confess before God that his judgments are just; and then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not, for they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall: which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good; subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost, were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember, that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state, and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made; being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy of God. And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come, as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death, that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ: he is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness, and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation; being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation; having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them; and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities, and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent, and yet they would not repent. And now had ye not ought to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember only in and through Christ ye can be saved? Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come; teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very eternal Father. Amen."—Mosiah, xvi, 1-15.

"But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying, Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight: for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed, and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God; and he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions, and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people; and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people: and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless, the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh, that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions, according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."—Alma, vii, 9-13.

"Now Zeezrom said unto the people, See that ye remember these things; for he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his people, as though he had authority to command God. Now Amulek saith again unto him, Behold, thou hast lied, for thou sayest that I spake as though I had authority to command God, because I said he shall not save his people in their sins. And I say unto you again, that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. Now Zeezrom saith again unto him, Is the son of God the very eternal Father? And Amulek said unto him, Yea, he is the very eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them is; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last; and he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else; therefore, the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death: and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death; the spirit and the body shall be re-united again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil."—Alma, xi, 35-44.

"Now I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be born again: for the Spirit saith, If ye are not born again, ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness."—Alma, vii, 14.

"And the angel said unto me, Look! And I looked, and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness; and their garments were white, even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me, These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him."—1 Nephi, xii, 11.

"Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb."—Alma, xiii, 11.

"And this I know, because the Lord hath said, He dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said, That the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out: but their garments should be made white, through the blood of the Lamb."—Alma, xxxiv, 36.

"O then, ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord: cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day."—Mormon, ix, 6.

"Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name."—Helaman, xiv, 2.

"For behold, he must surely die, that salvation may come; yea, it behoveth him, and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord; yea, behold this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind by the fall of Adam, being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and things spiritual. But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord."—Helaman, xiv, 15-17.

"Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the print of the nails in my hands, and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world."—3 Nephi, xi, 14.

"Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man, came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awoke by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death; and then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them, and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still."—Mormon, ix, 12-14.

CHAPTER VI.

Extracts from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—Christ's Testimony
of Himself, of His Power and Calling, etc.—Testimony of Joseph
Smith and Sidney Rigdon—Record of John the Baptist—Extract from a
Sermon by President Brigham Young.

We now turn to the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto my own, and my own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not."—Sec. vi, 21, p. 91.

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth; a light which cannot be hid in darkness."—Sec. xiv, 9, p. 109.

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; for, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore, he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance." Sec. xviii, 10-12, p. 114.

"I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am He, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world. I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me—having done this that I might subdue all things unto myself."—Sec. xix, 1, 2, p. 117.

"I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will."—Sec. xix, 24, p. 119.

"For, behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe on his words, which are given him through me by the Comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart."—Sec. xxi, 9, p. 131.

"Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins."—Sec. xxix, 1, p. 142.

"Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man, nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father. Amen."—Sec. xxxi, 13, p. 151.

"My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; the light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God: wherefore you are my son."—Sec. xxxiv, 1-3, pp. 153-4.

"Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same to-day as yesterday, and forever. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one."—Sec. xxxv, 1, 2, p. 155.

"Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made: the same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes: I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me: I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; and verily. I say, even as many as have believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them; but behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day; which shall come at the end of the earth."—Sec. xxxviii, 1—5, pp. 159, 160.

"Hearken and listen to the voice of him who is from all eternity to all eternity, the great I AM, even Jesus Christ, the light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not: the same which came in the meridian of time unto my own, and my own received me not."—Sec. xxxix, 1-3, p. 164.

Listen to him who is the Advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him, saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed—the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."—Sec. xlv, 3-5, p. 183.

"To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world; to others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful."—Sec. xlvi, 13, 14, p. 192.

"Hear O ye heavens, and give ear O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior: Great is his wisdom, and marvellous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out; his purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand; from eternity to eternity he is the same, and his years never fail."—Sec. lxxvi, 1-4, p. 265.

"By the power of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God—even those things which were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, and the record which we bear is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Son, whom we saw and with whom we conversed in heavenly vision."—Sec. lxxvi, 12-14, p. 266.

"And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about; and we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness; and saw the holy angels and they who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him for ever and ever. And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony last of all, which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—that by him and through him, and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."—Sec. lxxvi, 19-24, p. 266, 267.

"That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him, who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition, who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him."—Sec. lxxvi, 41-43, p. 268-9.

"These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood."—Sec. lxxvi, 68, 69, p. 271.

"Verily, thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh their sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am, and that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one: the Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men. I was in the world and received of my Father, and the works of him were plainly manifest; and John saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory, and the fulness of John's record is hereafter to be revealed. * * * And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace: and he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; and thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first. And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying, This is my beloved Son. And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father; and he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him."—Sec. xciii, 1-6, 12-17, pp. 328-9.

"But, behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten."—Sec. xxix, 46, p. 147.

"Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning, and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again in their infant state, innocent before God." Sec. xciii, 38, p. 331.

"And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake, and the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly, and calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed, and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. And then shall the Jews look upon me and say, What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them, These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God. And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their King. And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them; and Satan shall be bound that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men."—Sec. xlv, 48-55, p. 187-8.

From a discourse by President Brigham Young, August 8, 1852:

"Christ is the Author of this Gospel, of this earth, of men and women, of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the Author of salvation to all this creation, to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe we occupy."

CHAPTER VII.

Introduction to the Historical Portion of this Treatise—The
Dealings of God with Adam, Cain and Abel—The Institution of
Sacrifice—The Symbolism of this Rite—The Words of the Angel to
Adam—Lucifer—His Rebellion in Heaven—His Conflict with Michael
for the Body of Moses—He tempts Christ—He is cast into a Lake of
Fire and Brimstone.

Having thus gathered in one numerous testimonies from the writings of the ancient inspired servants of God who dwelt on either hemisphere, and joined therewith extracts from the revelations of the present dispensation, with regard to the fore-ordination, mission, lifework and death of the Only Begotten Son, we shall now proceed to trace, from the sacred volumes, the revelation of our Savior, and the prophecy of his advent from the earliest ages of recorded history, until He fulfilled in Himself all, even all that, as offering, sacrifice, sacrament, vision or prophetic word, had foreshadowed His appearing, or typified the mystery of His all-atoning blood.

We shall commence this portion of our subject by showing that sacrifices have been offered from the very earliest times, and that when performed under divine instruction, they prefigured and typified the sacrifice of the Son of God, and that it was with this view these sacrifices were offered up.

It is recorded in the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis that,

"Adam knew Eve, his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel: and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of 'the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering: but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect."—Genesis, iv, 1-5.

As these sayings found in King James' translation of the Bible are very limited, and somewhat obscure, we will here refer, as a starting point on this subject, to the account given of these events in the Pearl of Great Price, which is a selection from the revelations, translations and narrations of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For in that translation it is stated that Adam, previous to these acts of Abel and Cain, offered up a sacrifice by the direct command of God. It is there written that the Lord gave unto Adam and Eve "commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God; and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth; wherefore thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son, for evermore." We are further informed that "Adam and Eve blessed the name of God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters."

From the above it would seem that Adam, until instructed by the angel, did not know the reasons for the offering up of sacrifices, nor the object that the Lord had in view in requiring this offering at his hands; for, being asked by the angel why he performed this rite, he said, "I know not, save the Lord commanded me;" and the object of the visit of this holy being to Adam evidently was to show him why he was called to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, as, on Adam expressing his ignorance of the intent of this offering, the angel stated very explicitly that this thing was "a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father." We have here given a reason why Adam offered up this sacrifice. We may hereafter explain why it was necessary that the sacrifice of the Son of God should be made.

These sacrifices, which were similitudes of the sacrifice of the Only
Begotten, were continued from that time until, as is stated in the
Scriptures, Jesus came to offer "his own body once for all."—Heb., x,
10.

We will now return to the sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel, and give the statement in relation thereto contained in the Pearl of Great Price. It is as follows:

"And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying, Make an offering unto the Lord. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruits of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought, of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof; and the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain, and to his offering, He had not respect. Now Satan knew this, and it pleased him. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? Why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted, and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee, and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire; and thou shalt rule over him, for from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies. Thou shalt be called Perdition, for thou wast also before the world, and it shall be said in time to come, that these abominations were had from Cain, for he rejected the greater counsel, which was had from God; and this is a cursing which I will put upon thee, except thou repent. And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord."

From the above it would appear that Satan, or Lucifer, was "also before the world," and that the term "also" refers to another personage, and that personage was the Messiah, the Christ, the Well Beloved Son, who, we are told, was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world; and it is obvious that Lucifer, who is elsewhere called the Son of the Morning, had an important role to play upon the earth as well as the Messiah, and that he occupied a very prominent position before the world was, and still occupies that position in opposition to his Heavenly Father, to the Son of God, and to the interests of humanity; which opposition will continue, we are informed, until he shall not only be bound, but cast into the bottomless pit; as stated by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelations:

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season."—Rev., xx, 1-3.

And a little further on we read that after the thousand years have passed, "Satan shall be loosed out of his prison," and shall go out to deceive the nations and gather them to battle against the Saints, when fire from heaven will devour them.

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."—Rev., xx, 10.

The operations of Satan in opposition to the designs and purposes of God are frequently noticed in Holy Writ. Reference has already been made to his control over Cain and the results thereof, and unfortunately for them, Cain was not the only one in that early age of the world's history over whom Satan gained the mastery. For he went abroad amongst the inhabitants of the earth, saying, "I am also a son of God; * * * and they loved Satan more than God. And men began, from that time forth, to be carnal, sensual, and devilish." And so they continued increasing in wickedness, until "all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth," and the waters of the flood had to accomplish the work which the preaching of Noah could not effect.

In later years we hear of Satan contending with the archangel, Michael, for the body of Moses. Jude writes: "Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

This is again exhibited in the part he took in tempting the Savior, after His baptism and recognition by His Heavenly Father. Of this event it is written:

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him."—Matt., iv, 1-11.

Or to give the words of the inspired translation: "Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be with God. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered, and was left to be tempted of the devil. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But Jesus answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

"Then Jesus was taken up into the holy city, and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple. Then the devil came unto him and said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

"And again, Jesus was in the Spirit, and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. And the devil came unto him again, and said, All these things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then said Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him."

Again, John in the Revelations, when referring to the latter days, exclaims, "Wo to the inhabitants of the earth, and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time." [Rev., xii, 12.] And by and by the same writer tells us, in a passage already quoted, that Satan's time is finished, and he is bound and cast into the bottomless pit.

CHAPTER VIII.

Seth—His Sacrifice Accepted—Rebellion in the Heavens—The
Gathering of the Patriarchs in the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman—
Sacrifices Offered There.

The next eminent personage that appears is Seth. Concerning him, it is said in the Old Testament:

"And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and called his name
Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of
Abel, whom Cain slew."—Gen., iv, 25.

There is a principle developed here pertaining to the economy of God with the human family. Abel held a representative position, as also did Cain, and that position, it would seem, associated Abel with what may be denominated the chosen seed. Cain slew Abel; but (that, the purposes relating to the perpetuation of that seed might stand, and the plan of God not be frustrated by the adversary, He gave to Adam Seth, who inherited the priesthood and promises of his martyred brother; in this substantiating a principle that Paul refers to, when he writes, "That the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." [Rom., ix, 11.] Yet, although Seth was one of the leading characters spoken of in the Scripture, and one to whom and through whom the promises were made, and who actually stood in the place of or represented his brother, Abel, yet there is nothing said in the ordinary translation pertaining to his offering sacrifices; we therefore again refer to the Pearl of Great Price. It is there stated that "Adam glorified the name of God, for he said, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And God revealed himself unto Seth, and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice like unto his brother Abel."

Seth, we are here told, rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice, thus carrying out the same idea of the atonement of the Only Begotten. In this connection we must remember that there had been a rebellion in heaven, and many of the angels, they "which kept not their first estate," [Jude, 6,] were cast out. Lucifer was the leader of these rebellious ones who were then cast down to the earth. He had rebelled against God, his Father, and it would seem, from revelations that we shall hereafter draw attention to, that his rebellion had its origin in his rejection of the counsel given to him by his Father pertaining to the salvation and exaltation of mankind. When man was placed upon the earth, Lucifer, or Satan, still manifested the same animus and spirit; and through his influence he operated upon Cain, for Cain listened to his wiles, and being controlled by him, he also rebelled against his father and his God. Thus the rebellion in the heavens was transmitted to a rebellion on the earth, and all who became subject to this influence placed themselves in a state of enmity and antagonism to God, and one of the first results exhibited was covetousness and murder, even the murder by Cain of his brother Abel. Thus we find the first man slain (Abel) was one holding the holy Priesthood, and the same vindictive spirit manifested against the servants of God of all later ages, gave the martyr Stephen good reason to ask his persecutors,

"Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers."—Acts, vii, 52.

Although there is nothing said in the Book of Genesis in relation to sacrifices offered up by Enos, who was the son of Seth, nor by his descendants, Canaan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch and Methuselah, all of whom held the High Priesthood, and were consequently prophets of the Lord, yet it is quite reasonable to suppose that they, being of the promised seed through whom the Messiah was to come, did offer up sacrifices as commemorative of that great promised event. Further, in relation to this subject, we are informed in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants [Section 107, par. 53-57, p. 389,] that "three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared-Enoch and Methuselah [the persons mentioned above,] who were all High Priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him, I have set thee to be at the head—a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them for ever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation, and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. These things were all written in the Book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time."

Although, in the above, there is nothing directly said about the offering of sacrifices, yet, as this was a usual ceremony, and it belonged to the Priesthood and to the promised seed to offer sacrifices, it would be reasonable to suppose that Adam did then and there officiate in that rite; indeed, it was stated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in our hearing, while standing on an elevated piece of ground or plateau near Adam-ondi-Ahman[A] (Davis Co., Missouri,), where there were a number of rocks piled together, that the valley before us was the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman; or in other words, the valley where God talked with Adam, and where he gathered his righteous posterity, as recorded in the above revelation, and that this pile of stones was an altar built by him when he offered up sacrifices, as we understand, on that occasion. If Adam then offered up sacrifices in the presence of these prominent men, he being the President of these High Priests, he would officiate for them as well as for himself; while it is quite reasonable to believe that they assisted in the offerings made upon that altar. Regarding this the Saints sing:

[Footnote A: "Revelation to Joseph, the Seer, given near Wight's Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Davis County, Missouri, May 19th, 1838, wherein Spring Hill is named by the Lord, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet."—Doc. and Cov. Sec. 116, p. 415.]

This earth was once a garden place,
With all her glories common,
And men did live a holy race,
And worship Jesus face to face,
In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

We read that Enoch walk'd with God,
Above the power of mammon,
While Zion spread herself abroad,
And Saints and angels sung aloud,
In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Her land was good and greatly blest,
Beyond old Israel's Canaan;
Her fame was known from east to west,
Her peace was great, and pure the rest
Of Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Hosannah to such days to come—
The Savior's second coming,
When all the earth in glorious bloom,
Affords the Saints a holy home,
Like Adam-ondi-Ahman.

CHAPTER IX.

Enoch, his Life and Translation—References to Him by Paul and Jude—Copious Extracts from His Prophecy—The Prophet Joseph Smith on Enoch and the Doctrine of Translation—The Office of Translated Saints—Enoch's Future Work—Translation and Resurrection—Christ the Creator—Summary of the Results of Enoch's Faith in the Saving Blood of Christ.

We next come to Enoch, who presents a very important figure among the antediluvians, and of whom there are some very marvelous things related. The Bible record of him is as follows:

"And Jared lived an hundred, sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch. * * * And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enoch were three hundred, sixty and five years; and Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him."—Gen., v, 18, 21-24.

This is certainly a very meagre history of so great a personage, and to supply the deficiency we must have recourse to other testimonies: one important fact, however, is here stated, that "he walked with God;" another is, that "God took him." There was evidently a book written by this Patriarch, which is called the Book of Enoch, for Jude says:

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."—Jude, i, 14, 15.

From the above it would seem that not only had Enoch written a book, but that Jude had access to it; or if not had had a communication or revelation from Enoch, as referred to by Joseph Smith, hereafter, for we discover that he had a knowledge of the Son of God, the Messiah. It is true, the Only Begotten, as He is spoken of elsewhere, is not here mentioned, but only the Lord is referred to; yet the circumstances connected therewith are indicative of it being that personage; for Paul expresses the same sentiment in regard to the second coming of the Messiah, and says:

"And to you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."—2 Thes., i, 7-10.

Moreover, Jesus Himself makes the following remarks concerning the same subject:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."—Matt., xxv, 31, 32.

Thus showing that it was the same personage that was referred to by
Enoch.

Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, writes:

"By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."—Heb., xi, 5.

These declarations are very strongly corroborated by the following extracts from a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, relating to the prophecy of Enoch, and published in the Pearl of Great Price:

"And from that time forth Enoch began to prophesy, saying unto the people, That, as I was journeying, and stood in the place Mahujah, and cried unto the Lord, there came a voice out of heaven, saying, Turn ye, and get ye upon the Mount Simeon. And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory, and I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me, Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations. * * * And the Lord said unto me, Go forth to this people and say unto them, Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die. And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, who is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Cainan, to repent; and so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly. * * * And there went forth a curse upon all the people who fought against God; and from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. And the fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. * * * And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord, Surely, Zion shall dwell in safety for ever. But the Lord said unto Enoch, Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed. And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven! And the Lord said unto Enoch, Behold mine abode for ever."

The Prophet Joseph Smith, when speaking of Enoch and his people and the doctrine of translation, said;

"If Cain had fulfilled the law of righteousness as did Enoch, he would have walked with God all the days of his life, and never failed of a blessing. Gen., v, 22: 'And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years; and Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.' Now this Enoch God reserved unto Himself, that he should not die at that time, and appointed unto him a ministry unto terrestrial bodies, of whom there has been but little revealed. He is reserved also unto the Presidency of a dispensation, and more shall be said of him and terrestrial bodies in another treatise. He is a ministering angel, to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, and appeared unto Jude as Abel did unto Paul: therefore Jude spoke of him, 14th and 15th verses: 'And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, revealed these sayings: Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints.'

"Paul was also acquainted with this character, and received instructions from him: Heb., xi, 5: 'By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God; but without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a revealer to those who diligently seek him.'

"Now the doctrine of translation is a power which belongs to this Priesthood. There are many things which belong to the powers of the Priesthood and the keys thereof, that have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world; they are hid from the wise and prudent, to be revealed in the last times.