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Essential Orson Pratt

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Click on CoverBack CoverForeword byDavid J. WhittakerClassics in Mormon Thought Series No. 2Signature BooksSalt Lake City1991© 1991 by Signature Books, Inc.All rights reserved.

Publisher's PrefaceThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.ix[p.ix] Orson Pratt was born to Jared and Charity Pratt, poor itinerant farm laborers who boarded out each of their sons in turn, including Orson, at a young age. Orson was fourth in a family of five sons born on 19 September 1811 in the town of Hartford, Washington County, in upper New York state.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixGrowing up on the New York frontier, Pratt was subjected to the same kind of religious excitement and inter-denominational competition as his contemporary Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism. Sectarian Christianity held no interest for Pratt's parents, who idealized the "primitive gospel" represented in the New Testament. Sons Orson and Parley in particular inherited the religious longings for a purer, more authentic Christianity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixOrson worked as a farm laborer from the age of eleven to nineteen, from Long Island, New York, to northern Ohio. Throughout this period, Orson subsisted close to poverty, and his childhood education, with the equivalent of only four months of secondary education, was sparse.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixIn September 1830, Orson's brother Parley told him of a new-found zeal for the teachings of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. After hearing

of Parley's faith, Orson converted. They made a journey the next month to Fayette, New York, to meet the Mormon prophet.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixOrson remained with Joseph Smith for a month, during which time he was found sufficiently faithful to begin proselytizing for the new church. His first mission proved a huge success. He helped form a congregation in Colesville, New York, known as the Colesville Branch, which was later transplanted to Ohio and then to Missouri, where it figured significantly in church history as the first group to adopt communal practices.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixFor the next three years, Pratt remained in the mission field until he was recalled to Smith's headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834, to serve in the Zion's Camp expedition to "redeem Zion," relieving Mormon settlers in Jackson County, Missouri, from vigilantism. When Smith realized that Missouri Mormons would have to be relocated, he called Pratt to the stake high council and made him responsible for resettling the membership to nearby Clay County.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.ixPratt made his way back to Ohio during the winter of 1834-35, [p.x] preaching along the way. Upon reaching Kirtland he was called to the newly-created traveling high council or Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Pratt travelled through the eastern branches of the church the next summer raising money for the poor of the church and proselytizing. Sarah Marinda Bates, Pratt's future wife, came to hear him speak at one of his missionary lectures on this tour and was baptized during his brief stay. After another year with no further contact except through correspondence, he returned to marry her on Independence Day, 1836.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xKirtland was a boomtown when Pratt brought his new wife home in the fall of 1836 and relief from missionary duties and financial stress gave him time to devote attention to his interest in mathematics and astronomy. This respite was short-lived, however, as Kirtland's economy collapsed, along with much of the rest of the nation, in early 1837. Many Mormons, including Pratt, turned against Joseph Smith as a scapegoat to unload their anger over financial loss. But Pratt did not remain long at odds with his leader, leaving soon thereafter for a mission to New York, spending time along the way with his in-laws in Henderson, New York.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xMeanwhile, back in Missouri, trouble was again brewing and reached a climax in the latter part of 1838. Notice was sent to the twelve apostles to meet for a special conference at Far West, Missouri, the site designated by Smith as the "inheritance of the Saints." Pratt got as far as St. Louis, where he was forced to wait out the winter because Sarah had just given birth. By spring, Mormons had been driven entirely from Missouri and were now gathering to Quincy, Illinois.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xIn Illinois Pratt worked with other church leaders to establish a home in the new city of Nauvoo. Then in late 1839 he and other members of the Twelve were asked to leave the bustle of Nauvoo to find converts in the British Isles. He was the first Mormon missionary to Scotland.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.x

Pratt returned to Nauvoo in July 1841. He earned a living by selling his pamphlets, serving as city councilman, and teaching classes in the Department of Mathematics and English Literature at the University of the City of Nauvoo. Despite his lack of formal education, Pratt was a successful teacher and was awarded an honorary M.A. degree from the school, and thereafter bore the title of professor.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xDuring Pratt's absence from Nauvoo, Joseph Smith began practicing plural marriage as part of the ongoing "restoration of all things": in this case, a restoration of the marriage patterns of Old Testament patriarchs. By August 1842, Smith had taken twelve additional wives, five of whom had living husbands. Smith considered invalid all marriage contracts not performed by the authority of the restored priesthood. One of the women Smith apparently told about the new doctrine of [p.xi] marriage was Orson Pratt's wife, Sarah, who, horrified, rejected the doctrine and declined to keep it secret.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiIn spring 1842, after Orson's return to Nauvoo, Smith is said to have spoken again to Sarah about polygamy. This time Sarah took the matter to her husband, who became depressed and suicidal, and on 14 July, disappeared. The next day a group of friends found him outside the city near the banks of the Mississippi River and persuaded him to return home.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiIn August church leaders published three sensational statements accusing Sarah of having had an affair with John C. Bennett, who had been an assistant to Joseph Smith and mediator of some of Smith's polygamous marriages. Bennett had subsequently become one of Smith's most bitter enemies, using his intimate knowledge of the prophet's marital relationships as ammunition for exposes in the public presses. At about the same time fellow apostles Brigham Young, George A. Smith, and Heber C. Kimball met with Pratt to try to convince him to sustain Smith. When Pratt refused, they excommunicated him.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiDespite this, Pratt remained at Nauvoo. Apparently he was able to reconcile what he saw as human weakness with the divinity of Joseph Smith's revelations. When Pratt received a letter from John Bennett seeking to enlist his support in a plan to destroy Mormonism, Pratt took the letter directly to Smith. This act of loyalty helped to restore their friendship, and five days later, on 20 January 1843, church leaders met to reinstate Pratt into the church and to his office as apostle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiFrom July to October of the same year, Pratt was called on a mission to Pennsylvania and Ohio to raise money for two of Smith's building projects: a temple and a hotel. On 23 December Pratt was introduced to the rites of the Quorum of the Anointed—rites which Smith planned to present to the general membership of the church when the temple was completed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiDuring these last years at Nauvoo, Smith continued to fight extradition to Missouri and attacks from local non-Mormons who feared the growing political and economic power of the Latter-day Saints. Concerned with protecting his people's rights, Smith sent Pratt to Washington, D.C., in March 1844, to present a memorial to the U.S. Congress to

redress property losses and to provide protection from state and local community militias. While in Washington, Pratt published his Prophetic Almanac, which included meteorological and astronomical observations, bits of folk wisdom, and theological essays, including one of the first treatments of the Mormon belief that human beings could become gods.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiThe nomination of Joseph Smith as U.S. presidential candidate made Pratt and fellow apostles quasi-campaign strategists. They [p.xii] travelled to New York and Boston to gather support for Smith, but were stunned upon arriving in New Hampshire in late July 1844, to read newspaper headlines reporting the assassination of Joseph Smith at the hands of vigilantes the previous month. They returned immediately to Illinois.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiBack in Nauvoo, the apostles set about calming the church and defending their right to leadership against challenges from others. Pratt's persuasion proved invaluable in helping to bring the general body of the church to the apostles' side. Brigham Young, as president of the apostles, promised to continue the policies of his predecessor, and, true to his promise, married thirty-three year old Pratt to two young sisters, Charlotte Bishop, twenty years old, and Adelia Ann Bishop, seventeen years of age. Early in 1845 Pratt would marry a third plural wife, Mary Ann Merrill, twenty-five years old, and three other women over the next few years.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiOnce secure in leadership, the Twelve worked feverishly to complete and furnish the temple and to introduce the rest of the Saints to the washings, anointings, and other endowment rituals. Mormons, despite the prophet's death, continued to meet antagonism of non-Mormon neighbors, and opposition intensified during 1845 until the Twelve agreed to abandon Nauvoo.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiMeanwhile, Pratt was called to return to New York to preside over the church there and publish the periodical, The Messenger. This gave Pratt greater opportunity to develop and disseminate his unique vision of Mormon cosmology. In The Messenger, for example, Pratt answered "Questions on the Origin of Man", [presented Mormon angelogy in "Angels", and investigated the nature of intelligence in "Space, Duration, and Matter." During this period Pratt depended on sales of his publications to support himself and his family.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiReturning to Nauvoo in December, Pratt found church leaders wrapping up temple work and preparing to leave the city. He moved his family to the Iowa bank of the Mississippi River early the next year and then was asked to be navigator for the exodus of pioneers that left for the Great Basin in the spring of 1847. On 21 July 1847, he became the first Mormon to enter the Salt Lake valley. By the time Brigham Young arrived, Pratt had already chosen and dedicated a site for settlement. He later used the temple site as a point of reference for surveying the new city.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiThe following year Pratt returned to England to preach the gathering of the Saints to the Rocky Mountains. On 20 July 1848, he arrived in Liverpool, where he took over the presidency of the European mission and responsibility for the church's overseas

periodical, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star. While in England he also authored more [p.xii] pamphlets, which would prove to be the most definitive expositions of his materialist philosophy of his writing career.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiIn 1851 Pratt was called by Young on a mission to Washington, D.C., to publish a paper, The Seer, to defend the church against anticipated criticism of the practice of plural marriage, as well as other distinctive doctrines. But Pratt's speculative theology in the pages of The Seer eventually made Young uneasy. Young admired Pratt's intelligence but gradually felt his position threatened. Pratt believed in a strictly omnipotent, omniscient God, whereas Young preached a God continually progressing in glory and knowledge. Pratt believed that God was omnipresent, Young did not. Pratt preached that people should worship the attributes of God, while Young preferred to worship the being rather than the attributes. Pratt maintained that deity had created itself out of eternal, intelligent particles, but Young insisted that God was uncreated. Paradoxically, Pratt held to the traditional story that Adam and Eve were literally created from the soil of the earth, whereas Young believed that they were transplanted to earth from another planet. Pratt angered Young by publishing the text of the temple sealing ceremony and by facilitating distribution of Joseph Smith's mother's reminiscences, which Young ordered gathered and burned. Young and Pratt disagreed privately at first, then sparred openly for two decades. Several times Pratt was ordered to publicly recant his beliefs, which he did, only to resume teaching them again.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiYoung, for his part, did his best to minimize Pratt's influence at home by calling him on mission after mission. In 1856 Pratt presided over the British church again, where he married his seventh and last plural wife. In 1860 he was called to the east coast to preach the gathering to recalcitrant Mormons who had not yet fled "Babylon." The following year, he moved from Salt Lake City to southern Utah to oversee development of a cotton industry, part of the Mormon attempt to become economically self-sufficient. Finally in 1864 Pratt accepted a call to preside over the central European mission.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiSarah Pratt, who despised her exile to the desolation of southern Utah and resented her husband's many missions and extra wives, secretly taught her children to disbelieve Mormon teachings and eventually apostatized. She became a favorite source for journalists looking for controversial material on Mormons.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiiOrson Pratt's other wives subsisted by operating modest mercantiles. They sold hats and fabrics, as well as coffee and tobacco (Orson himself was an enthusiastic coffee drinker). When Orson was in Utah for brief periods between missions, he employed himself by founding schools and lecturing on such subjects as theology, astronomy, and the virtues of vegetarianism.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xiv[p.xiv] On 10 April 1875, the controversies that divided Young and Pratt reached a climax. Young demoted Pratt from his standing as second in seniority among the apostles to fourth. Young rationalized that because Pratt had been excommunicated in 1842, he had lost his original standing in the quorum even though his excommunication had been declared void by Joseph Smith, who ruled that the proceeding against him

had been illegal. Pratt, an elderly diabetic, was perhaps too weak to resist this action. His involvement in church leadership decreased in his final years and his interests turned from theological and cosmologic schemes to mathematic puzzles. He died after an extended illness on 3 October 1881, two weeks after his seventieth birthday.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xivIn republishing Orson Pratt's works more than one hundred years after they first appeared, we hope that readers will be sensitive to the historical context and the cultural peculiarities of the period. Readers should keep in mind that although Pratt's philosophical and scientific errors are uncorrected, they were not unnoticed. Pratt's most frequently cited authority for his views is "common sense," which was for him a blend of folk wisdom, popular science, and mysticism.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xivReaders who overlook Pratt's tendency toward dogmatism, ego-centricity, and literalism will be rewarded by the overall breadth of his vision. Pratt's conviction that science and religion could be reconciled encouraged him to be surprisingly speculative. For example, Pratt understood that the human body was a dynamic organism whose materials were in flux, leading him to theorize that the resurrection would not necessarily restore the physical body but preserve what might be called the genetic blueprint.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xivIn preparing the texts of Orson Pratt's writings for publication, care has been taken to present them exactly as first printed. The only exception is the correction of obviously unintentional typesetting errors such as letter transpositions and repeated words. Archaic, variant and idiosyncratic spellings, usage, grammar, and punctuation remain as they are found in the original documents, with no attempt to correct or resolve ambiguous constructions or meanings.[p.xv] ForewordDavid J. WhittakerThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.xvThe most prolific and perhaps influential early apologist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Orson Pratt, authored over thirty works on both religious and scientific topics. Influential during his lifetime, from his conversion in 1830 to his death in 1881, he wielded even more influence after his death. Writing for the Latter-day Saint church's centennial in 1930, John Henry Evans observed: "In the first century of 'Mormonism' there is no leader of the intellectual stature of Orson Pratt."1 In Nauvoo, Illinois, W. W. Phelps labelled him the "Gauge of Philosophy."2 T. B. H. Stenhouse attributed to him "the first logical arguments in favour of Mormonism."3 In 1876, Edward Tullidge called Pratt the "Paul of Mormonism,"4 for his contributions to Mormon theology. At Pratt's funeral, Wilford Woodruff asserted that he had written "more upon the gospel and upon science than any other man in the Church."5 In the first scholarly study of Orson Pratt's life, written in 1932, T. Edgar Lyon found that he "did more to formulate the Mormon idea of God, the religious basis of polygamy (polygyny), the pre-existence of spirits, the doctrine of the gathering, the resurrection, and eternal salvation than any other person in the church, with the exception of Joseph Smith.…Due to his efforts…the odds and ends of Joseph Smith's utterances were constructed and expanded into a philosophic system."6 When Leonard Arrington asked fifty prominent

Mormon scholars in 1968 to rank the leading intellectuals in the history of the Mormon church, Orson Pratt was mentioned second only to B. H. Roberts, receiving more votes than Joseph Smith or Pratt's own influential older brother Parley.7The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xvOrson was baptized on his nineteenth birthday, 19 September 1830, by Parley.8 He was born in Hartford, Washington County, New York, to Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson, the fifth of six children. In 1814 or 1815 his family moved to New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, where he attended school. His parents taught him to read the Bible, although he could not remember attending church more than a few times.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xvDuring the winter of 1829-30, he spent four months at a boarding school studying geography, grammar, and surveying. Simultaneously, he began seeking a religious experience. In the autumn of 1829, he remembered: "I…began to pray very fervently, repenting of every sin. In the silent shades of night, while others were slumbering upon their [p.xvi] pillows, I often retired to some secret place in the lonely fields or solitary wilderness, and bowed to the Lord, and prayed for hours with a broken heart and contrite spirit; this was for the Lord to manifest His will concerning me. I continued to pray in this fervent manner until September, 1830, at which time two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, came into the neighborhood, one of which was my brother Parley."9The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviFollowing his baptism he traveled to Fayette, New York, where he was ordained an elder by Joseph Smith and sent to Colesville, New York, on the first of his many missions. An important aspect of accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet was "the purity of the doctrine…he had brought forth. I knew it was a scriptural doctrine, agreeing in every respect with the ancient gospel when my mind became fully satisfied that God had raised up a people to proclaim the gospel in all its ancient beauty and simplicity, with power to administer in its ordinances."10The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviFor the next several years Pratt undertook short-term missions in the United States and Canada. In addition, he attended the church's School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio; marched with Zion's Camp in 1834 to rescue fellow Saints in Missouri; was ordained a member of the Standing High Council in Missouri; and even acted for a short time as a clerk for Joseph Smith. In February 1835, he became one of the members of the newly-organized Quorum of Twelve Apostles. While studying Hebrew with members of the School of the Prophets in the winter of 1834-35 he debated a fine point of the pronunciation of a Hebrew letter with Joseph Smith to the point of an argument. Smith recorded that Pratt was stubborn and that only after some time did he calm down and ask for forgiveness.11 Pratt remembered that during the winter months of 1836-37 he began studying algebra without a teacher.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviBy 1839 Pratt was on his way with his fellow apostles to the British Isles, arriving in Liverpool on 6 April 1840. Though "penniless and [among] strangers," he and his companions baptized about six thousand people in about twelve months. In Edinburgh, Pratt managed in nine months to raise up a branch of 200 members.12 On this mission he published his first pamphlet, An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable

Visions…(Edinburgh, 1840). Within this tract of thirty-one pages was the first public recording of Joseph Smith's first vision and a list of fifteen "Articles of Faith," which may have suggested those Joseph Smith composed two years later.13The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviPratt's return to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1841 thrust him into a maelstrom of rumors and gossip about Joseph Smith and plural marriage—the results of which led eventually to his own temporary disaffection. He spent the next five months seeking the truth regarding Smith's [p.xvii] calling and the new doctrine of plural marriage. He came to accept both with such assurance that he spent the rest of his life in their defense.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiDuring the two years prior to Smith's death in 1844, the Twelve learned privately about the doctrines and ordinances which in time were to be taught to the entire church.14 After the martyrdom of Smith and his brother Hyrum, Pratt joined with the Quorum of the Twelve in asserting its right to preside over the church. Throughout this period he also spent "much of my leisure time in study, and made myself thoroughly acquainted with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, conic sections, differential and integral calculus, astronomy, and most of the physical sciences. These studies I pursued without the assistance of a teacher.'"15 His interest in math and astronomy found an outlet in two Prophetic Almanacs, one published in 1845 and one in 1846.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiOn 6 April 1848, Pratt was appointed to preside over the LDS church in Europe. In addition to carrying out the usual tasks, he managed to write and publish sixteen pamphlets in defense of Mormon doctrines—works oriented as much to investigators as to converts.16 From the sale of these works he was able to support himself, his five wives, and ten children.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiPratt returned to Salt Lake City in October 1851 and was soon assigned to teach at the newly established University of Deseret, delivering twelve lectures on astronomy that winter.17 It was at a special missionary conference in August 1852 that Brigham Young asked Pratt to publicly introduce plural marriage. Though tradition implies that he gave the talk extemporaneously, church leaders had actually been preparing this announcement for several weeks. Pratt's talk was too carefully constructed to have been delivered without preparation. One outcome of the conference was Pratt's call to publish a Washington, D.C., periodical in defense of plural marriage. The twelve-month run of The Seer in 1853 provides what is still the most detailed analysis of "celestial marriage" in Mormon literature.18 During this same period Orson obtained a manuscript copy of Lucy Mack Smith's memoirs which he sent to S. W. Richards in England for publication. He obtained her permission to do so, and this first published Mormon biography was available by October 1853.19 In May 1854, Pratt returned to Salt Lake City where he picked up his interest in astronomy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiThe last twenty-five years of Pratt's life continued busy. In 1856 he again presided over the European mission, producing another set of pamphlets.20 In 1864 he was appointed to missions in Austria and Britain. While not successful as a missionary in Austria, he published, in May 1866 in England, his New and Easy Method of Solution of the Cubic and Biquadratic Equation.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiiShortly before Brigham Young's death in 1877 Pratt was assigned to [p.xviii] help prepare new editions of the modern Mormon scriptures. He provided much of the critical work for the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, for the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon, and for the 1879 American edition of the Pearl of Great Price.21The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiiIn 1879 he published his Key to the Universe at Liverpool, but by this time he was suffering from diabetes. He preached his last public discourse on 18 September 1881 and died 3 October in Salt Lake City.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiiPratt's early training in surveying, mathematics, and bookkeeping reinforced his inclination for exactness and precision. Mormons have sometimes claimed that he was most noted in non-Mormon circles as a mathematician and astronomer. Levi Edgar Young claimed that Pratt's works were used as textbooks in England, Germany, and France, and others have repeated the claim,22 primarily about his major published mathematical work, New and Easy Method of Solution of the Cubic and Biquadratic Equations (London and Liverpool, 1866). Pratt also published and wrote other mathematical works. He contributed several articles to mathematical publications and left unpublished or incomplete manuscripts on differential calculus and algebra.23 These works demonstrate better than average skills in higher math, but Pratt cannot be considered a great mathematician. Perhaps his real contribution, as Edward R. Hogan suggested, was his role as science teacher and educator on the Mormon frontier.24 Given the disadvantages under which Pratt worked, his work remains impressive.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiiPratt's interest in mathematics led him to astronomy where he found in both fields the same evidence of God's existence and designs as contemporary scientist Benjamin Sillimari found in his study of geology and chemistry, "a transcript of the divine Character." Whether Pratt was aware of it, his own approach to nature was common among American thinkers by the 1820s. Identified as Baconianism, it was a thorough-going empiricism that had been borrowed from the Scottish Realists who believed that God spoke to humanity through scripture and nature, an attempt by orthodox protestants to find a satisfactory answer to the challenges of the Enlightenment.25The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xviiiLike many of his contemporaries, Orson Pratt was also a natural theologian whose religious views were held to be as empirical as his scientific observations. As Herbert Hovenkamp suggests, these conservative protestants maintained that God created nature and that the evidence of his creativity is obvious everywhere, and that God provided equally reliable information about himself in the Bible.26 While such beliefs were seriously challenged during the second half of the nineteenth century, it is clear that Pratt was nurtured on these assumptions during the formative years he studied math, science, and religion. In an address to the Nauvoo Lyceum on 19 November 1842, he posed the [p.xix] question, "Is there sufficient evidence in the works of Nature to prove the existence of a Supreme Being?"27 The contents of his later works suggest he argued strongly in the affirmative.28The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xixThroughout his life, Pratt combined science with theology; each gave support and

assurance to the other. It is not a coincidence that he turned more deeply to mathematics and astronomy during great crises, for the "finality" of empirical evidence provided a shelter from the storms of his life. During the challenges of plural marriage, the succession crisis of 1844, and his numerous disagreements with Brigham Young, contemporary records show his increased study of things scientific.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xixHis first printed piece on astronomy appeared in the Times and Seasons in 1843 and his observations of the heavens continued throughout the rest of his life.29 His Prophetic Almanac for 1845 and 1846 (he also proposed preparing almanacs for the British Isles) provided outlets for his interest in astronomy and astrology,30 as did his series of twelve lectures of 1851-52 in the Salt Lake Valley. These lectures were published in the Deseret News in 1854, with an expanded version delivered again in Salt Lake City, in January and February 1871. They provided the background for his principal scientific work, The Key to the Universe.31 In these published lectures Pratt most clearly revealed his natural theology. Woven through them is his central belief that "the study of science is the study of something eternal. If we study astronomy, we study the works of God."32The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xixPratt's writings were the most complete attempt in early Mormonism to provide a vast teleological argument for God's existence. He concluded his second astronomy lecture in Salt Lake City in 1854 by proclaiming, "Before its potent energies the complex machinery of nature discloses its beautiful harmonies, and proclaims with inspiring tones, the divinity of its author." At the conclusion of Lecture IV he asked, "Who can but acknowledge the footsteps of divinity in every part and in the whole?" At the end of another lecture on "Gravitation and Centrifugal forces," he concluded: "Nothing is calculated to inspire the mind of man with a more profound reverence for the Great author of nature than the contemplation of his marvelous works. For the exact mathematical adjustments of the various forces of nature—the consummate wisdom and skill exhibited in every department of the universe, accessible to finite minds—the omnipotent power and grandeur displayed in the construction of the magnificent machinery of creation—proclaim the majesty and glory of Him who formed and governs the mighty fabric."33The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xixThe concept of a mechanistic, clock-work universe was the product of the Enlightenment and its obsession with order and machines. Hence, inductive methods appeared to be the best way to understand [p.xx] the parts. There is no doubt that the science Pratt learned in the 1830s was heavily mechanistic, an emphasis visible throughout his mathematical and stellar work.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxBut at the same time, the rise of Romanticism had introduced an organic model which allowed for growth and change, placed God directly in nature, and therefore tended toward a cosmic pantheism.34 Pratt managed to use both of these perspectives in his writings. Most of his work supported the mechanistic view, but his growing concern for discovering the absolute laws of nature led him to seek ultimate causes and universal laws which for him were metaphysical.35The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xx

Pratt died before confronting evolutionary naturalism which seriously challenged the mechanistic model and in time completely secularized the organic view. Although Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species was published in 1859, it did not have significant influence in America until the 1880s; Pratt died in 1881. The fact that Pratt's scientific work was centered in the physical sciences also helps explain his apparent un-awareness of the revolutionary changes then taking place in biology.36The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxMost of Orson Pratt's scientific theorizing centered on two main problems. The first was his search for the law which governed celestial dynamics. In the autumn of 1845, in his Prophetic Almanac, he first projected his theory of "Intelligent Self-moving Matter." This theory found its fullest expression in his 1849 Absurdities of Immaterialism, in his 1851 The Great First Cause, and shortly thereafter in The Holy Spirit.37 Brigham Young's denouncement of the latter in 1860 seems to have led Pratt to abandon his search for First Causes alone and instead to seek for the underlying cause of all celestial laws.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxThis second problem found its "solution" in Pratt's work in astronomy. On 11 November 1854 he proclaimed that he had discovered the "Law of Planetary Rotation."38 This theory has been abandoned by modern astronomy, but it did describe rather accurately the movements of major planets known in his day.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxA recent study has suggested the major flaws of Pratt's Key to the Universe: Pratt does not mention energy; he misunderstands centrifugal force; he does not grasp the fundamental principles of dynamics; his theory of cosmic evolution fails to consider the conservation of energy principle; he informs the reader that he will avoid calculus, but in doing so he allows errors; his arguments for "ether" as part of gravitating matter ignore Newton; and finally his approach in general shows he had not consulted the best thinking of his time on these questions. For example, Pratt demonstrated no awareness of Maxwell's electromagnetic field theory (1865) which suggests that he was not theoretically current.39 Thus, Pratt must be considered an amateur scientist, but one whose work is nonetheless impressive given his lack of formal education.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxi[p.xxi] Of course, Pratt's science must be viewed in the context of Mormon theology, which was strongly materialistic and intensely teleological. God was material, inside space and time, as were his creations. Creation was organization and the law that governed the universe was eternal, not superceded by humans or God.40 Humanity and God and nature were moving in the same direction—forward to a bright millennial day. In all of these areas Pratt owed a heavy debt to Joseph Smith and his own brother Parley. The fact that he outlived his brother by about twenty-five years and that Joseph Smith left only fragments of his own teachings is likely the reason Mormons tend to remember Orson more as the theologian of early Mormonism. Actually, it seems that Pratt acquired his mechanical view of the universe from Joseph Smith and his organic view from his brother Parley and that both positions were reinforced by the scientific and religious thought of his day.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiOrson Pratt's greatest impact upon Mormonism came through his clearly and precisely written theological studies. Within each work he moved carefully from one point to

another, gradually developing his position with the same exactness he would have used in solving a mathematical equation. More than anything else, his concern for definitiveness gave his works a finality early Mormons found reassuring in an unstable world, and his ability to simplify—to reduce things to their lowest common denominator—was especially appreciated by elders defending the faith in mission fields all over the world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiAll of Orson Pratt's religious pamphlets grew out of a missionary context. His first work, An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, was published in Edinburgh as part of his efforts to introduce Mormonism in that country in 1840. As mission president in England, he issued two series of tracts: fifteen from 1848 to 1851 (under seven titles, including a reprinting of his 1840 work) and eight additional in 1857-58. Little new Mormon doctrine surfaced in these works. Their importance lies in the extended arguments and "proofs" for the central tenets of Mormon theology. Mormon thought reduced to its essentials forms the core of Pratt's religious pamphlets.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiPratt more or less outlined what he considered the essentials in his first pamphlet and then expanded them in his later essays. As noted, An Interesting Account can be divided into several parts. Pratt began with a biographical sketch of Joseph Smith, emphasizing his visions and his divine calling growing out of these experiences. Next he told of the institutional embodiment of these in the church Smith organized in April 1830. Finally, he ended his sixteen-page pamphlet with a "sketch of the faith and doctrine of this Church." This sketch included fifteen articles of belief that outlined the basic doctrines of Mormonism: the Godhead, the fall of Adam, the atonement of Jesus Christ, the purpose of [p.xxii] mortality and evil, the first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost), that Mormonism is patterned after the New Testament church, that Christianity had apostatized from the true order, authority, and pattern originally established by Jesus, that the honest in heart will receive the true gospel when it is presented to them by proper messengers, that revelation continues, that the church has been reestablished to prepare humanity for the second coming of the Lord, that the righteous will be gathered out of the world to assist in building a latter-day Zion, that ancient prophecies will be fulfilled through this latter-day work, and that terrible judgments await all those who fail to repent.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiHis later pamphlets expanded on these notions by providing lengthy discussions and scriptural (mainly biblical) rationalizations for their authenticity. Divine Authority, or Was Joseph Smith Sent of God (1848) was an extended discussion of the Mormon position that modern revelation was absolutely necessary for any claim to be a disciple of Christ. The story of Joseph Smith, Pratt argued, was thoroughly consistent with the Bible which required heavenly messengers to open a dispensation of the gospel and to provide for legal administrators authorized to act for god pertaining to the salvation of humankind.41The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiWithin one month after he finished Divine Authority, Pratt began to issue The Kingdom of God. This series gave extended argument for the nature, purpose, and character of

God's kingdom on earth. While Joseph Smith and Parley P. Pratt had earlier addressed this subject,42 Orson's ninety-six page essay was the most complete discussion of "theocracy" in early Mormon literature, an extensive examination of the church or "kingdom," its establishment, its officers, its laws and the requirements for admission to it, and the privileges and blessings of its citizens both now and in the future.43The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiAfter issuing two replies to anti-Mormon attacks, in which Pratt repeated many of his earlier arguments, he then wrote an essay on the New Jerusalem of the last days44 and a lengthy defense of the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon.45The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiIn these works Pratt spelled out the implications of the ideas he had surveyed in his 1840 pamphlet. With logic and biblical proof-texts, he challenged his readers by asserting throughout that they had only two alternatives: either Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon were divinely inspired or they were frauds. The evidence Pratt marshalled suggested that only the first alternative was possible for the honest seeker. This simplifying of complex questions and issues to an either/or answer had obvious benefits for missionary work and goes a long way to explain the popularity of Pratt's pamphlets.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiii[p.xxiii] His second series of pamphlets (1857-58) continued the same approach, but with more precise topics. Beginning in August 1856, he issued, at two-to-four week intervals, tracts on faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, miracles, and apostasy and the latter-day kingdom. Each had been listed as an item of faith and doctrine in his 1840 pamphlet and several of these topics had previously appeared in the second volume of The Seer.46The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiiBy the time Pratt finished his second set of pamphlets, there were few, if any, doctrines left to write about. It was in his pamphlets that the key Mormon doctrines of the gathering, premortal existence, plural marriage, eternal progression, the eternal nature of matter, and several central millennial beliefs were articulated and analyzed. The two series of pamphlets published by 1857 demonstrate that he was one of the first systematizers of Mormon thought. While these pamphlets do not constitute a Summa Theologia, they go further in that direction than any other Mormon writer's work in the nineteenth century. It has been this comprehensiveness that led both his contemporaries and later scholars to judge Orson Pratt, perhaps more generously than he deserves, as the intellectual of the early church.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxiiiWhat is Pratt's place within the development of Mormon thought? In almost every area he was taught the substance by Joseph Smith, often through his brother Parley. This suggests that Orson was more of a popularizer and systematizer than an innovator. Although there are great difficulties in tracing the sources of a person's thought, it becomes increasingly clear that the real mind of the early Mormon movement was Joseph Smith. Before April 1839 Smith had depended upon public spokesmen to articulate many of his ideas; but after his escape to Illinois he began acting as his own spokesman. As can be clearly shown in the early Mormon pamphlet literature, new Mormon doctrines first surfaced in the written works of those elders who heard Smith

preach during his journey to and from Washington, D.C., 1839-40. As Peter Crawley has claimed, Parley Pratt was first taught the doctrine of eternal marriage during this time; Orson Pratt soon thereafter journeyed to Scotland where he published his Interesting Accounts of Several Remarkable Visions (1840), which includes the first published account of Smith's first vision; Samuel Bennett published in 1840 A Few Remarks by Way of Reply to an Anonymous Scribbler which affirmed the notion of a corporeal, anthropomorphic god, among other new doctrines; and Benjamin Winchester published his Examination of a Lecture Delivered by the Reverend H. Perkins, which spoke of the doctrine of the premortal existence of spirits. That same year Smith first taught the doctrine of vicarious work for the dead. Little wonder that in April 1842 Smith accused several of his followers (including Orson and Parley Pratt) of publishing his ideas as their own.47 [p.xxiv]The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxivIn addition to learning from Joseph Smith, Orson Pratt benefited greatly from the writings of Parley. Orson's The Absurdity of Immaterialism (1849), considered his most important philosophical treatise, demonstrates the fallacies of an ex nihilo creation and neatly dismantles the immaterial matter argument by demonstrating that this position is really one of atheism. But behind Orson's work stand important insights from Joseph Smith which laid the foundation for such a position. In addition, Parley had published in 1840 The Millennium and other Poems to which he attached a forty-four page essay he had written while in a Missouri jail in 1839: "A Treatise on the Regeneration and Eternal Duration of Matter."48 In 1844, Parley published two additional essays which expanded on his 1839 essay, and Orson had access to all of his brother's works.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxivOther works by Parley foreshadowed Orson's own writings. Parley's Voice of Warning (1837) provided such detailed arguments for the Book of Mormon and the basic principles of the gospel, including the gathering and the kingdom of God, that it is hard to ignore their potential influence on Orson. In addition, Parley's essays on "Intelligence and Affection," "Celestial Family Organization," and other pamphlets, which were replies to anti-Mormon writers as well as defenses of major Mormon doctrines, provided much upon which Orson likely drew. Parley's preference for "dialogue" in his tracts also provided Orson with a writing technique in defending Mormonism. Even Orson's detailed defenses of plural marriage were foreshadowed by Parley's San Francisco broad-side published six weeks before Orson publicly announced the practice.49The Essential Orson Pratt, p.xxivOrson clearly was aware of his brother's works. He wrote to his wife in January 1840 about the publication of The Millennium and specifically noted the material on the eternal duration of matter.50 A year later he began selling Parley's books out of his own home in Nauvoo, advertising them in church periodicals.51 The best evidence of Orson's relationship to his brother comes in a letter he wrote to Parley in 1853: "There are no writings in the church with the exception of the revelations, which I esteem more highly than yours.…Oh, my dear brother, in some way, burst these shackles and send forth your theological Works by thousands among all languages and nations till the whole earth shall be enlightened with the light thereof."52 This is not to say that Orson merely reproduced his brother's work. It is clear that Orson labored diligently over his writing. In another letter to his brother he shared his frustrations: "Writing always was

tedious to me, but seeing the good that may be accomplished, I have whipped my mind to it, till I am nearly bald-headed, and grey-headed, through constant application. I almost envy the hours that steal away, I find myself so fast hastening to old age. A few short years, if we live, will find us among the ranks of the old men [p.xxv] of the earth; and how can I bear to have it so without doing more in this great cause? I wish to accomplish something ere I die, that shall not only be esteemed great by good and holy men, but that shall be considered great in the sight of God."53 In most of his work, however, Orson Pratt was an "elaborator," systematizer, and popularizer of Mormon thought, not an innovator or originator. He was among the one or two most important of the approximately eighty pamphleteers in early Mormonism. He was at his best in developing the ideas of others and expanding them into fully elaborated statements. Without question, all religious movements in their infancy need such disciples. [p.1]{1}Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions and of theLate Discovery of Ancient American Records(Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, 1840)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1Mr. Joseph Smith, jun., who made the following important discovery, was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor county, Vermont, on the 23rd of December, A.D., 1805. When ten years old, his parents, with their family, moved to Palmyra, New York, in the vicinity of which he resided for about eleven years, the latter part in the town of Manchester. Cultivating the earth for a livelihood was his occupation, in which he employed the most of his time. His advantages for acquiring scientific knowledge were exceedingly small; hence, his education was limited to a slight acquaintance with two or three of the common branches of learning. He could read without much difficulty, and write a very imperfect hand; and had a very limited understanding of the ground rules of arithmetic. These were his highest and only attainments; while the rest of those branches, so universally taught in the common schools throughout the United States, were entirely unknown to him. When somewhere about fourteen or fifteen years old, he began seriously. to reflect upon the necessity of being prepared for a future state of existence: but how, or in what way, to prepare himself, was a question, as yet, undetermined in his own mind: he perceived that it was a question of infinite importance, and that the salvation of his soul depended upon a correct understanding of the same. He saw, that if he understood not the way, it would be impossible to walk in it, except by chance; and the thought of resting his hopes of eternal life upon chance, or uncertainties, was more than he could endure. If he went to the religious denominations to seek information, each one pointed to its particular tenets, saying—"This is the way, walk ye in it;" while, at the same time, the doctrines of each were, in many respects, in direct opposition to one another. It, also, occurred to his mind, that God was not the author of but one doctrine, and therefore could not acknowledge but one denomination as his church; and that such denomination must be a people, who believe, and teach, that one doctrine, (whatever it may be,) and build upon the same. He then reflected upon the immense number of doctrines now in the world, which had given rise to many hundreds of different denominations. The great question to be decided in his mind, was—if any one of these denominations be the Church of Christ, which one is it? Until he could become satisfied in relation to this question, he could not rest contented. [p.2] To trust to the

decisions of fallible man, and build his hopes upon the same, without any certainty, and knowledge, of his own, would not satisfy the anxious desires that pervaded his breast. To decide, without any positive and definite evidence on which he could rely, upon a subject involving the future welfare of his soul, was revolting to his feelings. The only alternative, that seemed left him, was to read the Scriptures, and endeavour to follow their directions. He, accordingly, commenced perusing the sacred pages of the Bible, with sincerity, believing the things that he read. His mind soon caught hold of the following passage—"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."—James i. 5. From this promise he learned that it was the privilege of all men to ask God for wisdom, with the sure and certain expectation of receiving, liberally; without being upbraided for so doing. This was cheering information to him: tidings that gave him great joy. It was like a light shining forth in a dark place, to guide him to the path in which he should walk. He, now, saw that if he inquired of God, there was, not only, a possibility, but a probability; yea, more, a certainty, that he should obtain a knowledge, which, of all the doctrines, was the doctrine of Christ; and, which, of all the churches, was the Church of Christ. He, therefore, retired to a secret place, in a grove, but a short distance from his father's house, and knelt down, and began to call upon the Lord. At first, he was severely tempted by the powers of darkness, which endeavoured to overcome him; but he continued to seek for deliverance, until darkness gave way from his mind, and he was enabled to pray, in fervency of the spirit, and in faith. And, while thus pouring out his soul, anxiously desiring an answer from God, he, at length, saw a very bright and glorious light in the heavens above; which, at first, seemed to be at a considerable distance. He continued praying, while the light appeared to be gradually descending towards him; and, as it drew nearer, it increased in brightness and magnitude, so that, by the time that it reached the tops of the trees, the whole wilderness, for some distance around, was illuminated in a most glorious and brilliant manner. He expected to have seen the leaves and boughs of the trees consumed, as soon as the light came in contact with them; but, perceiving that it did not produce that effect, he was encouraged with the hopes of being able to endure its presence. It continued descending, slowly, until it rested upon the earth, and he was enveloped in the midst of it. When it first came upon him, it produced a peculiar sensation throughout his whole system; and, immediately, his mind was caught away, from the natural objects with which he was surrounded; and he was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in their features or likeness. He was informed, that [p.3] his sins were forgiven. He was also informed upon the subjects, which had for some time previously agitated his mind, viz.—that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines; and, consequently, that none of them was acknowledged of God, as his church and kingdom. And he was expressly commanded, to go not after them; and he received a promise that the true doctrine—the fulness of the gospel, should, at some future time, be made known to him; after which, the vision withdrew, leaving his mind in a state of calmness and peace, indescribable. Some time after having received his glorious manifestation, being young, he was again entangled in the vanities of the world, of which he afterwards sincerely and truly repented.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.3

And it pleased God, on the evening of the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, to again hear his prayers. For he had retired to rest, as usual, only that his mind was drawn out, in fervent prayer, and his soul was filled with the most earnest desire, "to commune with some kind messenger who could communicate to him the desired information of his acceptance with God," and also unfold the principles of the doctrine of Christ, according to the promise which he had received in the former vision. While he thus continued to pour out his desires before the Father of all good; endeavouring to exercise faith in his precious promises; "on a sudden, a light like that of day, only of a purer and far more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room. Indeed, the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire. This sudden appearance of a light so bright, as must naturally be expected, occasioned a shock or sensation visible to the extremities of the body. It was, however, followed with a calmness and serenity of mind, and an overwhelming rapture of joy, that surpassed understanding, and, in a moment, a personage stood before him."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.3Notwithstanding the brightness of the light which previously illuminated the room, "yet there seemed to be an additional glory surrounding or accompanying this personage, which shone with an increased degree of brilliancy, of which he was in the midst; and though his countenance was as lightning, yet, it was of a pleasing, innocent, and glorious appearance; so much so, that every fear was banished from the heart, and nothing but calmness pervaded the soul."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.3"The stature of this personage was a little above the common size of men in this age; his garment was perfectly white, and had the appearance of being without seam."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.3This glorious being declared himself to be an Angel of God, sent forth, by commandment, to communicate to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard; and also, to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel, concerning their posterity, was at hand to be fulfilled; that the great preparatory [p.4] work for the second coming of the Messiah, was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in its fulness, to be preached in power unto all nations; that a people might be prepared with faith and righteousness for the Millennial reign of universal peace and joy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.4He was informed, that he was called and chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring about some of his marvellous purposes in this glorious dispensation. It was also made manifest to him, that the "American Indians" were a remnant of Israel; that when they first emigrated to America, they were an enlightened people, possessing a knowledge of the true God, enjoying his favour, and peculiar blessings form his hand; that the prophets, and inspired writers among them, were required to keep a sacred history of the most important events transpiring among them: which history was handed down for many generations, till at length they fell into great wickedness: the most part of them were destroyed, and the records, (by commandment of God, to one of the last prophets among them,) were safely deposited, to preserve them from the hands of the wicked, who sought to destroy them. He was informed, that these records contained many sacred revelations pertaining to the gospel of the kingdom, as well as prophecies

relating to the great events of the last days; and that to fulfil his promises to the ancients, who wrote the records, and to accomplish his purposes, in the restitution of their children, &c., they were to come forth to the knowledge of the people. If faithful, he was to be the instrument, who should be thus highly favoured in bringing these sacred things to light: at the same time, being expressly informed, that it must be done with an eye single to the glory of God, that no one could be entrusted with those sacred writings, who should endeavour to aggrandize himself, by converting sacred things to unrighteous and speculative purposes. After giving him many instructions concerning things past and to come, which would be foreign to our purpose to mention here, he disappeared, and the light and glory of God withdrew, leaving his mind in perfect peace, while a calmness and serenity indescribable pervaded the soul. But, before morning, the vision was twice renewed, instructing him further, and still further, concerning the great work of God, about to be performed on the earth. In the morning, he went out to his labour as usual; but soon the vision was renewed—the Angel again appeared; and having been informed by the previous visions of the night, concerning the place where those records were deposited, he was instructed to go immediately and view them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.4Accordingly, he repaired to the place, a brief description of which shall be given, in the words of a gentleman, by the name of Oliver Cowdery, who has visited the spot.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.5"As you pass on the mail-road, from Palmyra, Wayne county, to [p.5] Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York, before arriving at the little village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say large, is because it is as large, perhaps, as any in that country.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.5"The north end rises quite suddenly until it assumes a level with the more southerly extremity; and I think, I may say, an elevation higher than at the south, a short distance, say half or three-fourths of a mile. As you pass towards Canandaigua, it lessens gradually, until the surface assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges, water-courses and ravines. I think I am justified in saying, that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain, that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the notice of the traveller as he passes by."—"The north end," which has been described as rising suddenly from the plain, forms "a promontory without timber, but covered with grass. As you pass to the south, you soon come to scattering timber, the surface having been cleared by art or wind; and a short distance further left, you are surrounded with the common forest of the country. It is necessary to observe, that even the part cleared, was only occupied for pasturage; its steep ascent, and narrow summit not admitting the plough of the husbandman, with any degree of ease or profit. It was at the second mentioned place, where the record was found to be deposited, on the west side of the hill, not far from the top down its side; and when myself visited the place in the year 1830, there were several trees standing—enough to cause a shade in summer, but not so much as to prevent the surface being covered with grass—which was also the case when the record was first found.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.5"How far below the surface these records were" anciently "placed, I am unable to say;

but from the fact, that they had been some fourteen hundred years buried, and that, too, on the side of a hill so steep, one is ready to conclude, that they were some feet below, as the earth would naturally wear, more or less, in that length of time. But they, being placed toward the top of the hill, the ground would not remove as much as at two-thirds, perhaps. Another circumstance would prevent a wearing of the earth: in all probability, as soon as timber had time to grow, the hill was covered," "and the roots of the same would hold the surface. However, on this point, I shall leave every man to draw his own conclusion, and form his own speculation." But, suffice to say, "a hole of sufficient depth was dug. At the bottom of this was laid a stone of suitable size, the upper surface being smooth. At each edge, was placed a large quantity of cement, and into this cement, at the four edges of this stone, were placed erect four others; their bottom edges resting in the cement, at the outer edges of the first stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed a box: the corners, or where the edges of the four came in [p.6] contact, were also cemented so firmly, that the moisture from without was prevented from entering. It is to be observed, also, that the inner surfaces of the four erect or side stones, were smooth. This box was sufficiently large to admit a breastplate, such as was used by the ancients, to defend the chest, &c., from the arrows and weapons of their enemy. From the bottom of the box, or from the breastplate, arose three small pillars composed of the same description of cement used on the edges; and upon these three pillars were placed the records."—"This box, containing the records, was covered with another stone, the bottom surface being flat, and the upper crowning." When it was first visited by Mr. Smith, on the morning of the 22d of September, 1832, "a part of the crowning stone was visible above the surface, while the edges were concealed by the soil and grass." From which circumstance, it may be seen, "that however deep this box might have been placed at first, the time had been sufficient to wear the earth, so that it was easily discovered, when once directed, and yet, not enough to make a perceivable difference to the passer-by."—"After arriving at the repository, a little exertion in removing the soil from the edges of the top of the box, and a light pry, brought to his natural vision its contents." While viewing and contemplating this sacred treasure with wonder and astonishment, behold! the Angel of the Lord, who had previously visited him, again stood in his presence, and his soul was again enlightened as it was the evening before, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the heavens were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about and rested upon him. While he thus stood gazing and admiring, the Angel said, "Look!" And as he thus spake, he beheld the Prince of Darkness, surrounded by his innumerable train of associates. All this passed before him, and the heavenly messenger said, "All this is shown, the good and the evil, the holy and impure, the glory of God, and the power of darkness, that you may know hereafter the two powers, and never be influenced or overcome by that wicked one. Behold, whatsoever enticeth and leadeth to good and to do good, is of God, and whatsoever doth not, is of that wicked one. It is he that filleth the hearts of men with evil, to walk in darkness and blaspheme God; and you may learn from henceforth, that his ways are to destruction, but the way of holiness is peace and rest. You cannot at this time obtain this record, for the commandment of God is strict, and if ever these sacred things are obtained, they must be by prayer and faithfulness in obeying the Lord. They are not deposited here for the sake of accumulating gain and wealth for the glory of this world; they were sealed by the prayer of faith, and because of the knowledge which

they contain; they are of no worth among the children of men, only for their knowledge. On them is contained the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it was given to his people on this [p.7] land; and when it shall be brought forth by the power of God, it shall be carried to the Gentiles, of whom many will receive it, and after will the seed of Israel be brought into the fold of their Redeemer by obeying it also. Those who kept the commandments of the Lord on this land, desired this at his hand, and through the prayer of faith obtained the promise, that if their descendants should transgress and fall away, that a record should be kept so, and in the last days come to their children. These things are sacred, and must be kept so, for the promise of the Lord concerning them must be fulfilled. No man can obtain them if his heart is impure, because they contain that which is sacred." * * * "By them will the Lord work a great and marvellous work; the wisdom of the wise shall become as nought, and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid, and because the power of God shall be displayed, those who profess to know the truth, but walk in deceit, shall tremble with anger; but with signs and with wonders, with gifts and with healings, with the manifestations of the power of God, and with the Holy Ghost, shall the hearts of the faithful be comforted. You have now beheld the power of God manifested, and the power of Satan; you see that there is nothing desirable in the works of darkness; that they cannot bring happiness; that those who are overcome therewith are miserable; while, on the other hand, the righteous are blessed with a place in the kingdom of God, where joy unspeakable surrounds them. There they rest beyond the power of the enemy of truth, where no evil can disturb them. The glory of God crowns them, and they continually feast upon his goodness, and enjoy his smiles. Behold, notwithstanding you have seen this great display of power, by which you may ever be able to detect the evil one, yet I give unto you another sign, and when it comes to pass then know that the Lord is God, and that he will fulfil his purposes, and that the knowledge which this record contains will go to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people under the whole heaven. This is the sign: when these things begin to be known, that is, when it is known that the Lord has shown you these things, the workers of iniquity will seek your overthrow. They will circulate falsehoods to destroy your reputation; and also will seek to take your life; but remember this, if you are faithful, and shall hereafter continue to keep the commandments of the Lord, you shall be preserved to bring these things forth; for in due time he will give you a commandment to come and take them. When they are interpreted, the Lord will give the holy priesthood to some, and they shall begin to proclaim this gospel and baptize by water, and after that, they shall have power to give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of their hands. Then will persecution rage more and more; for the iniquities of men shall be revealed, and those who are not built upon the Rock will seek to overthrow the church; but it will increase the [p.8] more opposed, and spread farther and farther, increasing in knowledge till they shall be sanctified, and receive an inheritance where the glory of God will rest upon them; and when this takes place, and all things are prepared, the ten tribes of Israel will be revealed in the north country, whither they have been for a long season; and when this is fulfilled will be brought to pass that saying of the prophet,—'And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.' But, notwithstanding the workers of iniquity shall seek your destruction, the arm of the Lord will be extended, and you will be borne off conqueror if you keep all his commandments. Your name shall be known among the nations, for the

work which the Lord will perform by your hands shall cause the righteous to rejoice and the wicked to rage; with the one it shall be had in honour, and with the other in reproach; yet, with these it shall be a terror, because of the great and marvellous work which shall follow the coming forth of this fulness of the gospel. Now, go thy way, remembering what the Lord hath done for thee, and be diligent in keeping his commandments, and he will deliver thee from temptations and all the arts and devices of the wicked one. Forget not to pray, that thy mind may become strong, that when he shall manifest unto thee, thou mayest have power to escape the evil, and obtain these precious things."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.8We here remark, that the above quotation is an extract from a letter written by Elder Oliver Cowdery, which was published in one of the numbers of the "Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.8Although many more instructions were given by the mouth of the angel to Mr. Smith, which we do not write in this book, yet the most important items are contained in the foregoing relation. During the period of the four following years, he frequently received instruction from the mouth of the heavenly messenger. And on the morning of the 22d of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into his hands.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.8These records were engraved on plates, which had the appearance of gold. Each plate was not far from seven by eight inches in width and length, being not quite as thick as common tin. They were filled on both sides with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, and fastened at one edge with three rings running through the whole. This volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters or letters upon the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, as well as much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found "a curious instrument, called by the ancients the Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent stones, clear as crystal, set in the two rims [p.9] of a bow. This was in use, in ancient times, by persons called seers. It was an instrument, by the use of which, they received revelation of things distant, or of things past or future."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.9In the mean time, the inhabitants of that vicinity, having been informed that Mr. Smith had seen heavenly visions, and that he had discovered sacred records, began to ridicule and mock at those things. And after having obtained those sacred things, while proceeding home through the wilderness and fields, he was waylaid by two ruffians, who had secreted themselves for the purpose of robbing him of the records. One of them struck him with a club before he perceived them; but being a strong man and large in stature, with great exertion he cleared himself from them, and ran towards home, being closely pursued until he came near his father's house, when his pursuers, for fear of being detected, turned and fled the other way.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.9Soon the news of his discoveries spread abroad throughout all those parts. False reports, misrepresentations, and base slanders, flew as if upon the wings of the wind in every direction. The house was frequently beset by mobs and evil designing persons.

Several times he was shot at, and very narrowly escaped. Every device was used to get the plates away from him. And being continually in danger of his life, from a gang of abandoned wretches, he at length concluded to leave the place, and go to Pennsylvania; and, accordingly, packed up his goods, putting the plates into a barrel of beans, and proceeded upon his journey. He had not gone, far before he was overtaken by an officer with a search-warrant, who flattered himself with the idea that he should surely obtain the plates; after searching very diligently, he was sadly disappointed at not finding them. Mr. Smith then drove on, but before he got to his journey's end he was again overtaken by an officer on the same business, and after ransacking the waggon very carefully, he went his way as much chagrined as the first, at not being able to discover the object of his research. Without any further molestation he pursued his journey until he came into the northern part of Pennsylvania, near the Susquehannah river, in which part his father-in-law resided.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.9Having provided himself with a home, he commenced translating the record, by the gift and power of God, through the means of the Urim and Thummim; and being a poor writer, he was under the necessity of employing a scribe, to write the translation as it came from his mouth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.9In the mean time, a few of the original characters were accurately transcribed and translated by Mr. Smith, which, with the translation, were taken by a gentleman by the name of Martin Harris to the city of New York, where they were presented to a learned gentleman of the name of Anthon, who professed to be extensively acquainted with many [p.10] languages, both ancient and modern. He examined them; but was unable to decipher them correctly; but he presumed that if the original records could be brought, he could assist in translating them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.10But to return. Mr. Smith continued the work of translation, as his pecuniary circumstances would permit, until he finished the unsealed part of the records. The part translated is entitled the "Book of Mormon," which contains nearly as much reading as the Old Testament.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.10In this important and most interesting book, we can read the history of ancient America, from its early settlement by a colony who came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages, to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. By these Records we are informed, that America, in ancient times, has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first, or more ancient race, came directly from the great tower, being called Jaredites. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ, being Israelites, principally the descendants of Joseph. The first nation, or Jaredites, were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race, fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remaining remnant, having dwindled into an uncivilized state, still continue to inhabit the land, although divided into a "multitude of nations," and are called by Europeans the "American Indians."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.10

We learn from this very ancient history, that at the confusion of languages, when the Lord scattered the people upon all the face of the earth, the Jaredites, being a righteous people, obtained favour in the sight of the Lord, and were not confounded. And because of their righteousness, the Lord miraculously led them from the tower to the great ocean, where they were commanded to build vessels, in which they were marvellously brought across the great deep to the shores of North America.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.10And the Lord God promised to give them America, which was a very choice land in his sight, for an inheritance. And He swore unto them in his wrath, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them, and they were fully ripened in iniquity. Moreover, he promised to make them a great and powerful nation, so that there should be no greater nation upon all the face of the earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.10Accordingly, in process of time, they became a very numerous and powerful people, occupying principally North America; building large cities in all quarters of the land; being a civilized and enlightened nation. Agriculture and machinery were carried on to a great extent. Commercial and manufacturing business flourished on every hand; yet, in consequence of wickedness, they were often visited with terrible [p.11] judgments. Many prophets were raised up among them from generation to generation, who testified against the wickedness of the people, and prophesied of judgments and calamities which awaited them, if they did not repent, &c. Sometimes they were visited by pestilence and plagues, and sometimes by famine and war, until at length (having occupied the land some fifteen or sixteen hundred years) their wickedness became so great, that the Lord threatened, by the mouth of his prophets, to utterly destroy them from the face of the land. But they gave no heed to these warnings; therefore the word of the Lord was fulfilled; and they were entirely destroyed; leaving their houses, their cities, and their land desolate; and their sacred records also, which were kept on gold plates, were left by one of their last prophets whose name was Ether, in such a situation, that they were discovered by the remnant of Joseph, who soon afterwards were brought from Jerusalem to inherit the land.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.11This remnant of Joseph were also led in a miraculous manner from Jerusalem, in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. They were first led to the eastern borders of the Red Sea; then they journeyed for some time along the borders thereof, nearly in a south-east direction; after which, they altered their course nearly eastward, until they came to the great waters, where, by the commandment of God, they built a vessel, in which they were safely brought across the great Pacific ocean, and landed upon the western coast of South America.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.11In the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, at the time the Jews were carried away captive into Babylon, another remnant were brought out of Jerusalem; some of whom were descendants of Judah. They landed in North America; soon after which they emigrated into the northern parts of South America, at which place they were discovered by the remnant of Joseph, something like four hundred years after.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.11From these ancient records, we learn, that this remnant of Joseph, soon after they landed, separated themselves into two distinct nations. This division was caused by a certain portion of them being greatly persecuted, because of their righteousness, by the remainder. The persecuted nation emigrated to the northern parts of South America, leaving the wicked nation in possession of the middle and southern parts of the same. The former were called Nephites, being led by a prophet whose name was Nephi. The latter were called Lamanites, being led by a very wicked man whose name was Laman. The Nephites had in their possession a copy of the Holy Scriptures, viz., the five books of Moses, and the prophecies of the holy prophets, down to Jeremiah, in whose days they left Jerusalem. These Scriptures were engraved on plates of brass, in the Egyptian language. They themselves also made plates, soon after their landing, on which they began to engrave their own history, [p.12] prophecies, visions, and revelations. All these sacred records were kept by holy and righteous men, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost; and carefully preserved and handed down from generation to generation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.12And the Lord gave unto them the whole continent, for a land of promise, and he promised, that they, and their children after them, should inherit it, on condition of their obedience to his commandments; but if they were disobedient, they should be cut off from his presence. And the Nephites began to prosper in the land, according to their righteousness, and they multiplied and spread forth to the east, and west, and north; building large villages, and cities, and synagogues, and temples, together with forts, and towers, and fortifications, to defend themselves against their enemies. And they cultivated the earth, and raised various kinds of grain in abundance. They also raised numerous flocks of domestic animals, and became a very wealthy people; having in abundance gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, &c. Arts and sciences flourished to a great extent. Various kinds of machinery were in use. Cloths of various kinds, were manufactured. Swords, cimeters, axes, and various implements of war were made, together with head-shields, arm-shields, and breastplates, to defend themselves in battle with their enemies. And in the days of their righteousness, they were a civilized, enlightened, and happy people.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.12But, on the other hand, the Lamanites, because of the hardness of their hearts, brought down many judgments upon their own heads; nevertheless, they were not destroyed as a nation; but the Lord God sent forth a curse upon them, and they became a dark, loathsome, and filthy people. Before their rebellion, they were whig and exceedingly fair, like the Nephites; but the Lord God cursed them in their complexions, and they were changed to a dark colour; and they became a wild, savage, and ferocious people; being great enemies to the Nephites, whom they sought, by every means, to destroy, and many times came against them, with their numerous hosts to battle, but were repulsed by the Nephites, and driven back to their own possessions, not, however, generally speaking, without great loss on both sides; for tens of thousands were very frequently slain, after which they were piled together in great heaps upon the face of the ground, and covered with a shallow covering of earth, which will satisfactorily account for those ancient mounds, filled with human bones, so numerous at the present day, both in North and South America.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.12The second colony, which left Jerusalem eleven years after the remnant of Joseph left that city, landed in North America, and emigrated from thence, to the northern parts of South America; and about four hundred years after, they were discovered by the Nephites, as we stated in the foregoing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.13[p.13] They were called the people of Zarahemla. They had been perplexed with many wars among themselves; and having brought no records with them, their language had become corrupted, and they denied the being of God; and at the time they were discovered by the Nephites they were very numerous, and only in a partial state of civilization; but the Nephites united with them and taught them the Holy Scriptures, and they were restored to civilization, and became one nation with them. And in the process of time, the Nephites began to build ships near the Isthmus of Darien, and launch them forth into the western ocean, in which great numbers sailed a great distance to the northward, and began to colonize North America. Other colonies emigrated by land, and in a few centuries the whole continent became peopled. North America, at that time, was almost entirely destitute of timber, it having been cut off by the more ancient race, who came from the great tower, at the confusion of languages; but the Nephites became very skilful in building houses of cement; also much timber was carried by the way of shipping from South to North America. They also planted groves and began to raise timber, that in time their wants might be supplied. Large cities were built in various parts of the continent, both among the Lamanites and Nephites. The law of Moses was observed by the latter. Numerous prophets were raised up from time to time throughout their generations. Many records, both historical and prophetical, which were of great size, were kept among them; some on plates of gold and other metals, and some on other materials. The sacred records, also, of the more ancient race who had been destroyed, were found by them. These were engraved on plates of gold. They translated them into their own language by the gift and power of God, through the means of the Urim and Thummim. They contained an historical account from the creation down to the Tower of Babel, and from that time down until they were destroyed, comprising a period of about thirty-four hundred, or thirty-five hundred years. They also contained many prophecies, great and marvellous, reaching forward to the final end and consummation of all things, and the creation of a new heaven and new earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.13The prophets also among the Nephites prophesied of great things. They opened the secrets of futurity, and saw the coming of Messiah in the flesh, and prophesied of the blessings to come upon their descendants in the latter times, and made known the history of unborn generations, and unfolded the grand events of ages to come, and viewed the power, glory, and majesty of Messiah's second advent, and beheld the establishment of the kingdom of peace, and gazed upon the glories of the day of righteousness, and saw creation redeemed from the curse, and all the righteous filled with songs of everlasting joy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14The Nephites knew of the birth and crucifixion of Christ, by [p.14] certain celestial and terrestrial phenomena, which, at those times, were shown forth in fulfilment of the predictions of many of their prophets. Notwithstanding the many blessings with which

they had been blessed, they had fallen into great wickedness, and had cast out the saints and the prophets, and stoned and killed them. Therefore, at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, they were visited in great judgment. Thick darkness covered the whole continent. The earth was terribly convulsed. The rocks were rent into broken fragments, and afterwards found in seams and cracks upon all the face of the land. Mountains were sunk into valleys, and valleys raised into mountains. The highways and level roads were broken up and spoiled. Many cities were laid in ruins. Others were buried up in the depths of the earth, and mountains occupied their place. While others were sunk, and waters came up in their stead, and others still were burned by fire from heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14Thus, the predictions of their prophets were fulfilled upon their heads. Thus, the more wicked part, both of the Nephites and Lamanites, were destroyed. Thus, the Almighty executed vengeance and fury upon them, that the blood of the saints and prophets might no longer cry from the ground against them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14Those who survived these terrible judgments, were favoured with the personal ministry of Christ. For after He arose from the dead, and finished his ministry at Jerusalem, and ascended to heaven, he descended in the presence of the Nephites, who were assembled round about their temple in the northern parts of South America. He exhibited to them his wounded hands, and side, and feet; and commanded the law of Moses to be abolished; and introduced and established the Gospel in its stead; and chose twelve disciples from among them to administer the same; and instituted the sacrament; and prayed for and blessed their little children; and healed their sick, blind, lame, deaf, and those who were afflicted in any way; and raised a man from the dead; and showed forth his power in their midst; and expounded the Scriptures, which had been given from the beginning down to that time; and made known unto them all things which should take place down until He should come in his glory, and from that time down to the end, when all people, nations, and languages should stand before God to be judged, and the heaven and the earth should pass away, and there should be a new heaven and a new earth. These teachings of Jesus were engraved upon plates, some of which are contained in the book of Mormon; but the more part are not revealed in that book, but are hereafter to be made manifest to the saints.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14After Jesus had finished ministering unto them, he ascended into heaven; and the twelve disciples, whom he had chosen, went forth upon all the face of the land, preaching the gospel; baptizing those who repented for the remission of sins, after which they laid their hands upon [p.15] them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Mighty miracles were wrought by them, and also by many of the church. The Nephites and Lamanites were all converted unto the Lord, both in South and North America; and they dwelt in righteousness above three hundred years; but towards the close of the fourth century of the Christian era, they had so far apostatized from God, that he suffered great judgments to fall upon them. The Lamanites, at that time, dwelt in South America, and the Nephites in North America.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15A great and terrible war commenced between them, which lasted for many years, and

resulted in the complete overthrow and destruction of the Nephites. This war commenced at the Isthmus of Darien, and was very destructive to both nations for many years. At length, the Nephites were driven before their enemies, a great distance to the north and north-east; and having gathered their whole nation together, both men, women, and children, they encamped on, and round about the hill Cumorah, where the records were found, which is in the State of New York, about two hundred miles west of the city of Albany. Here they were met by the numerous hosts of the Lamanites, and were slain, and hewn down, and slaughtered, both male and female—the aged, middle aged, and children. Hundreds of thousands were slain on both sides; and the nation of the Nephites were destroyed, excepting a few who had deserted over to the Lamanites, and a few who escaped into the south country, and a few who fell wounded, and were left by the Lamanites on the field of battle for dead, among whom were Mormon and his son Moroni, who were righteous men.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15Mormon had made an abridgement, from the records of his forefathers, upon plates, which abridgement he entitled the "Book of Mormon;" and, (being commanded of God,) he hid up in the hill Cumorah, all the sacred records of his forefathers which were in his possession, except the abridgement called the "Book of Mormon," which he gave to his son Moroni to finish. Moroni survived his nation a few years, and continued the writings, in which he informs us, that the Lamanites hunted those few Nephites who escaped the great and tremendous battle of Cumorah, until they were all destroyed, excepting those who were mingled with the Lamanites, and that he was left alone, and kept himself hid, for they sought to destroy every Nephite who would not deny the Christ. He furthermore states, that the Lamanites were at war one with another, and that the whole face of the land was one continual scene of murdering, robbing, and plundering. He continued the history until the four hundred and twentieth year of the Christian era, when, (by the commandment of God,) he hid up the records in the hill Cumorah, where they remained concealed, until by the ministry of an angel they were discovered to Mr. Smith, who, by the gift and [p.16] power of God, translated them into the English language, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, as stated in the foregoing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16After the book was translated, the Lord raised up witnesses to bear testimony to the nations of its truth, who, at the close of the volume, send forth their testimony, which read as follows:—TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSESThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.16"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken; and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety, that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare, with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the

plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it is marvellous in our eyes, nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honour be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.OLIVER COWDERY,DAVID WHITMER,MARTIN HARRIS."AND ALSO THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSESThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.16"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr. the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith [p.17] has translated we did handle with our hands: and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen; and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.CHRISTIAN WHITMER,JACOB WHITMER,PETER WHITMER, JR.JOHN WHITMER,HIRAM PAGE,JOSEPH SMITH, SEN.HYRUM SMITH,SAMUEL H. SMITH"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.17Also, in the year 1829, Mr. Smith and Mr. Cowdery, having learned the correct mode of baptism, from the teachings of the Saviour to the ancient Nephites, as recorded in the "Book of Mormon," had a desire to be baptized; but knowing that no one had authority to administer that sacred ordinance in any denomination, they were at a loss to know how the authority was to be restored, and while calling upon the Lord with a desire to be informed on the subject, a holy angel appeared and stood before them, and laid his hands upon their heads, and ordained them, and commanded them to baptize each other, which they accordingly did.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.17In the year 1830, a large edition of the "Book of Mormon" first appeared in print. And as some began to peruse its sacred pages, the spirit of the Lord bore record to them that it was true; and they were obedient to its requirements, by coming forth, humbly repenting before the Lord, and being immersed in water, for the remission of sins, after which, by

the commandment of God, hands were laid upon them in the name of the Lord, for the gift of the Holy Spirit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.17And on the sixth of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" was organized, in the town of Manchester, Ontario County, State of New York, North America. Some few were called and ordained by the spirit of revelation and prophecy, and began to preach and bear testimony, as the spirit gave them utterance; and although they were the weak things of the earth, yet they were strengthened by the Holy Ghost, and gave forth their testimony in great power, by which means many were brought to repentance, and came forward with broken hearts [p.18] and contrite spirits, and were immersed in water confessing their sins, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; and saw visions and prophesied. Devils were cast out, and the sick were healed by the prayer of faith, and the laying on of hands. Thus was the word confirmed unto the faithful by the signs following. Thus the Lord raised up witnesses, to bear testimony of his name, and lay the foundation of his kingdom in the last days. And thus the hearts of the saints were comforted, and filled with great joy. In the foregoing, we have related the most important facts concerning the visions and the ministry of the angel to Mr. Smith; the discovery of the records; their translation into the English language, and the witnesses raised up to bear testimony of the same.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18We have also stated when, and by whom they were written; that they contain the history of nearly one-half of the globe, from the earliest ages after the flood, until the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era; that this history is interspersed with many important prophecies, which unfold the great events of the last days, and that in it also is recorded the gospel in its fulness and plainness, as it was revealed by the personal ministry of Christ to the ancient Nephites. We have also given an account of the restoration of the authority in these days, to administer in the ordinances of the gospel; and of the time of the organization of the church; and of the blessings poured out upon the same while yet in its infancy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18We now proceed to give a sketch of the faith and doctrine of this Church.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18First, We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost, who bear record of them, the same throughout all ages and forever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18We believe that all mankind, by the transgression of their first parents, and not by their own sins, were brought under the curse and penalty of that transgression, which consigned them to an eternal banishment from the presence of God, and their bodies to an endless sleep in the dust, never more to rise, and their spirits to endless misery under the power of Satan; and that, in this awful condition, they were utterly lost and fallen, and had no power of their own to extricate themselves therefrom.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18We believe, that through the sufferings, death, and atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind, without one exception, are to be completely, and fully redeemed, both body and spirit, from the endless banishment and curse, to which they were consigned, by

Adam's transgression; and that this universal salvation and redemption of the whole human family from the endless penalty of the original sin, is effected, without any conditions whatsoever on their part; that is, that they are not required [p.19] to believe, or repent, or be baptized, or do anything else, in order to be redeemed from that penalty; for whether they believe or disbelieve, whether they repent or remain impenitent, whether they are baptized or unbaptized, whether they keep the commandments or break them, whether they are righteous or unrighteous, it will make no difference in relation to their redemption, both soul and body, from the penalty of Adam's transgression. The most righteous man that ever lived on the earth, and the most wicked wretch of the whole human family, were both placed under the same curse, without any transgression or agency of their own, and they both, alike, will be redeemed from that curse, without any agency or conditions on their part. Paul says, Rom. v. 18, "Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon ALL men unto the justification of life." This is the reason, why ALL men are redeemed from the grave. This is the reason, that the spirits of ALL men are restored to their bodies. This is the reason that ALL men are redeemed from their first banishment, and restored into the presence of God, and this is the reason that the Saviour said, John xii. 32, "If I be lifted up from the earth I will draw ALL men unto me." After this full, complete, and universal redemption, restoration, and salvation of the whole of Adam's race, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, without faith, repentance, baptism, or any other works, then, all and every one of them will enjoy eternal life and happiness, never more to be banished from the presence of God, IF they themselves have committed no sin: for the penalty of the original sin can have no more power over them at all, for Jesus hath destroyed its power, and broken the bands of the first death, and obtained the victory over the grave, and delivered all its captives, and restored them from their first banishment into the presence of his Father; hence eternal life will then be theirs, IF they themselves are not found transgressors of some law.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19We believe that all mankind, in their infant state, are incapable of knowing good and evil, and of obeying or disobeying a law, and that, therefore, there is no law given to them, and that when there is no law, there is no transgression; hence they are innocent, and if they should all die in their infant state, they would enjoy eternal life, not being transgressors themselves, neither accountable for Adam's sin.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19We believe that all mankind, in consequence of the fall, after they grow up from their infant state, and come to the years of understanding, know good and evil, and are capable of obeying or disobeying a law, and that a law is given against doing evil, and that the penalty affixed is a second banishment from the presence of God, both body and spirit, after they have been redeemed from the FIRST banishment and restored into his presence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20[p.20] We believe, that the penalty of this second law can have no effect upon persons who have not had the privilege, in this life, of becoming acquainted therewith; for although the light that is in them, teaches them good and evil, yet that light does not teach them the law against doing evil, nor the penalty thereof. And although they have

done things worthy of many stripes, yet the law cannot be brought to bear against them, and its penalty be inflicted, because they can plead ignorance thereof. Therefore they will be judged, not by the revealed law which they have been ignorant of, but by the law of their conscience, the penalty thereof being a few stripes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20We believe that all who have done evil, having a knowledge of the law, or afterwards, in this life, coming to the knowledge thereof, are under its penalty, which is not inflicted in this world but in the world to come. Therefore such, in this world, are prisoners, shut up under the sentence of the law, awaiting, with awful fear, for the time of judgment, when the penalty shall be inflicted, consigning them to a second banishment from the presence of their Redeemer, who had redeemed them from the penalty of the FIRST law. But, inquires the sinner, is there no way for my escape? Is my case hopeless? Can I not devise some way by which I can extricate myself from the penalty of this SECOND law, and escape this SECOND banishment? The answer is, if thou canst hide thyself from the all-searching eye of an Omnipresent God, that he shall not find thee, or if thou canst prevail with him to deny justice its claim, or if thou canst clothe thyself with power, and contend with the Almighty, and prevent him from executing the sentence of the law, then thou canst escape. If thou canst cause repentance, or baptism in water, or any of thine own works, to atone for the least of thy transgressions, then thou canst deliver thyself from the awful penalty that awaits thee. But, be assured, O sinner, that thou canst not devise any way of thine own to escape, nor do anything that will atone for thy sins. Therefore, thy case is hopeless, unless God hath devised some way for thy deliverance; but do not let despair seize upon thee: for though thou art under the sentence of a broken law, and hast no power to atone for thy sins, and redeem thyself therefrom, yet there is hope in thy case; for he, who gave the law, has devised a way for thy deliverance. That same Jesus, who hath atoned for the original sin, and will redeem all mankind from the penalty thereof, hath also atoned for thy sins, and offereth salvation and deliverance to thee, on certain conditions to be complied with on thy part.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20We believe that the first condition to be complied with on the part of sinners is, to believe in God, and in the sufferings and death of his Son Jesus Christ, to atone for the sins of the whole world, and in his resurrection and ascension on high, to appear in the presence of his Father, to [p.21] make intercession for the children of men, and in the Holy Ghost, which is given to all who obey the gospel.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21That the second condition is, to repent, that is, all who believe, according to the first condition, are required to come humbly before God, and confess their sins with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and to turn away from them, and cease from all their evil deeds, and make restitution to all they have in any way injured, as far as it is in their power.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21That the third condition is, to be baptized by immersion in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for remission of sins; and that this ordinance is to be administered by one who is called and authorized of Jesus Christ to baptize, otherwise it is illegal, and of no advantage, and not accepted by him; and that it is to be administered only to those persons, who believe and repent, according to the two

preceding conditions.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21And that the fourth condition is, to receive the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus Christ, for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that this ordinance is to be administered by the apostles or elders, whom the Lord Jesus hath called and authorized to lay on hands, otherwise it is of no advantage, being illegal in the sight of God; and that it is to be administered only to those persons, who believe, repent, and are baptized into this church, according to the three preceding conditions. These are the first conditions of the gospel. All who comply with them receive forgiveness of sins, and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost. Through these conditions, they become the adopted sons and daughters of God. Through this process, they are born again, first of water, and then of the spirit, and become children of the kingdom—heirs of God—saints of the most High—the church of the first-born—the elect people, and heirs to a celestial inheritance, eternal in the presence of God. After complying with these principles, their names are enrolled in the book of the names of the righteous.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21They are then required to be humble, to be meek and lowly in heart, to watch and pray, to deal justly; and inasmuch as they have the riches of this world, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, according to the dictates of wisdom and prudence; to comfort the afflicted, to bind up the broken-hearted, and to do all the good that is in their power: and besides all these things, they are required to meet together as often as circumstances will admit, and partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus; and, in short, to continue faithful to the end, in all the duties enjoined upon them by the word and spirit of Christ.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21"It is the duty and privilege of the saints thus organized upon the everlasting gospel, to believe in and enjoy all the gifts, powers, and blessings which flow from the Holy Spirit. Such, for instance, as the gifts of [p.22] revelation, prophecy, visions, the ministry of angels, healing the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, the working of miracles, and, in short, all the gifts as mentioned in Scripture, or as enjoyed by the ancient saints." We believe that inspired apostles and prophets, together with all the officers as mentioned in the New Testament, are necessary to be in the Church in these days.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22We believe that there has been a general and awful apostacy from the religion of the New Testament, so that all the known world have been left for centuries without the Church of Christ among them; without a priesthood authorized of God to administer ordinances; that every one of the churches has perverted the gospel; some in one way, and some in another. For instance, almost every church has done away ''immersion for remission of sins." Those few who have practised it for remission of sins, have done away the ordinance of the "laying on of hands" upon baptized believers for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Again, the few who have practiced the last ordinance, have perverted the first, or have done away the ancient gifts, and powers, and blessings which flow from the Holy Spirit, or have said to inspired apostles and prophets, we have no need of you in the body in these days. Those few, again, who have believed in, and contended for the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit, have perverted the ordinances, or

done them away. Thus all the churches preach false doctrines, and pervert the gospel, and instead of having authority from God to administer its ordinances, they are under the curse of God for perverting it. Paul says, Gal. i. 8, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22We believe that there are a few, sincere, honest, and humble persons, who are striving to do according to the best of their understanding; but, in many respects, they err in doctrine, because of false teachers and the precepts of men, and that they will receive the fullness of the gospel with gladness, as soon as they hear it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22The gospel in the "Book of Mormon," is the same as that in the New Testament, and is revealed in great plainness, so that no one that reads it can misunderstand its principles. It has been revealed by the angel, to be preached as a witness to all nations, first to the Gentiles, and then to the Jews, then cometh the downfall of Babylon. Thus fulfilling the vision of John, which he beheld on the Isle of Patmos, Rev. xiv. 6, 7, 8, "And I saw," says John, "another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another [p.23] angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23Many revelations and prophecies have been given to this church since its rise, which have been printed and sent forth to the world. These also contain the gospel in great plainness, and instructions of infinite importance to the saints. They also unfold the great events that await this generation; the terrible judgments to be poured forth upon the wicked, and the blessings and glories to be given to the righteous. We believe that God will continue to give revelations by visions, by the ministry of angels, and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, until the saints are guided into all truth, that is, until they come in possession of all the truth there is in existence, and are made perfect in knowledge. So long, therefore, as they are ignorant of anything past, present, or to come, so long, we believe, they will enjoy the gift of revelation. And when in their immortal and perfect state—when they enjoy "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"—when they are made perfect in one, and become like their Saviour, then they will be in possession of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence: then all things will be theirs, whether principalities or powers, thrones or dominions; and, in short, then they will be filled with all the fullness of God. And what more can they learn? What more can they know? What more can they enjoy? Then they will no longer need revelation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23We believe that wherever the people enjoy the religion of the New Testament, there they enjoy visions, revelations, the ministry of angels, etc. And that wherever these blessings cease to be enjoyed, there they also cease to enjoy the religion of the New Testament.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23

We believe that God has raised up this church, in order to prepare a people for his second coming in the clouds of heaven, in power, and great glory; and that then the saints who are asleep in their graves will be raised, and reign with him on earth a thousand years.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23And we now bear testimony to all, both small and great, that the Lord of Hosts hath sent us with a message of glad tidings—the everlasting gospel, to cry repentance to the nations, and prepare the way of his second coming. Therefore repent, O ye nations, both Gentiles and Jews, and cease from all your evil deeds, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and be baptized in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles or Elders of this church; and signs shall follow them that believe, and if they continue faithful to the end, they shall be saved. But woe unto them, who hearken not to the message which God has now sent, for the day of vengeance and burning is at hand, and they shall not escape. Therefore, REMEMBER, O reader, and perish not! [p.24]{2}"Funeral of Mrs. Caroline Smith"(from Times and Seasons 6 [1 June 1845]: 918-20)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24We will read a few passages of scripture contained in the seventh chapter of the revelations of St. John, commencing at the ninth verse. [He read the remainder of the chapter.]The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24The words of our text, which will be a foundation upon which to predicate some remarks upon the present occasion, will be found in the forty-fourth verse of the fifteenth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians: "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24Brethren, sisters and friends,—we have assembled ourselves together, this morning, upon this solemn and important occasion, to pay our last earthly respects to a beloved sister, whose remains now lay before us. It is a custom among the nations of the earth to witness their respect for deceased friends by following them to the place of interment, and it is also a custom with the Saints of the Most High God, to assemble themselves together to hear a word of consolation and instruction upon such occasions.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24It may not be amiss to make a few remarks, this morning, upon the subject of the resurrection of the dead. In reflecting upon this subject, the mind is led to inquire: why is it that the human family are subject to death, to a separation of soul and body? Why is it that the plan of the resurrection was devised? These are questions of vast importance, and are gratifying to be understood.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24Death is no part of the original plan of salvation; that is, the Almighty did not decree it from before the foundation of the world, independent of the agency of man. But it has been entailed upon us as a curse; not in consequence of our own transgressions, but in consequence of the transgression of our first parents in the garden of Eden.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.24In the morning of creation all things were pronounced good by the Creator, as they roled into organized existence unsullied and without a curse. Man, the last and noblest of God's creation was placed in the garden of Eden, being governed by laws and restricted by commandments, not being subject to sickness, disease, or death. Adam was placed upon the earth an immortal being. He was placed in the garden to dress, beautify and adorn it, and to hold the supremacy of power over all the things of God's creation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.25Instead of our first parents eating animal food, they subsisted upon [p.25] herbs and the fruits of the earth, which were originally designed for the food of man, and had they not transgressed they would have both been living upon the earth at the present day, as fair, as healthy, as beautiful and as free from sickness and death, as they were previous to the transgression. What was that transgression? It was violating a single commandment of God, and disregarding the counsel of those immortal beings who stood above them in authority. The Creator placed in the garden a certain tree and warned Adam that in the day he eat the fruit thereof he should surely die. He commanded him not to eat the fruit. His was a simple commandment; but the violation of it subjected Adam to a fall from his exalted station in the favor of God. Consequently a curse was passed upon all created things, and in the posterity of Adam were sown the seeds of dissolution.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.25Some have imbibed the idea that the fruit of the tree which Adam was commanded not to eat, contained the properties of death, which, when eaten by Adam, diffused through his system the nature of mortality. This may be the case, and it may not; I do not pretend to say at present. It is sufficient, for the present occasion, for us to know that it was in consequence of transgression that misery and death entered this fair creation. And you who mourn the loss of friends, do not harbor the idea that it is in consequence of any sin of your own that you are deprived of the society of friends, and are subject, yourselves, to the sting of death. This is not the case.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.25I said in the first of my remarks, that death was not devised by the Almighty independent of the agency of man. This you will perceive to be a correct remark, when you understand that notwithstanding Adam was an immortal being, yet he acted upon his agency, having the power, like one of us, to obey or disobey the commandments of God. That transgression subjected him to a curse, and that was a fall from a state of immortality to that of mortality; consequently you see that it was through his agency that death entered the world. The scriptures inform us in one place, that by one man death entered the world. Again it says: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." We also read in another text that in consequence of the transgression of one man, judgment was passed upon all men unto condemnation. These passages will be sufficient to prove my statements.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.25Having examined briefly the origin and extent of the curse, let us now examine the extent of its duration, and see if any way has been devised by which it will ever be removed. For if there has not been a plan devised, then there is no resurrection of the dead; for the effect of the curse upon Adam and his posterity was a final and complete

destruction of the body. When death ensued, the spirit took its departure from the body, never to be united with it again.—This was to be the [p.26] deplorable condition of the human family, and this would have been their fate, had not an atonement been made, and a plan of redemption been devised. But, thanks be to the great Ruler of heaven and earth, an atonement has been made and a plan has been devised, by which the human family will be redeemed from the curse and be brought up from their graves in a state of immortality and eternal life. Dry up your tears, brethren and sisters; let your hearts rejoice with the assurance that we soon shall meet with those for whom we mourn, never more to be separated by death—Were it not for this atonement, it would be far better for our spirits had they never taken tabernacles. Deplorable would have been our condition to all eternity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.26The spirit of the Savior, from the eternal world, looked down upon the condition of the human family, and in order that they might be redeemed he offered to come into the world, take a tabernacle and lay down his life as an atonement for the transgression of Adam. His was a pure and holy spirit, having never been sullied by the commission of sin, therefore the grave could not regain him. He came and did the will of the Father, lived without the commission of sin, laid down his life for the sins of the world; therefore was the atonement complete and the redemption universal.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.26What is to be understood by the term spiritual body? I am aware that this is a difficult question to answer. The sectarian would suppose that a spirit is something capable of being everywhere present; that it can fly away beyond the bounds of time and space, and be present there at the same time that it is present with us here. But as for the Saints of the Most High God, we do not believe in the existence of any place or thing "beyond the bounds of time and space," neither do we believe in any immateriality, being connected with any of the creations of God. We believe that spirit is as much a substance as the earth on which we move, yet it is of a more refined substance and nature;—so refined that mortal eyes cannot behold; but when our sight becomes celestialized and strengthened, then can we behold spirit as distinctly as we now can behold one another. What did Paul mean when he said it should be raised a spiritual body? Did he mean that the flesh and bone that would be raised would be spirit? No: But he meant that after bone had come together to its bone, and flesh and sinews had come upon the bones and they had been covered with skin, according to Ezekiel, that the form would be quickened to life by the spirit of God, which would constitute it a spiritual body.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.26Some people suppose that when a person dies his spirit enters immediately into those high degrees of glory, designed for them from before the foundations of the world. This is a mistaken idea. If you will examine the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and [p.27] Covenants, you will find that there is but very little recorded relative to the situation of the spirit after it leaves the body, before it again unites with the same. But it is revealed in the Book of Mormon that the spirit goes back to the Father of all spirits, and finds a place of rest, where it will remain until the resurrection, when it will again possess the body that it laid down in consequence of the curse, and thus be prepared to enter upon higher exaltations and glories in the eternal world. During the

period of this separation the spirit will not be employed in ministering to beings of flesh and bone; but they will minister to their own kind; they will be ministers to the world of spirits, preaching the gospel to those who did not embrace it previous to their separation from their bodies. How do you think the spirit of the Savior spent the three days that intervened between his crucifixion and his resurrection? Did he sit down in his Father's kingdom and do nothing but slap his hands and sing praises? His Father unfolded to him the world of spirits. He looked upon them and saw that they were his lawful, legitimate brothers and sisters in the spirit, that they all descended from the same Father, and he possessed the natural feeling of anxiety to redeem his kindred from their situation. The Father commissioned him to preach the gospel to them and show them the plan by which they could be brought up in the resurrection and prepare themselves for higher glories. This is the way that he spent the time, and this is the way that every person who holds the priesthood will spend the time that intervenes between his death and his resurrection. The spirits of men are not all that will be employed in this delightful task; but you too, my sisters, will take a part therein, for you will hold a portion of the priesthood with your husbands, and you will thus do a work, as well as they, that will augment that glory which you will enjoy after your resurrection.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.27The next thing we will speak of will be the reward that will be bestowed upon the resurrected Saints. This is something upon which all inspired men have spoken and written; and it is a theme that rejoices the hearts of the Saints while contemplating it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.27The Saints will not receive their crowns of glory until after their resurrection. When the curse in part shall be removed from the world; when wickedness and abomination shall be known no more in the land, then will the Saints come forth clothed with immortality, and be crowned with power and glory as a reward for all their labors. No person will be crowned with power in the eternal world, (we are to be kings and priests to God to all eternity,) unless they have been ordained thereto in this life, previous to their death, or by some friend acting as proxy for them afterwards, and receiving it for them. What is it to be kings and priests? It is to have honor, authority and dominion, having kingdoms to [p.28] preside over, and subjects to govern, and possessing the ability ever to increase their authority and glory, and extend their dominion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28Paul perfectly understood that the Saints would not receive their crowns of reward until after the resurrection, when he remarked: "I have fought the good fight; I have kept the faith; and from henceforth is a crown of glory laid up for me, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day, and not only me, but to all those who love his appearing."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28Our beloved sister, whose remains are now before us, has fallen asleep with the assurance of a glorious resurrection, and she will come up, being numbered with those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, having passed through great tribulations. She has a right to this honor. She passed through the Missouri persecutions, with her companion, and was ever faithful and true to the cause of God. Her constitution was destroyed in consequence of the hardships she there endured. Soon after she came to Illinois, she was taken sick with the dropsy, which

continued to prey upon her system, and something like two years ago, through the advice and counsel of her friends, she went with her husband to the east, for the purpose of recovering her health. Some two weeks ago she returned to this city. Every exertion was made to restore her to health; but her disease was of so long standing, and had become so settled upon her system, that it was impossible to restore her, and her spirit was called back to the world of spirits, to await that period when she shall be called forth from her grave by the power of the priesthood, to join again with her companion and friends in a state of immortality, to be crowned with celestial honors in the kingdom of our God. [p.29]{3}"Questions on the Origin of Man,""Mormon Philosophy. Space, Duration, and Matter,""Questions on the Present State of Man," and "Angels"(from The New York Messenger, 6 September, 13 September,20 September, 27 September, and 18 October 1845)I. "Questions on the Origin of Man"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29O MAN! The noblest inhabitant of earth!—Wonderful in thy physical construction! And more wonderful still in thy mental constitution!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Who art thou?—Whence thine origin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Art thou a creature of chance—of fortuitous origin—the result of the operations of blind, unconscious, and unintelligent matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Whence that noble intelligence—that self moving principle of thy nature?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Is it the effect of organization—the product of the combination and arrangement of unintelligent atoms?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Can unintelligent atoms originate motion?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Can they at all unite or combine themselves together?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Can they display any wisdom, order, or design in their union, such as is manifested in the physical constitution of man?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29If intelligence is not the effect of organization, and organization is not the effect of chance, then does it not follow, that some, if not all, the elementary atoms of thy nature were intelligent before their union, while yet in a separate and uncombined state? Or wilt thou contend that their union has been eternal, without beginning, and that they never existed separately and uncombined?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29If their organization is not eternal! Then tell us how so great a work was accomplished; how so skilful, so marvelous, and so useful a mechanism was produced?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29

Did the elementary atoms hold a council together, and enter into an agreement of an eternal union, for each others benefit and exaltation in the scale of being?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Did they in accordance with this agreement, unite themselves together by virtue of their own intelligence, and self-moving capacities?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Or, wast thou, O man, fashioned from the elements by the physical or mental power of some being: himself eternal—without beginning?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Or, wast thou begotten and born, and the scattered elements of thy [p.30] nature by the laws of generation organized and arranged in their proper position?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30If so, who are thy father and mother?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Whence the first pair?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Has there been an eternal succession of father and son?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Or is there a first in this grand scale of being—in this golden chain of intelligent existence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Speak, O man, if thou knowest, and declare thine origin!! Tell us of what thy mental and physical constitution consists! Does it consist both of intelligent and unintelligent matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30If so, were both these kinds of matter organized at the same time?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Or was the intelligent part organized first, and afterwards united to the unintelligent part?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30If so, when, and by what process, was the intelligent part organized?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Is God, the father of thy spirit?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Art thou, indeed, of so noble an origin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30If so, when wast thou begotten?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Wast thou among the "SONS OF GOD" who "SHOUTED FOR JOY," when the foundations of the earth were laid?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Did thou then rejoice in anticipation of a future residence on this earth?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30On what planet or world didst thou then reside?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Wast thou acquainted with all the family of spirits—the sons and daughters of thy Father?

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Canst thou tell us the number of thy brothers and thy sisters?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Was Jesus Christ the oldest — "THE FIRST BORN OF EVERY CREATURE"— "The beginning of the creation of God?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Canst thou tell us, O man, what period of time elapsed between thy birth-day, and the birth-day of Jesus Christ, "the first born?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Is the birth-day of every spirit recorded and deposited in the sacred archives of heaven?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30What were thy capacities, and what the extent of thy knowledge at that time?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30What were the rules, regulations, and laws of this celestial family of spirits?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30What were the rewards and penalties, following obedience or disobedience?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Were there any family quarrels, or contentions or strifes among them?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30Did any produce such discord and disturbance, that their father was under the necessity of banishing them from the society of the rest of the family, to preserve peace and good order?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.30If so, were there any conditions or provisions made for their restoration?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31[p.31] Or were their crimes of that nature and magnitude, as to totally deprive them of any future exaltation in the scale of their being?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Can they ever be placed in a condition to promulgate their own species, and thus increase their subjects in the kingdom of darkness?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Or is the law of increase wisely confined to higher orders of beings, where the law of righteousness is taught, and where the species shall be early educated and reared up in the kingdom of light?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31O man! Of noble origin! And princely birth! Unfold, if thou canst, the history of thy first estate!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Tell us the noble acts—the generous deeds—the magnificent works of thyself and of thy kindred spirits!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Show us the splendid scenes—the mighty revolutions—the grand operations of that world through which thou hast passed.II. "Mormon Philosophy. Space, Duration, and Matter"SpaceThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.31

What is space?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31It is expansion or extension from any point in all possible directions.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31What is its magnitude?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31It is boundless in every direction from any given point.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31What are the conceivable properties of space?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Divisibility and figure.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31To what extent is space conceived to be divisible?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Beyond any assignable limits.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Of how many varieties of figure is it susceptible?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Of every possible variety.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Has space any active properties or powers?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31No. It is incapable of moving or being moved, of acting, or being acted upon, by any force, power or property in existence, whether chemical, mechanical, or mental.DurationThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.31What is Duration?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31It is the time intervening between successive moments.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31How far is duration susceptible of continuation?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31Duration, both past and future, is capable of continuation from any given moment to an unlimited extent.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.31How many conceivable properties has Duration?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32[p.32] Only one, viz. divisibility.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32To what extent is it susceptible of division?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Beyond any limits which can be assigned.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29What are its three grand divisions?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29The past, the present, and the future.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Has duration any active properties or powers?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32No. It can neither act, nor receive action from any force, power, property in existence. Like space, it is entirely powerless.MatterThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.32What is Matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Every substance in space, whether visible or invisible, sensible or insensible, intelligent or unintelligent.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Of what do the elements of matter consist?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32They consist of inconceivably minute, solid, hard impenetrable, moveable, immutable atoms, incapable of expansion or condensation, of occupying either more or less space at one moment than at another.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32What is the probable magnitude of these atoms?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32It is unknown. Experimental observations, however, have ascertained that the size of an atom or molecule of lead cannot exceed, and is probably much less than the 888 billionth part of a cubic inch, while its weight cannot exceed, and is probably much less than the 310,000 millionth part of a grain. By the aid of the microscope, animalcules have been rendered visible, of such inconceivable minuteness that a million of million of them would not exceed in bulk a grain of sand, and it is highly probably that each of these minute beings is now as complicated in its structure as the whale or the elephant. How incalculably small must be their arteries, veins, and circulating fluids!!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32What is the FORM of these elementary atoms?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Their form or shape is as yet unknown; but experiment and reason render it highly probable that they are spheres or spheroids.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32Are these atoms divisible?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32No. Divisibility belongs only to compound bodies, formed by the union of atoms. Compound bodies can only be divided, not in the midst of solid atoms, but by destroying their bond of union, and separating atom from atom, unbroken, whole and entire, as they were previous to their combination. These atoms are imporous—destitute of all vacuities, and hence perfectly solid, and incapable of being broken or abraded by any concussion or violence, however intense, and therefore their sizes and shapes remain unchangeably the same.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32What is known concerning the origin of matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.32

Matter is without origin.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33[p.33] Reason demonstrates it to have been without beginning. For if it had a beginning, then, an endless period of time preceeded its existence, during which there was nothing but an eternal boundless space: but space is immoveable, and without power or force of any kind, and therefore, wholly incapable of producing any thing, to occupy any part of its own boundless void. Therefore, if matter had a beginning, it must have been originated by some being, or thing in space, but to say that matter was originated by some being, is to admit the prior existence of that being. Of what does this something or being consist? It must consist of one or more atoms, of the same nature and qualities as those we have already described, and therefore, this being must be matter, and this matter must have eternally existed. Now if a material being, or a part of the matter in space, existed eternally—reason and analogy would say that the whole may have existed eternally.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33If the eternal existence of a part is possible—The eternal existence of the whole is possible.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33What is intelligence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33It must be either a property of material atoms, or a result of the combination or contact of these atoms.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33If intelligence be a property of material atoms prior to their combination or contact with other atoms, then it is evident that this property could not have been derived by experience from external things. It is still further evident, that this intelligent property could not have been derived from any internal operations; for such operations would be impossible in a perfectly solid and imporous atom. Hence it could not have been derived from any source, either external or internal. Therefore if intelligence be a property of material atoms, it must have been as eternal as the substance to which it belongs.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.33Perhaps some may argue that material atoms receive intelligence not by coming into contact or union with external things, but by the will of some intelligent atom or being. But how could an intelligent being impart this property to matter without acting upon it, by bringing something external into contact with it? It would be as impossible as it would to act upon nothing and produce something. But to say that some being gave this property to atoms, is to admit the prior existence of a being with intelligence. How did this being derive or acquire its intelligence—Was it derived by experience, or was it as eternal as the being itself? To say it was derived by experience, is to admit that this being was acted upon from without, which is contrary to the above supposition. Therefore its intelligence if not derived from experience, must have been eternal. And if the intelligence of one atom or being has been eternal, analogy would say that the intelligences of all other atoms or beings may have been eternal also. And reason has demonstrated, that the [p.34] intelligence of every atom must either be without beginning, or else be the result of contact and combination.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34

Secondly, If intelligence be a result of the combination or contact of atoms, then these atoms, though unintelligent, must have capacities to receive intelligence; for without intelligent capacities, combination or contact, could not be perceived or known; and it would be impossible to acquire these capacities by experience; therefore they must have been as eternal as the atoms to which they belong.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34It may be argued that atoms may be unconscious of these latent capacities until appropriate circumstances develop them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34That they may possess the property or capacity of feeling, and yet be entirely unconscious of feeling until they come in contact with other atoms: that by experience they perceive not only the existence of themselves, but the existence of something external to themselves; that an atom may possess various capacities, such as seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling, and that if this atom never comes in contact with other atoms, their capacities will remain unexercised; that such an atom would be as ignorant of light, sound, taste, smell, and even of the existence of all things external to itself, as though it had none of these capacities; that to perceive light, it must come in contact with some material atom, by which itself shall be affected, not by any vibrations, movements or derangements of its own parts, for this would be impossible in a perfectly solid imporous atom, but that it must be affected as a whole, by some change of state or position in its relation to space; that the only changes it can possibly receive from the contact of atoms are,The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34First, A change from a state of rest to that of motion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Secondly, A change from a state of motion to that of rest.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29Thirdly, A change of velocity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34And Fourthly, A change of direction.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34That seeing, hearing, tasting and smelling are only different modes of feeling, that these different modes of feeling, depend upon the different modes and intensities of the contact of material atoms with each other, and that one kind of impulse would give an atom the consciousness of light; another the consciousness of sound; a third, that of taste; a fourth, that of smell, &c.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.34But let us trace this subject a little further, and enquire into the nature of these intelligent capacities. What are these capacities? Are they not a species of intelligence, self existant and eternal? If not, how can we account for the combination or contact of atoms? Is this combination fortuitous, resulting from the eternal motions of unconscious and passive matter? Is there not a force exerted in the acceleration of the velocities of these atoms as they approach each other?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Is there not a force, of no small degree, which holds these atoms [p.35] in combination? Are not these forces altogether different from that which would result from a uniform

motion, and an accidental contact? What then is the cause of atoms approaching atoms, and adhering together with such a variety of intensities according to such uniform and general laws? The only sound answer that can be given to these intricate enquiries is, that these atoms must be intelligent—having self moving powers—limited to certain spheres and modes of action, according to the nature and degree of their intelligence; and that this intelligence is not the EFFECT, but the cause of combination—not derived from EXPERIENCE, but self existant and eternal.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Attraction is said to be a property of matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35It is said that every atom attracts every other atom with a force varying inversely as the square of the distance. But attraction is impossible, for an atom cannot act where it is not.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Those who believe in attraction, have also assumed inertia to be a property of matter, that is, they assert that matter is entirely passive, and incapable of changing its state. Now if an atom has no power to move itself, how can it move any thing external to itself? It is the very height of absurdity to suppose that a helpless passive atom can move every thing in the universe but itself. Yet this is the hypothesis assumed by the learned, and believed by millions in our day.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35But, if attraction is impossible, what other cause is adequate to produce the effects, which we know are constantly taking place and which are commonly ascribed to attraction?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35It is evident that intelligent, self-moving atoms confined in their movements within the necessary limits, can produce all these effects. These self-moving atoms are regulated by the following law, namely, Every atom MOVES ITSELF towards every other atom, with a force varying inversely as the square of the distance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Now let us contrast the Newtonian system of attracting matter, with the author's system of intelligent, self moving matter, and see which is the most consistent and simple:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Newtonian System—Matter is entirely passive and incapable of moving itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Author's System—Matter is active, and capable of moving itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Newtonian System—An atom cannot move itself, but it can move a universe of worlds towards itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Author's System—An atom can move itself, but it cannot move any thing towards itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Newtonian System—An atom cannot act where it is, but it can act in every place where it is not.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.35Author's System—An atom can act where it is, but it cannot act in any place where it is

not.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36[p.36] Newtonian System—An atom moves every other atom towards itself with a force varying inversely as the square of the distance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Author's System—An atom MOVES ITSELF towards every other atom with a force varying inversely as the square of the distance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36It will be perceived that these two theories are directly opposite to each other, and yet all the effects said to be produced by Sir Isaac Newton's Theory, can be produced by the Author's Theory, upon principles infinitely more simple. All the grand central forces of the Universe, by which worlds and systems of worlds, are so firmly bound together, and by which their stability is so wisely maintained—can be resolved into the self-moving forces of atoms.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36All of the Cohesive, Chemical, Magnetic, and Electrical forces, can also be resolved into atomic self-moving forces.III. "Questions on the Present State of Man"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36O man! The offspring of Deity! The grand masterpiece of creation!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36How camest thou hither?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36And for what purpose hast thou entered this world?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Why didst thou leave the world of spirits?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Wast thou not contented to enjoy the society of thy great Father, and receive instructions from so wise and good a being?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Wast thou not perfectly happy in the society of millions of thy own brother and sister spirits?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Was not the world or planet from which thou hast emigrated perfect in its organization, and adapted to the full development of thy capacities?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Or was the world which thou hast left, overstocked with inhabitants?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Were its superficial contents too limited to yield sufficient sustainance for the innumerable millions of thy father's family?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Or did a restless spirit of adventure and ambition seize thy bosom, and urge thee on to explore new worlds and scenes?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Did necessity compel thee to enter this world and take up thy abode here?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36

Or didst thou emigrate of thy own free will and choice?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Why hast thou clothed thyself with a tabernacle, and entered into so close a connection with the grosser substances of nature?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Was not try spirit perfect in its organization?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Was it not capable of a full development of its mighty capacities, without incorporating itself with flesh and bones?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.36Or was it limited in its knowledge to the laws, properties, and operations of spiritual matter only?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37[p.37] Couldst thou then distinguish the properties of light and heat?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Couldst thou then acquaint thyself with the laws and properties of sound caused by the vibrations of elastic matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Couldst thou then perceive the great variety of odors and flavors of different fruits and vegetables, such as those which abound so luxuriantly upon this globe?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Couldst thou then discern the roughness, smoothness, hardness and various other properties of different kinds of matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Or was thy knowledge chiefly limited to the more refined substances of nature and to the laws by which they were governed?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Was thy spirit limited in its scientific pursuits to spiritual matter?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Was this the first lesson thou hadst to learn?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Hast thou now entered another department of the great UNIVERSITY of NATURE, to study her magnificent laws, and her wonderful operations?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Hast thou indeed been counted worthy to ascend in the scale of try being, to gaze upon new scenes and wonders in another world of life and joy?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37What are the first lessons thou hast to learn in thy present state of existence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Art thou not conscious, first of all, of thy own existence here?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37And secondly, art thou not taught of the existence and properties of other bodies external to thyself?.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37How was thou convinced that bodies external to thyself do exist?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37

Was it by experience?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37If so, tell us O man, the means of thy experience.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Canst thou know by experience of the existence of things with which try spirit has not been in contact?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Canst thou indeed know of the existence of things which thou hast not felt?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Canst thou feel that which is at a distance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Is not feeling the only means of experience?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Can the impression of feeling be produced without motion?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Can motion be imparted without contact?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Is not thy spirit prevented from coming in actual contact with the most of external objects by the interposition of the tabernacle or body?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37Are there not millions of external objects of whose existence thou hast no doubt, and yet thou hast not felt them, neither thy spirit nor thy body, has been in contact with them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37How knowest thou that the sun, the planets and the stars, do exist? Thou hast not felt them. Millions of miles intervene between thee and them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.37And yet, art thou not certain of their existence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38[p.38] Wilt thou say that it is by the sense of seeing that this knowledge is imparted to thee?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38What is seeing?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Is it not a particular method of feeling?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Canst thou feel those distant bodies?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Is not light sent forth from them as a messenger to indicate their existence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38How does light impart this information to thee?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Perhaps it will be said by acting upon the optic nerve of the eye?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38But is the optic nerve of the eye a spiritual substance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38If not, can it perceive, think, feel, or understand?

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38If not, how is the message brought by light, still further communicated?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Does the optic nerve act directly upon thy spirit, or are there still further channels of conveyance, intervening between the optic nerve and spirit?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Is not all the knowledge which thou hast of the existence of these distant objects, derived from the motions which thy spirit has felt and experienced, imparted by the intervening substances of thy body?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38And did not these parts of thy body receive their motions from the intervening substance of light, which in its turn, received its motion from the luminous body?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Couldst thou form to thyself the least idea of luminous bodies, and worlds arranged in such magnificent splendor, independent of these organs of vision?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Without these organs couldst thou have the least conception of the gaudy and splendid colors of the different objects surrounding thee?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Hence is not the organ of vision one of the grand instruments of thine education—the inlet of a certain species of ideas of which thou wast before entirely ignorant?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Again, hadst thou any ideas of bitterness, sweetness, sourness and other varieties of taste, until thou hadst acquired them by experience? How hast thou acquired a knowledge of these properties?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Is it not by feeling—by the peculiar motions imparted to thy spirit, by the organ of taste, or other parts of the body, which in their turn received their motions from the external substance with which they came in contact?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Hence, again, is not the organ of taste another grand instrument of thine education—another medium of communication between thy spirit and the external world—another great inlet of new ideas?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.38Again, does not the spirit experience and feel the peculiar motions imparted by the organ of smell, which also, in its turn, derived its motion from external odoriferous particles in motion?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39[p.39] Dost thou not through this channel also, acquire another set or species of new ideas?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Again, is it not the peculiar motions experienced and felt by the spirit, which have given it the ideas of sound?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Hence, are not seeing, hearing, tasting, and smelling only different modes of conveying motion to thy spirit?

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Cannot all these organs be resolved into the sense of feeling?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Again, how didst thou acquire distinct ideas of roughness, smoothness, hardness, softness, sizes, and shapes of external bodies?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Was it not by feeling the motions of different parts of the body which came in contact with the different substances?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Are not all the ideas which thou hast of the existence of external nature, derived by the spirit's feeling a great variety of motions, impressed upon it by various parts of its fleshly tabernacle?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Has not thy spirit then, been embodied in its present habitation, as the only medium through which it could receive the vast variety of ideas which flow so profusely from all surrounding objects?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Hast thou not been sent here then to receive an experimental education,—to become acquainted with the existence, properties, laws, and operations of other varieties of matter; and by these means to be enabled to combine, organize, and control the same for thine own pleasure, benefit, convenience, and happiness; and thus to become qualified for the society of a more exalted and higher order of beings?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Couldst thou exercise power or control, over elements of which thou wast entirely ignorant?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Couldst thou combine, arrange, and organize material substances of whose existence and properties thou hadst not the least idea?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Couldst thou display the mighty energies and capacities of thy mind upon that of which thou hadst no knowledge?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39If then, O man, thou hast forsaken the world of spirits, and chosen a habitation of flesh and bones, and located thyself in this department of the universe for the grand purpose of acquiring a more extensive knowledge of material things and thus to qualify thyself to preside in wisdom over Nature's works, and Nature's laws—if this be one purpose of thine immigration to this globe it is a most laudable undertaking, worthy of the character of beings springing from so noble a parent.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39But tell us ye sons of God, why pain and misery, and death itself, besets you so closely on every hand?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Do these evils emanate from God?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39Is he the originator of pain and death?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.39

Does he delight in the misery of his own offspring?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Is it a pleasure to him to behold his own children bowed down in [p.40] sorrow and mourning—writhing in pain and anguish, and struggling in vain in the horrors and agonies of death?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40If not, what is the cause of all these evils?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Are they the necessary results of the laws and properties of matter? Can there be any organization in which these evils do not exist?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Were not our first parents when formed from the dust, and placed in the garden of Eden free from all these evils?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Was not their organization perfect—free from sickness decay and death—capable of enduring forever—unchanged and immortal?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40If so, is not this an evidence that material substances are capable of perfect organization—of an endless duration, entirely free from pain?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Could God consistently with his character produce any other organization but a perfect one—capable of everlasting endurance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40If not, whence then arises our present, imperfect, changeable, and unhappy situation?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Is it not the result of man's own doings?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Was it not man, and not God, that brought imperfection, pain and death, into our world?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Was it not God that gave to man an immortal body?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40And was it not man that changed it to mortality?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Was it not God that gave endless life to man?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40And was it not man that called death unto himself?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40O unhappy man! As death is not an ingredient of thy nature, why hast thou sought after it?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Tell us ye first progenitor of the human race why ye chose mortality instead of immortality,—why pain was prefered to ease—why death was desired rather than life?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Didst thou not believe that these evils would be the result of thy transgression?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Or didst thou prefer these evils for some great and wise purpose?

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Couldst thou, while immortal in the garden of Eden, appreciate the blessings and good with which thou was then surrounded?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Couldst thou appreciate light if thou wert never in darkness?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Couldst thou appreciate sweetness without a knowledge of sourness?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Couldst thou fully appreciate any blessing without contrasting it by experiencing in some degree its opposite?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Didst thou, therefore, prefer knowledge to ignorance, thou gained by painful experience—by sorrow and mourning, misery and death?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.40Didst thou prefer to "BECOME AS GODS KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL," rather than to remain in everlasting ignorance of both these principles, though death itself should be the price of this knowledge?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41[p.41] If so, didst thou expect any deliverance from the miserable condition into which thou wert about to plunge thyself, with all thy posterity?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41If so, whence did ye expect deliverance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Couldst thou deliver thyself?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Couldst thou say to immortality "return again," and would it obey you?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Couldst thou say to the scattered elements of thy body, now mingled with dust, "be organized!" and would they hearken to thy voice?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Couldst thou command the openings of Paradise and return again from banishment to thy former possessions?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Couldst thou lift the curtains of heaven, and behold again the smiles of thy Father's countenance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41If not, how canst thou be restored to the blessings of Eden—to the beauties of Paradise—to that which thou hast lost?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41How canst thou triumph over death—regain immortality—and dwell again in the abodes of light, life, and love?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Who holds the keys of salvation, and the power to redeem to the utmost?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Who is capable of being entrusted with so great and important a work?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41

Is there any among all the heavenly host better qualified than Jesus Christ our eldest brother?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Hast he not had a longer experience than any of the rest of the family?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Is it not through his love and mercy alone, that redemption will come?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Will not all mankind be fully restored from the effects of Adam's sin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41And will not this universal redemption be unconditional on their part?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Is any man required to believe in Christ, repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins, or to do any other work, to obtain a resurrection from the dead?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Is not this blessing obtained by free grace alone without works?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Is any man too wicked to be raised from the dead, and be fully redeemed from the penalty of the original sin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41Will not all mankind, after the resurrection, return again into the presence of God, and there be judged for their own sins and not Adam's? Will not their own sins condemn them?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.41And will not their own sins banish them from his presence? Or are there conditions of redemption from our sins? If so, what are these conditions on the part of man?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Are they not faith in Christ, repentance of all our sins, baptism for [p.42] the remission of the same, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and a faithful compliance with all the commands of God unto the end?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Wouldst thou attain to a glorious resurrection, and be exalted among the just? Comply with the conditions and all are thine.IV. "Angels"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. Heb. i. 14.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42O ye angels! Ye messengers of light! Ye inhabitants of distant worlds!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Who are ye?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Whence your origin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42And what your future destiny?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Are ye of the same species with man?

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Were ye begotten by the same parents?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Were ye composed of the same kind of elements?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Were ye fashioned in the same likeness and image of man?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42If ye are of the same species—begotten of the same parents—composed of the same kind of spiritual matter, and fashioned in the same image, then are not both classes brothers and sisters—of one common origin?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42If so, why are one class commonly called men, and the other angels?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Is it not merely to designate and distinguish between different classes of the same order of beings, according to their advancement in the different stages of their existence?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Into how many grand divisions may the angels be divided? They may be divided into four grand divisions as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42First spirits or angels, who have never been incorporated with flesh and bones.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Second, spirits or angels, embodied in a mortal tabernacle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42Third, spirits or angels disembodied, but waiting for the resurrection.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42And fourth, spirits or angels, embodied in an immortal tabernacle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.42These four grand divisions of angels, may still further be divided into fourteen different classes as follows:—FIRST GRAND DIVISIONThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.421. Angels never embodied, who kept their first estate.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.422. Angels never embodied. who rebelled and kept not their first estate. [p.43]SECOND GRAND DIVISIONThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.431. Mortal men, who hear and obey the gospel.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.432. Mortal men, who never heard the gospel.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.433. Mortal men, who hear the gospel but do not obey it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.434. Mortal men, who hear the gospel and obey it, but afterwards fall away and become sons of perdition.THIRD GRAND DIVISIONThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.43

1. Disembodied spirits in Celestial paradise, or place of happiness.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.432. Disembodied spirits in Terrestrial Paradise, or prison.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.433. Disembodied spirits in Telestial Paradise, or outer darkness.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.434. Disembodied spirits of the sons of perdition, the most degraded of all.FOURTH GRAND DIVISIONThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.431. Resurrection, Celestial angels.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.432. Resurrection, Terrestrial angels.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.433. Resurrection, Telestial angels.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.434. Resurrection, sons of perdition.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.43All of these classes of beings were in their origin, the sons and daughters of God—begotten by or unto him before this world was made.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.43The "first born" of all this numerous family was Jesus Christ. He is "the first born of every creature."—Col. i. 15. "The beginning of the creation of God." Rev. iii. 14. "The bright and morning star." Rev. xxii. 16. At what period in eternity our oldest brother was born, we know not. If we were to judge from the analogy of nature, we should suppose that a period equal to many millions of our years must have intervened between his birth and the organization of our present globe. If there is any analogy between the present process and laws of the generation of our bodies, and the previous process and laws of the generation of our spirits; that is, if in the former world, it requires nearly or quite the same length of time to organize, develop, and to bring forth the SPIRITUAL EMBRYO, that it requires in the present world to organize, develop, and bring forth the tabernacle, then we can form a faint idea of the vast length of time which must have intervened.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.43As we pass along with this subject, let us make a few mathematical calculations, founded, however, upon suppositions which are very imperfect data.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.43Suppose that the whole number of spirits, designed to take tabernacles in this world, were the offspring of the same parents—begotten and born of the same father and mother, at an average rate of one per year. What length of time would it require for the production of so [p.44] great a family? In order to give a correct solution of this question, it would be necessary to know the precise number of inhabitants, designed for this globe. But on the supposition that the earth stands eight thousand years with an average population of five hundred millions every fifty years—then the whole population would amount to (80,000,000,000) eighty thousand million. Hence upon these suppositions 80,000,000,000 of years must have intervened between the birth day of the oldest and youngest. Add to the whole amount of the human family, one-third part of the host of heaven who fell, and the sum would be increased to one hundred and twenty

[thousand] million which, upon the foregoing suppositions, would be the age of the "first born." But let us extend our calculation still further, and take into consideration the inhabitants of the thirty worlds of our "Solar system." Let us suppose them to exist 8000 of our years, and be peopled in proportion to their surfaces in the same ratio of our world. What would be the amount of inhabitants?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44The extent of surface upon these thirty worlds is equal to (12,750) twelve thousand seven hundred and fifty times the surface of our globe: hence the whole number of inhabitants would amount to (1,020,000.000,000,000) one thousand and twenty million of millions. If all these spirits or angels were born of the same parents at the average rate of one per year, then upwards of one thousand billion of years must have elapsed between the birth day of the oldest and youngest.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44If we were still to extend our calculations beyond the limits of the Solar system, and take into consideration the inhabitants of the innumerable systems of worlds existing in the vast immensity of space, our imaginations would be altogether overpowered, and our limited capacities incapable of conceiving any rational idea of the immense unlimited number of beings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44Should any contend that these were all the offspring of the same parents, we would ask where is the mind so expansive and powerful, as to grasp within its conceptions the countless ages of eternity requisite for the production of so numerous a progeny?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44Would it not, therefore, be more reasonable to suppose that the countless number of spirits, who have their abode upon such a vast variety of worlds, are the offspring, not of one pair, but of many; and that the law of increase is not confined to God alone, or to one pair, but is extended to other beings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44Who were the Angels sent to Adam immediately after the fall? (See Book of Mormon and other revelations.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.44Were they disembodied Angels then living in their first estate, or were they Angels incorporated with flesh and bones, having been raised [p.45] from the dead or translated in some former world? Let those who know, answer.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45If spirits only administer in the world of spirits, and Angels of flesh and bones only administer to flesh and bones, then it follows that the angels who administered to Adam, must have been fleshly beings of some former world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45But there are instances of spiritual bodies, administering to fleshly bodies, as for instance, the exhibition of Jesus Christ to the brother of Jared on the mount where he shows him the body of his spirit, and informs him that all men had a pre-existence, that is, were created in the beginning after the image and likeness of the body of his spirit. (see Book of Mormon.) Again the administration of the spirit of Samuel to the witch of Endor and Saul, the administration of the spirit of Noah, called Gabriel, to Daniel, Zachariah, and Mary.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45There is a difference in the appearance of the spirits of just men, and those immortal beings raised from the dead or translated. If the first become visible, they must appear in brightness with exceeding great splendor and glory. They have no tabernacle in which to hide the brightness of their glory, when visible to mortal eyes; the second can display their glory, or veil it from mortal gaze, by the interposition of the fleshly tabernacle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45Hence the second in this respect, hold a preeminence above the first, being possessed of the superior power of administering in brightness and glory, or appearing like common mortal men according to their own will and pleasure.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45As an example of the exceeding great glory of the first, witness the description of Gabriel by Daniel; so great was his brightness, that this man of God could not stand in his presence, but was overpowered and fell to the ground, and did not regain his natural strength for some days after.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45As examples of the administration of the second, read the description of Jesus appearing to the two disciples, who did not know him from a stranger, though he was a resurrected being. He was known to them by his breaking bread and vanishing from their sight. In many of his other administrations after his resurrection, we do not read that the disciples had any difficulty in gazing upon him, and conversing with him in the most familiar manner. His glory was veiled from their view.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45But unto Saul of Tarsus, and unto John the revelator, he permitted his glory to shine forth, which in the first instance was so great as to injure and destroyed the natural vision; and in the second, caused as good a man as John to fall as dead at his feet.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.45Angels of flesh and bones were no doubt such as took dinner with Abraham, and afterwards took a long pleasant walk with him towards [p.46] Sodom and tarried all night with Lot, and waited upon him out of the city next morning. These angels were occasionally fond of a good wrestle, hence we find Jacob wrestling with one all night; both seem to have been equally matched, at least, neither of them was able to conquer by his physical strength alone; the only way that the angel could prevail, was by taking the advantage of his own mental powers, and performing a miracle by crippling Jacob.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46But says one, where did these angels get their flesh and bones, seeing that none of this globe had as yet been raised from the dead? We answer, that they had no doubt come on a mission (if not a pleasure excursion), from the city of Zion, which was translated with Enoch. Such angels as these were frequently seen before the Messiah came. At the resurrection of Christ the translated angels of the city of Zion, received a great addition to their numbers by the resurrection of the saints who came out of their graves in those days. These saints immediately after leaving the grave, condescended to appear unto many. We have no account, however, of their showing their glory to any man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46

When the apostle exhorts the Christian church to be careful to entertain strangers, for in so doing some had entertained angels unawares; he no doubt had reference to these kind of angels, who could come in disguise by hiding their glory in fleshly bodies.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46But among all the different classes of angels, how many have a right and legal authority to minister to the saints?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46We would answer, none but those who are under a celestial law. For the saints are governed by a celestial law, administered by a celestial Priesthood, and no beings or angels under an inferior law or priesthood, can administer unto any beings or saints under a superior law and priesthood, for this would be a violation of the order of heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46But, enquires one, cannot the seven or eight classes of angels, who are under an inferior law, become visible to man, and have power and influence over him?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46We answer, that they may be permitted to visit men, and converse with them, but men have no fight to receive their teaching; for they hold not the keys of authority, neither understand the celestial law, and are without the priesthood; therefore they who hearken to their visions or their teaching, are captivated and brought in bondage to the inferior or lower kingdoms, where they will be more or less miserable and wretched according to the nature and degree of wickedness existing in such kingdoms.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.46Perhaps some may enquire, how the saints can distinguish between angels of authority, and such as have no authority, seeing there are so many different classes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.47[p.47] We answer, that no one can distinguish correctly, without the keys of the priesthood, obtained through the ordinances of endowment.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.47Without these keys, man is liable to be deceived by numerous orders and classes of beings, presenting false visions and revelations to his mind, for instance, saints apostatize from this church, and while in a state of apostacy, they have the awful wickedness and presumption to administer sacred ordinances in the name of the Lord. To such abominable characters, the Lord in his wrath permits the devil, or some of his angels, or some other of the lower order of beings to show them false visions and revelations; thus he suffers them to swallow down strong delusions, because they apostatized from his kingdom, till finally they fill up their measure of iniquity, and are fully ripened for the burning. Let the saints therefore, beware of apostacy, and apostates, such as Rigdon, McLellin, Hinkle, &c., lest ye be consumed in their wickedness, like the rebellious among the ancient Israelites. For the Lord is not to be trifled with, though he bears long with them, for their destruction is sure, (without severe repentance,) and will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon them, like the whirlwind, and they shall not escape. [p.48]{4}The Kingdom of God. Part I(Liverpool: R. James, Printer, 1848)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.48

The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any part of the universe. All other governments are illegal and unauthorized. God, having made all beings and worlds has the supreme right to govern them by his own laws, and by officers of his own appointment. Any people attempting to govern themselves by laws of their own making, and by officers of their own appointment, are in direct rebellion against the kingdom of God. The antediluvians were overthrown by a flood, because they rejected the government of the Almighty, and instituted their own governments in its stead. Noah and his family were the only loyal and obedient subjects to the legal power: they alone were saved. The universal desolation and utter abolishment of all the unauthorized man-made governments of the old world, should have been an everlasting warning to all future generations to avoid the same rebellion, and to establish no governments on the earth of human origin. But, alas? the posterity of Noah soon revolted from the only legal, rightful power, and set up for themselves forms of governments of their own inventions. The rebellion soon became so general, that all the inhabitants of the earth, except Melchizedek, Abraham, Lot, and a very few others, engaged themselves in it, supporting and upholding kings and other Officers in their usurped authority, and suffering themselves to be governed by human laws, instead of revealed laws from God. From that time until the present, empires, kingdoms, principalities, republics, and numerous other corrupt, illegal, unauthorized powers, have multiplied themselves in the four quarters of the globe. At various times, during the last four thousand years, God has asserted his rights, and endeavoured to establish his own authority, his own laws, and his own government among the children of men. But so great was the opposition manifested by those illegal, rebellious powers, that his government while on earth was exceedingly limited in numbers. The vast majority of mankind made war against it—overcame, killed, and destroyed its officers and loyal subjects, until not a vestige of it was left remaining on the earth. For seventeen hundred years the nations upon the eastern hemisphere have been entirely destitute of the "kingdom of God,"—entirely destitute of a true and legal government—entirely destitute of officers legally authorized to rule and govern. All the emperors, kings, princes, [p.49] presidents, lords, nobles, and rulers, during that long night of darkness, have acted without authority. Not one of them was called or anointed a king or prince by the God of heaven—not one of them received any communication whatsoever from the rightful sovereign, the Great King. Their authority is all assumed—it originated in man. Their laws are not from the Great Lawgiver, but the production of their own false governments. Their very foundations were laid in rebellion, and the whole superstructure, from first to last, is a heterogeneous mass of discordant elements, in direct opposition to the kingdom of God, which is the only true government which should be recognized on earth or in heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49The kingdom of God is a theocracy. And as it is the only form of government which will redeem and save mankind, it is necessary that every soul should be rightly and thoroughly instructed in regard to its nature and general characteristics. The beauty, glory, power, wisdom, and order of the kingdom of God may be more fully understood by a careful examination of the following subjects.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49First.—The nature and character of the King.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Second.—The character and requisite qualifications of the subordinate officers.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Third.—The nature and character of the laws of adoption, or the invariable rule by which aliens are admitted into the kingdom as citizens.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Fourth.—The nature and character of the laws given for the government of all adopted citizens.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Fifth.—The character, disposition, and qualifications necessary for every citizen to possess.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Sixth.—The rights, privileges, and blessings enjoyed by the subjects in this life.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Seventh.—The rights, privileges, and blessings promised to the faithful, obedient subjects in a future life.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49Dear reader, your future well-being in all time to come, depends upon your rightly understanding these seven subjects. Read, therefore, with serious attention, and your mind shall be opened to see things that you never saw before; things too of infinite importance, without which you can in no wise be saved. Let us begin by examining—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.49First.—The nature and character of the King. God is the King. In him exists all legal authority. He alone has the right of originating a system of government on the earth. He claims this right by virtue of his having made man and the earth he inhabits. Man, therefore, is indebted to God for his own formation and for the formation of the planet on which he dwells. He also claims the right of establishing his government among men, by virtue of his superior wisdom and power. If God had sufficient wisdom and power to construct such a beautiful world as this, with all the infinite varieties of vegetables and animals appended to it; if he could [p.50] form such an intricate and complicated piece of machinery as the human tabernacle as a dwelling place for the human spirit, then we must admit that his wisdom and power are immeasurably greater than that of man, and hence he is qualified to reign as king. An order of government, established by such an all-wise, powerful being, must be good and perfect, and must be calculated to promote the permanent peace, happiness, and well-being of all his subjects. The great King is a very amiable being, full of benevolence and goodness, and never turns any person away empty, that comes requesting a favor which he sees would be for his benefit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.50The King occasionally visited his subjects in ancient times, and once tarried with them for several years; but he received such cruel abuse from many of the people that he left them, and went to some other part of his dominions. Where the King is gone the people cannot tell. They have not heard one word from him for upwards of seventeen hundred years. He has been absent so long, that some of the people have doubted even his existence. They have argued that if he did exist, that some one would very likely have heard something from him in the course of so many centuries. Many millions however have some idea that he exists, and are constantly sending all kinds of petitions to him;

but for some reason he sends no word back. No messengers are dispatched to the petitioners to give them any counsel upon any subject. It has become a very popular thing to send daily petitions to the King, and to appropriate one day out of seven for the especial purpose of sending in their petitions. The same petitions are frequently sent a great number of times. It is very unpopular however for any one to expect the King to make any reply to any petition sent in. Any one pretending to have received a reply would be counted a base impostor; for, say they, the King has spoken to no one for the last seventeen hundred years; no one has heard from him since he conversed with his servant John on the isle of Patmos. The King conversed very freely with his subjects in the early and middle ages; and some think it very strange that he has been silent so long. They have expended millions in building many costly and magnificent churches in honour of his name; but yet he has not deigned to grace one of them with a visit, neither has he condescended to send any tidings to them by a messenger or otherwise. He has not informed them whether he was pleased or displeased with their splendid edifices. His profound silence for so many centuries has caused many to think, that he was, for some reason, very angry with the people; yet they could not see why he should be angry when the people were doing so much to honor him—when they were expending millions to hire learned men to preach and write in such an eloquent manner about him.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.51[p.51] Reader, can you tell why the King would be so distant? Why he holds no communication with any of the people? Why he has not sent one sentence of consolation or counsel to them? Why he has suffered some fifteen thousand millions of the human race to fall into their graves, in the latter ages, without condescending to speak one word to any of them? There must be some cause for all this. There must be something wrong. The King never formerly served his people in this manner; and when he went away, he left word that if any of his people lacked wisdom or knowledge on any subject, they should send in their petition to him, and he would liberally send them the requisite information.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.51I will now tell you the reason why the King has kept silence so long. It is because he has had no subjects to converse with; all have turned away from him and advocated other governments as being the rightful and legal authority. They killed off, and utterly destroyed, every true subject of his kingdom, and left not a vestige of it upon the earth; and, to add to their guilt and wickedness, they have introduced idolatry in its worst forms, and utterly turned away from the true and living God. They have introduced a "God without BODY, PARTS OR PASSIONS." They have had the audacity to call this newly-invented god by the same name as the God of the ancient Saints, although there is not the least resemblance between them. Indeed there could be no resemblance between them; for a bodiless god, without "parts or passions," could resemble nothing in heaven, on earth, or in hell. This imaginary modern god has become exceedingly popular. It is to him that a vast number of churches have been erected. It is not to the true and living God that they send forth petitions, but it is to this imaginary being. No wonder that they have received no communication from him! no wonder that he has not honoured them with a visit. As he has no "PARTS," he could neither be felt nor seen if he should visit them. Such a being could not speak, for he has no "parts" to speak with.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.51

There have been various species of idolatry in different ages of the world. The sun, moon, stars, beasts, crocodiles, frightful serpents, images of wood, of stone, and of brass, have been erected into gods, and worshipped by innumerable multitudes. But the system of idolatry, invented by modern christianity, far surpasses in absurdity anything that we have ever heard of. One of the celebrated worshippers of this newly-discovered god, in his "Physical Theory of another Life," says, "A disembodied spirit, or, we would rather say, an unembodied spirit, or sheer mind, is NOWHERE. Place is a relation belonging to extension; and extension is a property of matter; but that which is wholly abstracted from matter, and in speaking of which we deny that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subject to none of its conditions; and we might as well say of a pure spirit that it is hard, heavy, or red, or [p.52] that it is a cubic foot in dimensions, as say that it is here or there. It is only in a popular and improper sense that any such affirmation is made concerning the Infinite Spirit, or that we speak of God as everywhere present. God is in every place in a sense, altogether incomprehensible by finite minds, inasmuch as his relation to space and extension is peculiar to infinitude. Using the terms, as we use them of ourselves, God is not here or there, any more than he exists now and then." This species of idolatry, according to the foregoing quotations, approaches so near to Atheism, that no one can tell the difference. Reader, can you see the difference? A god "without a body!" A god "without parts!" A god that cannot be "here or there!" A god that is "NOWHERE!" A god that cannot exist "NOW and THEN!" A god that exists in NO TIME! A god that has no extension—no "parts"—no conceivable relation to time or space! O, blush for modern christianity!—a pious name for Atheism! Some, perhaps, may think that I have not sufficient charity. But why should I have charity for a god that has no "parts"—no relation to space? Let him first have charity for himself. But this would be impossible; for he is a god "without passions." He can have no charity nor love for himself nor any one else. There is no danger of offending him; for a passionless god is not capable of anger. One of the persons of this imaginary god is said to have been crucified. But this must be a sad mistake; for it would be impossible to crucify a portion of something that had no "parts." The reason, then, why the people have not received any word from the Great King, is because they have petitioned the wrong god. Would you expect her majesty, the queen of England, to answer your petition if it were directed to some African prince? Would you expect the God of heaven to answer a petition that was addressed to a Hindoo god? If then, your petitions are addressed to the bodiless, passionless god of modern christianity, you must not be surprised if the true God does not pay any attention to them. You need not expect that the true God will make any reply to petitions offered to any other being.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.52The true God exists both in time and in space, and has as much relation to them as man or any other being. He has extension, and form, and dimensions, as well as man. He occupies space; has a body, parts, and passions; can go from place to place—can eat, drink, and talk, as well as man. Man resembles him in the features and form of his body, and he does not differ materially in size. When he has been seen among men, he has been pronounced, even by the wicked, as one of their own species. So much did he look like man, that some supposed him to be the carpenter's son. Like man, he had a Father; and he was the "the express image of the person of the Father." The two persons were as much alike in form, in size, and in every other respect as fathers and

sons are of the human race; indeed, the human race are "his offspring," made in his [p.53] likeness and image, not after his moral image, but after the image of his person. There is no such thing as moral image. Such an image cannot exist. Morality is a property of some being or substance. A property without a substance or being to which it appertains is inconceivable. A property can never have figure, shape, or image of any kind. Hence, a moral image never had an existence except in the brains of modern idolators.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.53The Godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is a material being. The substance of which he is composed is wholly material. It is a substance widely different in some respects from the various substances with which we are more immediately acquainted. In other respects it is precisely like all other materials. The substance of his person occupies space the same as other matter. It has solidity, length, breadth, and thickness, like all other matter. The elementary materials of his body are not susceptible of occupying, at the same time, the same identical space with other matter. The substance of his person, like other matter, cannot be in two places at the same instant. It also requires time for him to transport himself from place to place. It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow. It differs from other matter in the superiority of its powers, being intelligent, all-wise, and possessing the power of self-motion to a far greater extent than the coarser materials of nature. "God is a spirit." But that does not make him an immaterial being—a being that has no properties in common with matter. The expression, "an immaterial being," is a contradiction in terms. Immateriality is only another name for nothing. It is the negative of all existence. A "spirit" is as much matter as oxygen or hydrogen. It has many properties in common with all other matter. Chemists have discovered between fifty and sixty kinds of matter; and each kind has some properties in common with all other matter, and some properties peculiar to itself which the others do not inherit. Now, no chemist, in classifying his substances, would presume to say—This substance is material, but that one is immaterial, because it differs in some respects from the first. He would call them all material, though they in some respects differed widely. So the substance called spirit is material, though it differs in a remarkable degree from other substances. It is only the addition of another element of a more powerful nature than any yet discovered. He is not a being "without parts," as modern idolators teach; for every whole is made up of parts. The whole person of the Father consists of innumerable parts; and each part is so situated as to bear certain relations of distance to every other part. There must also be, to a certain degree, a freedom of motion among these parts, which is an essential condition to the movement of his limbs, without which he could only move as a whole.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.54[p.54] All the foregoing statements in relation to the person of the Father, are equally applicable to the person of the Son.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.54The Holy Spirit being one part of the Godhead, is also a material substance, of the same nature and properties in many respects, as the spirits of the Father and Son. It exists in vast immeasurable quantities in connexion with all material worlds. This is called God in the scriptures, as well as the Father and Son. God the Father and God the

Son cannot be everywhere present; indeed they cannot be even in two places at the same instant: but God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent—it extends through all space, intermingling with all other matter, yet no one atom of the Holy Spirit can be in two places at the same instant, which in all cases is an absolute impossibility. It must exist in inexhaustible quantities, which is the only possible way for any substance to be omnipresent. All the innumerable phenomena of universal nature are produced in their origin by the actual presence of this intelligent, all-wise, and all-powerful material substance called the Holy Spirit. It is the most active matter in the universe, producing all its operations according to fixed and definite laws enacted by itself, in conjunction with the Father and Son. What are called the laws of nature are nothing more nor less than the fixed method by which this spiritual matter operates. Each atom of the Holy Spirit is intelligent, and like all other matter has solidity, form, and size, and occupies space. Two atoms of this spirit cannot occupy the same space at the same time. In all these respects it does not differ in the least from all other matter. Its distinguishing characteristics from other matter are its almighty powers and infinite wisdom, and many other glorious attributes which other materials do not possess. If several of the atoms of this Spirit should unite themselves together into the form of a person, then this person of the Holy Spirit would be subject to the same necessity as the other two persons of the godhead, that is, it could not be everywhere present. No finite number of atoms can be omnipresent; an infinite number of atoms is requisite to be everywhere in infinite space. Two persons receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, do not each receive at the same time the same identical particles, though they do not each receive a substance exactly similar in kind. It would be as impossible for each to receive the same identical atoms at the same instant, as it would be for two men at the same time to drink the same identical pint of water. It is these three all-powerful substances that stand at the head of all legal government. All governments, not established by these three, will be ere long overthrown. They hold the supreme authority and power in heaven, and in the heaven of heavens, and throughout the wide expanse of universal nature. All principalities, powers, and kingdoms, whether in heaven or on earth, must yield to be instructed and controlled by the supreme power, or they cannot stand.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.55[p.55] Second.—The character and requisite qualifications of the subordinate officers in the kingdom of God are now to be considered. As the persons of the Father and Son cannot be everywhere present, it is therefore impossible for them to attend in person to all the multiplied affairs of government among intelligent beings; therefore, God, in establishing a government among such beings, has always called persons of their own number to officiate in his name. The character of these persons, previously to their calling and appointment, has generally been that of honesty and sincerity; otherwise they have not differed materially from other men.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.55The various officers, called of God to administer the affairs of his government, are apostles, prophets, bishops, evangelists, elders, pastors, teachers, and deacons. God has only one way of calling these different officers, and that is by new revelation. No person was ever authorized to act in the name of the Lord, unless called by new revelation. Paul says (Heb. v. 4), "No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron." Among the vast number of national governments now

upon the earth, where is there one that even professes to be the kingdom of God, or that its officers were called of God as was Aaron? Human authority and human calling are the only powers which any nation professes to have. But there are certain petty governments, called churches, organized within these national governments, which claim divine authority, and consider their officers authorized to act in the name of the Lord. But the great question is, have any of them been called as Aaron was? By new revelation Aaron was called. By new revelation the duties of his calling were made known. Have any of the Roman Catholic or Protestant officers been called by new revelation? Has God said one word to any of them? Do they not, with very few exceptions, declare that "There is no later revelation than the New Testament?" If the revelations contained in the New Testament are the last ones given, then the persons to whom they were given, were the last ones called of God. When new revelation ceases to be given, officers cease to be called of God. When the calling of officers cease, the kingdom of God ceases to be perpetuated upon the earth. Nothing is more certain than that the church of God ceased to exist on the earth when new revelation ceased to be given. All the modern christian churches, who deny new revelation ceased to be given. All the modern christian churches, who deny new revelation, have no more authority to preach, baptize, or administer any other ordinance of the gospel than the idolatrous Hindoos have; indeed all their administrations are worse than in vain—they are a solemn mockery in the sight of God. It is a grievous sin in the sight of God for any man to presume to baptize, unless God has authorized him by new revelation to baptize in his name. Saul, the king of Israel, lost his kingdom [p.56] because he assumed the authority that did not belong to him. (1 Sam. xiii. 8-15.) Another king of Israel was smote with leprosy until the day of his death, because he attempted to administer an ordinance without being called and authorized. (2 Chron. xxvi. 16-22.) So all the baptisms and sacraments administered by modern christian churches who have done away new revelation, are an abomination in the sight of God. All persons who shall suffer themselves to be baptized, or partake of these ordinances through the administration of these illegal unauthorized persons, after having been duly warned of the evil thereof, will bring themselves under great condemnation before God, and unless they repent of that sin they can in nowise be saved. The twelve apostles were called by new revelation, but that did not authorize Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, nor any other person. Each one had to receive a separate call by new revelation for himself. No one could lawfully act under a commission given to some other person. All the commissions recorded in the New Testament were given to individuals then living, and not to any individuals who should live in some future age. If any persons would have authority, let them obtain a new commission from God, as his servants always did in ancient times, and if they officiate without such new commission, then know assuredly that they are impostors.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.56The subordinate officers in the kingdom of God must not only be called of God, but qualified to act in their respective offices. The first qualification absolutely necessary for every officer in the kingdom is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the most important qualification of all others. No man, without this qualification, can attain to an office in the kingdom of God; it matters not how great his other attainments are; though he has studied the scriptures from a child, and committed them all to memory—though he has

carefully learned the original languages in which they were written—though he has made himself master of all sciences—grasped with a comprehensive mind all the arguments set forth in theological works, yet none of these attainments will qualify him for even the least office in the kingdom of God. The unlearned youth, who had not the knowledge of the English alphabet, if he were called of God, and qualified by the gift of the Holy Spirit, would have more power and authority, and could do more towards saving men, than all the theologians and doctors of divinity that the world affords, unless they also were called of God, and endowed with the gift of the Holy Ghost. No other qualifications whatsoever can be substituted in the stead of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the great distinguishing characteristic between the officers of the kingdom of God and impostors. Every officer sent of God has a qualification that no impostor ever had or ever can have.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58The first officers placed in the kingdom of God are apostles. Let us [p.57] inquire how in ancient times this office was conferred on man. Jesus said to his ancient apostles (John xv. 16) "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit." Paul informs us (Heb. iii. 1.) that Jesus himself was an apostle. Holding the office himself, he had the most perfect right to confer the same calling upon others; hence he first chose them and then "ordained" them; after this he sent them forth to preach (Matthew x) "and commanded them" "saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans, enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Although these apostles were chosen, ordained, and sent forth on a particular mission to the cities of Israel, with power to work mighty miracles, yet there was an essential qualification which they had not yet received. They had received power sufficient to qualify them to preach that the kingdom of heaven "was at hand." But they had not yet received power sufficient to fully organize and build up that kingdom on the earth. They lacked one very important qualification, without which they could never establish the kingdom which they had already predicted "was at hand." What was this further qualification which these apostles had not yet received? It was the gift of the Holy Ghost, or the other Comforter which Jesus promised them. It is very remarkable that these apostles should have such great power, and yet not have the Holy Ghost. But hear what the scripture saith, (John vii. 37, 38, 39), "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood, and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)." Mark the expression, "the Holy Ghost was not yet given." This agrees with another saying of Jesus to his apostles (John xvi. 7). "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send him unto you." Jesus calls this Comforter the Holy Ghost (John xiv. 26.) After the resurrection of Jesus, and as he was about to be taken up into heaven, he said to his apostles (Luke xxiv. 49), "Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you," (alluding to the Comforter or the Holy Ghost, which he promised several days before should be sent unto them from the Father after his

glorification); "but," said he, "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Thus you see, dear reader, that these apostles had power to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils," although the Holy Ghost [p.58] was not yet given to them. A certain power was yet lacking. Jesus had commanded them saying, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." But he would not suffer them to commence this mission until the promise of the Father—the Holy Ghost—was given them. They already had power to work mighty miracles, but had not the power to build upon the kingdom of God. This power they were to tarry for in Jerusalem, and when they should receive it, they were then to commence the duties of their mission, first, in the city of Jerusalem, and afterwards extend their labours to all nations. The power to work miracles is entirely a different thing from the power to build up the kingdom of God: the latter power, however, always includes the former, but the former power does not always include the latter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58We now ask, Where is there a man among all the churches of modern times, who has been called to the office of an apostle by new revelation? Where is there a man among all the millions of modern christians who has been ordained to the office of an apostle, under the hands of an apostle, as the Twelve were anciently? Where is there a man to be found among all the Catholics or Protestants who has been endowed with even the power of working miracles, to say nothing of the still greater power communicated in the gift of the Holy Ghost? If the apostles in ancient days could not build up the kingdom of God, without being endowed with these two degrees of power, surely no one since their day could be authorized to build the church of God with any less qualification.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58One of the important duties required of an apostle is to ADMINISTER THE SPIRIT. In 2 Cor. iii. 6, we read that both Paul and Timothy were made "able ministers of the Spirit." The ordinance through which the Spirit is ministered, is THE LAYING ON OF HANDS. (Acts viii. and xix. Heb. vi.) To the apostles were entrusted three very important ministrations for the salvation of man:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58First.—The ministration of the word.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58Second.—The ministration of the baptism of water.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58And Third.—The ministration of the baptism of the Spirit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.58While Jesus was with his apostles in person, they had power to minister the word and water, but not the Spirit, for they themselves had not yet been baptized with the Spirit: and they could not administer that which they were not yet in possession of? It was necessary that they should first receive the gift themselves, before they could confer it upon others. Hence we can perceive the propriety of Jesus commanding them to wait "at Jerusalem until they should be endued with power from on high;" for without this additional power they could neither save themselves nor others. Many persons have flattered themselves, that they can be saved without the assistance of a minister sent of God. But this is a [p.59] vain delusive hope; for Jesus hath expressly said "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Now as no

man can be saved out of the kingdom, it is necessary that he should be "born" into the kingdom; and this would be impossible without an administrator sent of God; for the birth or baptism of water, and the birth or baptism of the Spirit, require some one legally authorized to officiate in behalf of the candidate.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.59Reader, have you ever received the Holy Ghost through the laying on of the hands of one sent of God? If not, you are not yet born of the Spirit. You are not yet a child of the kingdom. Know assuredly, that unless you find some man who has been sent by the command of God as was Aaron, and get him to remit your sins through your faith, repentance, and baptism and have him to minister to you the Holy Ghost, as did the ancient apostles—you need not flatter yourself that you can be saved. Do not deceive yourself upon this all-important subject. Do not suffer any man to baptize or minister unto you, unless God has spoken unto him by the voice of his servants, and authorized him to minister in his name. Do you inquire how you are to know an authorized man of God from one who has no authority? I will tell you how to discern the difference. A true servant of God will never teach a false doctrine. He will never deny new revelation. He never will tell you that the canon of scripture is full, or that the New Testament is the last revelation ever intended to be given to man. He never will tell you that miraculous gifts are no longer necessary in the church of God. He never will tell you that inspired apostles, prophets, and other officers are not requisite in the church now. He never will tell you that the "ministration of the spirit," by "the laying on of hands," is done away by God's appointment. But he will tell you that if you will receive his message, and be baptized by one having authority, that your "sins shall be remitted," and that you shall know, by the teachings thereof, that his doctrine is true and of God. In this respect he will differ from all impostors; for an impostor never had power to "minister the spirit." An impostor dare not promise you that you shall be filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of his hands, for he knows that such a promise would not be fulfilled—he knows that you would detect him to be a false teacher by complying with his conditions, and failing to receive his promise. An impostor, knowing that he has no power to give the Holy Ghost as the ancient apostles had, will endeavour to persuade you that such power is not necessary now. He knows very well, that if he cannot get the people to believe that such power is not necessary in these days, that his own unauthorized pretensions will be at once detected.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.59An impostor, like Simon Magus, may deceive ignorant people by witchcraft and sorcery, but he can never deceive them by pretending to [p.60] give the Holy Ghost through prayer and laying on of hands. This is a power that none but a true minister of God possesses; it cannot be counterfeited by the devil. The devil can counterfeit the miracles of Christ, but he cannot counterfeit the gift of the Holy Ghost. None but the lawful ministers of Christ can minister the spirit. This, then, is an infallible sign by which to distinguish true apostles from false ones. But does this infallible sign exist either among the Papists or Protestants? Can any of their ministers give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands? If not, they are not the church of God, and their ministers are unauthorized—all their ministrations are illegal and an abomination in the sight of God—salvation is not among them. Not one person among all these societies has been legally baptized. Reader, are you a member of any of these societies? if so, haste to withdraw yourself

from them, that you partake not of their plagues, for the hour of their judgment is come. If you would be saved, seek after the apostles and prophets of the kingdom of God, and receive their ministrations, and you shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, and obtain eternal life. [p.61]{5}Absurdities of Immaterialism, or,A Reply to T. W. P. Taylder's Pamphlet, Entitled,"The Materialism of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints,Examined and Exposed."(Liverpool: R. James, Printer, 1849)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.61"What is truth?" This is a question which has been asked by many. It is a question supposed to be of difficult solution. Mr. Taylder in his tract against materialism, says, "It is a question which all the philosophers of the Grecian and Roman schools could not answer." He seems to think the question was unanswerable until the introduction of the gospel; since which time he considers that the veil is taken away, and that "we now enjoy the full blaze of truth." He further confidently asserts, that "with the materials afforded us in that sacred book, (meaning the New Testament,) we are enabled satisfactorily to answer the question, What is truth?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.61What does this author mean by the foregoing assertions? Does he mean, that no truth was understood by the Grecian and Roman schools? That no truth was discerned by the nations, during the first four thousand years after the creation? Or, does he mean, that the gospel truths were not understood until they were revealed? He certainly must mean the latter and not the former. Both the Romans and Grecians could, without the least difficulty, answer the question. "What is truth?" Nothing is more simple than an answer to this question. It is a truth, that something exists in space, and this truth was just as well perceived by all nations before the book called the New Testament existed as afterwards. It is a truth that, "the three angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles." This was not learned from that sacred book—the Bible. We admit that the question, what is gospel truth, could not be answered by any one to whom the gospel had never been revealed. Dr. Good, in his "Book of Nature," says, "general truth may be defined, the connexion and agreement, or repugnancy and disagreement, of our ideas." This definition we consider erroneous; for it makes general truth depend on the existence of ideas." Now truth is independent of all ideas. It is a necessary truth that, space is boundless, and that duration is endless, abstract from all connexion and agreement of our ideas, or even of our existence, or the existence of any other being. If neither the universe nor its Creator existed, these eternal unchangeable, and necessary truths would exist, [p.62] unperceived and unknown. Truth is the relation which things bear to each other. Knowledge is the perception of truth. Truth may exist without knowledge, but knowledge cannot exist without truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62The New Testament unfolds, not all the truths which exist, but some few truths of infinite importance. The vast majority of truths of less importance were discovered independently of that book.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62

"The followers of Joseph Smith," says this author, "hold the doctrine of the materiality of all existence in common with the ancient academics." This, sir, we admit. Our belief, however, in this doctrine, is founded, not on any modern supernatural revelation, unfolding this doctrine, as this author insinuates, but on reason and common sense. The doctrine of immaterialism, in our estimation, is false, and in the highest degree absurd, and unworthy the belief of any true Christian philosopher.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62The author of the treatise against materialism has stated his first proposition as follows:—"The Philosophy of the Mormons is IRRATIONAL."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62What the author means by this proposition is, that it is "irrational" to believe all substance material. To substantiate this proposition he sets out in quest of proof. An immaterial substance is the thing wanted. No other proof will answer. If he can prove the existence of an immaterial substance his point is gained,—his proposition established, and the irrationality of the material theory will be demonstrated.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62As we are about to launch forth into the wide field of existence in search of an "immaterial substance," it may be well to have the term correctly defined, so as to be able to distinguish such a substance from matter. It is of the utmost importance that every reasoner should clearly define the terms he employs. Two contending parties may use the same word in altogether different meanings; and each draw correct conclusions from the meaning which he attaches to the same word; hence arise endless disputes. As we have no confidence in the immaterial theory, we shall let the immaterialist define his own terms. We shall give,The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62Taylder's Definition.—"What is meant by an immaterial substance is merely this, that something exists which is not matter and is evidently distinct from matter, which is not dependent on matter for its existence, and which possesses properties and qualities entirely different from those possessed by matter." (Taylder's Tract against Materialism. Page 14.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.62This definition of an "immaterial substance" is ambiguous. It needs another definition to inform us what he means. Does he mean that ALL of "the properties and qualities" of an immaterial substance are "entirely [p.63] different from those possessed by matter;" and that it possesses NO properties in common with matter? Or does he mean that while it "possesses SOME properties and qualities entirely different" from matter it inherits OTHERS in common with matter? If the latter be his meaning, we see no reason for calling any substance "immaterial." Iron possesses SOME properties and qualities "entirely different" from all other kinds of matter, and other properties it inherits in common with every other kind. Shall we therefore say that iron is not matter? Among the various kind of matter, each has its distinct properties, and its common properties; and notwithstanding each possesses "entirely different" properties and qualities from all other kinds, yet each is called matter because it possesses some properties in common with all other kinds. Hence the term matter should be given to all substances which possess any properties in common, however wide they may differ in other respects. A

substance to be immaterial must possess NO properties or qualities in common with matter. All its qualities must be entirely distinct and different. It is to be regretted that our opponent has not defined an immaterial substance more clearly. As he is ambiguous in his definition, we shall presume that he entertains the same views as the modern advocates of immaterialism generally entertain.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.63That celebrated writer, Isaac Taylor, says,—"a disembodied spirit, or we should rather say, an unembodied spirit, or sheer mind, is NOWHERE. Place is a relation belonging to extension; and extension is a property of matter; but that which is wholly abstracted from matter, and in speaking of which we deny that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subjected to none of its conditions; and we might as well say of a pure spirit that it is hard, heavy, or red, or that it is a cubic foot in dimensions, as say that it is here or there. It is only in a popular and improper sense that any such affirmation is made concerning the Infinite Spirit, or that we speak of God as everywhere present." * * * "Using the term as we use them of ourselves, God is not here or there." * * * "When we talk of an absolute immateriality," continues this author, "and wish to withdraw mind altogether from matter, we must no longer allow ourselves to imagine that it is, or can be, in any place, or that it has any kind of relationship to the visible and extended universe." (Taylor's "Physical Theory of Another Life." Chapter II.) Dr. Good says, "The metaphysical immaterialists of modern times freely admit that the mind has NO PLACE of existence, that it does exist NOWHERE; while at the same time they are compelled to allow that the immaterial Creator or universal spirit exists EVERYWHERE, substantially as well as virtually." (Good's "Book of Nature," Series III., Lecture I.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.63Dr. Abercrombie, in speaking upon matter and mind, says, that "in as far as our utmost conception of them extends, we have no grounds [p.64] for believing that they have anything in common." (Abercrombie on the "Intellectual Powers." Part I. Sec. I.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.64With these definitions, we shall follow our opponent in his researches after an "immaterial substance." After taking a minute survey of man, he believes he has found in his composition, and in connexion with his bodily organization, something immaterial. He says, "the spirit is the purely immaterial part, which is capable of separation from the body, and can exist independently of the body."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.64"The body is that material part, 'formed out of the dust of the ground,' and is the medium through which the mind is manifested." (Taylder's Tract against Materialism. Page 8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.64That the mind or spirit, "is capable of separation from the body, and can exist independently of the body," we most assuredly believe; but that it is "immaterial" we deny; and it remains for Mr. Taylder to prove its immateriality. His first proof is founded on his own assertion, that "mind is simple, not compounded." If this assertion be admitted as true, it affords not the least evidence for the immateriality of mind. Every material atom is simple, not compounded. Is it, therefore, not matter? Must each simple, uncompounded elementary atom be immaterial?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.64

Mr. Taylder next says, "Mind is not perceivable to corporeal organs, matter is so perceivable." This assertion is altogether unfounded. "Corporeal organs" can perceive neither matter nor mind. The mind alone can perceive: corporeal organs are only the instruments of perception. Bishop Butler, in his Analogy, expressly says, that "our organs of sense prepare and convey on objects, in order to their being perceived, in like matter as foreign matter does, without affording any shadow of appearance, that they themselves perceive." (Butler's Analogy. Part I. Chap. I.) The mind clearly perceives its own existence as well as the existence of other matter. Perception, then, is a quality peculiar to that kind of matter called mind. Mr. Taylder further remarks, that "All the qualities of matter are not comparable with the more excellent qualities of mind, such as power and intelligence." We willing to admit that power and intelligence, and some other qualities of mind, are far superior to the qualities of other matter; but we do not admit that the superiority of some of the qualities of a substance prove its immateriality. The superiority of some qualities has nothing to do with the immateriality of the substance. OXYGEN possesses some qualities, not only distinct from, but superior to, those qualities possessed by BARIUM, STRONTIUM, SILICIUM, GLUCINIUM, ZIRCONIUM, and many other metals and material substances; yet no one from this will draw the conclusion, that oxygen is immaterial. Oxygen is material though it possesses some distinct and superior qualities to other matter; so mind or spirit is material, though it differs in the superiority of some of its qualities from other matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.65[p.65] It is strange, indeed, to see the inconsistencies of this learned author: he remarks, "Mind thinks, matter cannot think. It is the existence of this thinking principle which clearly proves the immateriality of the mind or spirit." This method of reasoning may be termed (petitio principii), begging the question. First, he assumes that "matter cannot think;" and, second, draws the conclusion that a thinking substance is immaterial. This conclusion is a legitimate one if the premises are granted; but the premises are assumed, therefore the conclusion is false. Prove that mind is not matter before you assume that "matter cannot think." It would seem from the assertions of this author, that the quality of "thinking" is to be the touchstone—the infallible test—the grand distinguishing characteristic between material and immaterial substances. It matters not, in his estimation, how many qualities different substances inherit in common, if one can be found that thinks, it must be immaterial. There is no one substance out of the fifty or more substances discovered by chemists, but what possesses some qualities "entirely different" from any of the rest; therefore, each substance, when compared with others, has equal claims with that of mind to be placed in the immaterial list. In proving that mind is immaterial, it is not enough to prove that it has some properties entirely distinct from other substances; but it must be proved to have no properties in common with matter. Nothing short of this will agree with the modern notions of immateriality. It must be shown that mind or spirit has no relation to duration or space—no locality—that it must exist "NOWHERE"—that it has no extension—that it exists not "Now" and "Then," neither "Here" nor "There"—that it cannot be moved from place to place—that it has no form or figure—no boundaries or limits of extension. These, according to the definitions of modern immaterialists, are the negative conditions or qualities absolutely necessary to the existence of all immaterial substance. While the opposite of these, or the positive qualities or conditions are absolutely

necessary to the existence of all material substance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.65"How do you distinguish," inquires Mr. Taylder, "between any two given substances, such as, that a block of stone is not a log of wood?" He answers, "Because they possess different qualities." And then declares, "So also you distinguish between mind and matter." But the "different qualities" by which "a block of stone" is distinguished from "a log of wood," do not prove either the stone or the wood to be immaterial; neither do the different qualities by which the substance called mind is distinguished from other substances, prove either the mind or the other substances to be immaterial. So far as the different qualities are evidences, the mind has as good a claim to materiality as the stone or wood.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.65"The properties of body," continues our learned opponent, "are size, weight, solidity, resistance, &c.; those of the mind are joy, hope, fear, [p.66] &c.; but weight is not joy, resistance is not hope, size is not fear; therefore, as a block of stone is not a log of wood, so mind is not matter." That a stone possesses many different qualities from wood, and that mind possesses many different qualities from other substances, we by no means deny; but that these different qualities prove stone, or wood, or mind, or any other substance to be immaterial, we do deny. We care not how many different properties mind possesses over and above other substances; that is altogether foreign from the question. But is it destitute of any or of all the properties which other substances possess? is the question. Is it destitute of "size, weight, solidity, resistance, &c?" If not, then the mind possesses all the essential characteristics of matter, though its peculiar and distinct properties should be multiplied to infinity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.66This author calls "weight" one of the properties of matter. What is weight? It is nothing more nor less than force. Matter approaches to, or presses on, other matter with weight, or force, or power. Now matter either exerts this force of itself, or else it is impelled either directly or indirectly by other substances, possessing intelligence, power, and other properties of mind. If matter exerts this power of itself, then it exhibits one of the properties of mind; but if the seat of this power is in that substance called mind, then it is mind that exhibits the power called weight, and not other substances. Mr. Taylder informs us that "it is mind, and mind alone, which is the seat of power." (Taylder against Materialism. Page 12.) If this be true, (and we feel no disposition to deny it), then weight is not the property of unintelligent matter, but a property of mind. And the same reasoning will apply to all other powers or forces which are generally ascribed to unintelligent matter. They are only the powers or forces of mind, or else other substances exhibit powers or forces which are common to mind: in the latter case, mind could not be immaterial: in the former case, unintelligent matter (if such exist) is deprived of every force usually ascribed to it. It can have neither gravitation, attraction, repulsion, chemical affinity, nor any other conceivable force. Though deprived of all energy or force, unintelligent matter would still be possessed of those inert qualities (if, indeed, they may be called qualities) essential to its existence. These qualities, or rather conditions necessary to its existence, are duration, extension or place, solidity, figure, &c. An immaterial substance must have none of those conditions or qualities.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.66

It is amusing to trace this author's process of reasoning. He first assumes premises entirely false, argues from the same, shows the deductions to be absurd and triumphantly exclaims, "Mind then is not matter." We will quote the following specimen: "If the mind," says this author, "be material and the brain nothing but a large gland, secreting the various affections of thought, hope, joy, memory, &c, then all these [p.67] affections or qualities are material, and must be also little particles of matter, of different forms and dimensions, and perhaps of various colours. Then we might, with the utmost propriety, without the shadow of an absurdity, logically say, 'the twentieth part of our belief, the half of a hope, the top of memory, the corner of a fear, the north side of a doubt,' &c. Mind then is not matter." (Taylder against Materialism. Page 15.) It will be perceived that this logical author, in the foregoing quotation, confounds affections or qualities with mind; that is, he supposes "thought, hope, joy, memory," &c. all to be material as well as the mind; he then introduces a material brain that secretes the material affections; but what becomes of the material mind he does not tell us; probably the material mind is stowed away in some extremity of the body—in the foot or big toe, so as not to interfere with its material affections, which are secreted in the material brain at the other extremity. After imagining up such an unheard of being, no wonder that he should discover some absurdities in its composition. No wonder that in such a creature of his own invention, there should be, not only "the corner of a fear," and "the north side of a doubt," but a cubical imagination with horns to it. No wonder that such frightful absurdities should cause as great a man as Taylder to exclaim with the upper part of a five-cornered assurance, that "Mind then is not matter." It would be a logical conclusion from his logical absurdities, founded on his material affections of a material mind.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.67But who does not know that "thought, hope, joy, memory," and all other affections or qualities are not substances of any kind, but merely different operations or states of the mind? A material mind, possessing the power to think, to feel, to reason, to remember, is not the brain, nor secretions of the brain, nor any other part of the fleshy tabernacle; but it is the being that inhabits it, that preserves its own identity, whether in the body or out of it, and remains unchangeable in its substance whatever changes may happen to the body. This material spirit or mind existed before it entered the body, exists in the body, will exist after it leaves the body, and will be reunited again with the body in the resurrection.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.67As another specimen of monstrous absurdities logically deduced from absurd premises, we quote the following:—"Materialism" he remarks, "is not only relatively but absolutely absurd. If mind be matter, or matter mind, then we may have the square or cube of joy or grief, of pain or pleasure. We may divide a great joy into a number of little joys, or we may accumulate a great joy by heaping together the solid parts of several little joys. We shall then have the color and shape of a thought. It will be either white, grey, brown, crimson, purple, or it may be a mixture of two or more colors. Then we shall have a dark grey hope, a bright yellow sorrow, a round brown tall pain, and an octagonal green [p.68] belief; an inch of thought, a mile of joy." We do most cordially agree with Mr. Taylder that these results would be "not only relatively but absolutely absurd;" and only equalled by the absurdity of the premises from which they were deduced. He has assumed that the several STATES or CONDITIONS of the mind, such as joy, grief,

pain, pleasure, thought, &c., are material as well as the mind. With the same propriety he might have assumed that MOTION is material as well as the matter moved. Joy is no more a substance than motion, both are merely the states or conditions of substance. As great absurdities could be deduced from assuming that motion is material, as there can be from Mr. Taylder's assumption that joy is material. As an illustration, let us take this author's own words, with the exception of substituting iron for mind, motion for the affections of the mind; it will then read thus:—"If" iron "be matter, or matter" iron, "then we may have the square or cube of" a solid motion. "We may divide a great" solid motion "into a number of little" solid motions, "or we may accumulate a great" solid motion "by heaping together the solid parts of several little" solid motions. "We shall then have a color and shape of a" motion. "It will be either white, grey, brown, crimson, purple, or it may be a mixture of two or more colors. Then we shall have a dark grey" motion "a round, brown, tall" motion; "an inch" or "a mile of" solid motion, &c. It is strange that Mr. Taylder did not close his train of reasoning, by saying, "Mind, therefore, is not matter;" and then we could have completed the parallel by saying, iron, therefore, is not matter. If such reasoning proves mind immaterial, similar reasoning will prove any other substance immaterial.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.68"Mr. Orson Pratt," observes our author, "calls matter into existence, of which the world knows but little. He has not only 'intelligent matter,' but 'all-wise,' and 'all-powerful' matter. This matter is capable of division into parts; for all matter has length, breadth, and thickness. Then we shall have the half of an intelligent atom of matter, the eighth of an all-wise atom, the thousandth part of an all-powerful atom &c. Such are the absurdities which 'the Latter-day Saint' embraces." Here the author seems to have recovered partially from the wild absurd notions of applying the term material to the affections, and is willing to apply it to substance where it belongs. But he speaks of the division of atoms which does not accord with the general notions of modern philosophy. The immortal Newton says, "It seems probable that God, in the beginning, formed matter in solid, masses, hard, impenetrable, moveable particles." This does not favor the divisibility of atoms. Newton further observes, "That nature may be lasting, the changes of corporeal things are to be placed only in the various separations, and new associations, and motions of these permanent particles; compound bodies being apt to break, not in the midst of solid particles, but where those particles are laid [p.69] together, and touch only in a few points. These are the views entertained by philosophers generally at the present day, with the exception of here and there an isolated individual who advocates the theory of the infinite divisibility of matter. Perhaps our author may be of that class; for he speaks of the division of atoms. It is admitted that substance is capable of division and subdivision until arriving at its ultimate atoms, after which all further separation ceases. This division of the same kind of substance does not alter or change the nature or properties of the respective parts; if they possessed attraction when united, they also possess it when separated or else attraction is the result of union and ceases with it. So in relation to intelligent substance, without regard to its materiality or immateriality; if it is intelligent as a whole, it is intelligent in its respective parts after division, or else the intelligent power is the result of the union of unintelligent parts, and ceases when the union ceases. Therefore if the intelligent substance, called mind, is intelligent, as a whole, it is intelligent in all its parts; and there

would be no more absurdity in speaking of the half, the eighth, or the thousandth part of an intelligent substance, than there would be in speaking of the half, the eighth, or the thousandth part of an attracting substance. And yet Mr. Taylder exclaims, "Such are the absurdities which the 'Latter-day Saint' embraces."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.69Perhaps our author's immaterial mind or spirit will not suffer him to believe that the whole spirit of man is made up or consists of parts. If the spirit of man is a substance, as Mr. Taylder admits, though he denies its materiality, then it must be either a simple uncompounded being or atom, or a united collection of such beings or atoms.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.69Bishop Butler supposes the spirit of man to be a single, simple, indivisible being. He remarks, that "since consciousness is a single and individual power, it should seem that the subject in which it resides must be so too," "that is the conscious being." He remarks, that "since consciousness is a single and individual power, it should seem that the subject in which it resides must be so too," "that is the conscious being." He further says, "That we have no way of determining by experience what is the certain bulk of the living being each man calls himself; and yet, (continues he), till it be determined that it is larger in bulk than the solid elementary particles of matter, which there is no ground to think any natural power can dissolve, there is no sort of reason to think death to be the dissolution of it, of the living being, even though it should not be absolutely indiscerptible." (Butler's Analogy. Part I, Chap. I.) Our author seems to be a little more positive than Butler, and asserts apparently without any doubt, that "mind is simple not compounded." (Taylder against Materialism. Page 14.) Here, then, according to both Butler and Taylder, we have a simple, uncompounded, indivisible, little [p.70] atom of conscious substance, or, in other words, an intelligent atom. The terms atoms and being are synonymous when applied to a simple indivisible substance so small that Butler intimates that its "bulk" has not been determined to exceed "the solid elementary particles of matter."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.70If the spirit of one man is a little atom of intelligent substance having "bulk," the spirit of every other man is a similar atom; hence in the human bodies now living on the earth, there must exist nearly one thousand million of intelligent atoms, each conscious of its own existence, and capable of originating motion independently of the others. Mr. Taylder says this intelligent atom or spirit "is capable of separation from the body, and can exist independently of the body." This being admitted, then there must be many thousand million of intelligent atoms which once inhabited bodies but now exist independently of them. This is the legitimate result of the theory which assumes that the spirit of a man is a little conscious being—a substance, simple, uncompounded and indivisible, capable of existing either in or out of a body. Where, then, Mr. Taylder, is the absurdity in believing as the "Saints" do, in the existence of immense numbers of intelligent atoms? It agrees most perfectly with the results of your own theory—the only difference is in the name. You call these little indivisible substances immaterial, we call them material. You apply to them the same powers that we do. You believe them to be conscious, intelligent, and thinking atoms as well as we. The name of a substance does not alter its nature; as for instance some call one of the constituent elements of the atmosphere "azote," others call it "nitrogen," but all admit that it possesses the same

nature and properties. If this indivisible conscious being, or atom of substance, possesses "bulk," as Bishop Butler intimates, then in this respect it is like the atoms of all other substances, and therefore it must be matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.70If some atoms can possess various degrees of intelligence, wisdom, and power, whether in the body or out of it, then there is no absurdity in the theory that there are other atoms which are "all-wise" and "all-powerful." Mr. Taylder admits that there must be a God, and that he is an all-wise and all-powerful being or substance,—that substance must be either a simple uncompounded indivisible being or atom, or a collection of such beings or atoms. If it be an indivisible being or atom, it would prove the existence of one all-wise and all-powerful being or atom: if it be a collection of such beings or atoms, then the theory of all-wise and all-powerful atoms of substance is established. All theistical writers admit the existence of such a substance. It is not the existence of the substance that is questioned, but it is its nature. One class calls it immaterial, another material. Mr. Taylder has undertaken to prove that it is immaterial, but as yet he has not furnished us with even the most distant shadow of an evidence, unless, indeed, his own assertions are [p.71] evidence. Indeed, he has nowhere attempted to prove that the spiritual substance of either man or the Deity possesses no properties in common with other substance admitted to be matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71As another specimen of Taylder's logic we quote the following:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71"There is another conclusion equally absurd, if the existence of an immaterial substance be denied, and thinking be ascribed to matter, and that is, the mind must always think in the same way, in the same direction." As a proof of this assumption our author refers to the writings of Priestly, as follows:—"If man," says Dr. Priestly, "be a material being, and the power of thinking the result of a certain organization of the brain, does it not follow, that all his functions must be regulated by the laws of mechanism, and that, of consequence, all his actions proceed from an irresistible necessity?" "The doctrine of necessity," continues Priestly, "is the immediate result of the doctrine of the materiality of man; for mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71We are willing to admit that "an irresistible necessity" would be the inevitable consequence of assuming that "the power of thinking is the RESULT of a CERTAIN ORGANIZATION of the BRAIN." But this is a most absurd assumption; for if "the power of thinking be the result of a certain organization of the brain," then, when that organization ceases, the power of thinking would cease also, and there could be no separate existence for the mind or spirit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71But we believe that the power of thinking is not the RESULT of a brain organization, but the original property of that substance called spirit or mind, which can exist independently of a brain organization, and entirely separate and apart from the body.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71Priestly asserts that "mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism." But this is a baseless assertion. Mechanism implies the incapability of acting only according to the laws of Mechanism, as it is acted upon: hence, "an irresistible necessity

characterizes all of its movements." But not so with an intelligent thinking substance: it can originate its own motions, and act according to its own will, independently of the laws of mechanism: hence a perfect freedom characterizes all of its movements. Before Priestly or any other man can logically assert that "mechanism is the undoubted consequence of materialism," he must first prove that matter cannot think, and will, and move, or, in other words, he must prove that mind is not matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.71Our author endeavours to overthrow materialism because of the absurdities which Darwin advocated. He quotes the words of that author as follows:—"Ideas are material things: they are contractions, motions, or configurations of the fibres of the organs of sense." "Here," exclaims Mr. Taylder, "is the real perfection of materialism! It destroys man's [p.72] accountability to God!" There is then no such thing as praise or blame, fear or hope, reward or punishment, and, consequently, no religion. "How," inquires our author, "can the Mormons reconcile this conclusion with their religious fabric, built on revelations and visions?" "If their God be a material being, he must necessarily act mechanically." We reply that we do not wish to reconcile our religious fabric with Darwin's absurdities. Darwin has assumed that "ideas, contractions, motions, or configurations," are all material.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.72What man, disencumbered of a strait waistcoat, could ever believe in such ridiculous nonsense! It is only equalled by Taylder's material joys and sorrows, of which we have already had occasion to speak. The substance of the Deity, nor no other intelligent substance, is dependent on the "contractions, motions, or configurations" of organical fibres for its actions, but it is a self-moving substance, not subject to the law of necessity or mechanism like unintelligent matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.72"The last consideration," says this immaterialist author, "which it is necessary to advance for the real existence of mind, is consciousness." (Taylder's Tract against Materialism. Page 18.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.72"The real existence of mind" is not doubted by us. Mr. Taylder has strayed entirely from the question. The question is not whether mind has a real existence, but whether it is immaterial.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.72"It is generally considered," remarks this author, "that in a few years our bodies are entirely changed. How, then, on the material scheme, can a Mormon tell that he is the same person now that he was twenty years since, or shall be ten years hence?" We reply that it is only the substance of the material body that is constantly changing, while the material spirit which inhabits the body, remains unchangeable. Personal identity consists, not in the identity of a changeable body, but in the identity of an unchangeable substance called spirit, which feels, thinks, reasons, and remembers. The Athenian galley, which was sent every year to Delos for a thousand years, had been repaired so often that every part of its materials had been changed more than once, therefore it did not remain the same identical substance during that period of time; but if a certain unchangeable diamond had been carried within this galley for one thousand years, it would be the same identical substance still, though the galley that carried it had been

changed ever so often; so likewise let the material body meet with an entire change every few years, the unchangeable material spirit which it carries within will remain the same identical substance still.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.72Indeed, if Bishop Butler's intimation be correct, that the spirit of man is a small indivisible being or atom, whose bulk has not been determined to exceed the size of small elementary particles of matter, then it would be impossible for such a small conscious indivisible atom to [p.73] change its substance in the least degree, and therefore it must preserve its entire identity under all possible circumstances.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.73Our author next inquires, "How can spiritual matter occupy the same space with the matter of which the body consists?" We answer that it cannot occupy the same identical space with other matter, for this is in all cases an absolute impossibility. It can only occupy its own space in union with the matter of which the body consists. Every particle of the body occupies a distinct space of its own, and no two particles of the body can exist in the same space at the same time, neither can any atom of spirit occupy the same space at the same time with any other atom or substance. All substances are porous. It can be proved that the component particles of all known substances are not in absolute contact, for all bodies composed of these particles can be compressed, and their dimensions reduced without diminishing their mass. All organized substances are porous in a high degree, that is their "volume consists partly of material particles and partly of interstitial spaces, which spaces are either absolutely void and empty, or filled by some substance of a different species from the body in question." (Lardner's Scientific Lectures. Vol. II. Lecture 1.) The material body being porous, there is room for the material spirit to exist in close connexion with its component parts, and this too without infringing upon the impenetrability of substances. If the material spirit be as small as Bishop Butler intimates, it will not occupy much room in the body. Many millions of millions of such spirits, if "not larger in bulk than the elementary particles of bodies," could occupy much less room that a cubic inch of space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.73We have now examined all of Mr. Taylder's arguments (if, indeed, they may be called arguments) which have been adduced in support of his first proposition, which it will be recollected, was stated in these words—"The philosophy of the Mormons is IRRATIONAL?" or, in other words, it is irrational to believe in the materiality of all substance. How far he has supported this proposition our readers can judge for themselves. He has not brought forth the least shadow of evidence to prove that such a thing as an immaterial substance exists. He has, indeed, argued, that such a thing as mind or spirit has a real existence—that it thinks, and feels, and is conscious. In all these things he agrees with us, without the least variation. He argues that the substance called mind, possesses many different and superior qualities to all other substance; his views in this respect do not differ in the least from ours. He has clearly exhibited the absurdities of Priestly, Darwin, and various other writers, who have made mind the result of the motions of the brain or of its organization. We agree with him most perfectly in the rejection of such absurdities, but in no place has he brought forward argument, reason, or evidence to prove that the substance called mind possesses no [p.74] properties in common with other substances; therefore he has utterly failed in

establishing his proposition. As no immaterialist can, from experiment, reason, or any other process whatsoever, glean the least shadow of evidence in favour of the immateriality of any substance, therefore we shall now on our part show—I.—THAT IMMATERIALISM IS IRRATIONAL, OPPOSED TO TRUE PHILOSOPHY.II.—THAT AN IMMATERIAL SUBSTANCE CANNOT EXIST.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.74I.—Immaterialism is absurd, and opposed to true Philosophy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.431.—The immaterialist assumes that god consists of an immaterial substance, indivisible in its nature, "whose centre is everywhere and circumference nowhere." The indivisibility of a substance implies impenetrability; that is, two substances cannot exist in the same space at the same time; hence, if an indivisible substance exist everywhere, as it cannot be penetrated, it will absolutely exclude the existence of all other substances. Such a substance would be a boundless, infinite solid, without pores, incapable of condensation, or expansion, or motion, for there would be no empty space left to move to. Observation teaches us that this is not the case; therefore an infinitely extended, indivisible, immaterial substance is absurd in the highest degree, and opposed to all true philosophy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.742. The immaterialist teaches that the godhead consists of three persons of one substance, and that each of these persons can be everywhere present. Now in order to be everywhere present, each of these persons must be infinitely extended, or else each must be susceptible of occupying two or more places at the same time. If a substance be infinitely extended it ceases to be a person; for to all persons there are limits of extension called figure; but that which is not limited can have no figure, and therefore cannot be a person. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that a person should be included in a finite extent. Now that which is limited within one finite extent, cannot be included within some other extent at the same time; therefore it is utterly impossible for a person to be in two or more places at the same time, hence immaterialism is totally absurd and unphilosophical.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.743. The immaterialist teaches that the substance of the Deity is not only omnipresent and indivisible, but that all other substances are contained in his substance and perform all their motions in it without any mutual action or resistance. The profound and illustrious Newton, in the Scholium at the end of the "Principia," has fallen into this error; he says, "God is one and the same God always and everywhere. He is omnipresent, not by means of his virtue alone, but also by his substance, for virtue cannot subsist without substance. In him all things are contained, [p.75] and move, but without mutual passions God is not acted upon by motions of the bodies; and they suffer no resistance from the omnipresence of God." Here we have an omnipresent substance, which is said by immaterialists to be so compact as to be indivisible, with worlds moving in it without suffering any resistance: this is the climax of absurdity. All masses of substance with which we are acquainted, are susceptible of division, yet even in these, bodies cannot move without being resisted; how much more impossible it would be for worlds to exist and move in an indivisible substance without resistance, yet this is the absurdity of the immaterial hypothesis. There is nothing too ridiculous or too unphilosophical to be

incorporated in an immaterial substance when its existence has been once assumed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.75The reflecting mind turns away from such fooleries with the utmost disgust, and feels to pity those men who have degraded the great and all-wise Creator and Governor of the universe by applying to him such impossible, unheard of, and contradictory qualities. The heathen, in their wildest imaginations never fancied up a god that could begin to compare with the absurd qualities ascribed to the immaterialists' god.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.75II.—AN IMMATERIAL SUBSTANCE CANNOT EXIST.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.751. We shall first endeavour to show what is absolutely essential to the existence of all substance. It will be generally admitted that space is essential to existence. Space, being boundless, all substances must exist in space. Space is not the property of substance, but the place of its existence. Infinite space has no qualities or properties of any description excepting divisibility. Some eminent philosophers have supposed extension to be a property of space, but such a supposition is absurd. Extension is space itself, and not a property of space. As well might we say that azote is a property of nitrogen, whereas they are only two different names given to the same substance, as to say that extension is a property of space. Infinite space is divisible, but otherwise it cannot possibly be described, for it has no other properties or qualities by which to describe it. It has no boundaries—no figure—no other conceivable properties of any description. It has a variety of names such as space, extension, volume, magnitude, distance, &c., all of which are synonymous terms.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.752. Duration is also essential to the existence of substance. there can be no such thing as existence without duration. Duration, like infinite space, is divisible, but otherwise it has no properties or qualities of any description. Like space we can call it by different names, as duration, time, period, &c; but to give it any other kind of description would be absolutely impossible. Infinite space can only be distinguished from duration by certain imaginary qualities, which can be assigned to finite portions of it, but which cannot be assigned to duration. We can conceive [p.76] of cubical, prismatical and spherical portions of space, but we cannot conceive of portions of duration under any kind of shape. Both space and duration are entirely powerless, being immovable, yet both are susceptible of division to infinity. To assist us in our future remarks we shall give the following definitions:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76Definition 1.—SPACE is magnitude, susceptible of division.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76Definition 2.—A POINT is the negative of space, or the zero at which a magnitude begins or terminates; it is not susceptible of division.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76Definition 3.—DURATION is not magnitude, but time susceptible of division.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76Definition 4.—AN INSTANT is the negative of duration, or the zero at which duration begins or terminates; it is not susceptible of division.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76

Definition 5.—MATTER is something that occupies space between any two instants, and is susceptible of division and of being removed from one portion of space to another.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76Definition 6.—NOTHING is the negative of space, of duration, and of matter; it is the zero of all existence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.763. Modern immaterialists freely admit, as we have already shown, that "a disembodied spirit" is NOWHERE. "We must no longer allow ourselves to imagine," says the immaterialist, "that it is or can be, in any place." (Taylor's Physical Theory of another Life. Chapter II.) But that which does not occupy any place or space, has no magnitude, and is not susceptible of division; therefore it must be an unextended point or nothing—(see definitions 2 and 6,) the negative of both space and matter, that is, the negative of all existence. Immateriality is a representative of nothing: immaterial substance is only another name for no substance; therefore such a substance does not, and cannot exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.764. Having shown that an immaterial substance can have no existence, because it has no relation to space, we shall next show that it can have no existence, because it has no relation to duration. Isaac Taylor says, "that which is wholly abstracted from matter, and in speaking of which we deny that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subjected to none of its CONDITIONS." One of the conditions absolutely essential to the existence of matter is duration or time. (See definition 5.) That which is not subjected to the condition of duration, must be subjected to the condition of an instant, which is the negative of duration; but nothing is also the negative of duration and of substance; (see definition 4 and 6;) therefore that which has no duration is nothing, and cannot be a substance; hence an immaterial substance cannot exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.76There are many truths which may be called FIRST TRUTHS, or self-evident truths, which cannot be demonstrated, because there are no truths of a simpler nature that can be adduced to establish them. Such truths are the foundation of all reasoning. They must be admitted without [p.77] demonstration, because they are self-evident. That space and duration are essential conditions to the existence of all substance, may be denominated a self-evident truth; if so, it is useless to undertake to prove it. And in this case, the foregoing need not be considered as a demonstration, but merely different forms of expression representing the same self-evident truth.IMMATERIALISTS ARE ATHEISTSThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.77There are two classes of Atheists in the world. One class denies the existence of God in the most positive language: the other denies his existence in duration or space. One says, "There is no God;" the other says, "God is not here or there, any more than he exists now and then." (Isaac Taylor's Physical Theory of Another Life Chap. II.) The infidel says, God does not exist anywhere. The Immaterialist says, "He exists Nowhere." (Good's Book of Nature.) The infidel says, There is no such substance as God. The Immaterialist says, There is such a substance as God, but it is "without Parts." (First of the Thirty Nine Articles; also I Art. Methodist Discipline.) The Atheist says, There is no such substance as Spirit. The Immaterialist says, "A Spirit, though he lives and acts,

occupies no room, and fills no space, in the same way and after the same manner as matter, not even so much as does the minutest grain of sand." (Rev. David James on the Trinity, in Unitarianism Confuted. Lec. VII., page 382.) The Atheist does not seek to hide his infidelity: but the Immaterialist, whose declared belief amounts to the same thing as the Atheist's endeavours to hide his infidelity under the shallow covering of a few words.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.77The "thinking principle," says Dr. Thomas Brown, "is essentially one, not extended and divisible, but incapable by its very nature, of any subdivision into integral parts. (Brown's "Philosophy of the Human Mind." Lec. XCVII.) What is this but the rankest kind of infidelity couched in a blind, plausible form. That which is "not extended and not divisible" and "without parts," cannot be anything else than nothing. Take away these qualities and conditions, and no power of language can give us the least idea of existence. The very idea conveyed by the term existence is something extended, divisible, and with parts. Take these away, and you take away existence itself. It cannot be so much as the negative of space, or, what is generally called, an indivisible point, for that has a relation to the surrounding spaces. It cannot be so much as the negative of duration, or, what is generally called, an indivisible instant, for that has a relation to the past and future. Therefore, it must be the negative of all existence, or what is called absolutely NOTHING. Nothing, and nothing only, is a representative of that which has no relation [p.78] to space or time—that is, unextended, indivisible, and without parts. Therefore, the immaterialist is a religious Atheist; he only differs from the other classes of Atheists, by clothing an indivisible unextended NOTHING with the powers of a god. One class believes in no God; the other class believes that NOTHING is god, and worships it as such. There is no twisting away from this. The most profound philosopher in all the ranks of modern Christianity, cannot extricate the Immaterialists from atheism. He cannot show the least difference between the idea represented by the word nothing, and the idea represented by that which is unextended, indivisible, and without parts, having no relation to space or time. All the philosophers of the universe could not give a better or more correct definition of Nothing. And yet this is the god worshipped by the Church of England—the Methodists—and millions of other atheistical idolaters, according to their own definitions, as recorded in their respective articles of faith. An open Atheist is not so dangerous as the Atheist who couches his atheistical doctrines under the head of "ARTICLES OF RELIGION." The first stands out with open colours and boldly avows his infidelity; the latter, under the sacred garb of religion, draws into his yawning vortex, the unhappy millions who are persuaded to believe in, and worship an unextended indivisible nothing without parts, deified into a god. A pious Atheist is much more serviceable in building up the kingdom of darkness than one who openly, and without any deception, avows his infidelity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.78No wonder that this modern god has wrought no miracles and given no revelations since his followers invented their "Articles of Religion." A being without parts must be entirely powerless, and can perform no miracles. Nothing can be communicated from such a being; for, if nothing give nothing, nothing will be received. If, at death, his followers are to be made like him, they will enjoy, with some of the modern Pagans, all the beauties of annihilation. To be made like him! Admirable thought! How

transcendently sublime to behold an innumerable multitude of unextended nothings, casting their crowns at the feet of the great, unextended, infinite Nothing, filling all space, and yet "without parts!" There will be no danger of quarrelling for want of room; for the Rev. David James says, "Ten thousand spirits might be brought together into the smallest compass imaginable, and there exist without any inconvenience for want of room. As materiality," continues he, "forms no property of a spirit, the space which is sufficient for one, must be amply sufficient for myriads, yea, for all that exist." (Rev. David James on the Trinity, in Unitarianism Confuted. Lec. VII., page 382.) According to this, all the spirits that exist, "could be brought together into the smallest compass imaginable," or, in other words into no compass at all; for, he says, a spirit occupies "no room, and fills no space." What an [p.79] admirable description of Nothing! Nothing "occupies no room, and fills no space!" If myriads of Nothings were "brought together into the smallest compass imaginable," they would "there exist without any inconvenience for want of room." Everything which the Immaterialist says, of the existence of Spirit, will apply without any variation, to the existence of Nothing. If he says that his god cannot exist "Here" or "There," the same is true of Nothing. If he affirms that he cannot exist "Now" and "Then," the same can, in all truth, be affirmed of Nothing. If he declares, that he is "unextended," so is Nothing. If he asserts that he is "indivisible" and "without parts," so is Nothing. If he declares that a spirit "occupies no room and fills no space," neither does Nothing. If he says a spirit is "Nowhere," so is Nothing. All that he affirms of the one, can, in like manner, and, with equal truth, be affirmed of the other. Indeed, they are only two words, each of which express precisely the same idea. There is no more absurdity in calling Nothing a substance, and clothing it with Almighty powers, than there is in making a substance out of that which is precisely like nothing, and imagining it to have Almighty powers. Therefore, an immaterial god is a deified Nothing, and all his worshippers are atheistical idolaters.SUBSTANCE IS MATERIALThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.79That spirit or mind has a relation to space, is evident from the fact of its location in the body. The body itself exists in space, therefore every particle of substance which it contains must exist in space. No point can be assumed in the body but what has a relation to the surrounding space or extension. Therefore spirit must have a relation to extension or it cannot exist in the body. All unextended points have a relation to space, though they are no part of space, and do not occupy space; but an unextended substance to have no relation to space cannot be as much as a point. A point is a located nothing, but an unextended substance is nothing, having no location.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.79What can be more unphilosophical, contradictory, and absurd, than to assume that something can exist that is "unextended,"—that "occupies no room, fills no space,"—has "no parts?" We ask our readers to pause for a moment, and endeavour to conceive of a substance that has no parts. Grasp it if you can in your imaginations. Think of its existing where there is no space. Conceive, if you can in your imaginations. Think of its existing where there is no space. Conceive, if you can, of a locality outside of the bounds of a boundless space. Do not your judgments, and every power of your minds revolt at the absolute absurdities and palpable contradictions? By this time, perhaps, you are ready to inquire, can it be possible that any man in all the world could believe in

such [p.80] impossibilities? Yes, it is possible. These very absurdities now stand in bold relief, not only in the most approved philosophical works of modern times, but incorporated in the very "Articles of Religion" which millions have received as their rule of faith.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.80That spirit or mind has a relation to duration is manifest in the act of remembering. Through the memory the mind perceives itself to be the same conscious being now, that it was, an hour, a day, a year ago; it perceives that itself has existed through a certain period of duration. There is as much certainty of its own relations to duration as there is of any such relation in any other substance whatever. If there is no certainty that mind has a relation to duration, there is no certainty that any other substance has such a relation; hence all would be uncertainty, even our own existence. Bishop Berkeley denied the existence of the material world, and the first Article of his religion swept away the immaterial world from space; and the modern immaterialist sweeps it away from all relation to time. So between them all, space and time are pretty well cleaned out; not so much as a nest egg left to replenish the great infinite void.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.80Mind, like all other matter, is susceptible of being moved from place to place. We see this exemplified in the movements of the mind through the medium of the body which conveys it from place to place on the surface of the earth. But though man was stationary upon the earth's surface, the earth itself with all its inhabitants, is moving with the rapid velocity of nineteen miles every second, which proves to a demonstration that mind is capable of being moved from place to place with a velocity far exceeding that of a cannon ball. But motion involves the ideas of both space and time. Mind cannot be moved without being moved in space; it cannot pass from point to point instantaneously. However rapid the velocity, time is an essential ingredient to all motion. That eminent and profound philosopher, the late Professor Robison of Edinburgh, says, "In motion we observe the successive appearance of the thing moved in different parts of space. Therefore, in our idea of motion are involved the ideas or conceptions of space and time."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.80"All things are placed in space, in the order of situation. All events happen in time, in the order of succession."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.80"No motion can be conceived as instantaneous. For, since a moveable, in passing from the beginning to the end of its path, passes through the intermediate points; to suppose the motion along the most minute portion of the path instantaneous, is to suppose the moveable in every intervening point at the same instant. This is inconceivable and absurd." (Robison's Mechanical Philosophy. Vol I. Introduction.) The motion of mind, therefore is another positive proof that it has a relation to both space and duration.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.81[p.81] "Extension and resistance," says Dr. Thomas Brown, "are the complex elements of what we term matter; and nothing is matter to our conception, or a body, to use the simpler synonymous term which does not involve these elements." Figure, magnitude, divisibility, are only different modifications of extension. Solidity, liquidity, viscidity, hardness, softness, roughness, smoothness, are different modifications of resistance.

All these terms are only extension and resistance, modified in a certain degree, and under other names. Our notion of extension is supposed by Dr. Brown to be acquired from our notion of time as successive, involving length and divisibility. Our notion of resistance he supposes to be obtained through our muscular organs. These organs are first exerted, and then excited by something without, and in their turn excite the mind with a feeling of resistance. The feeling of resistance combined with the feeling of extension gives us the notion of matter. If Dr. Brown's views be correct, no one can acquire a notion of matter, by seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, or simple touch. Either or all of these will only produce certain feelings in the mind without giving us any notion of an external extended resistance. A muscular effort opposed by some substance or foreign body is the only possible way, according to his theory, for the infant mind to obtain a notion of extended solidity or resistance. (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. From the xx to the xxix Lecture inclusive.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.81If solidity and extension then are the essential characteristics of matter; and if the resistance of a muscular effort be the only possible way of learning these characteristics; it may be asked, how did Dr. Brown learn that the rays of light are material? He has frequently in his philosophy called light material. Has light in any way resisted his muscular efforts? Have the muscular organs ever been able to grasp a ray of light? Have the particles of light either singly or collectively ever acted upon our muscular organs in such manner as to give us a notion of extension and resistance? Have they ever affected the mind in any way only to impart to it the feeling of color? Does not Dr. Brown himself repeatedly affirm, that light can only impart the sensation of color; and that extension, magnitude, figure, solidity, can never be known by the sense of seeing? Does he not assert, that "nothing is matter to our conception which does not involve these elements?" Why then does he assume light to be material?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.81If, then, light can be ranked as a material substance without exhibiting the least resistance to the muscular organs, why not mind or spirit be considered material also? Why believe that light consists of inconceivably small vibratory or emanating particles of matter from the mere affection of mind called color, and yet be unwilling to believe that the mind affected is material? If that which produces a sensation or feeling be regarded a solid extended substance, independently of muscular [p.82] resistance, where is the impropriety, in regarding that which receives the sensation or feeling, as a solid extended substance also?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.82Dr. Brown, and all other immaterialists, universally believe that the sensation of smell is produced by small material particles, acting upon our olfactory nerves. But we ask, how is Dr. Brown or any other person to determine those odorous particles to be material? It may be said, that we determine them to be solid and extended by tracing them to the substances from which they emanate. But can it be proved that they constitute any part of the solid extended substance from which they emanate, any more than light is a part of the substance from which it emanates? We know a rose to be solid and extended, not from the sensation of vision or smell, but from the sensation of resistance which it offers to our muscular organs when we attempt to grasp it. But because a rose is solid and extended, that does not prove that light and fragrance, by which we discern its color

and smell, are any part of the rose.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.82If Dr. Brown's theory be true, it is absolutely impossible to prove that the odoriferous particles which affect us with the sensation of fragrance, are a solid extended substance. These particles of odour appear, indeed, to have been connected in some way with bodies from which they emanate; but there is no possible means for the muscular powers to determine them to be parts of those bodies, any more than the colored light or the heat which are also transmitted from them. No one in speaking of a rose would think of classifying heat and light as a portion of its solid substance; yet both heat and light, like the particles of odour, are intimately connected with it, and are constantly being thrown off from it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.82"What is there," inquires Dr. Brown, "which we can discover in the mere sensation of fragrance, that is itself significant of solidity, extension, or whatever we may regard as essential to the existence of things without? As a mere change in the form of our being, it may suggest to us the necessity of some cause or antecedent of the change. But it is far from implying the necessity of a corporeal cause;—any more than such a direct corporeal cause is implied in any other modification of our being, intellectual or moral—in our belief, for example, of the most abstract truth, at which we may have arrived by a slow development of proposition after proposition in a process of internal reflective analysis, or in the most refined and sublime of our emotions, when, without thinking of any one of the objects around, we have been meditating on the divinity who formed them—himself the purest of spiritual existences. Our belief of a system of external things, then, does not, as far as we can judge from the nature of the feelings, arise from our sensations of smell, more than from any of our internal pleasures or pains." (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. Lecture xx.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.83[p.83] Odorous particles, then, have never been submitted to Dr. Brown's only test of materiality, and yet he, and all other immaterialists, without any hesitation, pronounce them to be matter. The spirit, like these particles of odour, can exist in connexion with the body or separate from it; and yet it forms no part of the fleshy tabernacle. If like the particles of odour, it really eludes the grasp of the muscular organs, and if neither these odoriferous particles, nor the spirit, can be proved by any muscular effort to have solidity and extension; why, then, should one be called material, and the other immaterial?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.83If the mind be unextended, how can it receive any sensations from things without? It could not act upon bodily organs, for they are extended. Neither could bodily organs act upon it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.83Philosophers have endeavoured to invent numberless hypothesis to account for the action of matter on the mind, which they have assumed to be immaterial. The old Peripatetic doctrine of perception, by species or phantasms, which for so many centuries held so unlimited a sway in the philosophic world, was probably originated to connect material with immaterial substances. When this absurdity slowly died away, other hypothesis, no less erroneous, immediately supplied its place. Des Cartes, seeing no possibility of any reciprocal action between matter and something that was

inextended, invented his system of occasional causes, and represented the external world entirely incapable of affecting the mind in any way whatever. He ascribed all the sensations and affections of the mind to the immediate agency of the Deity, virtually rendering external objects entirely useless to the mind. This conjecture has been modified by succeeding philosophers without, however, removing its absurdities. It is useless to revert to all the absurd theories which have from time to time distracted the metaphysical world, and which have been originated for no other purpose than to uphold the still greater absurdity of immaterialism. Philosophers of ancient times imagined the existence of an immaterial substance, unextended in its nature, like nothing. To support this wild and vague imagination, learned metaphysicians have given birth to innumerable conjectures, in order to connect this imaginary substance with the material world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.83Dr. Brown, however, being a little more wise than the immaterialists who preceded him, does not attempt to connect the mutual affections, existing between matter and mind, by substituting some conjectural intervening causes. Instead of this, he advocates the direct affection of the mind by the presence of material objects—that the change of state in the one is produced by the change of state in the other, independently of intervening causes. Now this, in our view, is really what happens.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.83We believe that matter can only act upon mind because mind is an extended material substance. But Dr. Brown supposes there is no [p.84] absurdity in matter acting upon that which is unextended. He endeavours to substantiate the possibility of the direct mutual affections of mind and matter, by referring to some examples of matter acting upon matter as in gravitation. (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. Lecture xxx.) But we do not conceive these cases to be in the least analogous; for there is no absurdity in supposing one extended substance to act upon another which is also extended. But for extended substances with parts to act upon unextended substances is without a parallel, and inconceivably absurd. Indeed there could be no action at all; an immaterial mind could not act upon an immaterial mind any more than nothing could act upon nothing. To talk about matter affecting that which is inextended and without parts, is to talk about matter affecting nothing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.84The very fact of the external organs affecting the mind without any intervening cause, the same as other matter affects other matter, is an argument of the strongest kind in favour of the materiality of mind. A piece of iron is affected in a certain manner by introducing into its presence a loadstone, so the mind is affected in a certain manner by the presence of light upon the retina, or by the presence or odour upon the olfactory nerve. If, then, mind can be directly affected by other substances, the same as matter directly affects matter, why should it be called an immaterial substance?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.84If resistance to our muscular efforts, as Dr. Brown supposes, be our only test of solidity and extension, and consequently of matter, then mind itself has the greatest claims to materiality. A muscular effort is nothing more than an effort of the mind. Without the mind the muscles are incapable of any effort whatsoever. Two men stretch out their arms, press their hands together, and resist each other with great force. In this example

as it is commonly said, the muscular efforts of the one are resisted by the muscular efforts of the other; but as the muscles have no power of themselves, the facts of the case are, that the mind of the one truly resists the mind of the other through the medium of their respective muscles. If that which causes resistance then be material, mind must be material.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.84If two bodies of iron of equal size were moving with equal velocities towards each other, upon meeting they would destroy each others motion, and the next moment, though in contact, there would be no signs of resistance; not so with the resistance which mind offers to mind through the medium of the muscular organs; the resistance can be continued at the option of the two resisting minds; hence mind exhibits resistance in a greater degree than other substances, and should, therefore, according to Dr. Brown's test, be considered material in preference to all other substances.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.85[p.85] No two atoms of spirit or any other matter can occupy two or more places at the same time. We have never known of a circumstance of the spirit of man residing in the body and out of it at the same time. No particles of light, odour, heat, electricity, can occupy two places at once. These substances can only be extensively diffused by being extensive in quantity. The particles of light which enter the right eye are not the same which enter the left eye. Though their qualities may be exactly alike, yet they are separate individual substance, as much so as if they were millions of miles asunder. The same is true of the atoms of spirit and all other substances.OF THE ESSENCE OF SUBSTANCESThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.85Philosophers of modern times have asserted that we know nothing of the essence of bodies. It is affirmed that all that can be known of mind or matter, are merely its properties. Dr. Abercrombie, says, "We talk, indeed, about matter, and we talk about mind; we speculate concerning materiality and immateriality, until we argue ourselves into a kind of belief that we really understand something of the subject. The truth is, we understand nothing. Matter and mind are known to us by certain properties: but in regard to both it is entirely out of the reach of our faculties to advance a single step beyond the facts which are before us. Whether in their substratum or ultimate essence, they are the same, or whether they are different we know not, and never can know in our present state of being." (Abercrombie on the Intellectual Powers. Part I. Sec. I.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.85There are many truths which we ascertain by reflection, independently in a great measure of our senses. We are assured and know in our own minds that duration must be endless, and that space must be boundless, not because we have learned these truths directly through the medium of our senses, or have been able to demonstrate them by any process of reasoning. In the same way we know concerning the essence of bodies. Instead of being entirely ignorant on the subject, as modern philosophers assert, it is directly the opposite; we know the essence of all substances. Solidity is the only essence in existence. Although the ultimate atoms of matter cannot come under the cognizance of our senses, and we cannot demonstrate their solidity by any process of reasoning, yet we are none the less assured of their solidity. We believe that they are solid because it is impossible for us to believe otherwise. We are as certain that the

ultimate atoms of all substances are solid, [p.86] as we are that they exist. What we mean by solidity is, that all substances completely fill a certain amount of space, and that it is impossible for them ever to fill a greater or less amount of space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.86The amount of absolute space occupied by any substance is constant, that is the elementary atoms cannot be increased or decreased in magnitude in the least degree. Particles may be divided, but their respective parts occupy the same amount of space when separated as when united. Condensation or expansion is not a property of the ultimate atoms of bodies, but merely the relation which these atoms sustain to each other. When a collection of atoms called body are forced into a closer connexion with each other, the body is said to be condensed. When their relative distances are increased the body is expanded. The maximum of density excludes all pores. In such a condition the space is wholly occupied—any further condensation is absolutely impossible. A bar of iron varies its dimensions with its temperature, while the atoms of which the bar consists remain unchangeable in size. The pores of the iron increase in the same proportion as the bar increases, and diminish as the bar diminishes. Solidity is universally supposed to be a property of atoms, but this is an error. Solidity is not a property, but only another name for the essence. A property must be a property of something; but solidity is not a property of anything—it is the essence itself—the thing that exists, aside from all properties and powers. If we suppose solidity to be a property, then it is evident that there must be a distinction between atoms as possessors, and solidity as the thing or property possessed; but we find it impossible to conceive of atoms separate and apart from solidity. Deprive atoms of solidity, and they are deprived not of a property, but of existence itself, and nothing remains. Solidity is associated with existence, and we cannot conceive of the one independently of the other. Solidity, then, is the essence to which all qualities belong—taste, smell, colour, weight, &c., are the affections of solids. Every feeling or thought is the feeling or thought of solids. All the powers of the universe, from the almighty powers of Jehovah down to the most feeble powers that operate, are the powers of solid atoms. We can conceive of solid atoms existing without powers, but we cannot conceive of atoms existing without solidity; therefore the very essence of all substance is solidity. Love, joy, and all other affections are only the different states of this essence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.86When the essence or solidity of substance is considered by itself, independently of its powers, there cannot possibly be any difference in atoms only in their magnitude and form. The essence of all substance is precisely alike when the essence alone is considered. Substances can only differ in their magnitude, form, and susceptibilities, but not in their essences, for they are and must be alike. [p.87]THE IMMATERIALISTS ONLY POSSIBLE ARGUMENT REFUTEDThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.87The only possible argument which the immaterialist pretends to bring forward in support of the inextension and indivisibility of a thinking substance, and consequently of its immateriality—is founded on the self-consciousness of such substance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.87A thinking substance is conscious of its own individual unity: it is conscious that itself is not many beings, but one. Mankind universally feel their own individual unity when each

contemplates himself. Each one is certain that it is the same being that rejoiced yesterday who remembers to-day—that all past and present affections are the affections of one being, and not of many. The absolute oneness of a thinking being is supposed to be inconsistent with a plurality of parts. To avoid this supposed inconsistency the immaterialist assumes that such a substance is without parts.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.87Dr. Brown says "that the very notion of plurality and division is as inconsistent with the notion of self as the notions of existence and nonexistence." (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. Lecture XCVI.) That by the term "plurality," he means the plurality of parts, as well as a plurality of atoms,—is very evident from the whole tenor of his reasoning. If the materialist, as Dr. Brown again says, "assert thought to be the affection of a single particle, a monade; he must remember that if what he chooses to term a single particle, be a particle or matter, it too must still admit of division; it must have a top and bottom, a right side and a left; it must, as it is demonstrable in geometry, admit of being cut in different points, by an infinite number of straight lines; and all the difficulty of the composition of thought, therefore, remains precisely as before." "If it be supposed," continues he, "so completely divested of all the qualities of matter, as not to be extended, nor consequently divisible, it is then mind which is asserted under another name, and every thing which is at all important in the controversy is conceded. (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. Lecture XCVI.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.87A unity of substance, consisting of parts, is supposed by Dr. Brown and other immaterialists to be, not only relatively, but absolutely absurd. But this supposed absurdity is only imaginary, and is founded wholly on supposition and false reasoning, and not on our self-consciousness. Self-consciousness teaches us the unity of self, but it does not teach us that a unity of self is inconsistent with a plurality of parts, and consequently inextended.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.87The absolute oneness or unity of a thinking being can, by no means, be denied. Every man in all the world,—the savage as well as the philosopher,—is conscious that what he calls himself is not many but one; but no man is conscious that the thinking substance called self does not [p.88] consist of a plurality of parts—no one is conscious that self is inextended. Indeed, in the very notion of unity is involved the notion of a plurality of parts. In abstract numbers themselves a unit consists of an unlimited number of fractional parts. A unit of time is composed of innumerable parts called moments. A unit of space embraces a countless number of fractional spaces. A unit of substance is composed of an immense number of fractional parts. Without a plurality of parts we can form no notion whatsoever of unity. If consciousness, therefore, teaches us of the unity of self, it must teach us of a unity consisting of parts; otherwise it teaches us nothing. The unity of the thinking being, then, proves to a demonstration that it consists of parts, and consequently must be extended.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.88The term unity when applied to time, space, or substance, is entirely indefinite as to quantity. Any quantity, either great or small, may be assumed as a unit. In a multitude of human beings a man; in a bodily organ a molecule of any compounded substance which enters into its composition; and, in a molecule, an atom may be assumed as the

unit. In an atom there is an indefinite number of parts, either of which may be chosen as a unit. But when we descend the scale still farther, and speak of that which has no parts, we can form no possible conception of a unit of inextension. The term nothing, instead of unity, is the only applicable term for that which is inextended. To think of unity in reference to external things, we think of something that has parts; so likewise to feel the unity of the mind is to feel that it has parts.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.88If the unity or oneness of the mind is any evidence in favor of its being inextended and without parts, the unity or oneness of all other substances is equal evidence of their inextension. All the atoms of every substance in the immensity of space, when considered separately and apart, are units, that is each atom is not many substances, but one. Therefore, if the unity of substance necessarily implies the inextension of substance, every atom in the universe must be inextended and without parts, and consequently immaterial.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.88If it be said that the universe contains no substances that can be called units, but that each atom is a plurality of substances, this would not obviate the difficulty in the least; it would only be adding absurdity to absurdity; for a plurality to exist without the possibility of a unity's existing, is inconceivable nonsense. A plural number, without a singular, or many substances to co-exist without the possibility of the existence of any single one, is as grossly absurd as immaterialism itself. Hence unity implies parts as much as plurality. Therefore, wherever a unity or plurality of substance exists, there matter exists, with all its essential characteristics.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.89No doubt but that the immaterialist absurdity was invented [p.89] principally to combat the gross errors which have been embraced by some materialists, both of ancient and modern times. The great majority of materialists have contended that thought and feeling are the results of organization, beginning and ceasing with it. Hobbes, Spinosa, Priestley, Darwin, and numerous other individuals, have strenuously advocated this inconsistency. They have asserted that particles of matter have no susceptibilities of thought and feeling when unorganized, but as soon as they were brought together into a certain system, the result of such union is thought and feeling. Dr. Drown, in combating this vague conjecture, has clearly shown that a system of particles can have no properties as a whole which it does not possess in its individual parts; and, consequently, that a thought, or a joy, or a fear, or any other affections of the mind, cannot possibly be the affections resulting from a plurality, but in all cases must be the affections or feelings of every part of a substance. We most cordially believe with Dr. Brown, that a system of particles cannot possibly possess a property which the individuals composing the system do not possess. Had this great philosopher and metaphysician stopped here, his reasoning would have been amply sufficient to have overthrown the errors of Priestly, Darwin, and others who have supposed thought to begin and end with organization. But by supposing an individual unity to be inconsistent with extension and parts, he has advocated an absurdity still more glaring than the one which a part of his reasoning has so successfully overthrown.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.89There is another gross error of a very different nature from the one advocated by

Priestley and his followers, which Dr. Brown also very clearly exposes. This error consists in assuming thought, hope, fear, joy, sorrow, desire, and all other affections to be little particles of matter. We are not aware, however, that there was ever a human being so void of common sense as to advocate this palpable inconsistency. It is very evident that this error is not necessarily incorporated with that absurd notion which supposes thought and other affections to be a property of an organized system of particles, but not a property of each individual particle. The two errors are widely different: the one supposes a thought or feeling to be a property, not of a single particle, but of a collection of particles; the other supposes a thought or feeling to be a little particle of matter itself, and not a property of either a particle or collection of particles. The former error has had numerous advocates in such men as Priestley, Darwin, &c.; but the latter, so far as we are aware, has had no advocates. Dr. Brown, however, has attacked not only the former, but the latter error, as though it really had an existence in some popular theory.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.89If thought be little particles of matter, Dr. Brown justly argues, "that it will be not more absurd to talk of the twentieth part of an [p.90] affirmation, or the quarter of a hope, of the top of a remembrance, and the north and east corners of a comparison, than of the twentieth part of a pound, or of the different points of the compass in reference to any part of the globe of which we may be speaking." We agree with him most perfectly in saying, "that with every effort of attention which we can give to our mental analysis, we are as incapable of forming any conception of what is meant by the quarter of a doubt, or the half of a belief, as of forming to ourselves an image of a circle without a central point, or of a square without a single angle."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.90Dr. Brown also endeavours to bring this mode of reasoning to bear against the absurdity which supposes thought to be a quality of a collection of particles arranged in the form of an organ, but not a quality of single particles. But it is evident that the arguments which entirely demolish one error, leave the other entirely untouched. The weakness of Dr. Brown's argument, when wrongfully applied against the last-named error, will more fully appear by reference to his own words which read as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.90"Even though it were admitted, however, in opposition to one of the clearest truths in science, that an organ is something more than a mere name for the separate and independent bodies which it denotes, and that our various feelings are states of the sensorial organ, it must still be allowed that, if two hundred particles existing in a certain state form a doubt, the division of these into two equal aggregates of the particles, as they exist in this state at the moment of that particular feeling, would form halves of a doubt; that all the truths of arithmetic would be predicable of each separate thought, if it were a state of a number of particles."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.90By a little reflection it will be seen that Dr. Brown's inference is entirely unfounded. "If two hundred particles existing in a certain state form a doubt," it does not necessarily follow that "the division of these into two equal aggregates of the particles," would form halves of a doubt. If two hundred pounds weight attached to a certain machine will produce a result called motion, it does not necessarily follow that one hundred pounds

will produce a result called half of a motion. If exactly two hundred particles organized in a certain form, were requisite to produce a certain thought, then it is evident that to alter in the least either the number or organization would be a complete destruction of that particular thought, instead of forming fractions of it. This is what Priestley and his followers assert. They say that thought begins and ends with the organization, and that the single individuals entering into the system, form no thought nor fractions of a thought. This absurdity, therefore, remains untouched by this argument of Dr. Brown. It is effectually demolished, however, by another species of argument, used by him to which we have already referred. He has proved Priestley's theory to [p.91] be false, not by supposing that the fractions of a doubt could be made to result from it, but by clearly showing that an organ is only a name for a collection of many substances, which cannot possibly possess any property as a whole, which the individuals do not possess when existing singly. He has also proved the theory which asserts that a thought or a feeling is a little particle of matter, to be false, because it involves the absurdity of fractional thoughts, hopes, fears, &c.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.91But there is one more theory which we venture to propose, that we believe to be impregnable, which no philosopher or metaphysician ever has or ever can refute. This theory may be stated as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.91A thought, hope, fear, joy, or any other feeling is not a little particle of matter, nor the result or quality of a collection of particles, called an organ or a system or organs, but it is the state or affection of a single individual substance, having extension and parts, and all the essential characteristics belonging to all other matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.91There is no absurdity in speaking of the half, or of a quarter, or of any other fractional part of this substance, but there would be a great absurdity in speaking of the fractional parts of its mere states or affections. The half or a thousandth part of a thinking substance is as reasonable as the half or a thousandth part of an attracting substance; but the top or bottom of a thought would be as absurd as the top or bottom of attraction. The north or east side of a substance which remembers, is just as correct as the north or east corners of a substance which possesses a chemical affinity; but the north side of a remembrance would be as inconsistent as the north side of a chemical affinity. Hence, none of the arguments which are so successfully brought to bear against the other two theories, will in the least affect this. It is invulnerable in every point at which it may be assailed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.91Every conceivable part of this substance, however minute, possesses the same property as the whole. A thought, or any other state of feeling is, therefore, perceived by every possible part of which a whole consists. A unity of substance, as we have already had occasion to remark, consists of an immense number of fractional parts. These, in order to constitute unity, must be so closely connected with, and related to each other, that whatever state or affection one may happen to be in, all the rest must immediately be notified of the same. If one part be affected with pain, every other part most be conscious of it. If one part rejoices, hopes, or fears, the whole must, by sympathy, rejoice, hope, or fear in the same manner. But if one part could suffer, while another

part was unconscious of such suffering; or if the affection of one part had no tendency to affect another, then the individual unity would be destroyed, and the substance would be as many distinct, thinking, feeling beings as there were parts unconscious of the affections of the others.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.92[p.92] It is not necessary that a thinking substance should be limited to magnitudes or quantities that are exceedingly minute in order to constitute a unity. Large amounts of substance are as consistent with unity as small ones. But in all cases, whether the quantity be large or small, it is necessary that the parts should bear that relation to each other, that when one is affected every other should be affected also; otherwise, it could not be a unity. The feeling or thinking substance of an elephant or whale is as much an individual unity as the feeling substance or spirit of a gnat or animalculae, though the magnitude of the former far exceeds that of the latter. It is the peculiar organization or relation of parts in such a manner as to be all conscious of each other's affection which constitutes the unity, without any regard to the size or amount of substance organized. When the several parts are so organized as to think, remember, hate, love, and feel alike, under the different circumstances to which the organization may be exposed, the whole is one individual unity or being.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.92If the mind or spirit be of the same magnitude as the body, then the impressions received through the various organs of a human body would only have to be transferred to the distance of about five feet, in order that every part of the mind might be alike conscious of such impressions. Let the velocity be ever so rapid, time would be an essential ingredient to the transfer of these communications from part to part. If they were communicated with the velocity of sound, those parts of the mind the most distant from the one first affected, would receive the impression in the two hundredth part of a second. If the transfer were as rapid as light, the impression would be conveyed to the most distant extremities of the mind in the two hundred millionth part of a second. These inconceivably minute portions of time would be altogether imperceptible to the mind. Hence, whenever any part of the mind is affected through its sensorial organs, every other part seems to be affected in the same instant, whereas, in reality, the affection is conveyed successively from part to part, the same as sound or light is conveyed from a sounding or a luminous body.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.92The conveyance of internal thoughts or emotions of any kind form one part of the mind to the other, is probably equal in velocity to the transfer of the various notions gained by sensation. Therefore, in consequence of the inconceivable velocity with which all thoughts and sensations are conveyed from one extremity of the mind to another, it is impossible for one part of the mind to have a thought, sensation, or feeling of any kind which the other parts of the mind can, during any term of time that is appreciable, be ignorant of. It is for this reason that the whole of the mind thinks,—the whole of the mind loves,—the whole of the mind hates,—the whole of the mind wills, &c.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.93[p.93] If the term of time were of any appreciable length in which thoughts and feelings are conveyed from one part of the perceptive mind to the other, then, while one part of the mind was hating an object, another part of the same mind might be loving it because

of newly discovered qualities; and while a part of the mind in one foot was suffering intense pain, caused by treading upon hot iron, another part of the mind in the other foot, not having had time to receive the information, would venture also into the same danger.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.93Were it possible for the different parts of the mind to feel and think without being able to communicate their respective feelings to each other, then every part that thus thought and felt, would be a distinct individual, as much so as if it were separated for miles from all the rest, or, as if it were a separate organization. In this case, the whole being or mind which we before termed I, would cease its individual unity; and each part which thought and felt independently, could appropriate to itself the term I, and with the greatest propriety could apply the term YOU to every other part which thought and felt distinctly and differently from itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.93It is, therefore, because all parts of the mind seem to be affected in the same way, and apparently at the same time, that it is felt to be a single individual mind. It is this, and this only, that constitutes the unity of a thinking being, and not, as the immaterialist asserts, a something "without parts," which from its very nature could constitute neither a unity, nor a plurality, nor any thing else, but nothing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.93If the human spirit be nearly the same form and magnitude as the fleshly tabernacle in which it dwells, it must be composed of an immense number of particles, each of which is susceptible of almost an infinite variety of thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Whence originated these susceptibilities? Are they the results of organization? Did each particle obtain its susceptibilities by being united with others? This would be impossible; for if a particle were entirely destitute of the capacity of thinking and feeling, no possible organization could impart to it that power. The power to think and feel, is not, nor can not be derived from any arrangement of particles. If they have not this power before organization, they can never have it afterwards. It follows then, that if ever there were a time when the particles of the human spirit existed in a disorganized state, each particle so existing, must have had all the susceptibilities of feeling and thought that it now has; and, consequently, each particle must have been a separate independent being of itself. Therefore, under such circumstances, one particle would have been no more affected with the state or condition of others, than one man is affected with the pleasures or pains of others with whom he is not associated.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.94How, then, it may be asked, can these separate independent beings, [p.94] be so united as to form but one being, possessing the same susceptibilities as each of the individuals of which it is composed? The answer to this question may be more clearly understood by the following illustration. Let a certain number of iron filings exist in a scattered condition, widely separated from each other. It is evident that each possesses the susceptibility of magnetism. Such as are brought within the influence of a loadstone or magnet, under favourable circumstances, will exhibit all the magnetic phenomena, while others unconnected and at a distance, will remain entirely unaffected. But let all these filings be firmly united together into one bar of iron, and be exposed to the influence of a magnet or loadstone, and they will then be affected alike. Those which were before the

union distinct individual particles, exhibiting at the same time different susceptibilities and qualities, according to the different circumstances in which they were placed,—are, by their union, consolidated into one mass. In this condition, if one part be magnetized, the whole will be magnetized; if one part be moved, the whole will be moved. Therefore the particles in this bar, though distinct parts of the same substance, can no longer be considered distinct individuals, because they are no longer affected differently, but alike. So it is with the human spirit: its particles previous to the organization, are, as above stated, separate and distinct beings, and the affections of each are entirely independent of the state of the others. But when organized into a person, all particles must from henceforth be subject to the same influences; and though they are distinct parts of the same substance, yet they are one in all their thoughts and feelings; and it is this which constitutes individuality in all intelligent organizations.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.94If a bar of iron, weighing one pound, had the power of expressing its different qualities, it could with the greatest propriety say, I am heavy—I am magnetized—I move. The term I would represent the whole bar, consisting of an infinite number of parts,—all affected precisely in the same moment and in the same manner. Now no one would for a moment suppose the pound of iron to be immaterial and without parts, because the term I was representative of a single individual bar. So likewise in the expressions, I think,—I feel,—I remember; the term I is a representative of the whole being, every part of which thinks, feels, and remembers in the same moment and in the same manner.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.94The arguments which Dr. Brown has used (Brown's Philosophy of the Human Mind. Lecture xcvi.) against the materiality of the mind, would apply with the same force against the materiality of iron or any other substance; for if thought or feeling prove the unity and inextension of mind,—weight, magnetism, or motion will, with as much reason, prove the unity and inextension of iron.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95Mr. Taylder has asserted that "The Materialism of the Mormons is [p.95] not only unscriptural, but anti-scriptural." (Taylder against Materialism, page 21.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95I.—He undertakes to show that it is unscriptural, by asserting that it is "in opposition to the spirituality of the Divinity." (Taylder against Materialism, page 22.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95We readily admit that any system which is "in opposition to the spirituality of the Divinity," is not only unscriptural but dangerously false. That the Spirits of the Father and the Son, as well as the Holy Spirit, consist of a substance purely spiritual, can by no means be denied by any believer in the sacred scriptures. It is a doctrine firmly believed by us and all the Latter-day Saints. It is a doctrine most definitely expressed and advocated in our pamphlet on the Kingdom of God, and that, too, on the very page from which Mr. Taylder makes copious extracts. It is there that we have definitely spoken of "the SPIRITS of the Father and Son:" it is there that we speak of the Holy SPIRIT: it there that we have expressly said that "God is a SPIRIT." And yet in the face of all these declarations Mr. Taylder has had the hardihood to say that our theory is "in opposition to the spirituality of the Divinity." Instead of this, it is the material theory alone that establishes the very existence, of Spirit. Take away the materiality of Spirit, and you at

once destroy its very existence, as we have abundantly shown in the foregoing pages.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95The immaterialists have aimed a deadly blow at the foundation of all spiritual existence, by denying it extension and parts. We, in opposition to this unphilosophic, unscriptural, and atheistical doctrine, have most clearly expressed our belief in a real tangible substance called Spirit, which has extension and parts, like all other matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95"In the case of the angels' visit to Abraham, and of their partaking of food, who," inquiries Mr. Taylder, "would conclude they must have fleshy bodies?" (Taylder against Materialism, page 24.) We answer that a '"fleshly body" and a spiritual body are entirely different things. One is a body of material flesh; the other is a body of material spirit—they are entirely different kinds of matter, as much so as iron and oxygen. Jesus says, "God is a Spirit;" and again he says, "a Spirit hath not flesh and bones." From these sayings of Jesus, we can see that spiritual matter and fleshy or bony matter are distinct substances. These passages are sometimes quoted as a supposed proof of immateriality. But everyone knows that there are millions of substances that are not flesh and bones. A house, a stone, or a tree, "hath not flesh and bones," any more than a spirit; shall we therefore say that all these substances are immaterial?. If a spirit must be immaterial because it hath not flesh and bones, then every substance in the universe, except flesh and bones, must be immaterial.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.95Mr. Taylder supposes that the persons who appeared to Abraham, and ate, and walked, and conversed with him, were only "bodily forms," [p.96] "assumed in mercy to man." But, we ask, how does our author know but what these bodily forms were the real, true, substantial forms of these beings, instead of assumed ones? He seems to think that "it might be assumed, with equal propriety, that the Divine Being is 'a rock,' 'a fortress,' 'a tower,' 'a shield,' 'a buckler,' because he is so styled in the bible." But did he ever appear in the form of a "rock," or "a fortress," to any person anciently? Did he ever appear to Abraham, to Jacob, to Moses, to the Seventy Elders of Israel, to Micaiah, to Isaiah, or to the Jewish nation, when he walked among them," in the flesh, as a tower, a shield, or a buckler? No: he appeared to them all as a person. If the three persons whom Abraham saw had appeared like a shield, or any other inanimate thing, they would not have been called men. It was because they resembled the human species that they were thus called.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.96Mr. Taylder says, "this scheme contradicts itself; for if Christ were possessed of a body of flesh and blood, how could he become incarnate? The Mormons believe," continues he, "in the incarnation, but this contradicts it. Their doctrine implies that he had a body before he was incarnate, or he had a body before he had a body, or he had a body and had not a body at the same time." (Taylder's Tract, page 26.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.96This author must be very ignorant of our doctrine if he supposes that we think that Christ had "a body of flesh and blood" before his incarnation. Christ, before his incarnation, was a spiritual body, and not a body of flesh and bones. It was the body of his spirit and not a fleshly body that was with the Father in the beginning, when God said, "let us make man in our likeness and in our image." Whenever he appeared before

he dwelt in flesh, it was the pure spiritual matter only that was seen. The spiritual body of Christ has hands, face, feet, and all other members, the same as his body of flesh and bones. The spiritual bodies of all men were in the likeness of the spiritual body of Christ when they were first created.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.96That spiritual bodies are capable of condensation, is evident from the fact of their occupying the small bodies of infants. The spirits of just men, who have departed from the fleshly tabernacle, have been seen by the inspired writers; and from their description of them, we should not only judge them to be of the same form, but likewise of about the same size as man in this life. These departed spirits, then, which are about the same magnitude as men in the flesh, once occupied infant bodies. There are only two methods by which to account for their increase in magnitude; one is by an additional quantity of spiritual matter, being gradually and continually incorporated in the spiritual body, by which its magnitude is increased in the same way and in the same proportion as the fleshly body is increased. And the other is by its elasticity or expansive properties by which it increases in size, as the tabernacle of flesh [p.97] and bones increases, until it attains to its natural magnitude, or until its expansive and cohesive properties balance each other, or are in a state of equilibrium.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.97The latter method seems to be in accordance with scripture. The spiritual body of Christ, when seen previous to his incarnation, is not represented as an infant in stature, but as a man, and consequently his spirit must have been of the size of a man. Therefore, when he came and dwelt in the infant tabernacle of flesh, born of a virgin, his spirit must have been greatly condensed; and did not completely regain its former magnitude until the fleshly tabernacle had attained its full growth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.97As a further evidence of the condensation of spiritual matter, we read of seven devils beings cast out of Mary Magdalene, and of a legion of others inhabiting one man, and which, after being cast out, entered a large herd of swine. Now these devils were once angels who kept not their first estate. Those angels who kept their first estate, that have been seen, appear about the size and of the form of men, insomuch that they are frequently called men in the scriptures: and it is reasonable to suppose that those angels who fell did not, to any great extent, alter their size and form. Therefore, they must have been very much condensed and crowded when a legion of them entered one body.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.97That the different particles of a spirit are not all in actual contact is very evident from the fact that a spiritual body can alter its dimensions by condensation or expansion. It is also evident from the fact of its entering into union with flesh and bones, and also withdrawing itself at death. If the particles were in contact, and inseparably connected, there would be no possibility of getting in and out of a fleshly body, unless by entirely dissolving its parts. But, as it is, each refined particle of the spirit can, like heat or electricity, pass between the fleshly particles; and thus the whole body of spiritual particles can liberate themselves; and by their own self-moving powers and free will, can still preserve and maintain their own organization. Here is manifested the great superiority of spiritual matter to all other matter; each particle has the power of self-

motion. The whole mass of particles have power to preserve themselves in an organized form as long as they please. Should they, by any contingency, be disarranged, as in passing in or out of a body, they can with the greatest ease, resume their former position, and maintain their bodily organization either in or out of a fleshly tabernacle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.97Mr. Taylder, in speaking of the seven devils which possessed Mary Magdalene, says, if they were material they must have "condensed themselves into a very small space." He then remarks, "No doubt the reader questions the possibility of any sane person, first embracing and then calmly propagating such errors. (Taylder's Tract, page 28.) But we calmly ask Mr. Taylder, which would be the most reasonable and philosophic,— [p.98] to believe that seven substances could all occupy the same space at the same time, or to believe, as we do, in the condensation of substance? The former is an admitted absurdity, but the latter is something that is constantly taking place in a great variety of substances. None could believe the former, unless his mental vision was obscured and his eyes blinded by the absurd insane notions of priestcraft and false tradition; but any man of sound sense, who dares think for himself, could believe the latter, because it does not involve an absurdity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.98"The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove" upon the Saviour, and like "as cloven tongues of fire" on the apostles. "How can a dove," inquires Mr. Taylder, "extend through all space and intermingle with all the matter?" "It is (he asserts) a clear impossibility." We readily admit that a dove or a cloven tongue of fire cannot be omnipresent. It is, as Mr. Taylder says, "a clear impossibility." And it is likewise just as impossibile for a person to be everywhere present, as it is for a dove. Why should our author suppose it possible for a person to be everywhere present, when he admits that a dove could not be in such a condition? The "cloven tongues of fire" that appeared unto the disciples on the day of pentecost, were only parts of that all-wise substance which extends through space. The cloven tongue of fire which rested upon one man, was not the same that rested upon all the others; hence there was a plurality of them that appeared. The prophet Joel informs us, that in the last days the Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh. No two persons can receive the same identicle particles of this Spirit at the same instant; a part therefore of the Holy Spirit will rest upon one man, and another part will rest upon another. If the Spirit rests upon all flesh at the same time, then there will be as many parts of the Spirit as there are distinct individuals in whom it dwells. No one of these parts of the Spirit can be everywhere present any more than a dove. Each part can occupy only one place at a time. If the whole be infinite in quantity, it can extend through infinite space; if it be finite in quantity, it can only occupy finite space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.98That different parts of this spirit can assume different shapes, is evident from its appearing as a dove at one time, and as cloven tongues of fire at another. It is also evident from the fact of the Saviour's speaking of the Holy Spirit as a personage. "Howbeit, when he the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth; for HE shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever HE shall hear, that shall HE speak: and HE will shew you things to come." (John, xvi., 13.) There is no more inconsistency in one

part of the Holy Spirit existing in the form of a person, than there is in another part existing in the form of a dove, and several other parts existing in the form of cloven tongues of fire.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.99That the all-powerful matter called the Holy Spirit is very widely [p.99] diffused, is evident from the fact that the time will come when it will be poured out upon all flesh. It is very certain that the Psalmist had some idea of the immense quantities of this substance, and of its extensive diffusion, when he exclaims, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?" &c. The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep, and by his Spirit the heavens were garnished. When we speak of the Spirit of God, extending through all space, we do not mean that it absolutely fills every minute portion of space, for if this were the case, there would be no room for any other matter. A substance, to absolutely fill all space, would be an infinite solid, without pores and immovable in all its parts; therefore, the Spirit exists in different parts of space in greater or less degrees of density, like heat, light, or electricity. It is this glorious and all-powerful substance that governs and controls all other substances by its actual presence, producing all the phenomena ascribed to the laws of nature; in it we exist, we live, we move, and by it we receive wisdom and knowledge, and are guided into truth in proportion as we permit it to dwell within us and receive its heavenly teachings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.992.—"The next consideration," says our author, "is their denial of the infinity, perfection, and omnipresence of the Godhead." (Taylder's Tract, page 31.) Under this head he quotes many passages of scripture to show that the presence of God fills heaven and earth, and that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. All these things we freely admit. The Holy Spirit is called God in the scriptures, as well as the Father and Son. This, we presume, Mr. Taylder will admit. It is God, the Holy Spirit, then, that is everywhere, substantially and virtually. The Holy Spirit is infinitely perfect and wise, one in substance, but one in wisdom, power, glory, and goodness. Jesus prayed that all his disciples might be made one, as he and his Father are one. If Jesus and the Father are one person, then all the disciples must, according to the prayer of Jesus, lose their individual identity and become one person: this would be perfect nonsense. Therefore, Jesus and the Father are two persons or two substances, the same in kind but not the same in identity—in the same sense that his disciples are different persons: and, consequently, distinct substances. His disciples are to be made one with him, and with each other, the same as Jesus and the Father are one; that is, they are to be one in wisdom, power, and glory, but not in person and substance. The substance of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct substances, as much as the substance of three men are distinct.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.99These three substances act in concert in the same way that all the innumerable millions of his disciples, after they are glorified, will act in concert. The disciples will then be like him. Their glorified bodies will be similar to that of Christ's but not the same as Christ's: they will all maintain their separate individualities, like the Father and Son. The [p.100] one-ness of the Godhead may be in some measure illustrated by two gallons of pure water, existing in separate vessels, representing the Father and Son, and an ocean of pure water, representing the Holy Spirit. No one would say of these three portions of

water that they were identically the same. Every portion would be a separate substance of itself, but yet the separate portions would be one in kind—one in quality, but three in separate distinct identities. So it is with the Godhead so far as the spiritual matter is concerned. There is the same power, wisdom, glory, and goodness in every part, and yet every part has its own work to perform, which accords in the most perfect harmony with the mind and will of every other part.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.100Each atom of the Holy Spirit is intelligent, and like all other matter has solidity, form, and size. It is because each acts in the most perfect unison with all the rest that the whole is considered one Holy Spirit. All these innumerable atoms are considered one Holy Spirit in the same sense that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are considered one God. The immense number of atoms, though each is all-wise and all-powerful, is, by virtue of their perfect concord and agreement, but one Holy Spirit, the same as the intelligent particles of a man's spirit are, by their peculiar union, but one human spirit. Their unity or oneness does not consist in that inexplicable, incomprehensible, imaginary something without extension or parts, as taught in the first of the "Thirty-nine Articles," but it consists in a unity or oneness of wisdom, power, and glory, each part performing its own splendid works and operations in union with the mind and will of every other part. No one part can perform any work but what is the mind of the whole. Therefore, in this sense it is the same mind—the same will—the same wisdom that pervades the whole.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.100Mr. Taylder, in order to establish his views of a god without parts, quotes from the theological works of a very celebrated writer on the omnipresence of God, which reads as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.100"The essential presence is without any division of himself. I fill heaven and earth, not part in heaven and part in earth: I fill one as well as the other. One part of his essence is not in one place, and another part of his essence in another place; he would then be changeable, for that part of his essence which was now in this place he might alter to another, and place that part of his essence which were in another place to this; but he is undivided everywhere. It is impossible that one part of his essence can be separated from another: for he is not a body, to have one part separable from another. The light of the sun cannot be cut into parts; it cannot be shut into any place, and kept there; it is entire in every place: shall not God, who gives the light that power, be much more present himself? Whatsoever hath parts is finite, but God is infinite; therefore, hath no parts of his essence. Besides, if there were such a division [p.101] of his being, he would not be the most simple and uncompounded being, but would be made up of various parts; he would not be a spirit, for parts are evidences of composition, and it could not be said that God is here or there, but only a part of God is here and a part of God is there. But he fills heaven and earth; he is as much a God in the earth beneath as he is in heaven above. 'The Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else.'—Deut. iv. 39. Entirely in all places, not by scraps and fragments of his essence." (Charnock on the "Omnipresence of God.")The Essential Orson Pratt, p.101Of all the absurdities ever imagined up by mortal man in relation to God, the above caps the climax. "One part of his essence," says Charnock, "is not in one place and another

part of his essence in another place." How does he exist? According to this theologian, the whole of the essence of God entire must exist in every place. The whole of his essence, not a part, must exist in every cubic inch of space. In one cubic foot of space, according to Charnock, there would be seventeen hundred and twenty eight cubic inches, each containing the whole of the essence of God. As each cubic inch of space is susceptible of being divided into an infinite number of fractional spaces, each fractional space must contain the whole of the essence of God; hence the whole of his essence would be repeated an infinite number of times in every cubic inch. Therefore, if the whole of the essence of God constitutes God, we shall have an infinite number of gods in every cubic inch of space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.101But the absurdity does not stop here. Charnock admits the omnipresence of God; he supposes his essence to fill the infinity of space. Now the whole of this infinitely extended essence must exist in the smallest fractional space that can be imagined, and must be repeated an infinite number of times in all finite spaces, in order that the whole of his essence may be in every possible space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.101"It is impossible," says Charnock, "that one part of his essence can be separated from another." But, we ask, are not the different parts of space separated from each other? And if he fills all space, then his essence that is in one part of space must be separate from his essence in another part of space. If the whole of his essence occupies a cubic foot of space on the earth, and the whole of his essence occupies another cubic foot of space at the distance of the sun, how is it that these essences at this great distance are not separate from each other? But does not every school-boy know that the whole of any essence cannot be in two separate places at the same instant? And does not every one know that the whole of an essence, infinitely extended, cannot possibly exist in a finite space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.101Charnock endeavours to illustrate his absurdities by referring to the rays of light. "The light of the sun," he says, "cannot be cut into [p.102] parts,"— it is entire in every place." What does this great theologian mean by this? Does he mean that the light of the sun is without parts like his god? or that the whole light of the sun is in every place? Does the whole light of the sun enter our eyes or only a part of his rays? If the whole light of the sun "is entire in every place," then the intensity of his light must be equal in all places. If this be the case, philosophers must be entirely mistaken, for they say that light varies in intensity inversely as the square of the distance from the luminous body; they inform us that a body situated at twice or three times the distance of the earth from the sun will enjoy only one-fourth or one-ninth of the amount of light that we enjoy; but how could this be possible, if the whole light of the sun, instead of part, "is entire in every place?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.102It takes light over eight minutes to come from the sun to the earth. Charnock says, "The light of the sun cannot be cut into parts." This is not true; for if an opaque body, one million of miles in diameter, were to be placed at any given instant half way between the earth and sun, the light of the sun would still continue to be seen for upwards of four minutes after the intervention of this body. The rays of light between the earth and the opaque body would be entirely cut off from the rays on the opposite side of the body.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.102It matters not whether the corpuscular or the undulatory theory of light be adopted—whether the particles of light emanate from the sun or merely vibrate; each atom is separate from every other atom, and each is only a part of the great whole. An infinite number of parts enter into the vast assemblage of luminous atoms. Light radiates from the sun in all directions, and fills the surrounding spaces by a part being in one space and a part in another, and not, like Mr. Charnock's god, the whole being repeated in every part of space. That part of the essence of light which is in one place, cannot by any possibility be in any other place at the same instant. In one sense it may be said to be one light, or the same light, because the properties are alike. Each particle is a distinct, separate essence from every other particle, but the qualities of each are alike or similar. Therefore, in this sense we may speak of the light of the sun as one light, though it possesses an infinite number of parts, the same as we speak of God being one God, though the parts of his essence are infinite in number. Mr. Charnock says, "Whatsoever hath parts is finite, but God is infinite, and, therefore, hath not parts of his essence." Space likewise is infinite, and therefore, according to this gentleman's logic, it can have no parts. Duration is infinite, and, therefore, it also must be without parts. What would a cubic inch of space be? Any man that was not insane would at once say that it is a part of space. Therefore, if an infinite space or an infinite duration can have parts, why not an infinite essence have parts?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.103[p.103] "The Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else."—Deut. iv. 39. Such a passage when referring to the person of God, should be understood the same as we would understand a similar expression concerning any earthly ruler: for instance, it can be said of her Majesty, she is queen in Great Britain and also in Canada, and there is none else; that is, there is none else that is queen in these two places. This would have no reference to her person being in these two places at the same time; it only shows that she should be the only acknowledged queen in these two places. But when God says, "I fill heaven and earth," he has reference to his Holy Spirit, a part of which fills heaven, and another part fills the earth. That part which fills the earth has the same wisdom, knowledge, glory, and power as the part that fills the heaven; hence, though distinct and separate essences, their perfections and attributes are one. One wisdom—one glory—one power, pervade every part of this glorious essence. This oneness is such that the part which fills the earth will never act contrary to the will of the part which fills the heavens. The essence possesses a plurality of parts, but the wisdom possesses no divisibility of parts; it is infinite wisdom in every part. Wisdom cannot be divided into parts any more than love, hope, joy, or fear. A truth is identically the same truth whether possessed by one or a million of persons, and is not susceptible of being divided into fractions. The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Truth." Though the essence that possesses this truth may be divided into an infinite number of parts, occupying an infinite number of separate spaces, yet the truth that pervades them all is ONE truth. It is the indivisibility and unity of these perfections or qualities that constitute the oneness of the Godhead.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1033.—Mr. Taylder supposes my assertion that "there is no such thing as moral image," to be unscriptural, and that "it denies in some respects the moral perfections of the

Godhead." (Taylder's Tract, page 33.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.103We still maintain that there cannot be any such thing as moral image independently of an essence or substance to which it belongs. And this is the only sense which we intended to convey in our tract on the "KINGDOM OF GOD." Indeed, it is there expressly said, that "Morality is a property of some being or substance. A property without a substance or being to which it appertains is inconceivable. A property can never have figure, shape, or image of any kind." This is a truth admitted by all philosophers. Sir Isaac Newton in the Scholium, at the end of the "principia," in speaking of God says, "He is omnipresent, not by means of his virtue alone, but also by his substance, for virtue cannot subsist without substance." Virtue or morality cannot subsist without substance; hence it can have no image without substance. Substance alone can have an image. Such an image may have the property of virtue, or [p.104] of morality, and by reason of this property may be called a virtuous image, or a moral image. It is in this sense alone that the apostle Paul applies the term image to the new man. "Ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." Col. iii. 10. "Ye have put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. iv. 24. Now what is this new man? It is the spirit of man renewed in its properties, but not changed in its substance or essence. This substance previously to the renewal of its qualities was immoral, after the renewal it became moral or virtuous, possessing the same quality in a degree as the substance or image of the Deity. The substance of the Deity may be termed a moral substance or image, the same as the substance of gold is called a yellow substance, or yellow image, if it resembles a person. The yellowness of gold could not be an image independently of the substance, neither could the morality of the Deity be an image independently of his essence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.104The spiritual substance of man was formed in the beginning after the same image as the spiritual substance of the persons of the Father and Son. Previously to the fall these spirits were all moral in their nature; by the fall the spirits of men lost their morality and virtue, but not their essence—that continued the same; by the new birth man regains his morality and virtue, while the essence remains the same; it now becomes a moral virtuous image, whereas the same substance was before immoral. Paul, in speaking of the resurrection, says, "As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." I Cor. xv. 49.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.104This cannot mean a heavenly image without substance; for when man rises from the dead, he certainly will rise with flesh and bones. The immortal bodies of the saints when they rise from the grave "will be fashioned," as Paul says, "like unto the glorious body of Jesus Christ." As Jesus ascended into heaven with a body of flesh and bones, so will his saints bear the same image, having flesh and bones after "the image of the heavenly." That these glorious bodies of immortal flesh and immortal bones will be moral images, in the sense above stated, there is no doubt. But such a thing as a moral image in the sense that the immaterialists use the term, is a clear impossibility. Such an image, as we remarked in our treatise on the "KINGDOM OF GOD," never can and never will have "an existence only in the brains of modern idolaters."

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1044.—Mr. Taylder falsely accuses us of denying "the personality of each person in the Trinity, making each to be only a part in the Godhead." (Taylder's Tract, page 34.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.104This author very well knows that the personalities in the godhead are not denied by us. It will be seen on the very pages to which he has so frequently referred, that we believe the Father and Son to be two [p.105] separate distinct personages, as much so as fathers and sons of the human race; it will there be seen that we also believe the Holy spirit to be a separate distinct substance from the two substances of the Father and Son. That all may see that this author has wrongfully accused us of denying "the personality of each person in the Trinity," we make the following extract from our treatise on the "KINGDOM OF GOD."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.105"The Godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is a material being. The substance of which he is composed is wholly material. It is a substance widely different in some respects from the various substances with which we are more immediately acquainted. In other respects it is precisely like all other materials. The substance of his person occupies space the same as other matter. It has solidity, length, breadth, and thickness, like all other matter. The elementary materials of his body are not susceptible of occupying, at the same time, the same identical space with other matter. The substance of his person, like other matter, cannot be in two places at the same instant. It also requires time for him to transport himself from place to place. It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow. It differs from other matter in the superiority of its powers, being intelligent, all-wise, and possessing the power of self-motion to a far greater extent than the coarser materials of nature. "God is a spirit." But that does not make him an immaterial being—a being that has no properties in common with matter. The expression, "an immaterial being," is a contradiction in terms. Immateriality is only another name for nothing. It is the negative of all existence. A "spirit" is as much matter as oxygen or hydrogen. It has many properties in common with all other matter. Chemists have discovered between fifty and sixty kinds of matter; and each kind has some properties in common with all other matter, and some properties peculiar to itself which the others do not inherit. Now, no chemist in classifying his substances would presume to say, this substance is material, but that one is immaterial, because it differs in some respects from the first. He would call them all material, though they in some respects differed widely. So the substance called spirit is material, though it differs in a remarkable degree from other substances. It is only the addition of another element of a more powerful nature than any yet discovered. He is not a being "without parts," as modern idolators teach; for every whole is made up of parts. The whole person of the Father consists of innumerable parts; and each part is so situated as to bear certain relations of distance to every other part. There must also be, to a certain degree, a freedom of motion among these parts, which is an essential condition to the movements of his limbs, without which he could only move as a whole.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.106[p.106] "All the foregoing statements in relation to the person of the Father, are equally applicable to the person of the Son.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.106"The Holy Spirit being one part of the Godhead, is also a material substance, of the same nature and properties in many respects, as the spirits of the Father and Son. It exists in vast immeasurable quantities, in connexion with all material worlds. This is called God in the Scriptures, as well as the Father and Son. God the Father and God the Son cannot be everywhere present; indeed they cannot be even in two places at the same instant: but God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent—it extends through all space, intermingling with all other matter, yet no one atom of the Holy Spirit can be in two places at the same instant, which in all cases is an absolute impossibility. It must exist in inexhaustible quantities, which is the only possible way for any substance to be omnipresent. All the innumerable phenomena of universal nature are produced in their origin by the actual presence of this intelligent all-wise and all-powerful material substance called the Holy Spirit. It is the most active matter in the universe, producing all its operations according to fixed and definite laws enacted by itself, in conjuction with the Father and the Son. What are called the laws of nature are nothing more nor less than the fixed method by which this spiritual matter operates. Each atom of the Holy Spirit is intelligent, and like other matter has solidity, form, and size, and occupies space. Two atoms of this spirit cannot occupy the same space at the same time. In all these respects it does not differ in the least from all other matter. Its distinguishing characteristics from other matter are its almighty powers and infinite wisdom, and many other glorious attributes which other materials do not possess. If several of the atoms of this Spirit should exist united together in the form of a person, then this person of the Holy Spirit would be subject to the same necessity as the other two persons of the Godhead, that is, it could not be everywhere present. No finite number of atoms can be omnipresent. An infinite number of atoms is requisite to be everywhere in infinite space. Two persons receiving the gift of the Holy spirit, do not each receive at the same time the same identical particles, though they each receive a substance exactly similar in kind. It would be as impossible for each to receive the same identical atoms at the same instant, as it would be for two men at the same time to drink the same identical pint of water." (Kingdom of God. Part I, page 4.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.106From this extract it will be perceived that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are believed by us to be three distinct material substances, the same in kind, but not the same in identity. The person of the Father is a body of Spirit, consisting of parts. Mr. Taylder enquires, "What does the author mean by 'the elementary materials of his body?' Is his body a compounded substance, capable of being reduced to original and [p.107] simple elements?" We answer that the elements of his body are the different parts of which it consists. The whole, being "compounded" of "elementary" parts.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.107The Godhead may be further illustrated by a council, consisting of three men—all possessing equal wisdom, knowledge, and truth, together with equal qualifications in every other respect. Each person would be a separate distinct person or substance from the other two, and yet the three would form but ONE council. Each alone possesses, by supposition, the same wisdom and truth that the three united or the ONE council possesses. The union of the three men in one council would not increase the knowledge or wisdom of either. Each man would be one part of the council when

reference is made to his person; but the wisdom and truth of each man would be the whole wisdom and truth of the council, and not a part. If it were possible to divide truth, and other qualities of a similar nature into fractions, so that the Father should have the third part of truth, the third part of wisdom, the third part of knowledge, the third part of love, while the Son and the Holy Spirit possessed the other two-thirds of these qualities or affections, then neither of these persons could make "one God," "but only a part of a God." But because the divisibility of wisdom, truth, or love is impossible, the whole of these qualities dwell in the Father—the whole dwells in the Son—the whole is possessed by the Holy Spirit. "The Holy Spirit is one part of the Godhead" in essence; the whole of God in wisdom, truth, and other similar qualities. If a truth could become three truths, distinct from each other, by dwelling in three persons or substances, then there would be three Gods instead of one. But as it is, the Trinity is three in essence but one in truth and other similar principles. The oneness of the Godhead, as described in the Scriptures, never was intended to apply to the essence, but only to the perfections and other attributes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.107If the Father possess infinite wisdom and knowledge, why, some may ask, can he not get along with his work without the assistance of the Son and Holy Spirit? We answer, the Son is necessary to reconcile fallen man to the Father: the Holy Spirit is necessary to sanctify and purify the affections of men, and also to dwell in them as a teacher of truth. Immense quantities of this substance are also necessary in order to be present in connexion with all other substances, to control and govern them according to fixed and definite laws that good order and harmony may obtain in every department of the universe. The Father and Son govern the immensity of creation, not by their own actual presence, but by the actual presence of the Spirit. The union of the three does not give any additional wisdom and knowledge to either, but by the union, they are able to carry on certain works which could not be carried on by one singly. One singly, as for instance the Father, could [p.108] have power to do all things not inconsistent with his perfections and attributes, that is, he could act where he was present, but without the assistance of the Holy Spirit or some other being, he being a person, could not act where he is not present. By the union of the three, each is able to act in all places through the assistance of the others. The persons of the Father and Son can be in heaven, and yet, through the agency of the spirit, act upon the earth. An omnipresent person is impossible, but an omnipresent substance, diffused through space, is not only consistent, but reasonable. Persons through the medium of such an all-wise and all-powerful substance, can exercise Almighty power, at the same time in the most distant departments of creation. Without such a substance with which they were in union, they could not carry on the grand and powerful operations of universal nature; for no substance can act where it is not present.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.108Perhaps the objector may refer to matter attracting matter as a proof that it can act where it is not present. But we are bold to affirm that such a thing as attraction cannot possibly exist. For matter to draw distant matter towards itself, and consequently act where it is not present, would be as utterly impossible as it would be for a person to be in two or more places at the same time. All the phenomena of universal gravitation can be accounted for upon principles infinitely more simple and consistent, than to ascribe

to matter the impossible power of acting where it is not present. The author may, at some future time, give his views with regard to the powers of nature, and the laws by which it is governed. But to enter in this work into a full development of our theory in relation to those intricate though sublime subjects, would be a digression foreign to the objects we have in view in this treatise.… [p.109]{6}New Jerusalem; or, The Fulfilment of Modern Prophecy(Liverpool: R. James, Printer, 1849)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.109About five weeks ago, we received the following letter of inquiry. The writer, as will be seen, manifests a sincere desire to be enlightened upon a subject which we consider to be of vast importance to the present and all future generations. We are happy to see a spirit of inquiry occasionally manifested by our fellow-men, and should be still more rejoiced could we behold this same spirit more generally diffused: for then we should have some hopes in their behalf. But alas! the nations are in a deep sleep! They are drunken with the abominations of great Babylon! Their cup of wickedness is nearly full! It will soon overflow! Then shall the day of their visitation come—a day of sorrow and mourning—a day of great distress—a day of peril and war! The hosts of the mighty shall fall! The strength of the nations shall cease, and their glory shall pass away! Their young men shall perish in battle, and those in high places shall be brought low! Thrones shall be cast down, and the Ancient of Days shall sit, and the body of the fourth beast (or Babylon) shall be given to the devouring flame, and then shall the remnant of the heathen know that the Lord is God, for they shall see and hear of his judgments, which he shall execute upon the corrupt powers of the earth under the name of modern Christianity, scripturally called "Babylon the Great"—"The whore of all the earth," with whom the nations for centuries have committed fornication, and have drank out of her filthy cup. O Babylon! thou hast decked thyself with costly ornaments! Thou has clothed thyself with the most gaudy apparel! Thy seminaries of learning, and thy theological institutions have been multiplied far and wide. Thy priests are polished with all the refinements of a profound and extensive education. Thy costly and magnificent churches have been erected in great numbers throughout all thy borders. The merchants of the earth have made themselves rich through the abundance of thy luxuries. The learned—the great—the mighty—the kings of the earth, have glorified themselves in thy grand and superb palaces. Thou hast indeed enrobed thyself in the royal splendors of a queen. Thine external appearance has excited the admiration of all nations. But internally thou art rotten with the filth of thy whoredoms. Thou hast presented thy golden cup to the lips of all people: they have drank the poisonous draught, and are reeling to and fro under its deadly influence. Thy priests and thy great men have heaped up treasures as the dust. Thou hast trampled upon the necks [p.110] of the poor, and thou showest no pity to the half-famished labourer their thousands per annum, to support themselves in priestly splendor and affluence. Thou hast gathered the tares of the earth, and bound them in bundles, and made their bands strong, that they may be ready for the burning. O Babylon, thy cup is nearly full! Thine hour is close at hand! Thou shalt fall and not rise again!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.110Awake! O ye honorable among the nations! ye who desire righteousness, but know

where to find it! Awake from a deep sleep, and hear the voice of a humble servant of God: for the day-star has dawned upon a benighted world; but its light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Come, then, to the light that your path may be illuminated. He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth, nor the dangers which await his footsteps. He that cometh to the light shall be guided in the straight path wherein he shall not stumble. That light which was from the beginning is again made manifest, and the power thereof, that those who receive it may have eternal life, and those who receive it not, may have the light which they are in possession of taken from them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.110The keys of authority and power are once more committed unto the sons of men upon the earth; and they are sent forth by divine revelation to gather out the good and virtuous from among all nations, that they may be taught in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and be prepared for the revelation of powers of heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.110Woe unto the nations in that day that the righteous are gathered out of their midst, for they shall be as Sodom and Gomorrah, and shall speedily be consumed in their wickedness, for their sins cry aloud to the heavens for vengeance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.110But we are aware that this great division between the wicked and the righteous is unlooked for by the slumbering nations. So great are the powers of darkness which now prevail that even many who desire to know the truth, do not, at first, because of the imperfection of their visual powers, clearly discern its bright and effulgent rays.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.110The author of the following letter apparently is of that number who is longing after the truth, but knows not where to find it. He has read our works extensively and most cordially acquiesces with our theological views; but he finds some supposed discrepancies between the predictions recorded in the Book of Covenants, and the subsequent history of our church. Instead of rejecting the work, however, upon these slight evidences, he has, as every honest man should do, endeavoured to make further inquiries, and, if possible, arrive at some certainty upon a message purporting to be of so great a moment. We here give the letter of our correspondent in full.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111Reverend Sir,—Permit me for a few moments to call your attention [p.111] to a few remarks that I have to make to you, which I do with the greatest deference imaginable, hoping that you will give your candid and serious attention to the few problems that I submit for your philosophical mind to elucidate; in fact, from what I have learned of your deportment, I have no reason to hesitate. Without expatiating upon prefatory remarks, I will enter upon the subject at issue, believing that truth will prevail.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111For a number of years my mind has been seriously affected with religious impressions, and my anxiety respecting a future state has been ineffably great; I have searched around me for the effulgent light of saving truth; but, alas! I am obliged to succumb for the present; and unless some bright meteor should start from its orbit and enlighten my dreary path, I must sink into unutterable despondency.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111

During my researches after truth, I have read a number of your works both theological and apocalyptical. In your theological tenets I most cordially acquiesce, and your scriptural plan of salvation I regard as most admirable. But in perusing the apocalyptical section of it, there appears to my finite mind a many discrepancies which I cannot reconcile with Infinite Wisdom, and consequently remain a stumbling block.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111Now, being conscious of your ability, and believing you to be the most efficient person in this country, induces me thus to appeal to you, and I hope and trust, that you will give me your elaborate and matured views upon these revealed portions which I select for your exposition. In the first place permit me to call your attention to the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—(see par. 7, last clause.) "Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled"!!!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111Sir, after reading the latter clause, I am led to believe that all the prophecies and promises contained therein shall decidedly come to pass; but when I read section after section until I get through the book, many of the revelations, when compared with the subsequent history of the church, appear to have totally failed in their accomplishment, and exhibit Joseph Smith to my mind only as an enthusiast. If you can dispel this illusion, if it is an illusion, I shall ever feel grateful towards you. It is not my intention to give you the whole of the dissentaneous matter, which I think have failed in this particular; but select a few, as the aggregate would be superfluous and prolix.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.111Firstly, sec. 4. par 1st, "A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, jun., and six Elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high, yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church established in the last days, for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city new Jerusalem, which city shall be BUILT, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the [p.112] finger of the Lord in the WESTERN BOUNDARIES of the STATE OF MISSOURI; and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, jun. and others, with whom the Lord was well pleased."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Par. 2nd, "Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation; for verily this generation shall not all pass away, until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord which shall fill the house."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Sec. 15, par 13. "And it shall come to pass among the wicked that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbour must needs flee unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it, out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. And it shall be said among the wicked let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible: wherefore we cannot stand."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Sec. 27, par. 1. "Hearken, O ye Elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have

assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land which is the land of MISSOURI, which is the land which I have appointed, and consecrated for the gathering of the Saints; wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom, here is wisdom. Behold the place which is now called Independence, is the centre place and a spot for the temple is lying westward upon a lot which is not far from the court-house: wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the Saints, and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile: and also, every tract bordering by the prairies, inasmuch as my disciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold, this is wisdom, that they may obtain it for an everlasting inheritance."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Without extracting any more, for the present, I think a few references will suffice, if you will have the kindness to notice them, viz.: Sec. 28, par. 2nd, sec 35, par. 3rd, sec. 101, pars. 2,3,4, sec. 103, par. 1, &c.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Now all these passages, according to my judgment, have a peculiar reference to the State of Missouri, and its future magnificence and perpetuity. But I find, if I mistake not, that in the year 1838, the Saints were expelled from this promised land of Zion, this place of refuge appointed (as its so said) by the immutable Jehovah, while his scourge should desolate the kingdoms of the world, and mete unto the inhabitants that retribution which shall be commensurate with their works.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.112Now when you place the prophecies and promises, and the subsequent incidents of your church, in a juxtaposition, their [p.113] heterogeneousness appears obvious to a sagacious mind, and bears upon its characteristic features the appearance of a vain assumption.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113Again, after the Saints were banished from this State, they found an asylum in Illinois, and the place of their location was called Nauvoo. It seems to me, that as the Lord's commandments could not be completed in the State of Missouri, its future magnificence and destiny was transferred to Illinois, upon whose soil should be gathered the Saints of the Lord out of every nation, tongue, and people, to possess it for ever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113I should not wish to offer any remark that should be at all calculated to do violence to your feelings, but only to give expression to a few of my thoughts while musing upon this subject, in order that you might have the opportunity of refuting and dispelling them, so that my mind might be free, and my soul open to become obedient to the mandates of heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113If you should feel inclined to give your recognition to the foregoing remarks, and respond through your invaluable periodical, I should ever feel grateful towards you, as I have other matter to lay before you before I cease my correspondence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113With feelings of profound deference and gratitude, I remain your humble servant,

A. Layman.NEW JERUSALEM

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113Under this head we design to unfold some of the great purposes of Jehovah relating to this earth, and in so doing we hope to remove some of the objections of our correspondent. The New Jerusalem is the subject connected with those purposes which shall engage a good share of our attention in this article. It is a subject that will not admit of a philosophic elucidation. All that is known concerning the New Jerusalem is what is revealed in the revelations of God, both of ancient and modern date. The most ancient prophecy which the Saints are now in possession of relating to the New Jerusalem was one delivered by Enoch, the seventh from Adam. This ancient prophecy was revealed anew to Joseph Smith in December, A.D. 1830. There are many great and important events predicted in this wonderful revelation, among which the gathering of the Saints, and the great preparatory work for the coming of Christ are clearly foretold. We make the following extract:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.113"And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days—in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you, concerning the children of Noah; and the [p.114] day shall come that the earth shall rest; but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulation shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness I will 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; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare—a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle; and it shall be called Zion—a NEW JERUSALEM"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.114From this extract, we learn the important fact that a holy city called ZION or NEW JERUSALEM, is to be built up on this earth preparatory to Christ's Second Advent; that it is to be built by the elect of God under his direction; that righteousness is to be sent down from heaven, and truth sent forth out of the earth for the purpose of gathering the people of God from among all nations. But this revelation does not tell in what part of the earth the New Jerusalem should be located.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.114The Book of Mormon, which the Lord has brought out of the earth, informs us that this holy city is to be built upon the continent of America, but it does not inform us upon what part of that vast country it should be built.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.114The most ancient prophecy in that book, concerning this city, was delivered by Ether, who lived about six hundred years before Christ; he was of the nation of the Jaredites, whom the Lord brought from the great tower, at the time he confounded the language and scattered the people abroad upon all the face of the earth, as recorded in Genesis xi. 9. Ether was raised up among a great and powerful nation at a time when wickedness prevailed among them to an alarming degree. He predicted many great and marvellous events; his nation, however, rejected his testimony, and he lived to behold

their utter destruction. We here give the following short extract:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.114"And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing. For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land, it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; and that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land: and he [p.115] spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come; after it should be destroyed, it should be built up again a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore it could not be a New Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old, but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel; and that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type; for as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph, that they should perish not; wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old, save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. 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. And when these things come, bringeth to pass the Scripture which saith, "there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.115The next person of whom we have any knowledge, who, in the order of time, has said anything on the subject of the New Jerusalem, was our Lord Jesus Christ in his personal ministry to the Nephites, after his crucifixion. Jesus, speaking to the remnant of the tribe of Joseph, then inhabiting ancient America, says:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.115"Behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a NEW JERUSALEM. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you." Jesus informed the Nephites of all things which should befall them down to the great and last day. He told them of the blessings that awaited their posterity in the latter times, when the Gentiles should find their records and should bring forth the same unto them.

He predicted the destruction and entire overthrow of the Gentiles, who should reject their records—the Book of [p.116] Mormon after it should be brought forth out of the earth by his power. He left a promise to the Gentiles on condition that they should repent of their sins and embrace the message contained in the records of Joseph. This promise reads as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116"But if they" (the Gentiles) "will repent" (in the day the Book of Mormon is brought forth unto them) "and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant, and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance; and they shall assist my people the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the NEW JERUSALEM; and then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the NEW JERUSALEM. And then shall the power of heaven come down among them: and I also will be in the midst."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116The next writer to which we will refer is John. This apostle, while on the Isle of Patmos, saw Jesus, who commanded him to write to the church of Philadelphia, as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is NEW JERUSALEM, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; and I will write upon him my new name."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116This great apostle looked forward in the visions of God, and saw this same city descending from God out of heaven upon the new earth.—(See Rev. xxi. 2.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116In all the ancient revelations which we have as yet quoted, we have found none who have pointed out the precise spot for the location of this city. We learn positively from the Book of Mormon that it is to be built on the great western continent, but whether in North or South America that invaluable book does not tell us.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116In September, 1830, Joseph Smith, that great prophet and seer of the last days, after having a few months previously organized the church of Christ, consisting only of six members,—received a revelation, from which I make the following extract:—"Behold, I say unto you, that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you, that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites." (Doc. and Cov., sec. li, par. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.116By this revelation the few members of the Church, then in existence, learned the important fact, that the city was to be built somewhere in the western boundaries of the United States, some fifteen hundred miles west of the State of New York, where the revelation was then given. But as to the particular spot they were still held in [p.117] ignorance. During the same month the Lord informed the few Saints who had received the Book of Mormon as the word of the Lord, that he had made a certain decree concerning his elect. The revelation was given in the presence of six elders. The Lord

said unto them:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.117"Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect, for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; wherefore, the decree hath gone forth from the Father, that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts, and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked; for the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe; and all the proud, and they that do wickedly, shall be as stubble, and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.117In December, 1830, the Lord gave commandment unto the Saints in the State of New York, to remove to the State of Ohio.—(Sec. lviii, par. 2.) Shortly after this the church commenced fulfilling this requirement, and within the short space of a few months, the majority of them were comfortably situated in the northern portions of Ohio. In February, 1831, the Saints were commanded to ask the Lord, and he would in due time reveal unto them the place where the New Jerusalem should be built, and where the Saints should eventually be gathered in one.—(Sec. xiii, par. 3, 10, 17, 18.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.117On the 7th of March, 1831, the Saints were commanded to gather up their riches with one heart and one mind, to purchase an inheritance which the Lord should point out to them. In this revelation there were many predictions of a very important nature revealed. The inheritance, which was to be pointed out to them, and which they were to purchase, was to be the place of the New Jerusalem or Zion.—(Sec, xv., par. 12, 13, 14; also sec. lxiv. par. 2.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.117In June following the Lord commanded between twenty and thirty of the elders to journey westward two by two, preaching the word and building up branches of the church wherever the people would receive their testimony. These elders were to take different routes, and meet together in the capacity of a conference in the western parts of Missouri. In this revelation the Lord said, that inasmuch as his elders were faithful, the land of their inheritance should be made known unto them; and also informed them that it was then in possession of their enemies.—(Sec. lxvi, par. 1, 2, 9.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.117In this same month a small branch of the church, called the Colesville branch, who had emigrated from the States of New York to Ohio, where they had been for a few weeks, were commanded to remove to the western borders of Missouri, near the Lamanites.—(Sec. lxviii, par. 2, 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.118[p.118] Joseph Smith and several of the elders arrived at Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, about the middle of July. Soon after their arrival, a revelation was given pointing out Independence as the central place for the city, and the place for the temple a short distance west of the court house.—(Sec. xxvii, par. 1.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.118In this same revelation, the saints were informed that it was wisdom to purchase the land throughout the country, that they might obtain it for an everlasting inheritance. Sidney Gilbert was appointed by revelation as an agent for the church, to receive

money to buy land for the benefit of the Saints. Edward Partridge, who had previously been ordained a bishop with the assistance of his two counsellors, was commanded to divide to the Saints their inheritances according to their families. The bishop and the agent were also commanded to make preparations for the Colesville Saints, then on their way from the state of Ohio, that they might, upon their arrival, be planted in their inheritances.—(See the whole of section xxvii.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.118The following week the Colesville Saints arrived; and immediately upon their arrival, or on the 1st day of August, 1832, the word of the Lord came unto Joseph the Prophet, saying,—"Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give ear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you, and also concerning this land unto which I have sent you: for verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation cometh the blessings. Wherefore, the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. Remember this, which I tell you before, that you may lay it to heart, and receive that which shall follow."—(See section xviii., par. 1, 2, 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.118Here it will be seen that immediately upon the arrival of a few of the Saints upon that choice land where the New Jerusalem is to be built, they were informed that the great glory and blessings to be received upon that land were not to be enjoyed until after they should pass through much tribulation. At this time, so far as outward circumstances were manifested, there was not the least appearance of any tribulation. They were about to be located in one of the most beautiful and delightful countries in the world. It was a country, whose richness and fertility of soil far surpassed anything which they had ever before seen. It was a country abounding with springs and rivulets of the purest kind of water, whose crystal streams flowed in luxuriant abundance in almost every grove and prairie. A great variety of the most excellent timber [p.119] bordered upon the rivers and watercourses. These shady and delightful groves were from one to three miles in width, extending many miles in length, while the rich rolling prairies, covered with a gorgeous profusion of wild flowers of every varied hue, lay spread around among the intervening groves. Their grassy surfaces, extending for miles, presented the delightful appearance of a sea of meadows. It was a new country; but a few inhabitants had as yet formed settlements within its borders. These consisted principally of emigrants from the Southern States. The most of this choise land could be purchased of the United States government for about five shillings per acre.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.119It was here, then, in a country thinly inhabited, and that too by a people who were apparently friendly, that the Lord spake by the mouth of Joseph the Seer, and predicted "much tribulation" upon the Saints, before they could inherit the promised blessings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.119The Saints, being inexperienced, could not, at that time, comprehend the nature of the tribulations with which they were to be visited. It was with them, as it was with the ancient apostles; their eyes were not opened to comprehend clearly the word of the

Lord. Jesus, at several different times, intimated to his disciples, concerning his death, burial, and resurrection; but so great were their anxieties that he should be crowned king over Israel, and that they should be immediately exalted to high and important stations in his government, that they did not understand his sayings until they came to pass; so with the elders and saints in that glorious country, they saw from the revelations that a great and splendid city was to be built, and that the powers of heaven were to come down and dwell with the Saints; and now that they had learned the very spot where these great events should happen, and that they were the highly favoured people who were the first to receive their inheritance by revelation in the goodly land, they were exceedingly anxious to enter directly, or as soon as possible, into the enjoyment of the promised blessings. Therefore, when the Lord told them that much tribulation awaited them, they did not seem to understand it, or lay it to heart. So eager and intent were they to build the city and enjoy the glory, that the predicted tribulations seem to have almost passed away from their remembrance. They had their eye fixed upon the future glory of Zion, but not on the tribulations which were to precede her exaltation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.119The Lord, as if to prepare them to stand steadfast when their tribulations should come, said unto them, "Remember this, which I tell you before, that you may lay it to heart, and receive that which shall follow."—(Par. 3.) It is well that the Lord did not reveal before hand all the horrible suffering which they were to receive from the hands of their wicked enemies; for it would have been more than they could have well [p.120] endured. Many, no doubt, through their weakness and inexperience, would have shrunk back from the trial, and perhaps might through fear, have left the country, and thus the designs and purposes of God in relation to certain things would have been frustrated. But the Lord foretold enough to encourage and strengthen them when it was fulfilled, and yet not enough to frighten them away from the land. In this thing, then, we can behold the great wisdom of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.120After informing the elders of the great tribulations which should befall the Saints, and the glory that should follow, the Lord continues to instruct them upon the greatness of the work to be performed upon the land. He said—(par. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.120"Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come; and also that you might be honoured of laying the foundations, and of bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand; and also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail; yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited. Firstly, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; and after that cometh the day of my power: then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come. Behold, I the Lord have spoken it."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.120From this paragraph it will be seen that the elders were sent to that land for several

purposes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.120First, that they might show their obedience to the commandments by performing the mission given them while in the state of Ohio. Second, that they might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which were then in the future pertaining to that land. Third, that they might be honoured in laying the foundation, and of bearing record, as eye witnesses, of the choice "land upon which the Zion of God should stand." And fourth, that a feast of fat things, or a supper of the house of the Lord, might be well prepared, unto which all nations were to be invited previous to the coming of the bridegroom. O how blessed will be those servants who have kept the faith, who were thus highly honoured with so glorious and important a mission! The future generations of Zion, and all the nations of the righteous, shall call them blessed! They shall sit in the councils of the Holy One of Zion in the day of his power and glory!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.120In the seventh paragraph of this revelation, it will be perceived that a law was established, that all the Saints who should come to that land, [p.121] should lay their money before the Bishop of the church, that lands might be purchased, and both poor and rich receive an inheritance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121An epistle was commanded to be sent to all the churches in the east, requiring them to appoint an agent to receive subscriptions to purchase land in Zion. And lest the churches should be negligent and slothful upon this subject, the Lord told them that it was his will that the disciples should "purchase the whole region of country, as soon as time would permit." "Behold here," saith the Lord, "is wisdom. Let them do this, lest they receive none inheritance save it be by the shedding of blood." (See paragraph 10 and 11.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121It would appear from this, that unless the "whole region" should be purchased by the Saints they were to receive "none inheritance" there; and at the same time an intimation was given, that unless the Saints were faithful and expeditious to do this there would be a "shedding of blood." Thus we can perceive, that the Lord saw not as man sees: he saw that the inhabitants of the country, who were then apparently friendly, would become the enemies of the Saints, and shed their blood, and drive them from all their inheritances.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121That the Saints might be forewarned, and be on their guard against giving any provocation, the Lord said unto them,The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121"Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God, hath no need to break the laws of the land; wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet. (Paragraph 5.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121In the 13th paragraph, Sidney Rigdon was commanded to consecrate and dedicate the land and spot of the temple unto the Lord.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121On the second day of August, the foundation of the first house for the Colesville Saints,

was laid in Kaw township, twelve miles west of Independence. This foundation was laid by twelve men, in honour of the twelve tribes of Israel. At the same time the land of Zion was consecrated and dedicated unto the Lord by prayer.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121The next day the temple lot was dedicated unto the Lord, in the presence of eighteen men.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121On August 4th the first conference was held in the land of Zion. August 7th the first funeral was attended, and on the same day another revelation was given through Joseph the prophet, making known still further the duties of the Saints. (See Section xix.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.121After receiving several other revelations, Mr. Smith returned to the churches in the east. Towards the last of August, he received another revelation in Kirtland, Ohio, on the great importance of speedily gathering up money to purchase the land in Jackson county. We make the following extract:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.122"And now, behold this is the will of the Lord your God concerning [p.122] his Saints, that they should assemble themselves together unto the land of Zion, not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence. Behold, the land of Zion, I, the Lord, hold it in mine own hands; nevertheless, I, the Lord, render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's: wherefore I, the Lord, will that ye should purchase the lands, that you may have advantage of the world, that you may have claim on the world, that they may not be stirred up unto anger; for Satan putteth it into their hearts to anger against you, and to the shedding of blood; wherefore the land of Zion shall not be obtained but by purchase or by blood, otherwise there is none inheritance for you. And if by purchase, behold you are blessed; and if by blood, as you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive an inheritance." (Section xx. paragraph 8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.122This remarkable prophecy, in conjunction with those to which we have before referred, was given, as we have already remarked, at a time when no human sagacity could have foreseen such events. No man, unless he were a prophet, could have so clearly portrayed the subsequent history of the church. Had it not been for these and other predictions of a like nature, no one would for a moment have supposed, that the people of that boasted land of freedom, would shed the blood of the Saints, and drive them from the lands which they had purchased, and persecute them from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue. All other denominations had been tolerated for many years, and no such scenes of persecution had been known in the United States since their constitution was formed. Religious freedom was the boast of the whole nation. Yet in the midst of such universal freedom and religious liberty, the voice of a great prophet is heard, declaring the word of the Lord, and predicting events that no one looked for—events, that to all human appearance, were very unlikely to come to pass—events that have since been fulfilling to the letter, as both America and Great Britain will know.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.122

On the 11th of September, another revelation was given, from which we make the following extract:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.122"Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days; and the rebellious shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land; for, verily, I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked out." (Section xxi. par. 7.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.122Here it is again expressly foretold that the rebellious, or those Saints who Should transgress the law of God, were to be cut off out of the land—were to be sent away, and not inherit the land—were to be plucked out. Thus we see that the Lord did not intend to suffer a carelessness, or [p.123] negligence, or wickedness on the part of his Saints who dwelt upon that holy and consecrated land. He had determined as he had expressly told them a few weeks previously that he would be obeyed. "Verily I say unto you, my law shall be kept on this land." (Section xviii., paragraph 4.) There was no alternative only for the Saints to keep the law of God, or else be "plucked out" of the land, and "be sent away."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.123In November, 1831, among the numerous revelations given about those days, the Lord spake the following to the prophet Joseph in the State of Ohio, concerning the Saints on the land of Zion in Missouri.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.123"Now, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the Inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness. These things ought not to be, and must be done away from among them: wherefore let my servant Oliver Cowdery, carry these sayings unto the land of Zion. And a commandment I give unto them, that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people. These things are true and faithful; wherefore transgress them not, neither take therefrom. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, and I come quickly, Amen." (Section xxii., paragraph 4.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.123In the following April, Joseph the seer again visited the land of Zion, and received the word of the Lord in their behalf, and more fully organized them according to the laws of God, after which he returned to his home among the eastern churches.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.123On the 22nd and 23rd of September, 1832, a revelation was given, informing the Saints that a temple should be built upon the consecrated spot in Jackson county before the generation then living should all pass away, and a cloud of glory should rest upon it. (See Section iv., paragraphs 1, 2.) In this revelation which was given in Ohio, through the prophet, the Saints were sharply reproved, and a judgment predicted upon Zion. The Lord spake thus:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.123"And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received, which vanity and unbelief hath

brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all: and they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent, and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon, and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have caused to be written, that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom, otherwise there remaineth a scourge and a judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion; for shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, nay."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.124[p.124] "Verily, I say unto all those to whom the kingdom has been given, from you it must be preached unto them, that they shall repent of their former evil works, for they are to be upbraided for their evil hearts of unbelief: and your brethren in Zion, for their rebellion against you at the time I sent you." (See paragraphs 8 and 12.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.124The children of Zion had not harkened diligently to the warnings which the prophet Joseph delivered a few months previously, or at the time he visited them; wherefore the Lord was displeased with them as manifested in the above revelation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.124The inhabitants of Zion were faithfully warned of the judgments which awaited them, not only by direct revelation, but by letters. We make the following extracts from a letter written in Ohio, by Joseph Smith, and sent as a warning to the children of Zion in Missouri.

Kirtland, Ohio, January 11th, 1833.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.124"Brother William W. Phelps,—I send you the olive leaf which we have plucked from the tree of paradise—the Lord's message of peace tous; (meaning by this, a lengthy revelation which he sent in company with the letter, given December 6th, 1832. See Section vi.,) for though our brethren in Zion indulge in feelings towards us, which are not according to the requirements of the new covenant; yet we have the satisfaction of knowing that the Lord approves of us, and has accepted us, and established his name in Kirtland for the salvation of the nations; for the Lord will have a place, from whence his word will go forth in these last days, in purity; for if Zion will not purify herself, so as to be approved of in all things, in his sight, he will seek another people; for his work will go on until Israel is gathered, and they who will not hear his voice, must expect to feel his wrath. Let me say unto you, seek to purify yourselves, and also all the inhabitants of Zion, lest the Lord's anger be kindled to fierceness. Repent, repent, is the voice of God to Zion; and yet, strange as it may appear, yet it is true, mankind will persist in self-justification until all their iniquity is exposed, and their character past being redeemed, and that which is treasured up in their hearts be exposed to the gaze of all mankind. I say to you, (and what I say to you I say to all,) hear the warning voice of God, lest Zion fall, and the Lord swear in his wrath the inhabitants of Zion shall not enter into my rest. The brethren in Kirtland pray for you unceasingly, for knowing the terrors of the Lord, they greatly fear for you."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.124"Our hearts are greatly grieved at the spirit which is breathed, both in your letter, and that of brother G * * * * * *; the very spirit which is wasting the strength of Zion like a

pestilence; and if it is not detected and driven from you, it will ripen Zion for the threatened judgments of [p.125] God. Remember God sees the secret springs of human action, and knows the hearts of all living."* * * "All we can say by way of conclusion, is, if the fountain of our tears are not dried up, we will still weep for Zion. This from your brother who trembles for Zion, and for the wrath of heaven which awaits her if she repent not."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125P.S. I am not in the habit of crying peace, when there is no peace, and knowing the threatened judgment of God; I say, "Woe unto them who are at ease in Zion; fearfulness will speedily lay hold of the hypocrite."* * *"We wish you to render the (evening and morning) STAR as interesting as possible, by setting forth the rise, progress, and faith of the church, as well as the doctrine; for if you do not render it more interesting than at present, it will fall, and the church suffer a great loss thereby."

JOSEPH SMITH, Jun.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125That the inhabitants of Zion, in Jackson county, Missouri, were plainly and in the most definite terms forewarned of the judgments of heaven which would speedily over-take them, may be seen from the following letter, written by a council of twelve High Priests, in the state of Ohio, and sent to them.

Kirtland Mills, Geauga County, Ohio, January 14th, 1833.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125From a conference of twelve High Priests, to the bishop, his council, and the inhabitants of Zion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125Orson Hyde and Hyrum Smith being appointed by the said conference, to write this epistle in obedience to the commandment given the 22nd and 23rd of September last, which says, "But verily I say unto all those that shall repent of their former evil works, for they are to be upbraided for their evil hearts of unbelief: and your brethren in Zion, for their rebellion against you at the time I sent you."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125Brother Joseph, and certain others, have written to you on this all-important subject, but you have never been apprized of these things, by the united voice of a conference of those high priests that were present at the time this commandment was given.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125We therefore, Orson and Hyrum, the committee appointed by said conference to write this epistle, having received the prayers of said conference that we might be enabled to write the mind and will of God upon this subject, now take up our pen to address you in the name of the conference, relying upon the arm of the great head of the church.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.125In the commandment above alluded to, the children of Zion were all, yea, even every one, under condemnation, and were to remain in that state until they repented and remembered the new covenant, even [p.126] the Book of Mormon, and the former commandments, which the Lord had given them, not only to say but to do them, and bring forth fruit meet for the Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and a judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion; for shall the children of the kingdom pollute the holyland? I say unto you, nay!

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.126The answers received from those letters, which have been sent to you upon this subject, have failed to bring to us that satisfactory confession and acknowledgment, which the spirit of our Master requires; we, therefore, feeling a deep interest for Zion, and knowing the judgments of God that will come upon her except she repent, resort to these last and most effectual means in our power, to bring her to a sense of her standing before the Most High.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.126At the time Joseph, Sidney and Newel left Zion, all matters of hardness and misunderstanding were settled and buried, (as they supposed) and you gave them the hand of fellowship; but, afterwards, you brought up all these things again, in a sensorious spirit, accusing Brother Joseph in rather an indirect way of seeking after monarchial power and authority. This came to us in Brother Carroll's letter of June 2nd. We are sensible that this is not the thing Brother Joseph is seeking after, but to magnify the high office and calling whereunto he has been called and appointed by the command of God and the united voice of this church. It might not be amiss for you to call to mind the circumstances of the Nephites and the children of Israel rising up against their prophets, and accusing them of seeking after kingly power, &c., and see what befel them and take warning before it is too late.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.126Brother Gilbert's letter of December 10th, has been received and read attentively, and the low, dark, and blind insinuations, which were in it, were not received by us from the fountain of light, though his claims and pretensions to holiness were great. We are not unwilling to be chastened or rebuked for our faults, but we want to receive it in language that we can understand, as Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man." We are aware that brother G. is doing much, and a multitude of business on hand; but let him purge out all the old leaven, and do his business in the spirit of the Lord, and then the Lord will bless him, otherwise the frown of the Lord will remain upon him. There is manifestly an uneasiness in Brother Gilbert, and a fearfulness that God will not provide for his saints in these last days, and these fears lead him on to coveteousness. This ought not so to be: but let him do just as the Lord has commanded him, and the Lord will open his coffers, and his wants will be liberally supplied. But if this uneasy, covetous disposition be cherished by him, the Lord will bring him to poverty, shame, and disgrace.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.127Brother Phelp's letter is also received of December 15th, and [p.127] carefully read, and it betrays a lightness of spirit that ill becomes a man placed in the important and responsible station that he is placed in. If you have fat beef and potatoes, eat them in singleness of heart, and boast not yourselves in these things. Think not, brethren, that we make a man an offender for a word; this is not the case; but we want to see a spirit in Zion, by which the Lord will build it up; that is the plain, solemn, and pure spirit in Christ. Brother Phelp's requested in his last letter that Brother Joseph should come to Zion; but we say that Brother Joseph will not settle in Zion until she repent and purify herself, and abide by the new covenant, and remember the commandments that have been given her, to do them as well as say them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.127You may think it strange that we manifest no cheerfulness of heart upon the reception of

your letter; you may think that our minds are prejudiced so much that we can see no good that comes from you; but rest assured, brethren, that this is not the case.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.127We have the best of feelings, and feelings of the greatest anxiety for the welfare of Zion; we feel more like weeping over Zion than we do like rejoicing over her, for we know the judgments of God hang over her, and will fall upon her except she repent, and purify herself before the Lord, and put away from her every foul spirit. We now say to Zion, this once, in the name of the Lord, repent! awake, awake, put on thy beautiful garments, before you are made to feel the chastening rod of him, whose anger is kindled against you. Let not Satan tempt you to think we want to make you bow to us to domineer over you, for God knows this is not the case; our eyes are watered with tears, and our hearts are poured out to God in prayer for you, that he will spare you, and turn away his anger from you.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.127There are many things in the last letters from Brothers G. and P. that are good and we esteem them much. The idea of having "certain ones appointed to regulate Zion and travelling elders, has nothing to do with this part of the matter;" it is something we highly approbate, and you will doubtless know before this reaches you, why William E. M'Lellin opposed you in this move. We fear there was something in Brother Gilbert, when he returned to this place from New York, last fall, in relation to his Brother William that was not right; for Brother Gilbert was asked two or three times about his Brother William, but gave evasive answers, and at the same time he knew that William was in Cleveland; but the Lord has taken him. We merely mention this, that all may take warning to work in the light, for God will bring every secret thing to light.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.127We now close our epistle by saying unto you, the Lord has commanded us to purify ourselves, to wash our hands and our feet, that he may testify to his Father and our Father—to his God and our God, that [p.128] we are clean from the blood of this generation, and before we could wash our hands and our feet, we were constrained to write this letter. Therefore, with the feelings of inexpressible anxiety for your welfare, we say again, repent, repent, or Zion must suffer, for the scourge and judgment must come upon her.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.128Let the bishop read this to the elders, that they may warn the members of the scourge that is coming, except they repent. Tell them to read the Book of Mormon and obey it; read the commandments that are printed and obey them: yea, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that peradventure he may turn away his anger from you. Tell. them that they have not come up to Zion to sit down in idleness, neglecting the things of God, but they are to be diligent and faithful in obeying the new covenant.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.128There is one clause in Brother Joseph's letter which you may not understand; that is this, "if the people of Zion did not repent, the Lord would seek another place and another people." Zion is the place where the temple will be built, and the people gathered, but all people upon that holy land being under condemnation, the Lord will cut off if they repent not, and bring another race upon it that will serve him. The Lord will seek another place to bring forth and prepare his word to go forth to Zion, except she

repent and serve God, and obey the new covenant. With this explanation the conference sanctions Brother Joseph's letter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.128Brethren, the conference meets again this evening to hear this letter read, and if it meets their minds, we have all agreed to kneel down before the Lord and cry unto him with all our hearts that this epistle, and brother Joseph's, and the revelations also, may have their desired effect, and accomplish the thing whereunto they are sent, and that they may stimulate you to cleanse Zion, that she mourn not. Therefore, when you get this, know ye that a conference of twelve High Priests have cried unto the Lord for you, and are still crying, saying, spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy heritage to reproach. We now feel that our garments are clean from you and all men, when we have washed our feet and hands according to the commandments.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.128We have written plain at this time, but we believe not harsh. Plainness is what the Lord requires, and we should not feel ourselves clear, unless we had done so; and if the things we have told you be not attended to, you will not long have occasion to say, or to think rather, that we may be wrong in what we have stated. Your unworthy brethren are determined to pray unto the Lord for Zion as long as we can shed the sympathetic tear, or feel any spirit to supplicate a throne of grace in her behalf.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.128The school of the prophets will commence, if the Lord will, in two or three days. It is a general time of health with us. The cause of God [p.129] seems to be rapidly advancing in the eastern country; the gifts are beginning to break forth so as to astonish the world, and even believers marvel at the power and goodness of God. Thanks be rendered to his holy name for what he is doing. We are your unworthy brethren in the Lord, and may the Lord help us to all do his will, that we may at last be saved in his kingdom.

ORSON HYDE.HYRUM SMITH.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.129After the inhabitants of Zion had received these numerous and pointed prophetic warnings, some of them began to repent; and in the month of March, 1833, the word of the Lord came unto Joseph the Seer, saying,—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.129"Behold I say unto you, that your brethren in Zion begin to repent, and the angels rejoice over them; nevertheless, I am not well pleased with many things; and I am not well pleased with my servant William E. M'Lellin, neither with my servant Sidney Gilbert; and the bishop also, and others have many things to repent of; but verily I say unto you, that I, the Lord, will contend with Zion, and plead with her strong ones, and chasten her until she overcomes and is clean before me; for she shall not be removed out of her place. I, the Lord, have spoken it.—Amen." (Section lxxxv, par. 8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.129Notwithstanding the repentance manifested on the part of some, there were others with whom the Lord was not well pleased; hence they were still threatened with chastisements. In the month of August, 1833, the word of the Lord came again unto his servant Joseph, in the town of Kirtland, in the northern part of Ohio. This revelation seems to have been given in order to prepare the minds of the Saints, that they might

know how to act in relation to their enemies who were shortly to fall upon them, as wolves upon their defenseless prey. (See the whole of Section lxxxvi.) In this revelation the Lord said,The Essential Orson Pratt, p.129"Whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name's sake, shall find it again, even life eternal; therefore be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy; for if you will not abide in my covenant, ye are not worthy of me; therefore renounce war, and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children; and again the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews, lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me." (Par. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.130From this extract it will be seen, that the Lord decreed to try and [p.130] prove the Saints in all things, even unto death. How could this decree be fulfilled unless he suffered their enemies to persecute them unto death?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.130In the month of November, 1833, our enemies in Jackson County—sectarian priests and people,—professors of religion and non-professors, arose en masse against men, women and children of the Saints, and expelled them from the county. Some of the Saints were shot, some were tied up and whipped until their bowels gushed out; many perished by exposure to hunger and cold, being driven from their own firesides and from all their hard earnings. Over two hundred of their houses were burned, their fences and crops destroyed, their cattle and horses plundered; their household furniture, beds, bedding, goods, chattels, &c., were either destroyed or robbed from them, and they were driven across the Missouri river into a county north, where the most of them found a temporary shelter from the inclemency of the weather. For the particulars concerning this dreadful persecution, and the horrid cruelties inflicted upon the Saints, see P. P. Pratt's history of the Missouri persecutions, and also many of the periodicals published by the Saints soon afterwards.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.130Here then was the commencement of our tribulations as foretold by the word of the Lord, months, and years before it came to pass. We ask our readers to reflect for a few moments upon the vast number of prophetic warnings which we have already quoted, and then again reflect upon their literal speedy fulfilment. Is it possible for any honest man, free from bigotry and prejudice, to read these important prophecies and their exact fulfilment, without being irresistibly convinced that Joseph Smith was a great prophet of God?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.130When the Saints first located upon that land, did not the Lord, by the mouth of Joseph, foretell that they should have "much tribulation" before they should inherit the great blessings promised on that land? Did he not foretell that their enemies should be stirred up to bloodshed against them? Did he not foretell, that unless they did as he commanded they "should be plucked up out of the land and sent away?" Did he not tell them over and over again that "a scourge and a judgment" awaited them? Did he not

tell them that he would chasten them, and contend with them, and plead with them until they overcame and were made clean? Did he not decree that he would try them and prove them in all things even unto death? Did he not say that if they would not do as he commanded, they should be "persecuted from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few" of those who were then on that choice land "should stand to receive an inheritance?" Was not letter after letter, as well as revelations sent to them, telling them if they did not repent, that great judgments awaited them? With all these thrilling fearful warnings, the children of Zion only manifested a partial repentance, and the [p.131] predicted scourges and judgments came, and the Saints were made to feel to their sorrow and great distress that the word of the Lord had not been spoken in vain.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.131When the Saints were driven from their houses and lay in the open prairies, and in the cold dreary wilderness, a remarkable phenomenon appeared in the heavens which was seen by many millions for thousands of miles over our globe, viz., the METEORIC SHOWER, or shooting stars, which created quite a panic among the persecutors of the Saints who were then in the act of driving, plundering and destroying them and their property. This was one of the great signs in the heavens, manifested in the last days. Many others, still more marvellous, are yet to appear.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.131After the Saints had procured comfortable homes in Clay County, they were again menaced by mobs and forced to leave and form a settlement in a new portion of the state, where they remained until the year 1838, when then they were driven by their merciless persecutors into the State of Illinois, and founded the city called Nauvoo, upon the eastern bank of the Mississippi.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.131That our readers may form some idea of these cold-blooded persecutions, we here insert a memorial of the city council of the city of Nauvoo to the Congress of the United States.AMERICAN EXILES' MEMORIAL TO CONGRESSTo the Honorable Senators and Representatives of the United Statesof America, in Congress Assembled.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.131We, the undersigned members of the city council of the city of Nauvoo, citizens of Hancock county, Illinois, and exiles from the State of Missouri, being in council assembled, unanimously, and respectfully, for ourselves and in behalf of many thousands of other exiles, memorialize the honorable Senators and Representatives of our nation upon our constituents, by the constituted authorities of the State of Missouri, and likewise upon the subject of the present unfortunate circumstances in which we are placed in the land of our exile. As a history of the Missouri outrages has been extensively published, both in this country and in Europe, it is deemed unnecessary to particularize all of the wrongs and grievances inflicted upon us in this memorial, as there is an abundance of well-attested documents to which your honorable body can at any time refer; hence we only embody the following important items for your consideration:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.132[p.132] First. Your memorialists, as free-born citizens of this great Republic, relying with

the utmost confidence upon the sacred "Articles of the Constitution" by which the several States are bound together, and considering ourselves entitled to all the privileges and immunities of free citizens in what State soever we desired to locate ourselves, commenced a settlement in the county of Jackson, on the western frontiers of the State of Missouri in the summer of 1831. There we purchased lands from government; erected several hundred houses; made extensive improvements; and shortly the wild and lonely prairies and stately forests were converted into well-cultivated and fruitful fields. There we expected to spend our days in the enjoyment of all rights and liberties bequeathed to us by the sufferings and blood of our noble ancestors. But alas! our expectations were vain. Two years had scarcely elapsed before we were unlawfully and unconstitutionally assailed by an organized mob, consisting of the highest officers in the county, both civil and military, who boldly and openly avowed their determination, in a written circular, to drive us from said county. As a specimen of their treasonable and cruel designs, your honourable body are referred to said circular, of which the following is but a short extract, namely, 'We, the undersigned citizens of Jackson county, believing that an important crisis is at hand as regards our civil society, in consequence of a pretended religious sect of people that have settled and are still settling in our county, styling themselves Mormons, and intending, as we do, to rid our society, 'peaceably,' if we can—'forcibly' if we must; and believing, as we do, that the arm of the civil law does not afford us a guarantee, or at least a sufficient one, against the evils which are now inflicted upon us, and seem to be increasing by the said religious sect, deem it expedient and of the highest importance to form ourselves into a company for the better and easier accomplishment of our purpose.' This document was closed in the following words:—'We therefore agree, after timely warning and receiving an adequate compensation for what little property they cannot take with them, they refuse to leave us in peace as they found us, we agree to use such means as may be sufficient to remove them, and to that end we each pledge to each other our bodily powers, our lives, fortunes, and sacred honors.'The Essential Orson Pratt, p.132To this unconstitutional document were attached the names of nearly every officer in the county, together with the names of hundreds of others. It was by this band of murderers that your memorialists, in the year 1833, were plundered of their property, and robbed of their peaceable homes. It was by them their fields were laid waste, their houses burned, and their men, women, and children, to the number of about twelve hundred persons, banished as exiles from the county, while others were cruelly murdered by their hands.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.133[p.133] Second. After our expulsion from Jackson county we settled in Clay county, on the opposite side of the Missouri river, where we purchased lands both from the old settlers and from the land office; but soon we were again violently threatened by mobs, and obliged to leave our homes and seek out a new location.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.133Third. Our next settlement was in Caldwell county, where we purchased the most of the lands in said county, besides a part of the lands in Davis and Carroll counties. These counties were almost entirely in a wild and uncultivated state, but by the persevering industry of our citizens, large and extensive farms were opened in every direction, well stocked with numerous flocks and herds. We also commenced settlements in several

other counties of the State, and once more confidently hoped to enjoy the hard earned fruits of our labour unmolested; but our hopes were soon blasted. The cruel and murderous spirit which first began to manifest itself in the constituted authorities and inhabitants of Jackson county, and afterwards in Clay and the surrounding counties, receiving no check either from the civil or military power of the State, had, in the mean time, taken courage, boldly and fearlessly spread its contaminating and treasonable influence into every department of the government of said State. Lieutenant Governor Boggs, a resident of Jackson county, who acted a conspicuous part in our expulsion from said county, instead of being tried for treason and rebellion against the constitution and suffering the just penalty of his crimes, was actually elected Governor and placed in the executive chair. Thus the inhabitants of the State were greatly encouraged to renew with redoubled fury their unlawful attack upon our defenseless settlements. Men, women, and children were driven in every direction before their merciless persecutors. Robbed of their possessions, their property, their provisions and their all; cast forth upon the bleak snowy prairies, houseless and unprotected, many sunk down and expired under their accumulated sufferings, while others arrived in Caldwell county, to which place they were driven from all the surrounding counties only to witness a still more heart-rending scene. In vain had we appealed to the constituted authorities of Missouri for protection and redress of our former grievances; in vain we now stretched out our hands, and appealed, as the citizens of this great Republic, to the sympathies—to the justice and magnanimity of those in power; in vain we implored, again and again at the feet of Governor Boggs, our former persecutor, aid and protection against the ravages and murders now inflicted upon our defenseless and unoffending citizens. The cry of American citizens, already twice driven and deprived of liberty, could not penetrate their adamantine hearts. The Governor, instead of sending us aid, issued a proclamation for our EXTERMINATION and BANISHMENT; ordered out the forces of the State, placed them under [p.134] the command of General Clarke, who, to execute these exterminating orders, marched several thousand troops into our settlements in Caldwell county, where, unrestrained by fear or law or justice, and urged on by the highest authority of the State, they laid waste our fields of corn, shot down our cattle, and hogs for sport, burned our dwellings, unhumanly butchered some eighteen or twenty defenseless citizens, dragged from their hiding places little children and, placing the muzzles of their guns to their heads, shot them with the most horrid oaths and imprecations. An aged hero and patriot of the revolution, who served under General Washington, while in the act of pleading for quarters, was cruelly murdered and hewed in pieces with an old corn-cutter; and in addition to all these savage acts of barbarity, they forcibly dragged virtuous and inoffensive females from their dwellings bound them upon benches used for public worship, where they, in great numbers ravished them in a most brutal manner. Some fifty or sixty of the citizens were thrust into prisons and dungeons, where, bound in chains, they were fed on human flesh, while their families and some fifteen thousand others, were, at the point of the bayonet, forcibly expelled from the State. In the mean time, to pay the expenses of these horrid outrages, they confiscated our property and robbed us of all our possessions. Before our final expulsion, with a faint and lingering hope we petitioned the State Legislature, then in session. Unwilling to believe that American citizens could appeal in vain for a restoration of liberty, cruelly wrested from them by cruel tyrants. But in the language of our noble

ancestors "our repeated petitions were only answered by repeated injuries." The Legislature, instead of hearing the cries of 15,000 suffering, bleeding, unoffended citizens, sanctioned and sealed the unconstitutional acts of the governor and his troops, by appropriating 200,000 dollars to defray the expenses of exterminating us from the State.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.134No friendly arm was stretched out to protect us. The last ray of hope for redress in that State was now entirely extinguished. We saw no other alternative but to bow down our necks, and wear the cruel yoke of oppression, and quietly and submissively suffer ourselves to be banished as exiles from our possessions, our property, and our sacred homes; or otherwise, see our wives and children coldly murdered and butchered by tyrants in power.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.134Fourth. Our next permanent settlement was in the land of our exile, the State of Illinois, in the spring of 1839. But even here we are not secure from our relentless persecutor, the State of Missouri. Not satisfied in having drenched her soil in the blood of innocence, and expelling us from her borders, she pursues her unfortunate victims into banishment, seizing upon and kidnapping them in their defenseless moments, dragging them across the Mississippi river upon their [p.135] inhospitable shores, where they are tortured, whipped, immured in dungeons, and hung by the neck without any legal process whatever. We have memorialized the former executive of this state, Governor Carlin, upon these lawless outrages committed upon our citizens, but he rendered us no protection. Missouri, receiving no check in her murderous career, continues her depredation, again and again kidnapping our citizens, and robbing us of our property; while others, who fortunately survived the execution of her bloody edicts, are again and again demanded by the executive of that state, on pretence of some crime, said to have been committed by them during the exterminating expedition against our people. As an instance, General Joseph Smith, one of your memorialists, has been three times demanded, tried, and acquitted by the courts of this state, upon investigation under writs of Habeas Corpus, once by the United States court for the district of Illinois, again by the Circuit court of the State of Illinois, and lastly, by the municipal court of the city of Nauvoo, when at the same time a nulle prosequi had been entered by the courts of Missouri, upon all the cases of that State against Joseph Smith and others. Thus the said Joseph Smith has been several times tried for the same alleged offence, put in jeopardy of life and limb, contrary to the fifth article of the amendments to the Constitution of these United States; and thus we have been continually harassed and robbed of our money to defray the expenses of those vexatious prosecutions. And what at the present time seems to be still more alarming, is the hostility manifested by some of the authorities and citizens of this State. Conventions have been called; inflammatory speeches made; and many unlawful and unconstitutional resolutions adopted, to deprive us of our rights, our liberties, and the peaceable enjoyment of our possessions. From the present hostile aspect, and from bitter experience in the State of Missouri, it is greatly feared that the barbarous scenes acted in that State will be reacted in this. If Missouri goes unpunished, others will be greatly encouraged to follow her murderous examples. The afflictions of your memorialists have already been over-whelming, too much for humanity, too much for American citizens to endure without complaint. We

have groaned under the iron hand of tyranny and oppression these many years. We have been robbed of our property to the amount of about two millions of dollars. We have been hunted as the wild beasts of the forest. We have seen our aged fathers who fought in the Revolution, and our innocent children, alike slaughtered by our persecutors. We have seen the fair daughters of American citizens insulted and abused in the most inhuman manner, and finally we have seen fifteen thousand souls, men, women, and children, driven by force of arms, during the severities of winter, from their sacred homes and fire-sides, to a land of strangers, penniless and unprotected. Under all these afflicting [p.136] circumstances, we imploringly stretch forth our hands towards the highest councils of our nation, and humbly appeal to the illustrious Senators and Representatives of a great and free people for redress and protection.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.136Hear, O hear the petitioning voice of many thousands of American citizens who now groan in exile on Columbia's free soil. Hear, O hear, the weeping and bitter lamentations of widows and orphans, whose husbands and fathers have been cruelly martyred in the land where the proud eagle exultingly floats. Let it not be recorded in the archives of the nations, that Columbia's exiles sought protection and redress at your hands, but sought it in vain. It is in your power to save us, our wives, and our children, from a repetition of the blood-thirsty scenes of Missouri, and thus greatly relieve the fears of a persecuted and injured people, and your petitioners will ever pray."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.136The names of the members of the city council, as petitioners, are omitted for want of room.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.136The foregoing memorial was presented to Congress in the spring of 1844, making the third time that those horrid scenes of murder have been laid before them since the beginning of our exile, but all to no purpose. Our petitions are unheeded or treated with contempt. And thousands of American citizens must linger out a life of wretched exile, deprived of the use of their own lands, and of the sacred rights of American Liberty.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.136From the year 1839 to 1846 the Saints dwelt in Nauvoo and vicinity. During the latter part of their residence in that country, they were much persecuted by mobs, who destroyed much property and many lives of the Saints, among whom Joseph, the prophet, and his brother Hyrum fell as martyrs. The persecutions at length became so violent, that the Saints were forced to leave their comfortable homes in the cold dreary months of February and March, and seek refuge in the wild desolate prairies of Iowa, which were mostly uninhabited.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.136Having received nothing but one continued series of persecutions since the rise of the church, the Saints were determined to seek out a location far distant from the inhuman, blood-thirsty savages, who dwelt in the United States under the pious name of Christians. They accordingly sent nearly 200 men to explore the great interior of North America, who, being directed by the spirit of God, found a suitable location in the Great Basin of Upper California, near the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake. In this retired place the Saints began to gather by thousands. This settlement is upwards of one thousand miles from the extreme western frontiers of the United States. It is separated

from Western California, or the gold regions, not only by large and extensive deserts, but by the high and lofty range of the Sierra Nevada; while on the east the snow-capped ridge of the Rocky Mountains, forms a [p.137] natural boundary between it and the immense plains, bordering, like a vast ocean, upon their eastern base. This is now one of the most wild, romantic and retired countries on the great western hemisphere. It is there that the Saints hope to rest for a season from the fury of the oppressor, and strengthen themselves in the Lord. It is there that they intend gathering from the various nations of the earth, until the Lord, by revelation or his providence, shall direct otherwise.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.137But where is the spot where the city of Zion or the New Jerusalem shall stand? We answer, in Jackson County, State of Missouri, on the western frontiers of the United States. It is there that the city of Zion shall be built. All the other cities that have been built by the gathering of the Saints are called, not Zion, but "STAKES" of Zion. (See Section lxxxiv. par. 1. Section ciii. par. I. Section xcviii. par. 4.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.137The term "zion" in the scriptures is frequently applied to the people of God who should live on the earth in the last days. Isaiah, when beholding the great events which were to precede the coming of the "Lord God with a strong hand," commands the people of God in the following language:—O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain." (Isaiah xl. 9.) It will at once be admitted that a city, called Zion, could not fulfil this prophetic command of Isaiah, therefore he must have addressed this prediction to a people instead of a city. The people, called Zion, who were to bring good tidings, were required to "Get up into the high mountain." This prophecy the Saints are now fulfilling: they are moving by the thousands from various parts of the globe into the "high places of the earth," among the Rocky Mountains, where they are forming a prosperous settlement, elevated over four thousand feet above the level of the sea. This prediction of Isaiah never has been fulfilled in former days: indeed it is a prediction to be fulfilled immediately before the great day of the coming of the Lord God, as will be seen by the context. "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him; behold his reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." (Isaiah xl. 10, 11.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.137It may appear strange unto many, that the Saints should go out from the midst of the United States, and settle in the interior wilds of North America, in a country uninhabited except by roving tribes of Indians. But it will be recollected that the church were forced to do this, or else see their wives and children butchered by Gentile christians. But all this has been done that the Book of Mormon might be fulfilled. In that sacred book Jesus utters the following prediction:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.137"Wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles, (meaning the people of the United States who should disbelieve in the Book [p.138] of Mormon,) for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people, who are of the house of Israel, (meaning the Indians;) and my people who are of the house of Israel, have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden

under feet by them; and because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel, to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a bye-word among them. And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you, at that day when the Gentiles (the people of the United States) shall sin against my gospel (contained in the Book of Mormon,) and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all abominations; and if they should do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel (meaning the Book of Mormon,) behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them; and then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel (meaning the Indians,) and I will bring my gospel unto them; and I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you, but I will remember my covenant unto you O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel." (Book of Mormon, second English edition, page 466.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.138It will be recollected that this prediction was in print in the Book of Mormon before the church of the Saints was organized, and about sixteen years afterwards it began to be fulfilled. The Lord began to bring the fulness of his gospel, which includes the keys, authority, powers, and blessings of the everlasting priesthood. Since that time Zion has located herself according to the prediction of the gospel with its heavenly powers and blessings, is now in the midst of many powerful tribes or nations of Israel or Indians; and thus has the prophecy of Jesus been in part fulfilled. The remainder of this great prophecy will soon come to pass, and then many of the Indian nations will become a civilized and christian people, after which the Indians, who are the remnant of Joseph will build the city called the new Jerusalem or Zion, being assisted by the Gentile Saints.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.138If the Gentile Saints had built up the city of Zion in Jackson county, Missouri, before the gospel had been taken from among that nation, and before many of the Indian nations became converted, it would have falsified the prediction of Jesus in the Book of Mormon. (Book of Mormon, second English edition, page 479.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.139[p.139] The converted remnants of Joseph are to be the principal actors in the great work of the building up of the city of Zion; after which the Indian nations will be gathered in one to the city of Zion and the surrounding country; then the powers of heaven will be revealed, and Jesus will descend in his glory and dwell in the midst of Zion. This is what is predicted in the Book of Mormon, and it will not take place in any other way.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.139Not only the Book of Mormon predicts the building up of Zion, before the coming of the Lord, but many of the Jewish prophets. The Psalmist says, "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." (Psalm cii. 16.) He appears in his glory "to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem, when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord" (Psalm cii. 21, 22.) When the

Lord arises, and has mercy upon Zion, and shows favour unto her (see verse 13), then "the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth his glory." (verse 15.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.139"The Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord." (Isaiah lix. 20.) Zion must first be built, and Jacob must in some measure be turned from transgression before the Redeemer comes to Zion. Paul says, "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, "there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins." Now unless Zion be built up by a part of Israel, who shall turn from transgression, these prophecies never could be fulfilled. Isaiah says, "the Redeemer shall come to Zion." Paul says, "the Deliverer shall come out of Zion." Isaiah says that he shall come to those who "turn from transgression in Jacob." Paul says, he shall "come out of Zion to turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Both of these writers speak of these events as still in the future. Now, how could "the Deliverer come out of Zion" unless he first "come to Zion?" and how could he come to Zion unless he first built up Zion? and how could he build up Zion unless he gave commandments and revelations to his saints, designating the time when, the place where, and the pattern after which he would have it built?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.139If the building up of the city of Zion must assuredly take place before the Lord appears in his glory, then there must assuredly be more revelation given to accomplish so important a work. No uninspired man would know when to commence such a work; neither would he know the place where the Most High would have such a city; neither would he know any thing of the order of architecture which would be the most pleasing in the sight of Jehovah; neither would he know any thing of the size or pattern of the sanctuary and tabernacle which, according [p.140] to the scriptures, must be built in Zion. An uninspired man would be in total ignorance in regard to every thing connected with this preparatory city for the coming of the Lord. Hence the great necessity for more revelation and inspired prophets in the last days.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.140Unless Zion be built up, there can be no salvation for Israel, for the Lord says, "I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." (Isaiah xlvi. 13.) The Psalmist, when contemplating this great work, exclaims, "Oh, that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad." (Psalm xiv. 7.) Therefore, Israel may look in vain for restoration and salvation only from Zion. It is in Zion that the kingdom of God will exist in its glory and beauty; it is in Zion that salvation and the keys of authority for the deliverance of the Saints and of Israel will be placed. "Saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lords." (Obadiah 21.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.140Because Zion, in ancient times existed at Jerusalem, in Palestine, many have supposed that the Zion of the last days, so frequently the subject of prophecy, will also exist at Jerusalem. But when we compare the events which are to transpire at Jerusalem, with those which will take place in Zion, we are constrained to believe them to be two

different places and cities, separated from each other, and inhabited by people in circumstances quite different from each other. It is very evident from the scriptural prophecies, that a large portion of the Jews who assemble at Jerusalem, before the coming of Christ, will be unbelievers in the true Messiah, whom their fathers crucified. They will gather with the expectation that the Messiah is yet to come in great glory with the clouds of heaven, as predicted by Daniel the prophet. Both the Jews and the Christians believe alike in the glory and power of the Messiah which is to come: they both expect him to come as a great king to reign over Israel in great splendor, and that "all people, nations, and languages," that escape his vengeance, "will serve him," and that Israel at that time will be delivered from all their enemies, and become the head among the nations; but the Jews do not believe that this glorious personage will be Jesus of Nazareth; whereas the Christians believe that the crucified Messiah will be the great king who will come and reign in glory among Israel. The Jews and Christians only differ as to the personage, and not in relation to the grand events which that personage is to perform. A portion of the Jewish nation will sincerely remain in error in regard to the personage until he descends with all his saints, and stands his feet upon the mount of Olives, and destroys the assembled nations who will, at that time, be in the very act of taking Jerusalem. After this grand and powerful deliverance of their nation, they will look more attentively upon this mighty deliverer, and what will be their astonishment when [p.141] they behold his wounded side and hands! Some of them, not once mistrusting that he is the poor despised Nazarene whom their fathers put to death, will "say unto him, what are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zechariah xiii. 6.) "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. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon, in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families every family apart, and their wives apart." (Zechariah xii. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.) This mourning will not be the mourning of despair, but of love and affection which they will have for Jesus when they recognize him by the wounds of his hands and side, and reflect upon their own iniquities in so long rejecting him, and the cruelty of their fathers in putting him to death. That it is not the mourning of despair is evident from the fact, that he then "will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications." (Verse 10) This mourning is compared to the mourning once manifested in the valley of Megiddon. Josiah, king of Israel, having been slain in that valley, "all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel." (2 Chron. xxxv. 24, 25.) The mourning and lamentations of the Jews, because their fathers put to death their king, will be, in some respects, of a similar nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.141Not withstanding the stubbornness of the Jews in rejecting Jesus of Nazareth until the very time of his coming, yet, upon their sincere repentance, he will have mercy upon them. They will be brought down very humble, because of the sore judgments and great

calamities which will befall them immediately before the coming of the Messiah; for all nations will come against them to battle, and will succeed in taking one half of their city, and half of the Jews will become captives or prisoners,—their houses will be rifled, and their women ravished; (Zechariah xiv. 2.) In the midst of these overwhelming calamities, the Jews will humble themselves Exceedingly, and will call upon the God of their fathers to deliver them, and they will be willing to say, "blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;" they will be humble enough to receive any deliverer that will come in his name, and extricate them from their sore troubles. At length a deliverer comes, which they afterwards find to their astonishment, is the very Jesus that was crucified: then come [p.142] their great mourning and repentance, immediately after which they will embrace the gospel or the ordinance of baptism "for remission of their sins." This is evident from the fact, that after Zechariah has described their mourning, he proceeds, in the next verse, to say, that "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and uncleanness." (Zechariah xiii. 1.) This fountain is described in the fourteenth chapter. "And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them towards the former sea, and half of them towards the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be." (Zechariah xiv. 8.) This same fountain will break out from under the threshold of the temple, on its eastern side; and but a short distance from its source, eastward, it becomes a river of considerable magnitude, that cannot be forded. (See Ezekial xlvii. 1-12.; also Joel iii. 18.) As this fountain is opened to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness, it will no doubt be the water in which they will be baptized for remission of sins. "Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more." (Joel iii. 17.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.142We shall now point out some of the peculiarities which will distinguish Zion from Jerusalem.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.142I.—Zion is called a "WILDERNESS," but "Jerusalem a DESOLATION." (Isaiah lxiv. 10.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1422.—Zion is to be called "SOUGHT OUT," "A CITY NOT FORSAKEN," (Isaiah lxii. 12.)Jerusalem was not sought out, but was a city inhabited before Israel came out of Egypt. Jerusalem has also been forsaken for many generations.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1423.—The light of Zion is to come, and the glory of the Lord is to arise upon her, before wickedness is destroyed from among the nations; whereas Jerusalem is not to become holy, and the glory of God is not to arise upon her, until the Lord comes and destroys wickedness, and converts the Jews. That great darkness will reign among the nations, while Zion will be in the light, is clearly predicted by Isaiah, who addresses her in the following beautiful and prophetic language, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." (Isaiah lx. 1-2.) The nature of the light and glory which will be seen upon Zion, is described as follows:—"And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night." (Isaiah iv. 5.) When the Lord builds up Zion, and she begins to

shine, Isaiah says, "The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, [p.143] and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." (Isaiah lx. 4-5.) Zion will be distinguished from Jerusalem by her people being all righteous, as Isaiah says, "Thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." (Isaiah lx. 21.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1434.—Zion is to "get up into a high mountain," before the coming of the Lord, while Jerusalem is required to do no such thing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1435.—"The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion," (Isaiah li. I). But the Jews will not be redeemed from their sins and uncleanness until after they have rebuilt their city and temple. The first are redeemed before they return to Zion, the latter are redeemed after the Messiah comes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1436.—When the redeemed return to Zion, everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and SORROW and MOURNING shall flee away," but Jerusalem is to have much SORROW and MOURNING after the Jews return.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1437.—"The Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her WILDERNESS like Eden, and her DESERT like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody, (Isaiah li. 3.) but Jerusalem is not called a wilderness, neither a desert.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1438.—"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king. God is known in her places for a refuge. For, lo! the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled, they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail." (Psalm xlviii. 1-6.) The glory of Zion is to strike terror to the heart of kings, insomuch that when they pass by and see it, they will haste away, but no such terror and fear will seize upon them when they come up to Jerusalem and commence taking it, rifling the houses and ravishing the woman, consequently, the cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of the flaming fire by night, will be for a defence unto Zion, that the kings of the nations will not dare wage war against it, but Jerusalem will not have any such glorious appendage to strike terror to the nations, and to cause their kings to haste away with great fear, like a woman in travail.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1439.—"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that [p.144] RIGHT EARLY. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us." (Psalm xivi. 4-7.) The city of God or Zion is to be helped right early, notwithstanding

the raging of the heathen; but Jerusalem will not be helped and delivered until the Lord comes with all his saints.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14410.—"The mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." (Psalm 1. 1-6.) Zion is represented as "the perfection of beauty," and God will shine out of it before he comes, and the saints, (not Jews) are to be gathered unto the Lord; for this purpose a proclamation of gathering is to be given both to the heavens and to the earth. All these things are very different from what is to transpire at Jerusalem.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.14411.—"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation." "He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-springs, and there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation, and sow the fields, and plant vineyards which may yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffered not their cattle to decrease." (Psalm cvii. 1-8; 31-39.) These events cannot have reference to the gathering of the Jews, for they will not wander in a solitary way in the wilderness, being hungry and thirsty, and being led by the Lord to a place where they can prepare a city for habitation. This, therefore, has reference to another people, and to another place separate from Jerusalem. The people who are to "wander in the wilderness in a solitary way," are to be the "redeemed of the Lord," gathered from the east, west, north, and south. The Lord himself is to lead them, and perform miracles in causing springs of water to break out in the desert, and in the wilderness, and from the dry ground, for the benefit of his redeemed. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." (Isaiah xxxv. 1-7; xliii. 18, 19, 20.) The Jews will not be thus led when returning to Jerusalem.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.145[p.145] 12.—Even the house of Israel, or the ten tribes, will not return to Jerusalem and permanently inherit the land until the house of Judah have been gathered, and well scourged by the nations who will gather against them. But, instead of going to Jerusalem to be scourged and chastened with the Jews, they will first come to Zion. "For thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish ye, and praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travelleth with child together, a great company shall return thither. They shall come with

weeping, and with supplications will I lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, he that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all." (Jeremiah xxxi. 7-14.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.145Here it will be seen that the house of Israel will be in a very different condition from the Jews. The ten tribes will believe in Christ, so much so, that he will lead them, while on their return from the north country, and they will come and "sing in the height of Zion," and "they will not sorrow any more at all:" whereas the Jews will have no such favours shown unto them on their return from the nations, but will have great distress and sorrow, and mourning, after they get back to Jerusalem. The ten tribes are redeemed from their afflictions before the Jews, consequently they first come to Zion among the redeemed Saints, and partake with them in all the glory of Zion, until the Jews and Jerusalem shall also be redeemed, when they shall return to Jerusalem, and receive their inheritance in the land of Palestine, according to the divisions of the land in Ezekiel's prophecy, and become one nation with the Jews, "in the land upon the mountains of Israel." (See Ezekiel xxxvii. 21, 22, 25—also xlvii. chapter.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.145Both Zion and Jerusalem will remain on the earth during the Millennial reign of Christ; both will be preserved when the present heaven and earth pass away: both will come down out of heaven upon the new earth; and both will have place upon the new earth for ever and ever—the eternal abode of the righteous.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.146[p.146] The Psalmist says, "The Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest FOR EVER." (Psalm cxxxii. 13, 14.) The city of Zion, therefore must remain forever as the Lord's rest, and will be caught up into heaven and preserved while the earth passes away.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.146The same is true of old Jerusalem also. Jeremiah says, concerning the city after it is rebuilt by the gathering of the Jews. "It shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down ANY MORE FOR EVER." (Jeremiah xxxi. 40.) Consequently it also will be taken up into heaven, and preserved while all things are being made new. John saw both of these cities descend upon the New Earth. He saw the New Jerusalem descend first, and afterwards was carried away in the spirit to a high mountain, and saw that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descend. (Revelation xxi. 2-10.) Hence this earth renewed will be the eternal inheritance of the Saints, and the Old and New Jerusalems will for ever remain upon it, as the eternal abode of glorified immortal beings. [p.147]{7}Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Introduction—To Expect More Revelation is not Unscriptural—To Expect More Revelation is not Unreasonable

(Liverpool: Printed by R. James, 1850)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.147The Book of Mormon claims to be a divinely inspired record, written by a succession of prophets who inhabited Ancient America. It professes to be revealed to the present generation for the salvation of all who will receive it, and for the overthrow and damnation of all nations who reject it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.147This book must be either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever sent from God to man, affecting both the temporal and eternal interests of every people under heaven to the same extent and in the same degree that the message of Noah affected the inhabitants of the old world. If false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked, bold, deep-laid impositions ever palmed upon the world, calculated to deceive and ruin millions who will sincerely receive it as the word of God, and will suppose themselves securely built upon the rock of truth until they are plunged with their families into hopeless despair.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.147The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon is such, that if true, no one can possibly be saved and reject it; if false, no one can possibly be saved, and receive it. Therefore, every soul in all the world is equally interested in ascertaining its truth or falsity. In a matter of such infinite importance no person should rest satisfied with the conjectures or opinions of others: he should use every exertion himself to become acquainted with the nature of the message: he should carefully examine the evidences on which it is offered to the world: he should, with all patience and perseverance, seek to acquire a certain knowledge as to whether it be of God or not. Without such an investigation in the most careful, candid, and impartial manner, he cannot safely judge without greatly hazarding his future and eternal welfare.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.147If, after a rigid examination, it be found an imposition, it should be extensively published to the world as such; the evidences and arguments on which the imposture was detected, should be clearly and logically stated, that those who have been sincerely yet unfortunately deceived, may perceive the nature of the deception, and be reclaimed, and that those who continue to publish the delusion, may be exposed and silenced, not by physical force, neither by persecutions, bare assertions, [p.148] nor ridicule, but by strong and powerful arguments—by evidences adduced from scripture and reason. Such, and such only, should be the weapons employed to detect and overthrow false doctrines—to reclaim mankind from their errors—to expose religious enthusiasm—and to put to silence base and wicked impostors.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.148But on the other hand, if investigation should prove the Book of Mormon true and of divine origin, then the importance of the message is so great, and the consequences of receiving or rejecting it so overwhelming, that the American and English nations—to whom it is now sent, and in whose language it is now published, (being the first in these latter times who have been so highly favored as to receive a preparatory message for the second advent of the Son of God,)—should speedily repent of all their sins, and renounce all the wicked traditions of their fathers, as they are imperatively commanded to do in the message: they should utterly reject both the Popish and Protestant ministry,

together with all the churches which have been built up by them or that have sprung from them, as being entirely destitute of authority: they should turn away from all the priestcrafts and abominations practised by these apostate churches, (falsely called Christian,) and bring forth fruits meet for repentance in all things: they should be immersed in water by one having authority, and receive a remission of their sins, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. After thus being baptized into the kingdom of God, they should seek to translate the Book of Mormon into every written language of the earth, and to send it forth by millions of copies to every nation, and not cease their exertions until all people have heard the glad tidings. Every synagogue, church, and place of public worship should be thrown open to the servants of God. Presidents, governors, and rulers,—kings, lords, and nobles, and all in authority, should set the example before the mass of the people, by receiving with all meekness and humility this great revelation of modern times. Every periodical throughout their dominions should devote its columns to disseminating, far and near, among all classes, the evidences, arguments, and reasons, which establish the divine authenticity of so great and important a work. These are some of the present duties of both the United States and Great Britain, if this message be true.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.148The great majority of the world, however, reject the Book of Mormon without the least examination as to its claims. They have heard there was such a book, but they know nothing of its contents, only that it claims to be a divine revelation. They at once reject it as an imposture. Is this method of judging justifiable? Has God ever authorised his creatures to judge, without investigation, a matter that professes to involve their eternal salvation? Has he ever informed the world that they have enough revelation, or that he will never give them any more? All [p.149] who have read the Bible know that he has given no intimations of the kind. He has given no grounds whatever for supposing that there is to be no more revelation. Why, then, should the world be so presumptuous as to reject a professed revelation as false without investigation? This method of judging is not only unjustifiable, but fearful in its consequences. As long as there is a possibility that man may receive more, he is in danger of losing his salvation, by rejecting indiscriminately all that comes. By this rash and unjustifiable method of judging, he is not only in danger, but he is sure to lose his salvation if God should condescend to give more.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.149The conduct of millions in relation to the Book of Mormon goes to show that they would reject all true revelation as well as false ones: they are determined to reject, at all hazards, without the least inquiry, every thing under the name of new revelation. They seem to be absolutely certain, as their conduct abundantly indicates, that God will never favor man with another communication of his will concerning them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.149To expose this popular, though fatal error, invented by priestcraft in the early ages of the apostacy, and transferred to succeeding generations, will be the object of the present series of pamphlets. In the first, it will be shown that to expect more revelation is neither UNSCRIPTURAL nor UNREASONABLE, and in those which follow, it will be further shown, that the doctrine of continued revelation in the church of God, is one that rests upon the most infallible testimony, being necessary for the salvation of man,

connected with which the DIVINE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON WILL BE DEMONSTRATED.TO EXPECT MORE REVELATION IS NOT UNSCRIPTURALThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.1491.—If it could be proven from scripture that God had revealed to man all that he ever intended to reveal, then a professed revelation would not require investigation; for it would be known at once, that every thing of the kind was an imposition. It would be folly in the extreme to enquire whether a professed new revelation were true or false; for if God had declared in his word that no more was to be given, all writings or books purporting to be a new revelation could not be otherwise than false.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1492.—If the books in the English translations of the Old and New Testaments be the only ones which are to be received as divine revelation, then why do we not find some intimations in those books to that effect? If God saw that man had enough, why did he not tell him so? His mind would then have been relieved from all dubiety on the subject. Then, all nations and generations would have known that the canon of scripture was complete and full: then, there would not have been the [p.150] least possible chance of palming upon the world any more: then, it would have been known that all possible communications between God and man were, from thenceforth, cut off—that the heavens were to be sealed up, and the mouth of the Deity to be closed in a deep, profound, and perpetual silence throughout all future generations.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1503.—If God never intended to speak to man after the first century of the Christian era, it certainly would have been a great blessing to the human family, and saved many millions of them from delusion to have told them of so important a matter. But as God has failed to give any such notice, learned divines have concluded to give the notice themselves: hence they have invented "Articles of Faith," in which their followers are required to reject, under the penalty of excommunication, all books professing to be of divine origin, except those named in their "Articles," or those few which human wisdom has selected and compiled into a Bible. This is as much as to say, that the Bible contains all that God ever has given or ever will give unto man, and you must not receive any more; and thus the whole Protestant world are circumscribed and limited, and bound down by their "Articles of Faith,"—their "Creeds," and their "Disciplines." It matters not how important a message may be sent, nor how great its accompanying evidences, they are positively forbidden to receive it, because it does not happen to be bound up with the rest of the books of the Bible.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1504.—The learned and popular false teachers of modern times who have so presumptuously rejected all revelation except the few books of the Bible named in their "Articles," have endeavoured to make their deluded followers believe that it was contrary to scripture for any more books to be added to the Bible, or for God to give any additional revelation to man. As their strongest proof upon the subject they quote the following text, spoken to John on the Isle of Patmos, when in the act of finishing his manuscript. "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of

this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev. xxii. 18, 19.) Here, it is supposed, is proof, that the Bible is for ever closed, and that the addition of any other revelation is forbidden under the penalty of great plagues. But every man who has read this text, knows that there is not the least intimation given in it about the Bible's being closed. Such a book as the Bible did not then exist in its compiled state. The gathering together of the few scattered manuscripts which compose what is now termed the Bible, was the work of uninspired man which took place centuries after John finished his manuscript. Among the vast [p.151] number or professedly inspired manuscripts, scattered through the world, man, poor, weak, ignorant man, assumed the authority to select a few, which, according to his frail judgment, he believed or conjectured were of God, but the balance not agreeing, perhaps, with his peculiar notions of divine inspiration, were rejected as spurious. The few, selected from the abundance, were finally arranged into one volume, divided into chapter and verse, and named the Bible. Afterwards a set of cunning wicked impostors, under the name of Protestant ministers, make their appearance, who finding themselves entirely destitute of the spirit of prophecy, of visions, of revelation, and of every other power and gift which always characterised the ministers of Christ, have endeavoured to invent some cunning, crafty arguments, to hide from the people their powerless, apostate condition, and make their deluded followers think that they are really genuine ministers of Christ. The best scheme to carry out their corrupt purposes and deceive the people, is, in their estimation, to tell them that God did not intend to reveal anything more—that the Bible contains all—that the caution not to add to the words of John's prophecy, means not to add to the Bible. Thus the consciences of the common people become quieted, and they sincerely begin to think that the Bible contains all the sacred books ever given to man, and they at length become willing to subscribe to a set of cunningly devised "Articles of Faith," requiring them to renounce all others as spurious.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1515.—How do the Protestant world know that the compilers of the Bible, in hunting up the sacred manuscripts which were widely scattered over the world, one in one place and another in another,—found all that were of divine origin? How do they know that the compilers of the Bible found even the one hundredth part of the manuscripts that were sacred? And as the compilers rejected many that they did find how do they know but what some of the rejected books were equally sacred with those received into the collection? Would not the prophecy of Enoch with which the Apostle Jude was familiar, and from which he makes a quotation relative to the second coming of Christ, be as sacred as any other prophecy of the Bible? Would not the book of Iddo the seer—the book of Nathan the prophet—together with some twelve or fifteen other books and epistles, written by inspired prophets, seers, and apostles, and referred to in scripture, be as worthy of a place in the Bible as any that human wisdom have already compiled? Would it have been any more a violation of the caution not to add to the words of John's prophecy, for the compilers to have added the book of Gad the seer, with the collection called the Bible, than it was for them to add to the volume the book of Ezekiel—the book of Solomon's Songs—the book of Matthew—the book of James, or any other book of the collection? If the book of John's prophecy mean the Bible, as these false teachers assert, [p.152] and if the Bible mean a collection of all the sacred books written by

inspired men, and if the adding and diminishing to the words of John's prophecy mean adding and diminishing many sacred books from the Bible, then the whole Protestant world are under the curse for diminishing many sacred books from the Bible which are certainly referred to as being written by inspired men, but which they in their "Articles of Faith" absolutely exclude and diminish from the Bible by prohibiting their deluded followers from receiving only such as happens to be compiled. Should any of these sacred manuscripts hereafter be found, the "Articles" and "Creeds" of men prohibit their reception. If they had happened to have been found by the compilers of the Bible, they would have been sacred, but to be found afterwards renders them false. For men a few centuries ago to hunt up a few scattered manuscripts, and compile them into a Bible, was considered a very laudable undertaking, but for any man to find a sacred book since that time is considered the highest blasphemy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1526.—If the caution about adding and diminishing means that there is to be no more revelation after the caution is given, then all books purporting to be a revelation, and given after such caution, must be false. Now such caution was given as early as the days of Moses. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish out from it." (Deut. iv. 2.) The caution in John's book must mean the same thing as the caution in the book of Moses; if the one means that there is to be no more revelation, the other means the same. Therefore, according to the arguments of modern divines, all the Old and New Testaments which have been added since Moses gave the caution must be false, and consequently, they and all their followers must be under the curse for believing in and advocating sixty-two other books as divine revelation, which they know were all given after the caution by Moses. Thus it will be seen, that if their application of these texts be correct, they are under a double curse; first, they are cursed in John's revelations for diminishing some fifteen or twenty books from the compilation of the Bible; and, secondly, they are cursed in Deuteronomy for receiving sixty-two books which were added after the caution was given by Moses. If modern divines, rather than subject themselves to a double curse should be willing to give up their perverted applications of these texts, then what becomes of their scriptural arguments against receiving more revelation? There is certainly no other application of these passages that forbids additional revelation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1527.—To add to the words of the book of John's prophecy, means nothing more nor less than to add words or sentences of our own to his book, so as to alter the meaning, and to publish such additions as the words of John. For Isaiah to have added to the words of the books of [p.153] Moses as the author of these altered writings, would have subjected him to a curse. But to receive, as he did, a separate and independent revelation was no more adding to the words of Moses, than a deed conveying an estate in America would be adding to the laws of England. If ten thousand new revelations were to be given, it would be no more adding to the words of John's book than a message of the president of the United States would be adding to the words of a proclamation by Queen Victoria. No revelations given from God need any alterations, additions, or diminutions, by the wisdom of man. If they need altering, God alone has the right to alter them, or to add to them, as he did in the case of a revelation which he gave to Jeremiah, which was burned by the king of Judah, but afterwards Jeremiah was

commanded to write all the words again, "and there were added besides unto them many like words." (Jer. xxxvi. 32.) God has never prohibited himself from giving revelation as often as he pleases, neither has he prohibited himself from adding or diminishing words in case he sees it necessary. But woe unto that man who pretends to give a revelation, and is a deceiver, who adds, or diminishes, or alters a revelation which God has given; such cannot escape the threatened judgments of the Almighty.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1538.—We have now shown by the most conclusive arguments that the passages concerning, adding, and diminishing, so often referred to by the new-revelation denier,—does not contain the most distant intimation that the day of revelation is gone by. They never would have resorted to such a perverted application of these passages if they had any better evidence in the scriptures to sustain themselves. The very fact that they so often pervert these passages from their evident meaning, shows most conclusively the weakness of their position. No other passages are susceptible of being so grossly misapplied. It is under this shallow covering that they endeavour to hide their apostacy and deceive mankind.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1539.—In their zeal to oppose every thing under the name of new revelation, some of the more ignorant have assumed that when Christ was lifted upon the cross, and cried "it is finished," it put an end to all further revelation. If this assumption be correct, then all the books of the New Testament, written years after, must be false. If Christ finished the work of revelation, when he exclaimed, "it is finished," then the apostles must have been base impostors for pretending to receive revelation scores of years after this exclamation. All, therefore, who reject new revelation upon these grounds, are required by their own application of this saying, to reject all the writings of the New Testament: thus, in their heated zeal to oppose new revelation, they not unfrequently destroy the very books which they profess to believe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15410.—A saying of Paul to Timothy is sometimes referred to by the [p.154] enemies of new revelation, and applied in the most deceptive manner, in order to strengthen the world in the fatal delusion, that God will no more speak with man: it reads as follows,—"From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation." (2 Timothy iii. 15.) The objector to new revelation argues, from this passage, that the scriptures with which Timothy was acquainted in his childhood, were abundantly sufficient to make him wise unto salvation, and consequently there was no need of any more. If this conclusion be correct, it would do away with all the scriptures of the New Testament; for Timothy when a child was only acquainted with the scriptures of the old Testament, the scriptures of the new Testament not being yet written. Thus, again, the enemy of new revelation in his fanatical zeal to close up the volume of inspiration, has done away the very scriptures which he pretends so firmly to believe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15411.—Modern false teachers, in order to sustain their impositions, sometimes quote the following: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16,17.) They assert that this passage means that "enough" scripture has been given to perfect the man of God—

that "enough" has been given to thoroughly furnish him unto all good works; but the word ENOUGH is not found in the passage: it reads, "ALL SCRIPTURE is given, &c." The righteous man has no authority from this passage to assume that he has enough, but he should continue to seek for "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little;" and if he gives heed unto "all scripture" which God may condescend to reveal, it will perfect him, and thoroughly furnish him unto all good works. This passage, therefore leaves the man of God to be perfected by "all scripture" which God has given by inspiration, in early ages, or which he may give in latter times. He is not limited to any particular number of books which uninspired man has happened to find and compile into a Bible. Indeed, if the assertions of these false teachers be true, then there are several books of the New Testament which must be rejected; for if the man of God had enough scripture at the time Paul wrote his epistle to Timothy, then the book of Revelations given on Patmos some years after, together with the book of John's Gospel, and several of the epistles, must be excluded from the Bible.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15412.—Well educated and learned divines have been so utterly at a loss to find any scripture to sustain them in denying immediate revelation, that they have not hesitated to pervert, in the most glaring manner, not only the foregoing passages, but some few others of a similar nature which they have culled from the Bible, and which they, and all persons with the least reflection, know have not the most distant [p.155] bearing upon the subject. They tell their flocks that no more revelation is to be expected, because St. Paul, in addressing the elders of the church at Ephesus, says, "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." (Acts xx., 20, 27.) "All the counsel of God" having been imparted by St. Paul to the Ephesians, it is presumed that all further revelation was unnecessary. If this presumption be correct, it would, like the former presumption, not only cut off from the Bible several of the epistles, but the book of John's Gospel, and the great revelation given on Patmos, all of which were certainly written years after Paul declared "all the counsel of God" to the elders of Ephesus. Paul, no doubt, had previously declared all the counsels which God had manifested to him in relation to their welfare, but this did not prohibit the Lord from revealing afterwards other counsels as the future circumstances of the Ephesians might require. Indeed, notwithstanding this saying of Paul, the Lord did, a long time after, give further revelations and counsels to this same church, through His servant John, on Patmos. (See Rev. ii. 1-8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15513.—It has been furthermore presumed that revelation would cease when the "seventy weeks" mentioned in Daniel had passed away. The Angel Gabriel said to Daniel, "Understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the Holy City, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to annoint the Most Holy." (Daniel ix. 23, 24.) Here the enemies of new revelation assert, that as soon as the Messiah came, and was annointed, and the seventy weeks had elapsed, "the vision and prophecy were sealed up." But we ask, what vision and prophecy were sealed up? They reply, that all new revelation by vision and prophecy was then to come to an end. If this wild conjecture be correct, then all the visions, and prophecies, and revelation, and books of

the New Testament, given from fifty to a hundred years after the seventy weeks had ended, must be false. The vision and prophecy which God had given to Daniel, and which the angel commanded him to consider, no doubt were the ones which were to be sealed up, or to have their fulfilment at the time therein specified. But to suppose that God was to give no more visions and prophecies after that time is contradicted by the fact that abundance of heavenly manifestations during the whole of the first century of the Christian era, all of which new-revelation deniers must exclude from the Bible, or give up their perverted application of this text.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15514.—Another passage is often quoted by objectors to new revelation,—namely, the declaration of Paul in relation to the cessation of some of the spiritual gifts. He says, "Charity never faileth; but whether there be [p.156] prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." (1 Corinthians, xiii. 8.) Modern ministers will read to their followers this passage, and very gravely tell them that the time when prophecies were to fail arrived upwards of seventeen centuries ago; but they are very careful not to read the two following verses, lest their hearers should find out the true meaning of the passage, and learn the very time when this event should happen. Paul, as if fearful that false teachers would take the advantage of his saying, and undertake to do away prophesying and tongues from the church, says, in the next sentence, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." These gifts, then, which were only given in part, were to cease and to be done away as unnecessary, not seventeen centuries ago, as false teachers assert, but "when that which is perfect is come." In the 12th verse he describes the condition of the church, when that time shall come. He says, "Now, we see through a glass darkly; but then, face to face: now, I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." Here we learn that the time when these gifts are to cease is not to be here in this world, but in the next state of existence, where the church shall no longer "see through a glass darkly, but see the Lord face to face," and "know as they are known:" then "that which is perfect" will have come; then "tongues will cease;" then "prophecy in part," and "knowledge in part" will be done away; till then, all these gifts are necessary. Therefore these sayings of the apostle, instead of favouring the groundless deceptions of new-revelation deniers, are evidences of the most positive kind in favour of continued revelation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15615.—The church in its militant and imperfect state, compared with its triumphant, immortal, and perfect state, is, in the 11th verse, represented by the two very different states of childhood and manhood. "When," says St. Paul, "I was a child, I spake as a child; I understood as a child; I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." In the various stages of education from childhood to manhood, certain indispensable rules, and diagrams, and scientific instruments are employed for the use and benefit of the pupil, that he may acquire a correct knowledge of the sciences, and be perfected in his studies. When the principles have been once acquired, and the student has been perfected in every branch of education, he can dispense with many of his maps, charts, globes, books, diagrams, &c., as being, like childish things, no longer necessary; they were useful before his education was perfected in imparting the desired

knowledge, but, having fulfilled their purposes, he no longer needs their assistance. For instance, the chemist, before sufficient experiments have been made, cannot predict in full the result of the union of several different elements. It is true, that from [p.157] former imperfect experiments he may know in part, and prophesy in part, what will be the nature and properties of the resulting compound. But when he has, through the medium of a good chemical apparatus, determined, by a perfect experiment, all the results, laws, and proportions of the combination of the elements under consideration, knowledge in part, in relation to the results, is done away, and he knows in full; he no longer prophesies in part how these elements will act, and what will be the nature and properties of the compound, for his knowledge is perfect concerning it; he no longer needs to give an imperfect prediction concerning that which he has fully seen and known, and comprehended; he no longer looks through a glass darkly, as he formerly did, but he sees the principle as he is seen, having learned it through an experiment; he can now do away the apparatus, and still retain the knowledge that he formerly gained by it. So it is with the church in relation to spiritual gifts. While in this state of existence it is represented as a child; prophecy, revelations, tongues, and other spiritual gifts, are the instruments of education. The child or church can no more be perfected in its education without the aid of these gifts as instruments, than the chemist could in his researches if he were deprived of the necessary apparatus for experiments. As the chemist needs his laboratory for experiments, as long as there remains any undiscovered truths in relation to the elements and compounds of our globes; so does the church need the great laboratory of spiritual knowledge—namely, revelation and prophecy, as long as it knows only in part. Without this heavenly treasure, the child can never progress to perfection—can never become a "a perfect man in Christ Jesus"—can never "see as it is seen," and "know as it is known"—can never attain "to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ"—can never dwell in that perfect state of society where they see the Lord face to face—where fulness of knowledge, glory, and happiness pervades every soul. As a human being, when a child, speaks as a child, understands as a child, and thinks as a child; so does the church in this state of existence know only in part: but as the child, when it becomes a man, puts away childish things; so will the church put away such childish things as "prophecy in part," "knowledge in part," and seeing in part, when it grows up, through the aid of these things, to a perfect man in Christ Jesus: that which is in part will be done away or immerged into the greater fulness of knowledge which there reigns. Perfection will then swallow up imperfection; the healing power will then be done away, for no sickness will be there; tongues and interpretations will then cease, for one pure language alone will be spoken; the casting out of devils and power against deadly poisons will not then be needed, for in Heaven circumstances will render them unnecessary.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15816.—But charity, which is the pure love of God, never faileth; it [p.158] will sit enthroned in the midst of the glorified throng, clothed in all the glory and splendour of its native heaven. As charity, then, never fails, we can say, with the Apostle Paul, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy;" for all these things, with faith and hope, should be the companions of charity in this world, though circumstances will require some of them to part, "when that which is perfect is come;" but while travelling in this world of imperfection, let them be friends. And as God has

joined them together in happy wedlock during this state of existence, let no man put them asunder. That habitation that will not admit them all as occupants, cannot retain either singly. Faith, Hope, and Charity, will not abide where their dear friend Immediate Revelation is rejected. Though Christendom may pass bills of divorcement, and try to separate them, yet they will not be separated. Wherever they are unitedly received, they impart salvation and eternal life; wherever either is rejected, death—eternal death—is sure to be the result.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15817.—New-revelation deniers, to sustain their false position, sometimes refer to the saying of our Saviour, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." (Matthew xi. 13.) From this they draw the conclusion that John was to be the last prophet of the human race with which our world were to be favoured; and to strengthen this conclusion they connect this saying with the following prediction of Zechariah: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him: Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be shamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive." (Zachariah xiii. 2, 3, 4.) It is said that the prophets were until John, after which the Lord caused the prophets to pass out of the land, as no longer necessary. If this conclusion be correct, then the "book of John's prophecy," revealed some sixty-five years after John the Baptist's death, must be false. If there were to be no more prophets after John, then Paul must have been entirely mistaken when he says to the Ephesians, that God, "by revelation, made known unto me the mystery which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and PROPHETS." (Eph. III. 3, 5.) If Paul's word be credited, instead of the words of the false teachers of latter times, then there must have been prophets connected with the apostles after the days [p.159] of John, and prophets, too, who received greater mysteries by revelation than the prophets of other ages. This agrees with another saying of Paul, that "God hath set some in the church,—first, apostles; secondarily, PROPHETS; thirdly, teachers," &c. (1 Corinthians. xii. 28.) In accordance with this, we read of certain prophets in the Christian church at Antioch, to whom the Holy Ghost spake and gave directions concerning the calling and missions of Paul and Barnabas. (See Acts xiii.) After the days of John the Baptist, we read of Agabus the prophet, who prophesied of a great famine which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar; and also the four daughters of Philip the Evangelist, who prophesied of the persecutions which awaited Paul at Jerusalem. (See Acts.) To reject prophets from the Christian church would be one of the greatest perversions of God's word.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.15918.—The prediction of Zechariah to which we have referred has not yet had its fulfilment; for "the idols" and the "unclean spirit" there spoken of have not yet passed away out of the land; they are not yet "no more remembered," as is said in this prediction. That the prophets which the Lord should cause to pass away were to be

false prophets, and not true ones, is evident from their being connected with the idols and unclean spirit which were all to pass away together. These prophets are, no doubt, the same characters which are spoken of in another place of his prophecy, "For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off; neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still; but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!—the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clay dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened." (Zechariah xi. 16, 17.) When the Lord cuts off the names of the idols out of the land he will then cause the sword to be upon "the arm" and upon "the right eye" of the "idol shepherd;" or, in other words, the prophets and unclean spirit, who tear, and devour, and destroy the flock, and eat the fat thereof, he will, in very deed, cause them "to pass away out of the land." This destruction of idol shepherds, false prophets, &c., will take place at the time, or a little after, the Saviour's second coming. "In that day," says Zechariah, "the Lord shall be king over all the earth," and "there shall be one Lord and his name one," the names of the idols having passed away, being no more remembered. This will be after he comes with all his saints and stands upon the Mount of Olives, as is predicted in this same connection. Therefore these passages have not the most distant allusion to the doing away of prophets from the Christian church, as many reverend false teachers assert. None but the most ignorant and unreflecting could ever be deceived by such barefaced and glaring perversions of those passages by modern [p.160] divines. Were it not to cover up their apostacy, ministers of modern Christendom never would have resorted to such wilful and awfully wicked perversions of God's word—perversions, too, which, if admitted, would destroy many of the very books of the Bible which they pretend to believe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16019.—As the foregoing are the only passages referred to by those who reject new revelation, we conclude that there are no others that have, in their estimation, any bearing upon the subject; and as we have clearly shown that these passages contain not the slightest intimation that God has revealed all that he ever intended to give to man. Therefore the proposition containing the subject matter of these paragraphs is fully established, and it can be asserted, with the greatest assurance, and without fear of contradiction, that it is not unscriptural to expect more revelation.TO EXPECT MORE REVELATION IS NOT UNREASONABLEThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.1601.—In the foregoing we have shown that in so far as the enemies of new revelation have undertaken to prove their position by scripture, they have utterly failed. We shall now proceed to examine the reasons offered by the world for rejecting new revelation. If it can be demonstrated that the giving of more revelation would be unreasonable, then all professed revelation should be rejected at once without investigation, for it could not be otherwise than false.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1602.—It is said that God revealed enough to save man in ancient days, and it is concluded that the revelations which saved the ancients, will save men in all future generations, and, therefore, it is argued that it is unreasonable to expect any more. Now we most freely admit that God revealed enough to save man in ancient times, but that these

were sufficient for future generations, we deny. No one will for a moment dispute but that the revelations given to Abel were sufficient to save him; but to argue that Abel's revelations were sufficient for all future generations, would be the very height of absurdity. The revealed will of God to Abel, though sufficient to save him, was altogether insufficient to guide Noah and his family; nothing short of a new revelation could unfold to him the awful judgment that awaited the world by a universal deluge: nothing short of a new revelation could point out to him a way of escape. But new revelation was as unpopular to the antediluvians as it is now to the apostate churches of the nineteenth century. They, without doubt, considered Noah an impostor for offering to them a new revelation, when Abel and Enoch had enough to save them. In vain did Noah urge upon them the necessity of believing in his message; in vain [p.161] did he portray the awful consequences of rejecting it; they considered the revelations of their forefathers all-sufficient without any additional ones; and thus the whole world, except eight persons, were carried away with the fatal delusion that new revelation was unnecessary, and the whole mass of deluded fanatics perished together as a fearful warning to all the enemies of new revelation who should live after them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1613.—Lot, though a righteous man, could not have been saved from the shower of fire and brimstone about to be poured upon the cities of the plain, had he not believed in new revelation, pointing out to him his only course of safety. In vain did he plead with his kindred to believe in new revelation, and depart out of Sodom to escape the threatened judgment; he seemed to them as one that mocked. They doubtless thought, like modern divines, that the old revelations that saved their fathers would also save them; they persisted in their strong delusions until overwhelmed by a shower of fire; and as it was with these cities of the plain, so shall it also be with the multitude of all nations who are enemies to new revelation in the days of the coming of the Son of man: they shall become as stubble in the midst of the devouring flame, and shall, like Sodom and Gomorrah, be punished with the vengeance of eternal fire.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1614.—When Jesus offered to the Jews a new revelation they immediately appealed to the old ones, saying, "We have Moses and the prophets, but as for this man Christ Jesus, we know not whence he is." The devil had put it into their hearts to suppose that a new one was considered an imposition; they continued to reject every thing of the kind, until they brought upon themselves and their beloved city swift destruction.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1615.—The apostate Gentile churches of the present century are following in the same dangerous path. The cunning arch impostors of modern times, under the name of Popish and Protestant ministers, have persuaded millions of their deluded votaries to reject every thing under the name of new revelation, and to receive only such ancient books as they have names in their "Articles of Religion." If this wicked imposition had only deceived here and there a few, there would be some hopes of mankind; but alas! the delusion is as popular as it was in the days of Noah. Learned and unlearned—rulers and ruled—philosophers and the ignorant—the great and the small—the high and the low, and in fine, all nations and people, have fallen into this whirlpool of delusion—this vortex of destruction, that has swallowed up nations and generations of ancient times, and left a sad but fearful warning to those who should live in after ages.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1616.—Nothing can be more erroneous than to suppose that the revelations given to one individual, people, or generation, are sufficient to fully develop the duties of another individual, people, or generation. That there are many duties which are common to all mankind in every [p.162] generation, is a truth that no one can dispute. It is equally clear that there are many duties which are limited in their nature, and only required of such as God may name or designate under existing circumstances. Those general laws which are universal in their application, though revealed ever so often, are always the same; they are as unchangeable as the great Law Giver in whom they originated; while those individual or circumstantial laws which are limited to the individuals for whom they are given, are changeable in their nature. New circumstances require new laws which must continue to change in order to suit the condition of the people. No man, either in ancient or modern times, has ever yet learned his whole duty from the general laws which God has revealed. Without new revelation adapted to the peculiar condition of himself as an individual, and varied at sundry times, according to the change of circumstances, he will for ever remain ignorant of a part of his duty.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1627.—As the present generation are so universally in error, in supposing that the ancient revelations are sufficient for all present purposes, we shall point out still further the absurdity of this supposition, by showing the distinction between general and circumstantial laws, as revealed to govern the nations of men, and by pointing out the absolute necessity of continued revelation, growing out of the nature of the varied circumstances in which man is placed. General laws, given to regulate the actions of all men, are those which prohibit them from doing that which in its very nature is evil; and which enjoin upon them to do that which in its very nature is good. Circumstantial laws are those which prohibit man from doing that which in its nature is not evil, but which, if done, circumstances would render evil; and which enjoin upon him to do that which in its nature is neither good nor evil, but which, if done, circumstances would render good.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1628.—The first class of laws are termed general because of their universal adaptation to the conditions of all men in all generations and ages, and under every dispensation of God to man. There are many things which are naturally evil, and no change of circumstances can render them otherwise than evil: they are recognised as evil by all men, whether in a civilised or savage state: there is but one law of conscience in regard to them, independent of all revealed law. That which tends to unjustly injure another in his person or character is naturally an evil: the law of conscience tells all men that it is evil: the revealed law of God coincides with that of conscience, and proclaims it an evil, and forbids mankind under a heavy penalty to unjustly injure one another. To bear false witness against a neighbour is an evil in its very nature. It is not the revealed law of God which makes it an evil, but it is clearly perceived to be an evil where the revealed law is unknown. To take the advantage of a good man and cheat him out of his property—to rob, or steal, or [p.163] wantonly waste, or destroy it—is an evil, recognised by the consciences of all men: it is not necessary for the revealed law to proclaim these things as evil in order that man may perceive them as such; for the savage, as well as the sage, readily perceives, by the aid of his conscience alone, that the inherent nature of these things is vicious. To murder or shed innocent blood is distinguished by all men to

be a great evil: there is something in the nature of the act that proclaim loudly that it is one of the greatest of evils. If God had never revealed it an evil in written words, yet mankind would be none the less assured of its evil nature. The object of the revealed law is, not merely to show that these acts are evil and vicious, but to show the penalty and consequences of such acts;—to show that judgment and misery must necessarily result from a vicious course of life. We have now given a few items of evil that are in their nature evil, and against which God has enacted general laws to govern men in all ages.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1639.—We shall next point out some things which in their very nature are good, and which the consciences of all men, at once perceive to be good. To show pity to the poor—to feed the hungry and clothe the naked—to administer relief to the sick and afflicted—to do unto our neighbour that which we, in like circumstances, would consider they ought to do for us—and in fine, to love them, and seek to benefit them, and make them happy, are things which are inherently good: it is not a command to do these things which renders them good: they were good before any revealed law enjoined mankind to do them; they were good independent of all revealed law; they were good from the beginning in their very nature; and man is so constituted that he cannot look upon them otherwise than as being inherently good. These are the virtuous acts which the revealed law has enjoined upon men to perform. It is not the object of the revealed law, merely to point out that these acts are good and virtuous, for this was already understood, but the object was to enjoin upon man the importance of doing good,—to make known to him the reward which should be received for every virtuous act, and the happy results which should follow a virtuous course of life. We have now given a few items of good that are in and of themselves naturally good, concerning which God has enacted general laws to govern man in every age and dispensation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16310.—These items of good and evil, together with all others of like nature, are the principal items embodied in a code of laws which are intended to be general in their application. Those who violate them, though they are not acquainted with the revealed law concerning them, yet they will be judged by the law of their consciences so far as they were able to perceive the nature of right and wrong, but not being acquainted with the penalty annexed to these laws, they will only be [p.164] punished with a few stripes; while those who have, not only the law of conscience, but also the revealed law, and shall violate its sacred commands, will be beaten with many stripes.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16411.—There are many things which are not naturally evil, but which become evil circumstantially; for instance, God having finished this creation in six days, rested on the seventh, and from this circumstance, he ordained the sabbath as a day of rest, and commanded that man should not labour on that day. Now a man unacquainted with this revealed law, would be as likely to labour on the sabbath as on any other day: there would be nothing in the nature of this act, nor in the nature of anything connected with it, that would indicate to him that he was doing an evil. Those things which are naturally evil are the only ones which are perceptible to the conscience as such, without the light of revelation; and consequently, God will neither judge, condemn, nor punish a man who has ignorantly transgressed and done an evil which his conscience could not

possibly detect as such, and unto whom he has never sent the revealed law. To labour on the sabbath day, therefore, is only an evil, because it is forbidden; there is nothing in the nature of it that is evil: not so with stealing, bearing false witness, committing adultery, murdering, and such like crimes; they are all evils by nature, though they were not forbidden; for the conscience of the savage, as well as the civilised man, regards them as such.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16412.—Incorporated in the code of general laws, concerning good and evil, are many other laws of a circumstantial nature which are also binding upon all people to whom they are sent with proper authority; such, for instance, as the law of baptism—the laying on of hands in confirmation, in ordination, and in healing the sick—the anointing of the sick with oil in the name of the Lord with prayer—the Lord's supper, and the keeping of the sabbath day holy. These are duties revealed in ancient times to be perpetuated among all people to whom they should be sent with divine authority. But these general laws of good and evil, including all the annexed ordinances and institutions, intended to be perpetuated, unfold but a very small portion of the individual duties of man, arising from the circumstances with which he is surrounded. Indeed, no code of laws which were intended to be generally applicable could, from their nature, possibly unfold the vast variety of constantly changing duties required even of one man. Much more impossible would it be for such a code to make manifest the multifarious duties of some fifteen thousand millions of the human race who have lived since the days of the apostles.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16413.—We shall now point out a few specimens of revelation which were not intended to be perpetuated, being confined to a very limited period of time, and only intended for the benefit of those for whom [p.165] they were given; these may be termed peculiar or circumstantial revelations, and are as necessary to fulfil the purposes of God for the well being of man, as those of a higher order or of a more general nature. Circumstances required a peculiar revelation to be given to Noah in relation to building an ark. The peculiarity of this revelation will be seen from the fact, that Noah was required to do a work altogether different from what had been required of any man anterior to his day. If the objector should say, that this revelation to Noah, having reference to temporal salvation, was of minor importance, compared with those great revelations on moral subjects, and should conclude that it was not a matter of much consequence whether such a revelation was given or not. We reply, that the all-wise Creator who knows what is for the good of man, does not give revelation upon subjects of no importance: but every thing connected with revelation, is of great importance, and intended not only for the temporal, but for the eternal good of man. For man to reject a command of God in relation to temporal things, or temporal salvation, would have a serious bearing upon his future state, and deprive him of future salvation. Therefore all things which God commands a person to do, however unimportant they may appear to finite creatures, are nevertheless of infinite importance, and will most assuredly influence his eternal destiny.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16514.—Peculiar revelations were given to Abraham: he was commanded to depart out of Chaldea, his native country, and go to a land wherein he was a stranger. This command

was not general, but individual, in its application. Abraham and his household seem to be the only persons required to obey it. Here, then, was a duty which they never could have learned from any general laws: new revelation alone could make it manifest. If we read the short history of Abraham's life, we find a great variety of duties made known to him which he must for ever have remained in ignorance of, had it not been for new revelation. At one time he was commanded to circumcise all the males of his household; at another, to walk through the land of Canaan, in the length of it and in the breadth of it; at another, to lift up his eyes eastward, westward, northward, and southward, with a promise that all the land over which he travelled, and which his eyes beheld, should be given to him and his posterity for an everlasting possession; at another time he was commanded to offer as a sacrifice different kinds of animals and fowls; at another, to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering upon a mountain; at another, to stay his hand, and not destroy the child. Now, all these were duties which could not be learned from ancient revelation, from the fact that no other people had been previously commanded to do these things. They were duties that could not be incorporated in a system of laws that were intended to be general in their application, and [p.166] for this very reason Abraham considered new revelation indispensably necessary; it was the only possible way to learn the whole of his duty. O! how different were the feelings and views of this good old patriarch from those entertained by modern enemies to new revelation! The one saw the impossibility of learning the whole will of God from previous revelation; the others consider that a few ancient books called the Bible reveal the whole will of God to all nations and generations for the last seventeen centuries. O! the impenetrable darkness of apostate Christianity! It is heart-sickening to every man of God! Who among the saints of ancient times could have supposed that a race of people would arise professing to believe in the revelations of old time, but considering that all new ones were entirely unnecessary? The worshippers of Baal were far more consistent than apostate Christendom; for they had a faint hope that Baal would hear and answer them; but modern divines have no expectation that their God will say anything to them or to their followers. Baal's followers cried from morning until evening for him to give unto them a miraculous manifestation, in the presence of Elijah; but to even expect a supernatural manifestation or revelation now is considered, by modern religionists, as the greatest absurdity. Baal's worshippers, therefore, with all their absurdities, approached nearer the religion of heaven, in some of their expectations, than those who falsely call themselves Christians.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16615.—The history of the people of God, from the earliest ages, shows that continued revelation was the only way that they could possibly learn all their duties, or God's will concerning themselves. They never once thought that the revelations given to previous generations were sufficient to guide them into every duty. A doctrine which rejects new revelation is a new doctrine, invented by the devil and his agents during the second century after Christ; it is a doctrine in direct opposition to the one believed in and enjoyed by the saints in all ages. Now, to subvert and do away a doctrine four thousand years old, and introduce a new one in its stead, can only be done by divine authority. But have the propagators of this new doctrine, at any period since its invention, established its authority either by scripture, reason, miracles, or any other way? If not, how dare they to break in upon the long-established order of God, and invent a new

doctrine, excluding all further revelation? How dare they to promulgate a doctrine so entirely different from what the ancient saints ever believed or thought of? How dare they assume and teach that God will no more speak with man, when he never had failed, in any instance, to converse with his saints in every previous generation? How dare they call themselves the people of God, and yet reject the great, fundamental, and infinitely important doctrine of continued revelation, which always distinguished the people of God from every other [p.167] people? None but the most blind and determined enemies to new revelation could for a moment believe the Bible, and at the same time believe that the ancient saints and the apostate churches of Christendom were both the people of God: the one class believed in a doctrine of continued revelation, established not only by several thousand years' experience, but by a continued series of miracles during that long period of time; while the other class have entirely excluded this heavenly doctrine from their midst, and, as a substitute, have invented, through the aid of uninspired men, "Articles of Religion," "Creeds," "Disciplines," "Commentaries," &c. Who, then, with a knowledge of these two systems of religion, so widely different and opposed to each other, would have the hardihood or wicked presumption to call the latter Christians or the Church of God?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16716.—As the doctrine, then, of continued revelation is one that was always believed by the saints, it ought not to be required of any man to prove the necessity of the continuation of such a doctrine. If it were a new doctrine never before introduced into the world, it would become necessary to establish its divine origin; but, inasmuch as it is only a continuation of an old doctrine, established thousands of years ago, and which has never ceased to be believed and enjoyed by the saints, it would be the greatest presumption to call it in question at this late period; and hence it would seem almost superfluous to undertake to prove the necessity of its continuance. Instead of being required to do this, all people have the right to call upon all the new-revelation deniers of the last seventeen centuries to bring forward their strong reasonings and testimonies for breaking in upon the long-established order of heaven, and introducing a new doctrine so entirely different from the old. If they wish their new doctrine to be believed, let them demonstrate it to be of divine origin, or else all people will be justified in rejecting it, and in still cleaving to the old. When Jesus came and did away the old law of Moses, and introduced a new system of religion, he established the divine origin of the new by the most incontrovertible testimony; the most splendid miracles were wrought both by himself and his followers. Now, if the new-revelation deniers will bring as much testimony as Jesus and his followers did to establish their new doctrine, then they may, with some little propriety, call upon mankind to believe in it; but as yet they have given the world no evidence whatever only their own conjectures. We are called upon to reject a doctrine much older than the law of Moses, and of far greater importance, and to receive in its stead the doctrines of uninspired men, excluding all new communications from heaven; and as yet not one testimony has been offered the world in confirmation of this newly-invented religion. How strange that any one should ever have been deceived with such [p.168] absurdities! How incomprehensibly more strange that millions should still cling to the awful delusion!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16817.—When a doctrine has been originated by divine authority, and has been believed

and enjoyed by the people of God, without an exception, in all ages, it is not unreasonable to expect the continuance of such doctrine among the saints in all future ages, unless some cause can be shown for its discontinuance: for instance, the doctrine of Faith, Repentance, and Remission of Sins, was originated and taught by divine authority immediately after the fall, and, like the doctrine of continual revelation, was embraced and enjoyed by every people of God until the apostles fell asleep. Now, if a people had arisen in the second century of the Christian era who excluded from their religion any of these principles, would not such a newly-invented religion have been considered as a gross imposition, and all its originators as the basest of impostors? At least, would not the inventors of such a religion have been required to show some authority or cause for thus discontinuing a doctrine which even they themselves continued to admit was necessary in all previous ages? If Faith, Repentance, Remission of Sins, and Continued Revelation, were necessary for four thousand years, what reason can be shown that any one of these heavenly principles should ever afterwards become unnecessary? If the second century were chosen as the memorable period for the discontinuance of an essential and long-established principle of religion, and for the introduction of a new religion diverse from what the people of God ever before enjoyed, then, indeed, it must be a period of great importance in the history of man. But the great and infinitely important question is, how shall mankind know that this sudden and unexpected change in the religion of heaven was produced by divine authority? Have its propagators ever established its divine authenticity in any way? If not, then they must be the vilest and most dangerous impostors that ever disgraced our earth, deceiving, not a few only, but their thousands of millions, and corrupting all nations with their abominable and soul-destroying apostasy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16818.—A doctrine or principle established by divine authority will require divine authority to do it away. That which is established by a Superior Power cannot be abolished by an inferior power. This may be beautifully illustrated by the kingdoms, governments, and powers of the earth. Each has its law-making department: this power is sometimes invested in a legislative body, and sometimes in the king, queen, or emperor. Whenever any of these departments enacts laws for the welfare of the people, they are considered to be in force and binding upon all citizens until the lawmaking department shall repeal them, and notify the people of such repeal. Private citizens or inferior councils could never repeal that which was enacted and ordained by higher powers. If [p.169] the king ordained the law, then none but the king can repeal it. If the people should undertake to abrogate or do away the law, it would be considered an act of rebellion against the government. So if the king should ordain certain rights or privileges to be enjoyed by his subjects, no inferior power would have a right to disannul such legal grants—none would have a right to say that the privileges, ordained by the king in behalf of his subjects, were done away. The power that ordains rights and privileges, can alone disannul them. The subjects have no right to suppose that any law or privilege is done away, unless the law-making department has notified the people to that effect. So it is with the kingdom of God. God is the King; he is the legal Law-Giver to all the children of the kingdom; he has ordained certain rights and privileges to be enjoyed by them all; he has given to them all the right of petition, with a sure and certain promise that he will hear and answer. These rights and privileges were enjoyed for about four thousand

years by all the subjects of his government; they petitioned the King, to show them by revelation many great and glorious things, which he, according to his promise, granted. Among the promised rights and blessings, granted by the great and unchangeable Law-giver, may be enumerated, the privilege of conversing with him and with his angels, and to receive knowledge by visions, by dreams, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and by prophecy. After having enjoyed those chartered rights for many thousand years, the people all at once assumed the authority to disannul them, and thus came out in open rebellion against the government of the Almighty. Oh, what a fearful responsibility rests upon those who have thus dared to repeal and disannul that which God has established!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.16919.—What would be the consequences, if a portion of the inhabitants of Great Britain were to rise up against some of the dearest and most precious rights which had been granted by the law-making department, and which had been enjoyed by the subjects for many generations? Would they not be considered in a state of rebellion? Would they not be taken and tried before the proper tribunals, and condemned and punished, as guilty of treason? How much sorer punishment, then, must the world of Christendom receive! For their crime is of much greater magnitude. They have not rebelled against the governments of the earth, but against the government of Heaven; they have repealed, disannulled, and rebelled against some of the most sacred rights granted by the King of kings. If such a rebellion against the laws of earthly governments will subject the person to death, what must be the punishment of those who rebel against heavenly governments! Oh, Christendom! what hast thou done? Thou hast closed the door of Heaven upon thyself, and upon the nations of the earth! Thou hast made the windows of Heaven as brass that cannot easily be penetrated! Thou hast rejected the key of [p.170] revelation, and thus cut off all communications from the heavenly worlds! Thou hast repealed and made void the chartered privileges, and most sacred rights, ordained of God, for the comforting, teaching, and perfecting of his Saints! Thou hast veiled the heavens in darkness, and shrouded the earth with the black mantle of error! Oh, Christendom, what wilt thou do! And whither wilt thou hide thyself in the day of thy visitation—in the day of the fierce anger of the Almighty! The mountains and rocks will not cover thy shame nor hide thy guilt from the eye of Him who searcheth all things! Repent, then, of thy great wickedness, oh, thou destroyer of souls! no longer lift thy voice against the glorious gift of revelation; no longer deny the chartered rights of the people of God; no longer rebel against the ministry of angels, and the enjoyments of the gifts of vision and prophecy; no longer seek to repeal that which Heaven has ordained, and which the children of God enjoyed for four thousand years. Remember that divine gifts and divine laws can only be repealed by divine authority.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.17020.—We are told by the ministers of Christendom, that God has repealed the gift of revelation, as no longer necessary. But they have utterly failed up to this day to point out the revelation that contains this repeal. The Old Testament does not contain it—the New Testament does not contain it. As the repeal act is not found in the Bible, where shall it be found? This is a question of great importance! If there be such an Act of Repeal, it must be somewhere, or how could these ministers have known it? We call upon Christendom to bring forward out of their sacred archives the REPEAL LAW. Let

us search it;—let us see what God has said about the world's having revelation enough. Let us see what time the Repeal was passed, when it came in force,—how long it is to continue in force,—and whether there is any probability of a restoration of the former privileges! None can consider this call for the repeal law unreasonable. If God has ordained such a law it is reasonable that we should know it. The ministers say they know it. Why not let the people see the law that they may know it also? Why keep them in the dark—if such a law exist, bring it forward. You cannot say that it is a law of not much importance; for surely, if God has passed a law repealing the gift of revelation—the gift of prophecy—the gift of visions and dreams by the spirit—the ministry of angels—and all other miraculous gifts, which had been enjoyed by every people of God among all nations, and in all generations for four thousand years—if he has swept away all these long-established and most glorious privileges from the church by a repeal law, then it must be one of the most important laws that have ever been communicated to man; it is a law that every one should be familiar with; and none should be prohibited from reading or perusing it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.171[p.171] 21.—When God repealed the law of Moses he did not keep it to himself, but he told the people plainly, not only of the repeal act, but also of the new acts which were introduced in its stead. The law of Moses required a man to give a writing of divorcement if he wished to put away his wife; but Jesus repealed that law, and gave a new one in its stead. The law of Moses required the people to "perform unto the Lord their oaths;" but Jesus repealed this law, and commanded the people to "swear not at all." The law of Moses required "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth;" but Jesus repealed this law also, and commanded the people "not to resist evil." Here, then, we have the repeal law, abolishing that of Moses, and the new law introduced in its stead: both are revealed in perfect plainness: there is no dubiety or uncertainty as to what is repealed or as to what takes it place. If it be considered necessary to reveal to mankind that certain privileges, granted by the law of Moses, were repealed; how much more necessary is it, that mankind should know of the repeal of blessings and privileges far greater and vastly superior to those of the law of Moses! Would God take such particular care to notify man of the repeal of the gift of revelation, visions, prophecy, &c.? The law of Moses "was added because of transgression," and given "because of the hardness of their hearts;" Paul calls it a "law of carnal commandments;" therefore mankind could, with propriety, look for its repeal. But no one for a moment could have supposed that the Lord would repeal and do away such great and glorious gifts as ministers now declare to be unnecessary. But what seems still more strange, is that he should repeal privileges, granted, not only in the Mosaic dispensation, and in the ages preceding it, but also in the Gospel dispensation, even down to the close of the first century, and yet give us no information of such repeal.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.17122.—But the ministers of apostate Christendom assert that God has repealed those precious gifts, and we now call upon them to tell us how they know it. Has God revealed it to them? No, say they; God reveals nothing in this age. Did you learn it from ancient revelations? If so, we call upon you in the name of the Lord, as you value your own soul's salvation, and that of others, to show us the revelation, that we may know it also. If you do not do this, it will be considered that you do not know any such thing, but that

you have come to the people, like the prophets of Ahab, with a lie in your mouths to deceive, devour, and destroy. O ye ministers of modern Christendom—ye enemies of new revelation! how can ye escape the damnation of hell! How many millions of good honest-hearted people you have deceived by your cunning craftiness, and lying hypocracies! How many millions would have called upon God, in faith, for revelations, prophecies, visions, and the ministry of angels, and received these precious blessings, had it not been [p.172] for the wicked, most abominable, and soul-destroying lies, which you have instilled into their ears by telling them that these things were repealed and done away! Repent, therefore, of this great wickedness, and be baptized for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which shall give you visions and revelations, and shall show you things to come; and except you do this, the wrath and indignation of that Being against whom you have lied, shall speedily overtake you, and you shall perish out of the earth. REPENT, THEREFORE, QUICKLY, THAT YOU MAY FIND MERCY. [p.173]{8}Great First Cause, or the Self-Moving Forces of the Universe(Liverpool: R. James, Printer, 1851)1. Space and duration have a necessary existence.—2. The existence of something in a space a contingent and not a necessary truth.—3. Present existence proves the eternal existence of something.—4. Creation from nothing a vague conjecture.—5. All substance eternal—Evidences.—6. Matter without Forces—Weight not a true measure of quantity—No measure of quantity yet discovered—Professor Whewell's views erroneous—Cohesion not necessary to the existence of matter—Matter infinitely divisible.—7. Force.—8. The action of Forces.—9. Self-moving Matter—Inertia and Activity opposed to each other—Both cannot be qualities of the same matter.—10. Inert matter has never as yet been discovered.—11. Matter moves itself according to laws—Absurdities of the Attracting hypothesis—The Attracting and Self-moving Theories contrasted—The latter infinitely more simple than the former.—12. Intelligent matter—Matter could not act without intelligence—Unintelligent matter could not obey a law—Herschel's views erroneous.—13. Intelligence not the result but the cause of organization—Intelligent capacities must be eternal—Atoms evidently had an origin—Herschel supposes them created from nothing—This supposition absurd—Atoms manufactured out of pre-existent substance.—14. Herschel's argument, if extended, would require an origin for the Deity himself.—15. The probability that the present laws of the universe had an origin—Intelligent materials acquire knowledge by experience—Cohesion and motion among the first efforts of intelligent matter—Laws prescribed in proportion to the intelligence of materials.—16. Formation of atoms—All substances originated from one simple, elementary, self-moving, and eternal substance.—17. All organizations and all persons exhibit design—Paley's argument for design extended to the person of the Deity—His person may have had a beginning, but his substance must be eternal—A self-moving Substance is the Great First Cause and Governor of all things."NECESSARY TRUTHS ARE THOSE OF WHICH WE CANNOT DISTINCTLYCONCEIVE THE CONTRARY." Whewell.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1731.—That there must be an endless duration and a boundless space, are necessary

truths which cannot possibly be conceived to be otherwise than they are. These are necessary truths, whether any being exist [p.174] to conceive them as such or not. Indeed, if there were no being in existence, the same unalterable and unchangeable necessity would characterize these truths. Endless space and duration cannot be created nor annihilated by any being, but their continuance has been and must be eternal. These truths do not admit of being proved, for that which has no beginning cannot be preceeded by a cause, and where no cause exists, there cannot possibly be any foundation for reasoning. There can be no reason why space and duration are as they are, and yet we perceive a necessity for them to be as they are.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1742.—That things exist in space, is a truth, though we cannot conceive it to be a necessary truth: for we can conceive of unoccupied space; indeed, we know, because of the phenomena of motion among things, that there must be space not occupied; otherwise, there would be no room for motion among bodies, and space would be filled with a boundless solid, imporous, and incapable of any change of place among its parts. The motion, therefore, of things proves that a part of space is unoccupied. If we conceive a part of space to be unoccupied by substance, we can as easily conceive of all space to be empty and void: therefore the existence of things in space, though a truth, is not a necessary truth. We can conceive of space as containing either nothing or something: we can conceive it, either as containing one thing or an infinity of things: we can conceive it as empty, or partially occupied, or wholly filled. There is an infinite number of quantities of substance between nothing and an infinite boundless solid; and we can conceive either of these quantities as occupying space. We cannot conceive any necessity why one of these quantities should exist rather than another. We perceive that we ourselves exist, and that things exist external to ourselves, but we perceive no necessity for our own existence or for the existence of any thing else. Therefore the existence of things in space, and the quantity of things in space, are not conceived to be what they are by any irresistible necessity such as characterizes our conceptions of space and duration. No one can conceive of the non-existence of space and duration, but every one can conceive of the non-existence of things in space, or of the existence of any supposed quantity from nothing to infinity. The first are truths of necessity, the second are truths perceived to be what they are without perceiving any necessity for their being as they are: these may be termed contingent truths.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1743.—Admitting the contingent truth, that something now exists in space, as nothing cannot produce something, therefore, it follows, as a necessary truth, that something must have always existed in space. Each part of this eternal something must occupy a finite space, having length, breadth, thickness, and figure. To occupy space, it must be solid, but solidity is only another name for matter; therefore, this eternal [p.175] something must be matter. That which has no extension, nor parts, nor relation to space and duration, is called immateriality, which is the negative of all existence, or merely another name for nothing. (For further information upon this subject, see my treatise on the ABSURDITIES OF IMMATERIALISM.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1754.—Having proved, from the fact, that something now exists, that something must have always existed, let us next enquire, Have all substances eternally existed? Upon this

subject, mankind are divided. One class assumes that part of the substances in space were created out of nothing by the other part which they are irresistibly compelled to believe is eternal. The other class believe all substances to be eternal. We shall now preceed to show that the creation of one part of substance from nothing by another part, cannot be established by any necessity, experience, reason, analogy, or divine revelation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.175First: The creation of a part of matter if not a necessary truth, for we can conceive of the eternal existence of all matter, as easily as we can conceive of the eternal existence of a part of matter. All the ancient schools of philosophy conceived every substance to be eternal; and it was not until modern times, that men conjectured otherwise. As has been already stated, we can conceive of space entirely devoid of matter, which shows that the existence of all things in space, though a truth, is not a necessary truth. If the very existence of all substances be not a necessary but only a contingent truth, surely, the beginning of existence or creation of any one substance cannot be conceived as a necessary truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.175Secondly: The creation of one part of substance by another, is not an experimental truth. No man has ever perceived any one substance created from nothing by another. In all the varied operations of nature, we perceive no creations nor annihilations: we only perceive changes wrought upon that which already exists. Therefore, no man can know from experience, that the creation of something from nothing is a truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.175Thirdly: Creation from nothing is not a truth derived from reason. All deductive reasoning is founded upon certain fundamental or first truths, called axioms or definitions, but there are no such first truths or axioms in relation to a creation from nothing; therefore, there can be no foundation or starting point from which we can commence a process of deductive reasoning to establish any such event. All inductive reasoning is that process by which we ascend from particular truths to those of a higher order and of a more general nature. Now there is nothing in the particular truths of nature which indicates the creation of any of her substances from nothing; hence, no such event can be established or inferred from induction. Therefore, creation from nothing is not a truth derived from reason.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.176Fourthly: The creation of substance from nothing is not a truth [p.176] founded on analogy. Analogical reasoning is that process by which we infer that one event or thing may be true, because some other similar event or thing is known to be true. Now we know of no event or thing to be true which resembles, in the least, the creation of substance from nothing, therefore, there is no analogy for such an event.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.176Fifthly: The creation of something from nothing is not a truth founded on divine revelation. We learn from the revealed truths, which God has been pleased to give to man, that the sun, moon, stars, heavens, earth, and all things were created by him, but we nowhere learn in those sacred oracles that any one of these things were created from nothing. The original words rendered in our language create and make are synonymous terms, signifying, as we have every reason to believe, the formation of

things out of the original elements; at least, we are nowhere informed in revelation, that these words had any other meaning. It has been said that as God created all things, and as elements are things, therefore he must have created them also. But if all the elements be included among the things created, then the Deity must have created the elements, or parts of which he himself consists, which would be the very height of absurdity, for it would suppose him to exist and not to exist at the same time, hence the phrase "all things" cannot mean the elements, but only the "all things" that are created of the elements. Therefore, the creation of something from nothing is not a truth founded on divine revelation. If, therefore, the creation of one part of substance from nothing cannot be established by necessity, experience, reason, analogy, nor divine revelation, it cannot be a truth, or at least, we have no means left by which we can determine, or even infer that it is a truth, and it should be treated as a wild speculation, or vague conjecture without the least shadow of foundation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1765—As there is no evidence whatever in favour of the creation of any substance, we are justified in believing that the elements of every substance existed eternally. We can trace back the history of the earth for about six thousand years, or to the period of its formation. During this time countless millions of organizations, both vegetable and animal, have been constantly taking place. But in every case which has come under observation, the beings, organized, have been made out of pre-existing elements. In the mineral kingdom, a vast variety of new compounds have been formed, but in every instance that has come under the inspection of man, these compounds have been made from something, and not from nothing. All the miracles since the creation, that have been wrought by the power of God, have been operations upon materials already existing. God has not, since the history of man, created any new elements, and exhibited them as a testimony that such an event is possible. When our Lord made wine at the wedding feast, it [p.177] was not necessary to create it from nothing: he required the vessels first to be filled with water, after which he created or made the wine, which he could easily do by miraculously combining other ingredients or elements that already existed in great abundance. When he fed the multitudes with bread and fish, it was not necessary to make these compounds from nothing; when every element which enters into their constitution, existed plentifully all around him.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.177If we go back to the creation, we find that the corporeal bodies of the first man, and of the first vegetables, and animals were made, not out of nothing, but out of the ground. If, then, all men, beasts, serpents, fowls, fishes, trees, herbs, and grass, were created and made out of the ground, or out of the elements, why should we suppose the creation of the earth to be an exception to the general law? Is it any more difficult to create an earth, out of pre-existing elements, than it is to create various compounds, vegetables, and animals out of these elements? If we were to find a general law, to hold good in almost an infinite variety of cases, without even one observed deviation, would it not be a violation of every principle of sound judgment not to apply that general law to any other particular case of a similar nature? If we were to find that the waters in every fountain, spring, stream, river, and lake throughout the whole world, were formed of oxygen and hydrogen, combined in definite proportions, would we not, at once, without experiment, expect that the waters of the great ocean, were made of the same

elements? And would not a man be considered foolish or insane who should conjecture, that the waters of the ocean were an exception to this general law? If the various compounds, vegetables, and animals upon the surface of our globe are known to be governed by the law of gravitation, it would be perfectly consistent to extend the same law to the whole earth, unless some reason could be shown why the law should not be thus extended; in like manner, if the various compounds, vegetables, and animals are known to be made of pre-existing elements, it would be perfectly consistent to extend the law to the earth itself, and to conclude that it was made of pre-existing elements also, unless some reason can be rendered why such an extension should not take place.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.177Perhaps the objector may say, that the law of creation from elements ought not to be extended to the earth, unless we can be certain that elements did previously exist. To this, we reply, that the extension of the law to the earth would be in accordance with every rule of inductive reasoning, unless it can be shown that the elements had no previous existence; and this cannot be shown.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.177When God, at the creation of the earth, said, "Let there be light, and there was light," we have no authority whatever for supposing that light was then created from nothing. Indeed, we know that light must [p.178] have existed in connexion with water in a latent state before that time; for before that event, the waters, of the great deep existed and darkness was upon its face; now these waters could not have existed in the form of water without electricity, and heat, and light were united with them: take away either of these three latent principles, and water would cease to be water, and its elements would exist in altogether a different condition. That light exists in water in a latent state, is a fact that can be demonstrated by chemists at any time. Therefore, light must have existed, though in a latent state, in the waters of the great deep, before God said, "let there be light." In this saying, God did not perform an act of creation from nothing, but only commanded the already existing light to appear or render itself visible where darkness before reigned. There are two ways in which this command could be obeyed: first, the already existing light could come from the distant regions of space, and illuminate the face of the waters, or second, the latent light which must have existed in connexion with the waters and other substances could be set free and thus be rendered visible.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.178On the fourth day, it is said that "God made two great lights," which he placed in the firmament to rule the day and the night. When man makes light, he does so by operating upon the substances of nature so as to render the latent light visible, and in no instance does he create the light from nothing. Therefore, reasoning from analogy, we have good grounds for believing that God makes light the same as man does, that is, by operating upon the elements in such a manner as to set this latent principle free, and thus make it visible: at least, we have no reason, nor analogy, nor any other evidence for conjecturing that he makes it in any other way.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.178Astronomers have demonstrated by actual observation and mathematical calculation that light existed thousands of years before the creation of our earth. It has been

determined that light flies with the velocity of about twelve millions of miles every minute: it has also been ascertained from the known power of the telescope, and from other considerations, that there are bodies in the universe, situated at such immense distances, that it would require their light several hundred thousand years to traverse the space between them and our world: it follows, then, of necessity, that the light by which those distant worlds are now rendered visible must have left them thousands of centuries before our earth was formed. In almost every point of space to which the telescope has been directed, countless millions of inconceivably distant shining worlds are to be seen. But what does all this prove? It proves that by far the greatest portion of the visible universe existed ages before the organization of our little globe. When we look upon the widely extended field of existence, we are apt to imagine that we see worlds, as they now [p.179] exist, but this is not so; the present existence and relative position of the distant bodies of the universe cannot be seen. By the aid of light we only see the past, and not the present. Light does not inform us whether the most distant luminous bodies which can be seen are now in existence or not. Light enables us to see them exist thousands of ages ago, but it gives us no indications that they have existed as luminous bodies since that period.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.179If the light of all worlds were created only six thousand years ago, then it would be impossible to see any of them over thirty-seven thousand billions of miles distant; for light could not travel over that distance in six thousand years: all beyond that would be invisible, and would remain so, until their light had time to reach us. But it is believed by astronomers that the space-penetrating power of their telescopes enables them to extend the radii of the visible universe several hundred times farther than what light would travel in six thousand years. If this be true, then, there must have been several million of times the amount of luminous worlds in the exterior strata of the visible universe, than there is in the interior whose light could have reached us since the creation. And, consequently, all the infinity of worlds, and clusters of worlds, whose light has beamed upon us from those remoter regions, must have existed long anterior to the creation of our globe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.179Again, if the light of all worlds had been created at the same time, namely, six thousand years ago, several hundred new stars must have appeared every night since the invention of the telescope, for the boundaries of the visible universe would be enlarged, that is, would recede from us at the rapid rate of about seventeen thousand millions of miles every twenty-four hours; and all the stars contained within each of the successive spherical strata of that thickness would be successively rendered visible until their remoteness in the immensity of space should defy the power of our best instruments to detect them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.179Now, can we, for one moment, suppose that within the comparatively little regions, occupied by our stellar universe, no light existed until six thousand years ago, when we are almost irresistibly compelled to admit that there previously existed in the infinite regions beyond a vast immense ocean of luminiferous fluid? We can come to no other conclusion, but that worlds, and systems of worlds, and universes of worlds existed in the boundless heights and depths of immensity before the foundations of our earth were

laid. Whether our earth was created out of the ruins of some more ancient world, or whether it was formed out of elements which had never before been organized, is a mystery which the divine oracles do not reveal. But from geological inquiries it is highly probable that the elements of our globe have undergone a series of organizations and disorganizations, during countless ages that [p.180] are past, compared with which the age of our present world forms but a link in the endless chain. Analogy indicates that worlds may be organized out of pre-existing elements as well as plants and animals. Analogy also indicates that the substance of all worlds may be eternal as well as the substance of which the Deity consists. Supposed objections have been raised by learned philosophers against the eternity of matter, founded on the atomic or molecular constitution of what they are pleased to term the elements: these objections will be considered and answered, after we have investigated the nature and properties of matter. In the mean time, we shall, in our investigations, adopt the theory of the eternal duration of the elements of all matter.OF MATTER INDEPENDENT OF ITS POWERS OR FORCESThe Essential Orson Pratt, p.1806.—The true definition of Matter is, that which occupies space, and which cannot be made to occupy a greater or less amount of space. We cannot possibly conceive of the existence of God, or spirit, or any other kind of matter without conceiving such existence to be in space. Indeed, it is a necessary truth, that God and all other beings or substances which exist, must occupy a constant amount of space, and can never, by any possibility, occupy a greater or less amount of space than what they always have done. Therefore, the occupied and unoccupied portions of space have been constantly the same from all eternity, and they must remain the same to all eternity—there can be no increase or diminutions of either. Bodies can be increased in their exterior dimensions by increasing their interior pores, or they can be decreased by decreasing their pores; but in either of these operations, the absolute space, occupied by the particles remains unchangeably the same.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.180The quantity of matter in any given body can only be determined by ascertaining the amount of space which it occupies; but this is a problem which no one has, as yet, been able to solve. If all matter were equally heavy, then we might determine the quantity by the weight: but the force called weight is not a necessary force: we therefore do not know that all substances possess this force; or if they possess it, we do not know that they possess it in equal degree: we do not know but there may be bodies which have a tendency to recede from all other bodies; how, under such circumstances, could their quantity be ascertained by the weight? When Elisha made the axe to swim, he did so by diminishing its weight without diminishing its quantity. When Peter walked upon the water to meet his Saviour, the weight of his body was greatly diminished, but the quantity remained the same. When Jesus ascended to heaven with his risen body of flesh and bones, the weight of his body [p.181] must have been diminished far more than when he walked on the water, and yet the quantity of matter remained the same as when he first arose. Who is able to determine whether those substances which produce the phenomena, ascribed to light, heat, and electricity, possess the force called weight or not? Weight can never be an indication of quantity, until it can be determined that substances occupying equal spaces have equal weights.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.181It has been generally supposed by philosophers of the present age that Inertia, as well as weight, is a true indication of quantity. Inertia is defined by some philosophers to be the resistance which bodies offer to a change of state. This resistance or inertia is found by Newton's pendulum experiments to be proportional to the weight. The velocity of a falling body in a free space is directly as the weight and inversely as the inertia. Therefore, so long as weight and inertia are proportional to each other the velocity must be constant. This Newton found to be true in the falling of all kinds of substances. Their velocities were equal. But neither inertia, nor weight, nor both together, proves that the quantity of matter is proportional to either. When it can be proved that substances, occupying equal spaces, have equal inertia or equal weight, then inertia or weight can be taken as the true measure of quantity, but until then, the assumption of weight or inertia, as a true measure of quantity, is entirely hypothetical. For aught we know to the contrary, equal quantities of matter may possess unequal weights. There may be as great a quantity of matter in a cubic inch of water as there is in a cubic inch of quicksilver; and yet the latter is many times heavier than the former. If a cubic inch of iron were to have its weight increased to one hundred or one thousand pounds, (if its inertia were increased in the same proportion,) its velocity in falling would be the same as it is now, and its quantity of matter would be the same. Or if a given quantity of iron should have its specific gravity or weight diminished, as in the case of the axe which Elisha made swim, (if the inertia were diminished in the same proportion,) its velocity in falling, or its rate of oscillation in the form of a pendulum would be precisely the same as before. In all such cases of the increase or diminution of the weight and inertia, the quantity would remain undisturbed, and therefore, we are not sure, that either the weight or inertia of bodies, determines their quantity of matter. Quantity, when applied to forces, such as pressure, weight, resistance, and the like, may be known; but when applied to matter, in determining the amount of space occupied by any given body, it remains, as yet, unknown. We can say that a pound of lead and a pound of cork contain equal quantities of force, called weight, but we have no way of determining whether they contain equal quantities of matter or not; and so with all other substances.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.182[p.182] Professor Whewell has written an essay entitled, "Demonstration that all matter is heavy." (Phil. of the Indue. Scien., Vol. ii., p. 624, second edition.) In this essay, he conjectures that it is a necessary truth that all matter must have weight; for without it, he says, that there would be no mode of measuring the quantity of matter. This we admit: but this is not a necessary truth: it is not necessary that we should know the quantity of matter, if we only know its quantity of force, if it have any. But he supposes that if all bodies have not weight, "the rest and motion, the velocity and direction, the permanence and change of bodies, as to their mechanical condition, would be arbitrary and incoherent: they would not be subject to mechanical ideas; that is, not to ideas at all: and hence these conditions of objects would in fact be inconceivable." We reply that we can conceive of bodies having no weight, and yet conceive them as possessing inertia, and subject to mechanical conditions when operated upon by external forces. Although inertia is proportional to the weight, so far as experimental observation have extended, yet we cannot perceive this to be necessarily and universally true. If the inertia of bodies were to remain constant while their weight varied, they would certainly

be subject to "mechanical conditions" and "mechanical ideas;" for instance: experimental observations teach us, that falling bodies in free space near the surface of our globe, gain a velocity of about thirty-two feet per second, now if they were to be deprived of one half of their weight, while their quantity of matter and inertia remained the same, they would acquire a velocity of only sixteen feet per second. Other conditions remaining constant, the velocity acquired would be as the weight, and when the weight became nothing, the velocity would be reduced to nothing. Such a condition of things is easily conceivable, and, therefore, the assertion that all bodies must have weight is not a necessary truth. That any bodies have weight is only known to be true so far as observation teaches us.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.182If, then, we can conceive of matter independent of the force called weight, we can conceive of it independent of all other powers or forces: for instance, the cohesion of the parts of matter to each other is not necessary to our conceptions of matter. The cohesive force, therefore, cannot be contemplated as necessary to the existence of matter. Matter, contemplated independent of this force, must necessarily be divisible without limits. The atomic theory requires a cohesive force to bind together the parts of the atoms, hence, the conception of atoms, without force, is impossible, but the conception of matter, without force, includes no inconsistency. If space can be geometrically demonstrated to be infinitely divisible, matter which occupies space, if it have no cohesive force, must be infinitely divisible, as may also be geometrically demonstrated. The parts of these particles, however small, may exist in contact without the [p.183] least cohesion, and the least imaginable force would separate these parts asunder with the same ease that the same force would move either of them from a state of rest to a state of motion in free space. However far the division of a particle of matter be carried, the parts could never be reduced to nothing—they would always be larger than a point, and therefore would occupy space, and the sum of all the parts would occupy as much space as the whole particle previous to division.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.183When we conceive of matter without force, we simply conceive of it as something that occupies space, having no tendency to approach to, nor recede from, other matter, having no cohesion among its parts, consequently divisible without limits, possessing no chemical affinities, having no tendency to change its state, or, in other words, no reaction. This would be a true definition of matter without powers or forces. Such matter could exist only in two states: one would be a state of rest, the other would be a state of uniform motion in straight lines. Without cohesion a rotatory motion could not take place; without force of some kind a curvilinial motion could not exist; without force the direction of a motion could not be altered; without force a velocity could not be increased or retarded. No force is necessary to sustain a uniform motion in a right line, but if such a motion had a beginning, it must have originated by an impulsive force. But we can conceive of eternal uniform motion: in such a case it would not be an effect, but a state, therefore, such a state would be as conceivable as a state of eternal rest.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1837.—OF FORCE.— Such a thing as a uniform motion in right lines, or a state of absolute rest, is unknown in the universe: all matter is constantly exhibiting a change of state, therefore, all matter must be under the influence of a Force. Our minds are so

constituted that we cannot conceive of Force existing separate and abstract from substance. All Forces must be the Forces of something, and that something as it occupies space, must be matter. As Forces now exist, and as inert matter cannot originate Force, therefore some Force must have been eternal. All other Forces must be the effect of this eternal Force, or they must also have existed eternally. Mankind are divided in their views concerning the existence of the Forces of nature: that class who conjecture that a part of the substances in space were created out of nothing, by another part, also conjecture that their Forces were created and had a beginning; but that class who believe that all matter is eternal, also believe that all Forces are eternal. When I speak of the term Forces, I do not mean those secondary causes which, by many, are frequently called forces; but I mean those original qualities of matter by which it changes its own state or condition. Secondary causes are not Forces, but effects. Effects are originated either directly or indirectly by Forces; but Forces can, in no case, be effects, unless they were created. The creation of [p.184] Forces cannot be established by reason, experience, nor divine revelation: it is a wild, vague speculation, without the least foundation. All classes admit that there must be a Force that has eternally existed: if one Force must have eternally existed, why may not all other Forces be eternal also? Analogy would say, as one Force is known to be eternal, that the eternity of all the others is not only possible, but probable.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1848.—OF THE ACTION OF FORCES.—As Forces are the qualities of substances, and exist only in connexion with matter, when they act, they must act where they exist. No particle of substance can act where it is not, any more than it can exist when it is not. A particle of matter, existing separate from all other substances, cannot exercise its force externally to its own surface: it cannot attract nor repel surrounding particles, nor produce the least effect upon them in any way: it can only act upon its own parts, and upon its own self as a whole to produce motion, or a change of motion. We have already shown that matter without force would be infinitely divisible: each of these infinitely small parts possesses the quality of Force by which it can move itself, or cause itself to press against other parts with which it may be in contact. Millions of these parts may press themselves together, and form an atom of substance of any shape or figure, and of any degree of hardness such as shall be the best adapted to its future purposes and designs. The Force that holds together the parts of an atom is not an attractive Force, but it is the force of pressure: each part presses itself towards every other part. Attraction would require each part to be entirely passive, having no power whatever over itself, and yet possessing the extraordinary and impossible power of pulling every part towards itself. As bodies cannot attract each other whether in contact Or at a distance, so it is equally impossible for them to repel each other. Repulsion would require a body to be in one place, and to exert its force in another place: if a particle could not move itself towards nor from another particle, how much more impossible it would be for it to move another particle towards or from itself: if Forces cannot act where they exist, so as to produce self-motion, they certainly cannot act where they do not exist so as to produce the motion of something else.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1849.—OF SELF-MOVING MATTER.—We are aware that the various phenomena of the universe are referred by philosophers to the operations of inert and unintelligent matter:

they have supposed inertia to be a property of all matter, and, therefore, they suppose all matter incapable of changing its state whether of rest or motion. If it be granted that matter is inert or inactive, it must necessarily follow, that inert matter at rest could never put itself in motion, and that inert matter in motion could never accelerate nor retard that motion, nor change its direction. But all matter with which we are acquainted appears to be highly active; every [p.185] particle has a tendency to approach towards every other particle. Now, we ask, how can matter be inert, and yet exhibit activity? Activity and inertia are directly opposed to each other; where one exists the other cannot exist, any more than light and darkness can exist together. Inertia is the absence of activity, and, therefore, the two cannot co-exist in the same substance. Therefore, if matter be inert, it must be forced by something that is not inert towards all other matter. But, says the philosopher, this tendency is produced by attraction: one particle of matter attracts another, and thus moves it towards itself. But, we ask, how can one mass of matter attract another and yet be inert? Is not attraction only another name for action? And if a body can move something at a distance towards itself, it must be more highly active than if it merely moved itself. That which can originate motion and accelerate it cannot possibly be inert. Therefore, if the force, called attraction, be admitted, inertia must be excluded. On the other hand, if inertia be admitted, attraction must be excluded: they cannot both belong to the same substance, for inertia is the negative of attraction and all other active qualities.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18510.—We have stated above that all matter appears to be highly active; but this appearance may be entirely delusive: a part of matter may be entirely inert, and only act as it is acted upon by a substance with which it is in contact. One thing is certain, if there is any inert matter in the universe, it has not yet been discovered to be such by its inactivity. If its existence be assumed, it must exist in union with active matter, which forces it to act according to fixed laws; if it existed separate and apart from active matter, we should discover it to be inert, by its having no power to approach to nor recede from other matter—by its exhibiting no cohesive or chemical forces—and by its incapability of exerting any law of force whatever. As we have never discovered any abstract inert substances, therefore, if such substances do exist, they must exist in union with active substances, and while in this union their inertia could not be discovered; for they would be compelled, while in a state of union, to act as the active substances act. Every particle of inert matter in the universe (if any such matter exist) must be enveloped by an active substance, which moves itself and all that is connected with it, according to fixed laws. There is no way in which active matter could unite with inactive matter without producing motion only by enclosing it on opposite sides; for if a particle of active matter were to press against only one side of an inactive particle it would produce an accelerated motion in the direction of the pressure, unless another particle of active matter on the opposite side of the inert particle should press in the opposite direction with equal force. But there is no necessity for supposing inactive matter to be enclosed in active matter; its only effect would be to enlarge its magnitude; the interior would be without cohesion, and only [p.186] be kept in its place by the exterior cohesive shell: but if the interior parts of a particle be the same as the exterior, then every part must be composed of active matter, and such a thing as inactive matter would be unnecessary. As inactive matter has never yet been discovered, it is

impossible for us to know whether such matter exists. All the materials of the universe with which we are acquainted exhibit actions which in all cases are produced by self-moving forces, for no other forces do or can exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18611.—Those particles of this self-moving substance which constitute the worlds, and which are generally known under the name of ponderable substances, do not act at random, but act systematically and intelligently according to the following law:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186Every particle of this kind has a tendency to approach every other particle of the same kind with a force which varies inversely as the square of the distance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186All the phenomena of universal gravitation can be far more simply explained by this law of self-moving particles, than by assuming the absurd hypothesis of attracting particles. Even though attraction were possible, (which we by no means admit) yet, it would be infinitely more simple for a particle to move itself, than it would be to move everything but itself. It has generally been supposed that there is something absurd in the idea of a substance moving itself; but how much more absurd would be the idea of a substance so entirely inert that it could not move itself, but yet able to move a universe of substance towards itself! How can a substance which cannot move itself, move other substances which exist at a distance? Yet this great absurdity is embraced in the attracting hypothesis. Every person, with the least reflection, will admit that a substance can more easily move itself than it can move anything else. The difference between the Self-moving Theory and the Attracting Hypothesis is to be found, not in the resulting phenomena, for they are and must be the same, but in the causes which produce these phenomena. The causes assumed to explain the phenomena are diametrically opposite in their nature, as may be more fully understood by the following contrast:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186The attracting hypothesis assumes that a helpless, passive, inert, particle, has the power of acting in every place where it is not present, but has no power of acting where it is present.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186The self-moving theory assumes that an active particle has the power to act where it is present, but no power to act in any place where it is not present.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186Again, the attracting hypothesis assumes that an inert particle has the power to move every substance in the universe towards itself, but has no power to move itself in any direction.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.186While the self-moving theory assumes that an active substance has the [p.187] power to move itself towards other substances, but has no power to move any external substance towards itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187One theory represents attracting particles as the centre or origin of pulling forces, extending, like the radii of a sphere, in all directions, millions of miles from their origin.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The other theory represents self-moving particles as the centres of origin of self-moving

forces, which in no case extend beyond the surfaces of such particles.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The one requires forces to act everywhere, but in the substance where they exist; the other requires forces to act only in the substance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The one requires an inert particle to move a universe of worlds; the other requires an active particle only to move itself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The one requires particles to act only as they are acted upon; the other requires particles to act of themselves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The one makes it impossible for particles to change their own state, whether of rest or motion; the other gives power to particles to change their state of rest or motion according to definite laws.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.18712.—All theologists who adopt the attracting hypothesis, require a Great First Cause, who not only gives laws to blind, unconscious, unintelligent matter, but also forces it to act according to those laws.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187All theologists who shall adopt the self-moving theory will require the Great First Cause itself to consist of conscious, intelligent, self-moving particles, called the Holy Spirit, which prescribe laws for their own action, as well as laws for the action of all other intelligent materials. An unintelligent particle is incapable of understanding and obeying a law, while an intelligent particle is capable of both understanding and obedience. It would be entirely useless for an intelligent cause to give laws to unintelligent matter, for such matter could never become conscious of such laws, and therefore would be totally incapable of obedience. An intelligent cause cannot force unintelligent matter to act in any manner without the aid of intelligent matter in actual contact with it. As far as our observations extend, the materials of the universe exhibit a constant succession of phenomena according to fixed rules. Now these materials must either act themselves, being intelligent and possessed of a self-moving power, or, if unintelligent, they must be acted upon by the contact of intelligent materials; in the latter case the intelligent materials must be, at least, equal in quantity to the unintelligent, and must be as extensively dispersed, uniting with and acting upon each unintelligent atom, wherever order or a definite law characterizes the phenomena.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.187The amount of intelligent matter in space must be inconceivably great; it exists in vast quantities in all worlds, regulating and controlling every department of nature according to fixed laws. It is evident that each particle must have not only perceived the utility of such laws, [p.188] but must have mutually consented to obey them in the most strict and invariable manner.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.188All these self-moving materials must be possessed of a high degree of intelligence, in order to obey with such perfect and undeviating exactness the innumerable laws which obtain in the universe. There is no disobedience on the part of the materials. Under the same circumstances they invariably act alike. What depth of knowledge, for instance, is

requisite in order for particles to obey the single law of "Gravitation." Each particle must not only know of the exact quantity of matter existing in all directions from itself, but must also know its exact distance from every other particle, that it may know, during every moment, how to regulate the intensity and direction of its own motions, according to the law of the "inverse square of the distance." Obedience to this one law on the part of material particles requires in them a degree of intelligence far beyond our utmost comprehension. The philosophy of modern times, however, does not admit that material particles possess intelligence or knowledge: it deprives matter of all understanding and will, making it obey certain laws unconsciously and blindly, not perceiving its own acts nor their results, neither its own existence. Herschel, in his celebrated "Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy," (Article 27,) says, "To obey a law, to act in compliance with a rule, supposes an understanding and a will, a power of complying or not, in the being who obeys and complies, which we do not admit as belonging to mere matter. The Divine Author of the universe cannot be supposed to have laid down particular laws, enumerating all individual contingencies, which his materials have understood and obey,—this would be to attribute to him the imperfections of human legislation,—but rather, by creating them endowed with certain fixed qualities and powers, he has impressed them in their origin with the spirit, not the letter, of his law, and made their subsequent combinations and relations inevitable consequences of this first impression."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.188It will be perceived that this eminent philosopher supposes that blind, unconscious, unintelligent materials, were "impressed in their origin" with the "spirit" of the law, and "endowed with certain fixed powers," and that by virtue of this impression and endowment they blindly perform all their subsequent operation. But we ask what is this "spirit of the law?" What are these "fixed powers?" If they are not intelligent powers, why do they cause materials to act intelligently? If these "powers" belong to material particles, and are the ultimate causes of their acting in conformity with intelligent laws, then these "powers" must be intelligent "powers," and the material particles which possess them must be intelligent particles. We can only judge a thing to be intelligent by its intelligent acts, and wherever we perceive such acts, we ascribe [p.189] intelligence to the being or agent that performs them. If the "powers" with which material particles are "endowed" do not act at random, but act with order and regularity, and strictly obey wise and intelligent laws, it would be a violation of every law of our judgment not to attribute intelligence to them—and a degree of intelligence, too, sufficiently great to comprehend and obey the most subtle and intricate laws that are devised for their rule of action. We consider that the primary powers of all material substance must be intelligent; and that all secondary powers are of a mechanical nature, being derived from the pre-existing intelligent powers inherent in particles. Unintelligent primary powers are not only inexplicable but inconceivable! Such powers do not and cannot belong to materials! Primary powers, primary forces, and intelligence, are synonymous terms when applied to particles. Substances without intelligence can have no powers, no forces, no properties of any description: they can neither approach to, recede from, nor combine with each other, nor obey any other prescribed law. Unintelligent particles, then, is only another name for inert particles.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.189

13.—Intelligence, by some writers is supposed to be not an ultimate cause, but the effect of organization—the result of the operation of some anterior powers. But organization could not take place—anterior powers could not exist independently of intelligence, which must be the first moving cause, anterior to all other causes or effects. Hence, as intelligent powers are antecedent to all other powers, they must have been eternal as well as the materials to which they belong. For instance, we conceive the sublime and glorious personage of the Deity himself to consist of a certain number of the most superior and most intelligent material particles of the universe, existing in a state of union, which union, if not eternal, must have been the result of the anterior and eternal powers of each individual particle. And as no enlightened Theist will, for a moment, deny the eternity of these powers which are inherent in the particles of which the Deity consists, why not follow the analogy, and say, that the powers of all other material particles are eternal also? Why suppose the intelligent powers of one substance eternal, and require an origin for the intelligent powers of all others? Indeed, we consider it just as impossible for such powers to be originated as it is for the materials themselves to have had an origin. If matter exist without the capacities of intelligence, it must have existed eternally unintelligent, and must forever remain in that state. We do not consider it possible for the Almighty (though we speak with all due deference to his Superior and Transcendent Powers) to create an intelligent power, or to impart it to materials where it does not already exist. On the other hand, matter once possessed of an intelligent capacity must have always possessed this property, and must forever continue to retain it. As there is [p.190] no being, as we conceive, able to originate this power, so there is none, as we also conceive, able to annihilate it. Hence the amount of matter possessing capacities for intelligence in the universe, be it great or small, is constant, and can never be increased or diminished in the least degree.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.190All philosophers, as we have already seen, who do not believe in the eternity of all the substances of nature, are yet compelled to believe in the eternity of that part of the substances of nature of which the Deity consists. And they also suppose, almost without an exception, that this substance is omnipresent; Sir Isaac Newton, both in his "Optics" and "Principia," has very definitely stated this doctrine. Clarke, Dugald Stewart, Sir. John Herschel, and numerous other philosophers and divines, have followed in the footsteps of Newton, and unhesitatingly declared their faith in the omnipresence, not of the virtue alone, but also of the substance of the Deity. And as it would be not only inconsistent, and opposed to every principle of sound philosophy, but absolutely impossible for any one particle of this substance to be in two or more places at the same instant; we are, therefore, the moment we admit the omnipresence of this substance, irresistibly compelled to also admit that it exists in inexhaustible quantities; not that it absolutely fills all space, for then, there would be no room for any other substance, neither room for motion. Therefore, the substance of which the deity consists, must not only exist in immense quantities, but its particles must be in a greater or less degree separate and detached from each other by intervening spaces, which is an essential condition necessary to the vast variety of motions which are constantly taking place among these parts. Now these particles of this omnipresent and eternal substance must each have size and shape. And here a question suggests itself of no small moment in its various bearings on several departments of our knowledge; namely,

whether the magnitudes and figures of these and all other self-moving atoms have remained unalterably the same throughout all past time? At the first suggestion of this question some would naturally suppose the answer to be far beyond the utmost stretch of our present limited faculties; while others, perhaps, might hastily answer it in the affirmative. But there are various considerations which render it almost certain that there have been great and important changes wrought both in the magnitudes and figures of atoms, that is, that they are very different in size and shape NOW from what they were ORIGINALLY. The inconceivable smallness of atoms is admitted on all sides. And no philosopher has been able to descend the scale of magnitude sufficiently far to determine the size of the atoms of any substance whatever. If any atoms exceeded certain given dimensions, their sizes could be detected. But why this invariable and constant smallness pervading the endless number of atoms of each substance? If the magnitude of atoms were constant [p.191] and invariable from all eternity, why should they be confined within such narrow limits of minuteness? Why not some atoms be of immense size, occupying millions of miles of space? Why not exist in every possible variety of magnitude that might be imagined between nothing and infinity? If the magnitude of atoms are eternal and invariable, there could have been nothing to determine their sizes or figures; and there would be the highest degree of probability to believe that the sizes and figures of different atoms would vary from each other in endless dissimilarity. Similarity of magnitudes and similarity of figures would scarcely exist, or if it existed it could only exist by chance, and to a very small extent. Therefore, in assuming that the magnitudes of atoms are eternally invariable, we, at once, deprive them of all cause or reason for being small or great, or for being of one size rather than another. But if we assume the possibility of self-moving atoms changing their own size and figures, we, at once, perceive a cause and reason for originating similarities of magnitudes and figures—for introducing smallness rather than greatness—we can perceive why the present minuteness so universally prevails. Inconceivable smallness, as well as similarity of size and figure, seems to be absolutely indispensable to the present operations of nature—such, for example, as the present process of organization—the phenomena of light and vision—the variations of temperature, with innumerable other processes—all of which require a smallness and similarity of particles, such as at present obtains, so far as we have extended our researches. If, then, of the infinite classes of magnitudes which might have existed, each being, equally possible, certain ones have been chosen which appear to be the only ones adapted to the present useful operations of nature, how can we for a moment doubt that the selection was made by a wise, designing, intelligent cause, which originated these particular classes of magnitudes to accomplish certain useful ends by their subsequent operations? From these considerations we are compelled, by the most irresistible evidence, to believe that the present minuteness and endless similarity of parts, which so universally obtains in all self moving substances, had an origin. Not that the substances had an origin, but only their present similar magnitudes and figures. And we are also compelled to admit that the power which produced this present condition must have eternally existed in the substances prior to their assuming their present form. By this eternal self-existent power resident in the dissimilar atoms of substances, those atoms which were too large to be useful in the future economy of nature could divide and sub-divide themselves until their dimensions were of an appropriate size; while such as were too small could unite

themselves together until they attained a size requisite for their future usefulness. And thus originated that endless similarity—that apparent equality of size and [p.192] figure—that exceeding minuteness which so universally characterizes all the atoms of the same kind of substance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.192This exact and similar likeness, pervading every atom of the same kind, has been supposed by Sir John Herschel, Whewell, Prout, and other great philosophers, "to effectually destroy the idea of an eternal self-existent matter, by giving to each of its atoms the essential characters, at once, of a manufactured article, and a subordinate agent." (See Herschel on the Study of Nat. Phil., Art. 28.) But there is not the least evidence for supposing that the substance of a "manufactured article" must have necessarily been created. Is not every vegetable a "manufactured article?" Yet who will presume to draw a conclusion that vegetables were "manufactured" from nothing? All will admit that they were "manufactured" from the prior materials of our globe. So the present minuteness of all atoms of the same kind—the equality of their magnitudes—the exact similarity of their figures—and their most perfect resemblance in all respects, show, most unquestionably, that these characteristics are not eternal, but were "manufactured," not from nothing, but from an eternal pre-existing substance which (we have the highest degree of probability to believe) once existed in almost every possible variety of size and form, without likeness, or resemblance, or order, only as might have existed in some few instances by chance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.192Is there any absurdity involved in the idea of manufacturing small atoms out of large ones, as, for instance, small shot are manufactured out of large bullets? Can it be proved that the prior large atoms are necessarily indivisible? or that their parts are, by their own power, held so firmly together that they cannot, by the same power, separate themselves from each other? Is the union of the parts of each atom governed by powers that are uncontrollable by its own will? are these powers antecedent to the power of will? If, then, the parts of atoms are not bound together by any powers that are antecedent to, or distinct from, the free will, or self-moving powers of the atoms themselves, it is evident that they can manufacture smaller atoms out of their own parts of such sizes and forms as shall be best suited to their future purposes and designs. And by the same free will or self-moving powers, those atoms which are too small for future uses can unite themselves together in sufficient numbers to accomplish any future object which they may have in view. To manufacture certain definite sizes and forms of substance from nothing is utterly inconceivable! But to manufacture such sizes and forms from something is not only conceivable, but consistent with the whole analogy of nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19214.—But let us trace this supposed powerful argument for the creation of matter to its legitimate and ultimate bearing. Let us confine the reasoning with its erroneous conclusions exclusively to the self-existent, [p.193] omnipresent substance of which God consists, and we shall still more clearly perceive the absurdity of the consequences. Herschel, in the article from which we have already quoted, says, "when we see a great number of things precisely alike, we do not believe this similarity to have originated except from a common principle independent of them; and that we recognize

this likeness, chiefly by the identity of their deportment under similar circumstances, strengthens rather than weakens the conclusion." If, then, we, with this eminent writer, judge things to be alike, "by the identity of their deportment under similar circumstances," then, by this rule, we must judge that all-powerful atoms of this omnipresent substance to be alike; for in whatever deportment of nature we recognize the vast and powerful operations of this widely diffused substance, we also recognize the most perfect "identity of deportment under similar circumstances." Now, does this exact likeness thus recognized as obtaining between these widely-separated particles "effectually destroy the idea" of their eternal self-existence as Herschel asserts? This is the legitimate consequence—the ultimate bearing of the arguments and conclusions of not only this celebrated author, but of many others who have adopted the same views. It would require an origin for all substances, the substance of the Deity not excepted. An immense and endless quantity of substance is a necessary and essential condition to its omnipresence. Also this immense substance must be divisible, separable, and moveable, as a necessary essential condition to the exercise of its powers. If there is an extensive "identity of deportment under similar circumstances" of the parts of this substance, we at once infer a like extensive resemblance of the sizes, shapes, and other characteristics of the parts themselves; and we also justly infer that this likeness or resemblance must have had an origin. We seek for this origin, not in the power inherent in this substance of the Deity, already existing in immense quantities, that is, the power of manufacturing from itself such definite sizes and forms—such exact likeness and similarity—such extensive sameness of character as at present seems to exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19315.—As all substances and forces are eternal, the probability is that they have eternally been engaged in some kind of operation. That the laws by which these forces act have been the same in all past ages is very improbable. If there were any necessity for these laws to be what they are, that necessity would render them eternal, but as they are laws given to govern substances that act voluntarily under the influence of wisdom, knowledge, and will, they can be changed at any time. The present laws of the universe may have existed, with trifling variations, for millions of years; and there may have been an infinite series of laws, each continuing for ages, and yet each differing from all the rest. If ever there were a period when the wisdom and knowledge of the materials [p.194] of the universe were more imperfect than what they are under the present law, they would be unqualified to act under this law, and therefore they would act under an inferior law, such as they could understand. If we assume that some of the materials of nature, have been eternally all-wise and all-intelligent, then they could have eternally acted according to the best laws, so far as their own substances were concerned; but if we assume that many of the materials, instead of possessing great wisdom and knowledge, only possessed the capacities for receiving intelligence, and had to be taught and instructed by experience, then the laws devised for their rule of action would be at first extremely simple, and as they advanced in experience these laws would be changed for those of a higher order, proportioned to their increased wisdom and knowledge; and as countless ages rolled along they would at length attain to all that fulness of wisdom and intelligence which characterizes all their present operation. But shall we stop here, and suppose all the materials of the universe have ascended to the

highest scale of perfection? Shall we suppose that they have now come to a stopping place, beyond which they can never advance? No: there are other laws of action in which they must be schooled, and other spheres of endless ages shall open new glories, and new laws, and new modes of action, they will progress in the grand universal, and eternal scale of being.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.194With this view of the subject, it is not necessary to suppose that the different materials of nature have possessed the same intelligence from eternity that they now have. Their capacities for receiving intelligence must have been eternal, but the intelligence may have been imparted at any time when circumstances favored. One of the first and most simple things which material particles had to learn, as we may suppose, was simply to exercise the force of cohesion, so that their infinitely small parts might be bound together in union; but this would require in all probability ages of experience before each part of an atom would learn how to press itself towards every other part with an equal degree of intensity, so as to preserve the forces in equilibrium; unless such an equilibrium of forces were obtained the atom could not remain at rest. Whenever an atom should desire to move in any particular direction, as for instance, to the south, with any particular velocity, it could do so, by destroying the equilibrium of forces existing in those parts of the atom which were in the line of the desired motion; let the north part of the atom press towards the centre with a greater intensity than the south part, and the atom would necessarily move towards the south with an accelerated velocity, whenever the desired velocity was obtained, let the equilibrium of forces be again restored, and the atom would ever afterwards continue to move with a uniform velocity until it should again act or be acted upon by some power or force. If the atom should desire [p.195] to check its own velocity, or to come to a state of rest, it could do so, by the south side exerting a greater pressure than the north side: if an atom in motion should desire to change its direction, it could do so with the greatest exactness, after having learned the principle of the composition of forces and motions; it could then regulate its simple forces, so as to produce the resultant force and motion in the desired direction.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19516.—After a substance had passed through ages of experience in acquiring a knowledge of cohesion and motion, it would be qualified to begin to exert these elementary forces systematically, according to prescribed laws. The next thing, perhaps, in the great school of experience would be for one portion to form itself into an immense number of atoms of the same size and form, and for another portion to form itself into a vast number of atoms of another size and form, and in this way all the elementary atoms of nature could be formed out of the same substance; their difference of their hardness, depending upon the intensity of the cohesion of their parts. Thus might the elements of spirit, light, heat, electricity, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and of all other substances, be formed originally from one substance. These various atoms uniting by their own self-moving powers, according to prescribed laws, would form all the various compounds of nature with all their various properties. For instance, a definite proportion of oxygen uniting with a definite proportion of hydrogen, heat, light, &c., would form a molecule of water; and several molecules of water united with a certain intensity of cohesion would form a liquid; with less heat the molecules would crystalize and form a solid; with a greater amount of heat they would exist in the form of

vapour. After substance has learned by experience all operations, they would be qualified to act according to systematic laws, or those laws that are generally called chemical laws. And in like manner, after sufficient experience, they could learn to act according to the law of universal gravitation: that is, each particle could learn to move itself towards every other particle with a force varying according to the inverse square of the distance. But there are two things which intelligent substance never could learn: one is attraction, the other is repulsion; these, in all cases, are impossible modes of action. Substances, in order to attract or repel, would not only have to be in possession of almost an infinite knowledge, but, in addition to all this would have to act where they were not present, and move all the worlds of universal space towards their own little selves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.195It may be said, that different magnitudes and forms, and different degrees of hardness of the same kind of substance, would not be sufficient to account for the vast variety of qualities which substances exhibit. We reply, that experience teaches us that the combination of substances are constantly taking place, and that the compounds exhibit [p.196] entirely different qualities from their constituent elements; indeed, different proportions of the same elements form compounds that differ widely from each other in their qualities. This is a positive demonstration that different magnitudes and forms, connected with different intensities of cohesion, are sufficient to produce new qualities out of the same kind of substance. If, then, the whole analogy of nature teaches us this, why should we refuse to extend the law to those substances which chemists call elementary? All substances have been already reduced to less than sixty kinds, which chemists term elementary, only because their imperfect experiments have not succeeded in decomposing them. Many bodies which, a few years ago, were considered elementary, have been resolved into simpler kinds; and we have no reason to suppose that we have as yet discovered even one elementary substance. If the process of decomposition were carried to its fullest extent, we should find, no doubt, that all the ponderable substances of nature, together with light, heat, and electricity, and even spirit itself, all originated from one elementary simple substance, possessing a living self-moving force, with intelligence sufficient to govern it in all its infinitude of combinations and operations, producing all the immense variety of phenomena constantly taking place throughout the wide domains of universal nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.196That portion of this one simple elementary substance which possesses the most superior knowledge, prescribes laws for its own action, and for the action of all other portions of the same substance which possesses inferior intelligence. And thus there is a law given to all things according to their capacities, their wisdom, their knowledge, and their advancement in the grand school of the universe. To every law there are bounds and conditions set, and those materials that continue within their own sphere of action, and keep the law, are exalted to new spheres of action when they have served their appointed times; while those materials that have been refractory or disobedient will either remain stationary or be lowered and abased in the scale of being, till they learn obedience by the things they suffer.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.19617.—All the organizations of worlds, of minerals, of vegetables, of animals, of men, of

angels, of spirits, and of the spiritual personages of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, must, if organized at all, have been the result of the self combinations and unions of the preexistent, intelligent, powerful, and eternal particles of substance. These eternal Forces and Powers are the Great First Causes of all things and events that have had a beginning.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.196If the skilful arrangements and wise adaptations of the different parts of vegetables and animals to every other part indicate design, as that celebrated theologian Archdeacon Paley asserts, and if design, as he still further declares, implies a designer, and therefore, a beginning of those [p.197] intricate arrangements and adaptations, then there must have been a designer or designers before any such arrangements and adaptations could exist. Paley also states, that the more perfect the being, the greater are the evidences of design; for instance, he considers that the complicated adjustments of each part to every other part, exhibited in the personage of man is a greater evidence of design than is manifested in any of the lower orders of being. If this be the case, then the spiritual personages of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, must exhibit more evidences of design in the wise adaptations and arrangements of the different portions of substance of which they consist, than any other persons in existence, and to carry out Paley's argument, we are compelled to believe that these—the most superior of all other personages—must have had a beginning, for inasmuch as they indicate a design there must have been an anterior designer—this designer must have been a self-moving intelligent substance capable of organizing itself into one or more most glorious personages. We are compelled to admit that the personage of God must be eternal, exhibiting no marks of design whatever, or else we are compelled to believe that the all-powerful, self-moving substance of which he consists organized itself. But in either case, whether his person be eternal or not, His substance, with all its infinite capacities of wisdom, knowledge, goodness, and power, must have been eternal. It is this substance which is the Great First Cause; it is this substance which governs and controls all organization by wise and judicious laws. Parts of this most glorious substance now exist in the form of personages; parts exist in an unorganized capacity, mingling more or less with all other things, forming a world here, and an animalcule yonder, governing a universe, and yet taking notice of the lowest orders of being, and imparting life and happiness to all. He is in all things and through all things, and the law by which all things are governed; and all things are not only by him and for him, but OF him. His majesty and power, His wisdom and greatness, His goodness and love, shine forth in every department of creation, with a glory that is ineffable, immortal, and eternal. [p.198]{9}"The Holy Spirit"(from A Series of Pamphlets [Liverpool: Published by Franklin D. Richards, 1852])THE OMNIPRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT—THE GRAND EXECUTOR OF ALL THE PHENOMENA, ASCRIBED TO THE LAWS OF NATURE—A PERSONAL BEING CALLED THE HOLY GHOST—HOW A PERSONAL BEING CAN EXERCISE ALMIGHTY POWER WHERE HE IS NOT PRESENT—BAPTISM OF FIRE AND THE HOLY GHOST—BESTOWED BY THE LAYING ON OF HANDS.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.198

1.—Man beholds himself surrounded by a universe of materials, filled with power. Every particle seems to be active and energetic. At one time we see these materials exerting a strong cohesive tendency; at another, manifesting a chemical affinity, or exhibiting the law of universal gravitation. In one condition we see them assuming a gaseous form; in another, a liquid; in another still, a solid; sometimes, combining in irregular forms; at other times, crystallizing in the most perfect and beautiful geometrical figures; at one time, entering into the tender and delicate flower, displaying the most gaudy, lovely colours; at another, combining with the towering hardy oak which resists the furious storms of centuries. Indeed, all nature seems to act, as if full of life, full of wisdom, full of power. Nothing is dormant; nothing acts at random without law. Every particle seems to be capable of assuming innumerable conditions, in each of which it still is under the control of law, never revolting—never deviating from the government of that wonderful force by which it is guided and actuated.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1982.—This subtle, living, powerful agent is perceived, by its operations, to be widely and copiously diffused through all the materials of nature which have come under the inspection of man. Not one substance is exempt—not one particle escapes its energetic influence—not one, that varies from the path ordained by the wisdom and power of the living fluid agent which envelops it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1983.—But what is this living, self-moving, powerful, and most wonderful fluid? what is it which so copiously pervades universal nature? which arranges, combines, harmonizes, and moves its materials? which organizes them into vegetables, animals, and worlds? which beautifies, adorns, and renders most magnificently grand the sceneries of both earth and heaven? and which displays such consummate skill and wisdom in all its varied operations? What is the name of this most powerful of all [p.199] fluids? Is it heat? Is it magnetism? Is it electricity? Is it galvanism? Is it light? We answer; all these are its effects—the manifestations of its power, as it operates upon, in, and through the visible and invisible elements. These are some of the outward and more common exhibitions of its glory; while its invisible workings, its secret springs of power, and the fullness of its eternal glory, are withheld from the gaze of mortals. Heat, light, electricity, and all the varied and grand displays of nature, are but the tremblings, the vibrations, the energetic powers of a living, all-pervading, and most wonderful fluid, full of wisdom and knowledge, called the HOLY SPIRIT.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1994.—It has been supposed by some, that the Holy Spirit exists only as a personage in the likeness and form of the personal spirits of the Father and Son, or in the image of the spirits of men which resemble the human tabernacle in shape and magnitude. That such a personal Holy Spirit exists, there can be but little doubt; but to suppose that such person is alone called the Holy Spirit, or that there is not a widely-diffused substance, also called the Holy Spirit, is evidently erroneous, and contrary to what is revealed in the divine oracles.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1995.—One personage of the Holy Spirit could not be in two or more places at the same instant; for such a condition is absolutely impossible, for any one person, being, or particle. Therefore, one personage, called the Holy Ghost, could not dwell at the same

instant in two or more Saints. If He were in one, He would most certainly be absent from all others. To be in millions of Saints, would require millions of personages of the Holy Ghost, provided that He only exists in the personal form.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.1996.—But there are many expressions in Scripture which plainly show that the Holy Ghost exists, not only as a person, but as a diffused fluid substance. John the Baptist, in speaking of Jesus, says, "God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him." (John iii. 34.) If the Holy spirit, which Jesus is represented as not receiving by measure, were a personage, His presence in Jesus could not be considered a greater measure, than His presence in the Saints; but being a fluid substance, a greater quantity or fullness of it was given to Jesus than what was measured out to his disciples. Let it be remembered that the Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit represent the same Holy Substance or Fluid, being two different names for the same thing. That this Substance was capable of being divided, and portions of it given to different individuals, is evident from the following passage: "And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, (Moses,) and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease." (Numbers xi. 25.) Peter, in speaking of the ancient prophets, said, "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter i. 21.) Therefore the spirit [p.200] which moved the seventy elders of Israel to prophesy, was the Holy Ghost; and seventy portions or measures of it were taken from Moses, and distributed among seventy men, making them prophets. But how could a personal Spirit be divided into parts, and be thus distributed, without destroying its personality? The measures of the Spirit given to these prophets, were as distinct from each other as the prophets themselves, or as seventy measures of water would be, distributed in the same number of separate vessels.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2007.—The prophet Elisha prayed that he might receive "a double portion" of the spirit which had rested upon Elijah, before his translation; and his prayer was answered. (See 2 Kings ii.) Now a "double portion" of a personal Spirit could not be given.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2008.—The Holy Ghost, when received, is represented as an anointing. "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power." (Acts x. 38.) "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." "Ye have an Unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John ii. 27, 20.) How could this "Unction" or "Anointing" represent the reception of a personal Spirit? The reception of a spiritual fluid Substance, capable of softening, animating, and teaching the heart, may truly be compared to an "Anointing" with oil which softens and renders pliable the body.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2009.—We often read expressions, like the following—"Being full of the Holy Ghost;" "filled with the Spirit," &c. From these expressions, it is very evident that some received more of the Spirit than others: but if the Holy Spirit be a person, how could such be the case?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20010.—Again, we often read of the Spirit being poured out; now it cannot mean that a

personage is poured out, but it must mean that the Spirit is of a fluid nature, capable of being poured upon men, and of filling them, and of overwhelming their bodies, like a cloud.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20011.—When the one hundred and twenty disciples were waiting, on the day of Pentecost, for the "Baptism of the Holy Ghost," "suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts ii. 2, 3, 4.) The whole house was filled with the Spirit; hence, these disciples were baptized or immersed in it, which could not have been the case if the Holy Ghost had come only as a person. On this occasion portions of this Holy Fluid assumed the form of "Cloven Tongues like as of Fire." It is very doubtful whether a permanent personal Spirit would dissolve its personality, [p.201] and transform its parts into one hundred and twenty tongues, having the appearance of fire. But a living, self-moving fluid Substance might transform itself into any shape it pleased, and render itself visible in the form of tongues, or in the form of a dove, or in a personal form, resembling the image of man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20112.—The omnipresence of the Spirit is a demonstration that it is infinite in quantity, instead of being limited to the very small amount sufficient to compose one personage only. The Psalmist inquires, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm cxxxix. 7-10.) It is the Spirit of the Lord, and not a person, that is present in all these places, named by the Psalmist. "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." (Jeremiah xxiii. 24.) It is by His Spirit that the Lord fills heaven and earth. The elements of the earth, and all the materials of the heavenly worlds, are full of this pure and holy Substance, called the Spirit. Indeed, all the beauty, harmony, and magnificence, exhibited in the heavens, are the productions of this all pervading Spirit. "By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens." (Job xxvi. 13.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20113.—"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." (Job xxxiii. 4.) "If He gather unto Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh shall perish together and man shall turn again unto dust." (Job xxxiv. 14, 15.) By this the whole animal creation were made. By this Spirit, they are sustained in life; and when this Spirit departs, they perish, and return to dust. And by this Spirit, the fish, fowls, beasts, and men will be made new, and the earth also. The Psalmist, in speaking of the resurrection and renewal of the whole animal creation, says, "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth." (Psalm civ.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20114.—The Spirit that made the heavens and earth, and all things therein—that sustains them every moment—that has the power of life and death over every living thing—that will create and make all things new—operates by the word of the Father and Son, and

does nothing without their authority. God speaks, and the Omnipresent Spirit acts upon the materials with which it is associated, and reduces all things to order and harmony; and places them under the dominion of its own law of action, which is also the law of the Father and Son; and these laws are what the learned call the "Laws of Nature," not discerning the living, Omnipresent agent, that every moment executes them. The learned perceive the intelligent effects; but the intelligent cause is hidden [p.202] from their scrutiny. Hence, they ascribe the effects to the supposed qualities of a supposed blind, unintelligent, passive matter—an absurdity invented by the devil, to prevent mankind from beholding the direct agency of the Spirit of God, in the grand movements of the universe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20215.—Paul, in speaking of God, says, "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts xvii. 28.) Now, we do not "live and move" in the person of God, nor in the person of His Spirit, but in the midst of that quickening, living, Omnipresent Substance which is in, and through, and around all things, producing all the effects ascribed to the laws of nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20216.—The wicked, as well as the righteous, are, so far as the common laws of nature are concerned, controlled by this universal Spirit. The materials of their bodies, like those of the righteous, are compelled to obey the common laws of gravitation, cohesion, chemical affinity, and all the varied laws of organization; all of which are the effects of the Spirit; but the human spirits of the wicked are far from being influenced and controlled in the same degree as those of the righteous. So far as the operations of the Holy Spirit upon the mind are manifest, it is evident that it does not dwell in unholy temples; that is, it does not dwell in them to sanctify, to purify, to teach the mind in such temples; but it merely dwells in them to carry on those processes, generally ascribed to the laws of nature. If the Psalmist made his bed in hell, he could not get away from the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is not in hell, to suffer or experience any inconvenience by being in that locality, but merely to carry on the infinitely varied operations of the elements there, as in all other departments of the universe; while the wicked malicious spirits in that dark and miserable abode, are entirely destitute of its sanctifying and comforting influence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20217.—Boundless space is interspersed with an infinity of worlds; the numberless series are stretched out endlessly in all directions, with intervening spaces sufficient for the organization of unnumbered systems that may hereafter bespangle the infinite heights and depths of eternity. As there is no space in the great infinite expanse, without its kingdom, and no kingdoms without appropriate intervening spaces; so there are no spaces and kingdoms without their laws, or without the immediate presence of the Holy Spirit, superintending and controlling the eternal elements. The Holy Spirit is boundless in its presence, because it is infinite in quantity. A finite quantity of Spirit could only dwell in finite space. A Substance that is Omnipresent must be inexhaustible in quantity, and absolutely boundless in every possible direction.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20218.—This boundless ocean of Spirit possesses in every part, however minute, a will, a self-moving power, knowledge, wisdom, love, goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, and

every intellectual and moral attribute [p.203] possessed by the Father and Son. Each particle of this Holy Spirit knows, every instant, how to act upon the other materials of nature with which it is immediately associated: it knows how to vary the gravitating tendency of a particle of matter, every moment, precisely in the inverse ratio of the square of its distance from ever other particle in the universe. Where an infinite number of particles of matter are in motion, and every instant changing their relative distances from each other, it must require an overwhelming amount of discernment and knowledge, for each particle of the spirit to perceive every motion of every other particle, and every instant to know the relative positions and distances of every particle in the universe. And yet without such knowledge, the gravitating intensity could not be varied, according to the strict law which is known to exist. For the Holy Spirit to move all the materials of nature, according to this one law requires a wisdom and knowledge incomprehensible to mortal man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20319.—But the Holy Spirit obeys an infinity of other laws besides gravitation; and obeys them, too, voluntarily and understandingly, and not passively and blindly. Wherever the Holy Spirit moves the materials of nature, according to any law, it does so, because it has a knowledge of the law, and has a will and power of self-motion to obey it. Therefore, man can, in some measure, discern, from the operations of the Spirit in performing the laws of nature, how incomprehensibly great are its wisdom and knowledge. It is unsearchable and past finding out by frail mortality!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20320.—Man has been accustomed to associate wisdom, knowledge, love, joy, and all the other faculties and passions, with an organized being or personality. Therefore, when he is informed that the Holy Spirit possesses all these attributes, he, from habit, supposes it to be a person; but there is no necessary connection between these attributes and a personality. Indeed, there is no reason why these attributes may not also belong to a Fluid Substance. We see life and voluntary motion exhibited by beings of every conceivable shape and magnitude, from man down through every grade of existence to the microscopic animalcules. Many of these inconceivably small beings appear to be merely minute globules or particles of living substance. Such being the case, why may not the still smaller particles of the Holy Spirit be alive also? and why may they not also possess all the elementary attributes of a Spiritual personage or organization? Is there anything in the mere shape or magnitude of organized spirit-matter, that should cause it to differ in its elementary attributes from unorganized spirit matter? Certainly not. Therefore, it is perfectly consistent and analogous with what we see in nature, to attribute life, voluntary motion, and numerous other attributes and qualities, to a fluid substance, or to each of its particles.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.204[p.204] 21.—When an intelligent movement exists, we at once infer an intelligent agent. When we see the materials of the universe continually moving according to an intelligent law, we at once infer that the agent in connection with these materials, and which thus moves them is intelligent, and possessed of a will and voluntary motion. It is only by effects and manifestations that we judge any being to be possessed of life, intelligence, &c. And the greater the display of these effects, the more certain we are of the existence of a living, moving, intelligent agent, possessed of the attributes whose

effects are exhibited. The wise, intelligent, and grand effects, called the "laws of nature," cannot be otherwise, than the exhibitions of a most wise, most intelligent, and most powerful substance, diffused, in immense quantities, through all the materials of space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20422.—This universal Holy Spirit is not only alive, as it regards each of its parts, but is alive as a whole. This may be represented by the human spirit which is in the image of the human tabernacle, and dwells throughout the body. Each part of the human spirit is alive, and possessed of voluntary motion; each part performs the work assigned to it. That part of the human spirit in the head, moves the head. Every particle of the human spirit has its own work to perform; and yet in all the varied operations of each, the happiness of the whole is sought for, and respected. Hence, the human spirit is alive in all its parts, and alive as a whole. By the perfect union and sympathy of each particle with every other, they act as one human spirit; and, indeed, though consisting of unnumbered millions of living particles, each intelligent, each active, yet they form but one organized human spirit, because of the perfect oneness of their attributes. So it is with that all-wise universal Spirit. The union of each particle of the Holy Spirit with every other throughout the universe, is as perfect as the union of the particles in a human spirit. Though each particle acts individually in its own sphere, and has its own work to perform in the varied operations of nature, yet each acts with the same great end in view, namely, the good of the whole. Though the number of particles is infinite, yet, all being possessed of the same attributes, and acting with the most perfect union, they may be emphatically pronounced ONE.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20423.—The infinite number of particles of the Holy Spirit moves universal nature, as if by the will of one Being; for in fact, though the particles are infinite, yet they all act by one will. The myriads of particles in the human spirit, move the human body by one united will. So likewise it is the oneness of the will and other attributes that constitutes the oneness of the great universal Spirit which pervades all things. The particles, wherein this one will resides, are infinite in number, extending through all space. This one will that pervades them all, is the same as [p.205] the will that dwells in the Father and Son. The most perfect union exists in all the moral and intellectual attributes of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It matters not how far distant some parts of the Holy Spirit may be from others; nor how far they may be from the persons of the Father and Son, yet they are imbued with the same will, and never act in opposition to each other's desire. And this is the great secret of their oneness.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20524.—The universality of the Holy Spirit is the great main-spring or secret by which a personal Being can exercise Almighty power where He is not personally present. However good and wise a personal Being might be, He could not exert power at a distance, only through some agent over which he has control. Both the Father and Son are personal Beings; neither of them alone, without the aid of some substance or agent, could control any of the materials of nature at a distance from himself. The substances in space, if unintelligent, would exhibit no action or laws. The commands of the Father and Son would be unavailing and entirely ineffectual; worlds could neither be organized nor put in motion. Nothing which is unintelligent, and separated at a distance, could be made to obey one single command. And such phenomena as the "laws of nature" could

not, by any possibility, be made to exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20525.—But let the Father and Son have the agency of the Holy Spirit, extending in quantity throughout universal space, diffused through all elements and all worlds; let them have the authority to command this Spirit, being of the same mind and will with it. Such being the case, universal nature would obey. By the power of the word of the Father and Son, the Spirit would organize worlds; by the power of their word, the spirit would set those worlds into harmonious motion; by the power of their word, the Spirit would move the particles in nature according to the law of gravitation; by their word, the Spirit would move every substance according to the varied laws which now exist. By the power of their word, the Spirit could suspend its operations in one way, and operate in another, directly opposite, causing what the world generally calls a miracle. Through the agency of such a universal spirit, a person could exercise Almighty power throughout every department of nature. Particles, worlds, and universes would obey: the Spirit being the great grand executor of all the sublime and majestic movements, exhibited in boundless space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20526.—But does not the portion of the substance of the Holy Spirit which dwells in each humble servant of God, assume a personal form while in such tabernacle? Or is it limited in its locality to some particular part of the tabernacle, as the brain or the heart? We answer, that as the gift of the Holy spirit is, in Scripture, called a baptism, there is no doubt, but that the whole "inner man" is immersed in this holy Substance: this is still more evident from the scriptural expressions which [p.206] often represent the disciples of Jesus, as "being full of the Holy Ghost:" these expressions convey the idea that the Holy Ghost, not only dwelt in the brain or in the heart, but in and throughout the whole tabernacle, quickening the human spirit in every limb and joint from the head to the feet: or, in other words, the body which is the temple of the Holy Ghost, was full of this holy Fluid, even as the temple of Solomon was full of the glory of God, when the cloud and fire descended upon it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20627.—But if the body of each Saint is full of the Holy Ghost, it is evident that this holy Substance dwelling in each temple must assume the same shape and magnitude as the temple which it fills. If any one should, by vision, behold the tabernacle of man, filled throughout with this Substance, he would perceive it existing in a personal form of the same size and shape as the human spirit or tabernacle. And if he should behold a million of such bodily temples, thus filled, he would see a million of personal beings called the Holy Ghost: but each one of these, though one with all the others in the attributes, would be distinct in substance from all the rest. They are distinct personal forms which the Spiritual Fluid assumes, upon entering human bodies, so as to accommodate itself to the size and form of the respective human temples which it inhabits. However many the personal forms, thus assumed, they are but ONE in wisdom, knowledge, love, justice, mercy, glory, power, and in all their attributes. In this respect, therefore, there is but one Holy Spirit, which is in all and through all, and over all things. But in respect to the personal forms assumed, they are as innumerable as the righteous of all worlds whose bodies are its temples for ever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.206

28.—But does the Holy Ghost ever exist in or assume a personal form, when separate from the tabernacles of men? We answer, by referring to the sayings of Jesus, in the book of John, where the Comforter is called "the Holy Ghost"—"the Spirit of Truth;" and is represented as a personal Being by the pronouns "HE" and "HIM," and as a Being capable of proceeding from the Father, and of hearing and speaking the word of God, and of testifying to the truth, and of convincing and reproving the world. From this description, there remains but little doubt, as to the existence also of a personal Being, called the Holy Ghost, who was sent by the Father and Son to comfort the disciples. That He was a personal Being before He was sent, there can be but little doubt; and that He was also accompanied by and surrounded with a large quantity or cloud of that holy spiritual Substance which is also called the Holy Spirit, and which, from its diffusive nature, is capable of entering into, and abiding in many tabernacles at the same instant, is also very evident.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20629.—The prophet Nephi who lived about six centuries before Christ, sought "to see, and hear, and know" concerning many events of the future, "by the power of the Holy Ghost;" and he was "caught away in [p.207] the Spirit of the Lord," and saw many things: among which, he beheld the Spirit of the Lord who spake with him. he says, "I spake unto Him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that He was in the FORM of a man; yet, nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and He spake unto me as a man speaketh with another." (See Chapter III. of the first Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20730.—Joseph Smith, the Prophet, says, "The Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a PERSONAGE of Spirit."—(See History of Joseph Smith, "Deseret News," Vol. vi. No. 18, p. 137.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20731.—These last quotations agree with what I have already quoted from the New Testament. Therefore, it may safely be affirmed that there is a personage of the Holy Ghost who is in the form of man, and that He was seen in this form, when existing separately from the tabernacles of men, in the pure spiritual state.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20732.—The Holy Spirit, therefore, must be considered, first, as an inexhaustible quantity of pure living, intelligent, powerful Substance, diffused through all worlds in boundless space and capable of filling myriads of tabernacles, and consequently, of assuming their forms. And secondly, parts of this Holy Spirit exist as a Holy Being who constitutes the third person of the Trinity, and who is of the same mind and will as the Father and Son. The diffused Substance of the Holy Spirit has also the same mind and will as the three glorious persons of the Godhead; and by their united will, this diffused substance executes the grand and magnificent operations of nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20733.—Having treated upon the nature and attributes of the Holy Spirit, let us next inquire, how the children of men can be made partakers of this heavenly gift? The Holy Spirit dwells not in unholy temples; that is, it dwells not there, to sanctify, teach, and comfort the mind, but merely has an existence in such temples, to carry on the common operations of nature. To receive the Holy Spirit, so as to have the mind benefited,

requires a preparation both of the body and mind. The body and mind of a natural man, have both been defiled by sin; consequently, both are unholy, impure, and altogether unprepared for the indwelling of the holy Comforter. Now there is but one way for them to be properly prepared for the residence of the pure Spirit. This one way is of divine origin, and consists of three important steps, as pointed out in the three preceding chapters of this work; namely, Faith, Repentance, and Water Baptism. By these three steps taken sincerely and properly, the sinner is forgiven of all past sins, and both mind and body are prepared for the Baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20734.—Water Baptism is only a preparatory cleansing of the believing penitent; it is only a condition of a cleansing from sin; whereas, the Baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost cleanses more thoroughly, by renewing [p.208] the inner man, and by purifying the affections, desires, and thoughts which have long been habituated in the impure ways of sin. Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, a person who has long been accustomed to love sin, and whose affections and desires have long run with delight in the degraded channel of vice, would have but very little power to change his mind, at once, from its habituated course, and to walk in newness of life. Though his sins may have been cleansed away, yet so great is the force of habit, that he would, without being renewed by the Holy Ghost, be easily overcome, and contaminated again by sin. Hence, it is infinitely important that the affections and desires should be, in a measure, changed and renewed, also as to cause him to hate that which he before loved, and to love that which he before hated: to thus renew the mind of man is the work of the Holy Ghost.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20835.—The baptism of the Holy Ghost is of so great importance that we cannot feel justified without referring to the scriptural promises in relation to it. When the multitudes came forth from all the region round about to be baptized by John the Baptist, in the river Jordan, John said unto them, "I, indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." (Matthew iii 11.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20836.—According to this passage, the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire was promised to all whom John baptized by water who were truly penitent. Their repentance and water baptism secured to them, not only a remission of sins, but a promise of a greater baptism which Jesus should administer to them. Some have supposed that the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire, was only intended for the apostles and a few others, in order to constitute them witnesses of Jesus; but such an idea is erroneous, and directly opposed to the scriptures. Every one of John's disciples were expressly informed that this greater baptism was intended for them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20837.—Jesus was baptized, first with water in the river Jordan "to fulfil all righteousness:" this being an example of obedience, or a pattern for all others to follow. Immediately after Jesus came up out of the water, he prayed, and "the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven, which said, "Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." (Luke iii. 21, 22.) This was the second baptism which Jesus received. And the Father manifested His approbation on this occasion by speaking from the heavens with an audible voice, and

declaring that Jesus was His only begotten Son.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20838.—Every believing penitent who will follow this example of Jesus, by being baptized first with water, is entitled to, and will receive the [p.209] second baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire; for the promise is, that Jesus who was himself baptized with the Holy Ghost, should confer this same glorious baptism upon all his children. The two baptisms, therefore, received by the Son of God, are the same that all men must receive, in order to become the sons of God, and be acknowledged as such by the voice of God, or by the voice of His Spirit which is the same. Let no one flatter himself that he can become a son of God without these two baptisms. It is by being born of the flesh that we become the sons of men; so likewise it is by being born of the water and of the spirit that we become the sons of God: and there is no other possible way of becoming His sons, only by being born of these two elements—water and Spirit, following the pattern that Jesus gave. If Jesus, being holy, had need to be baptized by water, "to fulfil all righteousness," how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized by water, not only "to fulfil righteousness," by keeping the command of God, but to obtain, through that act, a forgiveness of sins, so that we may be prepared for the greater baptism of the Holy Ghost, and thus be born anew of these two purifying elements, without which Jesus has most expressly declared, that no man can enter into the kingdom of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20939.—This baptism of the Holy Ghost is referred to by the Saviour on the day of his ascension. "Being assembled together with them," that is, with his disciples, "he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me; for John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." (Acts i, 4, 5.) Shortly after this, one hundred and twenty of the disciples "were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.20940.—The baptism of fire, without doubt, had reference to the purifying qualities of the Holy Ghost, which, like fire, consumes or destroys the unholy affections of those who are made partakers of it. Those portions of the Holy Ghost which assumed the form of tongues, and were rendered visible, had the appearance of fire. It is to this same kind of baptism that the prophet Malachi refers, when predicting the second advent. After saying that the Lord "shall suddenly come to His temple," the prophet inquires, "but who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver." (Malachi iii. 1, 2, 3.) It requires a fire of great intensity to melt and purify gold and silver: though the sons of Levi, upon whom this fire is to sit, will abide the same, and not be consumed, yet it will consume the wicked as chaff or stubble, and the Lord will thoroughly purge his floor.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21041.—This same kind of Baptism is referred to in Isaiah. "Hear, ye [p.210] that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites; Who among us shall dwell with the

devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off." (Isaiah xxxiii. 13-17.) The "devouring fire" and "everlasting burnings" here spoken of, is the fire of the glory of God; and those who dwell with it, and in its midst, will be the pure in heart, as described in the quotation; while fearfulness will seize upon the sinners and hypocrites in Zion who behold this burning devouring element, enveloping the habitations and assemblies of the righteous.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21042.—The baptism of fire is again mentioned in great plainness by Isaiah in the following words: "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night." (Isaiah iv. 2-6.) Thus it will be seen, that the children of Zion are to be holy, and are to dwell in the midst of a shining, flaming, devouring fire, called "everlasting burnings," which will envelope their habitations and assemblies, and be round about their persons which will, by the light of this fire, shine as the face of Moses shone. When this comes to pass, no wonder that the sinners in Zion will be afraid, and that fearfulness will surprise the hypocrites! Such characters in those days will not be able to endure the fire and glory of the Lord. Hence, they will be cast into their own place, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21043.—Moses was baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, so that when he came down from mount Sinai, after being with the Lord many days, his face shone with that brilliancy that the children of Israel could not endure the brightness and intensity of the light, but fled and stood afar off. Moses was obliged to veil his face to hide the glory of his countenance from Israel. It is this same fire that has so often been [p.211] exhibited by holy angels, when they have appeared in their glory to mortals. It was this same fire that rested upon the tabernacle and camp of Israel, for forty years in the wilderness. It was this same fire that broke forth among the rebellious ones, and consumed them by thousands. It was this same fire that consumed the sacrifice offered by Elijah, and even consumed the stones of the altar and great quantities of water, poured upon the same. It was this same fire that filled the temple of Solomon at the time of its dedication. It is this same fire that surrounds the Holy One of Israel: hence, Paul calls Him, "a consuming fire." It was this same fire, which all who sincerely received John's baptism, had the promise of being baptized with. It was this same fire and Holy Ghost that descended from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, on the day of Pentecost—that was seen in the form of cloven tongues—that controlled the tongues of the disciples to

speak in many languages unknown to themselves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21144.—On hearing of the marvelous descent of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples of Jesus, there came together a vast multitude of people, and listened to them. They were informed by Peter, that the Holy Ghost which the disciples had just received, was the same Spirit which God had promised by the mouth of the prophet Joel, to pour out, in the last days, upon all flesh. He also informed them, that Jesus was raised from the dead, and "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." * * * * "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts ii. 33, 37, 38, 39.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21145.—These passages of Scripture, recorded in the first and second chapters of the Acts, prove, most conclusively, first, that the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the one hundred and twenty disciples was a baptism, according to the promise of the Father. (Chapter i. verses 4, 5.) Secondly, that the effects of this baptism of the Holy Ghost, were both seen and heard by many thousands. (Chap. ii. verse 33.) And lastly, that this same promise of the Father, concerning the baptism of the Holy Ghost, was unto the large multitude which the Apostles were then addressing; and unto their children or descendants; and unto all afar off, meaning distant nations; and unto as many as the Lord should call, meaning all nations, kindreds, and tongues who should be called through the gospel proclamation; and unto all flesh, as promised in the prophecy of [p.212] Joel, and referred to, on that occasion, by Peter. Hence, the prophet Joel, John the Baptist, Jesus, and his Apostles, are all united in testifying that the promise of the baptism of the Holy Ghost is to all people who will comply with the conditions of the Gospel preparatory to its reception.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21246.—Having learned that all who have received pardon through faith, repentance, and water baptism, are entitled to the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, let us next inquire whether this heavenly gift is bestowed through an ordinance? In bestowing the blessings of salvation, God has ordained certain conditions or ordinances through which He has been pleased to confer them upon man. It was through the ordinance of the passover that Israel were saved from the destroying angel, while the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain. It was by Moses stretching out a rod over the Red Sea, that the Lord divided the water, and saved Israel from their enemies. It was by smiting the rock, that waters gushed forth to quench their thirst. It was by the lifting up of Moses' hands towards heaven that Israel prevailed against Amalek. "And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."

(Exodus xvii. 11-13.) It was by casting a tree into the bitter waters of Marah that they were made sweet. (Exodus xv. 25.) It was by blowing upon rams' horns, and encompassing the city of Jericho that the walls fell down. It was by the priests bearing the ark into the edge of the river Jordan that its waters were divided, and Israel passed over. It was by Elisha smiting Jordan with the mantle of Elijah that he passed over dry shod.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21247.—When the sons of the prophets were eating boiled herbs, it was ascertained that some of them were deadly poison: hence, they said to Elisha, "there is death in the pot." But by the simple act of throwing some meal into the vessel, the poisonous qualities were destroyed. By the simple act of Elijah's stretching himself three times upon a dead body, and praying, God restored the same to life. Elisha also restored a dead child to life, by stretching himself twice upon the body. "And he went up and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands." (2 Kings iv. 34.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21248.—Time would fail us to speak of the thousands of other examples in both the Old and New Testaments, where God manifested his blessings through obedience to some simple ordinance or requirement. The means ordained, through which many blessings were given, were [p.213] in many instances entirely arbitrary, and apparently had no connection, as a cause producing the effect: in most instances, these arbitrary means were instituted to try the faith of the people; for if they had not faith sufficient to obey any command, however simple, God would now bestow the blessing. What could have been more simple than the means referred to in the last two paragraphs? And yet, how great were the blessings which followed these simple acts!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21349.—Some of these institutions were permanent, and continued from generation to generation, and were necessary under every dispensation; such were water baptism, the laying on of hands, prayer, worship, &c.: others were more limited in their nature, and were to be obeyed only for a definite time; such were circumcision, the passover, and many of the ordinances of the law of Moses: others, still, were limited to the individuals to whom they were given, and were intended to be obeyed only for once; such were the dipping of the Syrian leper seven times in Jordan; the washing of the eyes of the blind man in the pool of Siloam; Elijah's casting a stick into Jordan to make an iron axe swim; Peter's being sent to catch a fish, to take from its mouth a piece of money to pay taxes with; the sending of handkerchiefs or aprons from the body of Paul for the healing of the sick, and for the casting out of devils; and thousands of other simple means, were intended for the blessing of individuals only, and not to be continued for the observance of others. All these institutions last named were given by the revelations of the Spirit, at the time they were needed; they were of such a nature, that they could not be derived from any permanent or standing law; but in all ages require new revelation to make them manifest.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21350.—Among the permanent and standing ordinances through which God, in all dispensations, has conferred blessings, may be mentioned,THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21351.—In the patriarchal dispensation, Jacob, by the Spirit of the Lord laid his hands upon Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, and by the spirit of prophecy blessed them, and their generations after them: and the God of Jacob had respect unto this blessing, and has fulfilled upon their posterity what was prophesied and sealed upon their heads by this holy ordinance of the laying on of hands. (Genesis xlviii.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21352.—Under the Mosaic dispensation, Moses, by the command of God, laid his hands upon Joshua; and he "was full of the Spirit of wisdom." (Deut. xxxiv. 9. Numbers xvii, 18-23.) The reason assigned for his being full of the Spirit, was the laying on of hands, which clearly shows that the Israelites understood the nature of this sacred ordinance, [p.214] and knew that God recognised it as the institution through which He shed forth the Spirit more abundantly upon His servants.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21453.—Not only Israel, but the Syrians, seemed to be aware that the laying on of hands was the ordinance generally practised for the conferring of blessings. Hence, when Naaman the Syrian came to the prophet Elisha, desiring to be healed of his leprosy, he was directed to go and dip himself in Jordan seven times. "But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper." (2 Kings v. II.) This man, though of another nation, believed that the God of Israel could heal him, but was, at first, evidently disappointed that Elisha did not follow the usual method of healing, by putting his hand upon him and praying for his recovery. If this had not been an ordinance in common practice among Israel, surely Naaman, of a foreign nation, would not have expected the blessing to be bestowed through that means, in preference to any other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21454.—Jesus himself, though the Son of God, and possessed of all power in heaven and on earth, did not generally exercise his power without an ordinance. Hence, we read of great multitudes of the sick and afflicted being healed by the laying on of his hands. He also put his hands upon little children, and prayed for them, and blessed them. At one time he went up into a mountain, and called "unto him whom he would; and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach." (Mark iii. 13, 14.) He laid his hands upon a woman who had been bound by Satan eighteen years, and she was delivered from the evil spirit. (Luke xiii. 13, 16.) Jesus said that all believers in his Gospel should receive certain signs, among which it was promised that "they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." (Mark xvi. 18.) Jesus put his hands upon a blind man and he was partially healed; and he put his hands again upon his eyes, and he was fully restored. (Mark viii. 22-26.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21455.—The laying on of hands seems to have been the great and holy ordinance through which the Son of God usually healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the deaf ears, restored the infirm, loosed those bound with devils, ordained to the ministry, and bestowed blessings upon little children. The laying on of hands was the sacred ordinance through which Jesus promised that all believers should heal the sick. The laying on of hands was the ordinance through which the Apostles and Prophets

ordained men to different offices in the ministry, set them apart to different missions, and bestowed the gift of prophecy, tongues, and other gifts upon them. (Acts xiii. 1-4; 1 Timothy iv. 14; 2 Timothy i. 6.) It seems to have been well understood in all dispensations, as being a divine ordinance through which ordination, authority, [p.215] patriarchal and prophetic blessings, blessings upon children, the blessing of wisdom, the gift of prophecy, of healings, of tongues, and numerous other manifestations, were bestowed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21556.—It is through this holy and divine ordinance that the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire is granted. The believing Samaritans, though they had been baptized by water, and had received great joy, because of the pardon of their sins, had not received the Holy Ghost; they had been born of water, but not of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost was withheld from them, because they had not received the holy ordinance of the laying on of hands. Philip had authority to baptize them with water, but he had not authority to minister this higher ordinance: the ministration of this ordinance pertained to a higher calling than either Philip or John the Baptist held. Jesus and those ordained to the same Apostleship with him, were the ones, not only to minister water baptism, but to minister the still greater baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire, by the laying on of their hands.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21557.—Hence, "when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." (Acts viii.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21558.—The Apostles at Jerusalem were well aware that the Samaritans could not receive the Holy Ghost without an authorized ministry's laying hands upon them for that blessing. The Samaritans had believed; they had repented; they had been baptized for the remission of sins; they had obtained great joy; but notwithstanding all these things, they lacked one of the most important and essential blessings of the Gospel—the gift of the Holy Ghost. To secure this blessing, they must comply with a higher ordinance which could only be administered by a higher authority. It was therefore, of the utmost importance that such higher authority should be sent from Jerusalem to administer the Spirit to them; for without it they could not enter into the kingdom of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21559.—The reason why the Holy Ghost was withheld from the Samaritans, until it was imparted through the ministry, was because God designed them and all others to understand that the laying on of hands was a divine ordinance; and that the people must expect, not only the remission of sins, but the gift of the Holy Ghost through the ordinances of the Gospel, administered, by divine authority.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21560.—To show the regard which the Lord had for this ordinance, he would not bestow the Holy Ghost upon Saul of Tarsus only through this means. Ananias addressed Saul upon this subject as follows—"The [p.216] Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." (Act ix. 17.) It appears that Saul's faith, repentance, prayers, and

fasting, were not sufficient to entitle him to this precious gift, independent of an administrator. It is very common, at the present day, for persons to expect the gift of the Spirit without an authorized ministry's laying their hands upon them. But God's plan of bestowing blessings generally differs from that of man's invention. If Saul could have received the Spirit without a man of God to minister it to him, why did the Lord send Ananias to him that he might "be filled with the Holy Ghost ?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21661.—We also read that the Ephesians "were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied." (Acts xix. 5, 6.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21662.—In speaking of "the first principles of the oracles of God," Paul mentions "the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands," in connection with faith and repentance. (see Hebrews v. 12; also vi. 2.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21663.—From all these passages, we learn that the laying on of hands for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, was one of the first ordinances to be administered immediately after water baptism; it being as essential to man's salvation, as faith, repentance, water baptism, the Lord's Supper, or prayer; for no man can be saved without receiving the Holy Ghost; and no man can receive this gift who is not willing to receive this ordinance of the gospel. When a man has it in his heart to obey every requirement of the Gospel, the Lord may sometimes grant unto him remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost, before he obeys any outward ordinance, as in the case of Cornelius and his household. But should any one, after having received these blessings, refuse to obey these ordinances, the blessings would be taken from them and they could not be saved.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21664.—God has, in our day, restored the authority of the Apostleship to the earth, and commanded His servants to call on all nations, priests and people, to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins; and He has also commanded them to confirm the Holy Ghost upon all baptized believers, by laying their hands upon them in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. In obedience to these divine commands the Apostles and ministers of this Church are now visiting the nations of the Gentiles, crying repentance, exhorting the people to turn away from their sins, and believe in the great and infinitely important message, contained in the Book of Mormon which God has, in mercy, revealed by holy angels, to prepare a people to abide the great and terrible day of the Lord.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21765.—All who will, with honest hearts, receive this preparatory [p.217] message for the coming of Christ, will receive a testimony by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, of its divine authenticity. And these manifestations shall be such, as to give them the most perfect knowledge of its truth; so that they can bear record, not merely as believers, but as witnesses, having a knowledge from God. Faith in a divine message is one thing, but knowledge is another. Faith leads to obedience, but knowledge follows obedience. Faith is the result of evidence presented to the mind from without; but knowledge is the result of the operations of the Holy Ghost directly upon the mind, which gives greater certainty than can be obtained in any other way.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21766.—Have you dear Reader, received the baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands of one having authority from God? If you have not, you are not a new creature in Christ; you have not been born of the Spirit; you are unprepared to enter into the presence of beings who dwell with God; for they are full of the Holy Ghost, having been cleansed and purified by the Spirit; having been renewed in mind. Without you are cleansed, sanctified, purified, and made a new creature, through the operations of this quickening, life-giving, all-powerful Spirit, you cannot enter heaven and dwell with God. Do not deceive yourself, and suppose that you can receive this precious gift, by merely asking for it, when you are not willing to obey the ordinances which God has ordained through which you are to receive this blessing. Do not flatter yourself that God will hear your prayers when you ask for His Spirit, if you do not obey. Your prayers will be a mockery, unless you are willing to obey whatever is required, however simple the ordinances may be.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.21767.—Let me kindly and affectionately exhort you, dear Reader, to immediately repent of all your sins, and be immersed by one having authority, for the remission of them, and be confirmed by the holy ordinance of the laying on of hands, as the Scriptures direct for the gift of the Holy Ghost. If you will do these things, you shall most assuredly be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with Fire, and be filled with the love of God, and enjoy a bright hope of eternal life. [p.218]{10}"Latter-day Kingdom,or the Preparations for the Second Advent"(from A Series of Pamphlets [Liverpool: Published by Franklin D. Richards, 1852])THE SETTING UP OF THE LATTER-DAY KINGDOM—ITS LOCATION IN THE MOUNTAINS—RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL BY AN ANGEL—ITS UNIVERSAL PROCLAMATION—THE GATHERING OF THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM— DOWNFALL OF THE APOSTATE NATIONS OF CHRISTENDOM, UNDER THE NAME OF GREAT BABYLON.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2181.—There is no event that has ever transpired in our world, of such magnitude and importance as the coming of Christ to reign on earth. And as such, it has commanded the attention of the Saints of all ages. All have looked forward to that day as a full consummation of all their hopes. It is the happy period when the righteous shall receive their full reward; it is the time of the resurrection of the righteous dead; it is the day when sin and sorrow shall cease; it is the day of rest—the Millennium of peace—the opening of an entirely new era upon our fallen world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2182.—Is it reasonable to suppose that Christ will return to the earth to reign upon it for a thousand years without preparing the way beforehand, for this most wonderful of all eras? What will be the nature of this preparation? Can there be any preparation whatsoever, short of restoring to the earth a Gospel Church? As there has been no true Church on the earth for some twelve or fifteen centuries, one of the first steps towards preparing for the second advent would be to restore to the earth the Christian Church. Now a work of this kind, and of so great importance, would most likely be the subject of

prophecy among ancient prophets, which we find to be the case. Daniel, in his second chapter, speaks expressly of the setting up of this Latter-Day Church, or as he very appropriately calls it, the kingdom of God, represented by a stone.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2183.—"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: [p.219] and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. (Daniel ii. 44, 45.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2194.—This same great event is also mentioned in the 34th and 35th verses of the same chapter as follows:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.219"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2195.—The kingdom which the God of heaven was to set up, has, by many, been supposed to refer to the Church or kingdom which was established on the earth at the first advent of the Messiah, but this idea is altogether erroneous, as we shall now proceed to show.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2196.—The time of the organization of the ancient Church does not agree with the period announced in the prophecy. "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom." In the days of what kings? We reply, in the days of the kings or kingdoms, represented by the feet and toes of the great image, shown in dream to Nebuchadnezzar. This is evident from the 34th verse, "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces." Nebuchadnezzar saw a succession of kingdoms, each represented by different parts of the image. His own kingdom was represented by the head of gold. Next in succession was that of the Medes and Persians: the third was the Macedonian under Alexander: the fourth was the Roman. These four kingdoms were represented by the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron: and in order that the image might be complete, the feet and toes had to be formed: these were constructed from the divided state of the Roman empire, the ten toes represented the ten kingdoms, growing out of the iron legs, or the eastern and western empire of the Romans: or, in other words, the feet and toes of the image represent all the broken fragments of the once powerful empire of Rome, which have existed, or shall exist, until the whole image is entirely destroyed. All the European kingdoms, together with the nations of European extraction, now inhabiting America, are the feet and toes of the great image shown to the king of Babylon.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2197.—The Roman monarchy was the last which ruled over the eastern continent with almost universal dominion: all kingdoms and governments, growing out of it since that day, have been comparatively feeble, which is literally foretold in the prophecy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.220[p.220] 8.—Many centuries before these feet and toes were formed, the Saviour established His Church on the earth at His first advent. This occurred in the days of the iron legs; and so strong and powerful was the iron kingdom, that in time it "made war with the Saints, and prevailed against them." (Daniel vii. 21.) "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy the mighty and the holy people." (Daniel viii. 24) "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help; but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." (Daniel xi. 32-34.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.2209.—This same wicked power is described by John the Revelator, under the name of the beast with seven heads and ten horns: he says—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.220"And all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Revelation xiii. 3-7.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22010.—In these quotations it is clearly predicted that the Saints, composing the Church and kingdom of Christ, were to have war made against them; and that the beast, assisted by the dragon or devil, would prevail against, overcome, and destroy them; and that they were to fall by the sword, by flame, and by captivity; and that many should forsake the holy covenant, and many should cleave to them by flatteries; and so complete was to be the triumph of the beast, that all the world should wonder after him, and worship the dragon that gave him power; "and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.220II.—What then became of the kingdom of Christ, established at his first advent? It was caught up unto God and to His throne, having passed through great tribulation, while it tarried on the earth; the world being unworthy of so glorious a kingdom, it fled from earth to heaven; and all kindreds, and tongues, and nations were left without the least vestige of the kingdom among them, except its ancient history, called the New Testament.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22012.—As the powers of the earth have driven the ancient kingdom of Christ from among

men, and entirely banished it from the earth, it is [p.221] evident that it was not the Latter-Day Kingdom of God which Daniel predicted should totally destroy the image. The first advent, therefore, was not the time for the stone to be cut from the mountain without hands. The great image made war upon the former-day kingdom, and overcame it, while the Latter-Day Kingdom will smite the feet and toes of the image, and the whole mixed and corrupt mass will be dashed to pieces. The former-day kingdom of Christ was set up in the days of the iron legs of the image; the Latter-Day Kingdom of God is set up after the feet and toes have been formed. The former-day kingdom was itself to be destroyed from the earth; the Latter-Day Kingdom should never be destroyed, but should stand for ever, and become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22113.—It should be borne in mind that Nebuchadnezzar saw successive portions of the image formed, until it was completed in all its parts, from the head of gold to the feet and toes of iron and clay; and it was not till after the image stood complete in all its parts before him, in a form majestic and terrible, that he saw the stone rolling from the mountains. Hence Daniel, after having described to the king the vision of the whole image, even to the toes, says, "Thou sawest TILL that a stone was cut out without hands which smote the image upon his feet." This expression most clearly shows that the cutting of the stone from the mountain was a work of a later period than the formation of the feet and toes. The king of Babylon saw kingdom succeeding kingdom, and his vision extended in the future till he saw something entirely distinct from the image—a something that had no connection whatever with the corrupt powers and kingdoms of man's formation—a something cut from a mountain without hands, that is, not founded by the hands of man—a something in a mountain or high place—a something that had no fellowship for the iron and clay toes and feet, but immediately smote them, and they had no power to stand before it, but were broken to pieces, and all the powers included in the image were utterly destroyed, and no place was found for them; while that victorious stone increased till it filled the whole earth. This Latter-Day Kingdom, then, was the last thing seen in the grand panorama of kingdoms that passed before him. And it was not to be set up at the first advent, but as Daniel said to the king, "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter-days." It was a prophetic scenery, reaching to the latter times, showing him how man-made governments should be destroyed, and how the divine government should succeed and triumph, and have universal and everlasting dominion on the earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22114.—It has been supposed by some that the kingdom, represented by the stone, was not to be set up by the God of heaven until the second [p.222] advent, when Christ comes to reign on the earth. But this view of the prophecy is no less erroneous than the supposition of its being set up eighteen hundred years ago. If Christ should not set up his kingdom until he comes in his glory, there would be no Saints on the earth ready to be caught up to meet him; for we have already shown that the former-day kingdom no where exists on the earth, but has been prevailed against and overcome, and nothing is left but man-made churches and governments among all kindreds, tongues, and nations. If this had not been the case—if the kingdom had continued on the earth during the last eighteen centuries, there would have been no necessity for its being set up. It

would be folly to say that the kingdom of England should be set up, if it were already in existence; so likewise it would be an absurdity to prophesy that the kingdom of God should be set up to destroy the powers represented by the great image, if such kingdom had already been on the earth for eighteen centuries. But from the fact that it was to be set up after the feet and toes of the image had been formed, it is demonstrated that the earth at that time had no such kingdom, the God of heaven was under the necessity of cutting it out of the mountain without hands, and of setting it up by His own power.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22215.—That this kingdom is to be set up before the second advent, is still further evident from the prediction that "the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." About the time of its first origin it is "cut out of the mountain;" from which fact it must be much smaller than the mountain from which it is taken; and while of this diminutive size, it smites the image upon the feet and toes; but it rapidly increases in magnitude till it becomes a mountain, not a small one, but a great mountain, and fills the whole earth. In this prophecy it is clearly expressed that at the period of the origin of this kingdom, it is very small, not a mighty rock or a mountain, but a stone cut from a mountain, and that it rapidly grows to an exceedingly great magnitude, till the whole earth is filled by it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22216.—Now, if the kingdom were not to be set up till the second advent, it would at once appear in its full size and grandeur; for when Christ comes, he brings all his Saints and holy angels with him, and instead of being a stone from the mountain, the kingdom would at once fill the whole heavens, and then the earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22217.—The cutting of the stone from the mountain shows also that the kingdom is not first seen in the clouds of heaven in all its glorious majesty, but that it is a kingdom set up on the earth in a high place or mountainous region. Its location must evidently be near the extremities of the feet and toes of the image.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22218.—The locality of the powers, forming the image, are known. The first two great monarchies, forming the head, breast, and arms, are found [p.223] in the western parts of Asia: the third, in the eastern borders of Europe, extending into Asia; the fourth, including the feet and toes, are found in Europe, the United States, and other nations of America of European origin. Remnants of all the nations, forming the image, are still in existence, though not in their former grandeur and greatness. The head, breast and arms, belly and thighs, and iron legs still exist, as well as the feet and toes, though in a weak and feeble condition; and they will all continue to exist until a kingdom of divine origin shall come down from the mountains upon the feet and toes; and then comes the mighty crash of republics, kingdoms, thrones, and empires, all desolated—all destroyed, no more to rise again; no more place on earth can be found for them. In their place Saints will live and reign, governed, not by human, but by divine laws; and this universal kingdom will not, like the former ones, be taken from one people and transferred to another; but the people of the Saints of the most High will possess it for ever and ever, and God Himself will be their King and their Law Giver.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22319.—Having learned from Daniel's prophecy, that "in the latter-days," God's kingdom is

to be set up to abolish all other kingdoms, and that it will be located in a mountain, and that the subjects of this kingdom will be called the Saints of the Most High, let us next inquire into the manner of setting up this kingdom. It might be expected, that a work of such great magnitude, involving the interests of all the world, would be a subject frequently referred to by inspired writers. We find, accordingly, that many have spoken of it, and predicted many events in relation to it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22320.—To set up the kingdom of God on the earth would require a restoration of authority to minister the principles, ordinances, and laws of that kingdom; or, in other words, authority to preach the Gospel of the kingdom and minister its ordinances. In what manner is it predicted that this authority is to be restored to the earth?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22321.—The Revelator, John, in his great vision on Patmos, was permitted to behold the restoration of the Gospel to our fallen world. He says—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.223"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." (Rev. xiv. 6) This prophetic vision most clearly shows, that when the "everlasting Gospel" is restored to our earth, an angel is to be the important personage who will fly from heaven to earth with the glad tidings. We furthermore learn that when the angel brings this Gospel, "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" are to have it preached to them. Will this angel himself, come down on the face of the earth, and travel about from place to place, from city to city, from nation to nation, preaching, baptizing, [p.224] confirming, and ministering the Lord's supper? No; if one angel, alone, should undertake to attend to all these matters, it would take many thousand years for him to fulfil his mission. Will he merely fly over the various nations, proclaiming, as with a voice of thunder, the Gospel in their ears, and commanding them to obey all the sacred ordinances of the same? No; for this would be of no benefit to the nations, unless they had an authorized ministry on the earth who could baptize the penitent for the remission of sins, and confirm the Holy Ghost upon them by the laying on of hands. Therefore, we are compelled to believe, that when this angel comes from heaven to restore the gospel, God will restore the authority also to preach it; and that chosen vessels, being ordained by an angel, will be commanded to preach the gospel, and baptize, and ordain others, and thus reorganize the kingdom of God on the earth, according to the prediction of Daniel. When the kingdom of Christ was organized on the earth, eighteen centuries ago, it was by calling Apostles, Prophets, and other officers, and inspiring them with the gifts or revelations, visions, and prophecy, and with all other supernatural gifts, requisite to preach the Gospel and build up the kingdom among men. And when the kingdom of God is restored to the earth in the latter-days, it is to be expected that it will resemble the one of former days.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22422.—At the time the angel comes with the everlasting Gospel in order to set up God's kingdom on the earth, he finds the people of the whole earth destitute of these glad tidings. He finds not even one, among all the unnumbered millions, who has received the Gospel. It is true, they have the history of others' receiving it in ancient times, recorded in the New Testament; but what benefit is the history of others' enjoyments,

unless they themselves can be baptized and receive the same gifts, powers, and blessings? What benefit to a hungry man would it be to read the history of the people anciently feasting upon the loaves and fishes, unless he himself could partake and eat? Though the nations can read the history of the three thousand being baptized on the day of Pentecost for the remission of their sins, this will do them no good, as they have killed off the ancient Saints, and destroyed every vestige of divine authority from the earth, and there is no one left to baptize them for the remission of their sins. Though they can read the history of Peter and John laying their hands upon baptized believers, and confirming upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, yet they are left with the sad reflection, that there are no authorized Apostles to confirm this great gift upon them; though they can read the history of the Saints' partaking of bread and wine to commemorate the death and sufferings of Christ, yet there is no authorized minister to officiate in giving them these sacred emblems: and to receive any of these holy ordinances from authorized men would prove a curse to them instead of a blessing. In this sad, [p.225] benighted, and forlorn condition, they can read what the Gospel is—what authority is necessary to minister its ordinances—and what its gifts, powers, and blessings are: but alas! there is no one to minister it to them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22523.—The Lord, beholding the wretched condition of all nations, determined to send an angel from heaven to restore the everlasting Gospel, and give all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, one more opportunity to come into His kingdom, decreeing that if they would not obey it, the kingdom should roll upon them and break them to pieces, and blot out their very names from under heaven. Connected with the message of the Gospel was another proclamation of a most fearful nature. The same angel was to cry, "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." (Verse 7.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22524.—The period when the angel commits this Gospel to man on earth, is peculiarly characterized as "the hour of His judgment." In order to understand more clearly what is meant by "the hour of His judgment," we are told in the following verses, that, "There followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." (Verses 8-11.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22525.—To read these passages, and contemplate the fearful doom of all the apostate nations that live on the earth at the time the angel restores the message of the Gospel, and reflect upon the awful and most terrible judgments denounced against them, is truly calculated to make one shudder. From these passages, it is certain that the great mass of the apostate Christian nations, under the name of "the beast and his image," will reject the "everlasting Gospel," that the angel brings, which ripens them for the sore

judgments that are immediately to follow. They are the ones who are to "be tormented with fire and brimstone;" they are the ones who are to "have no rest day nor night," but "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever;" they are the ones who constitute the old worn-out corrupt image of Nebuchadnezzar; they are the ones whom the Lord designates great Babylon, of whom the angel is to proclaim the downfall; they are the ones who have corrupted all kindreds, tongues, and nations, with their false doctrines, their whoredoms, and with "the wine of the wrath of their fornications;" they are the ones [p.226] who shall be made "to drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation." But first, in order that God may be just in inflicting these severe judgments, He offers them His Gospel which He has sent His angel to restore to the earth; but they will close their eyes, ears, and hearts against it: they will reject it, as Pharaoh and the Egyptians rejected the proclamation of Moses and Aaron; they will scorn it as the antediluvians scorned the message of Noah; they will treat it with the same contempt that the Sodomites did the message of the angels to Lot. And as the cites of the plain were punished with the vengeance of eternal fire, so shall these be punished with fire and brimstone, where their worm dieth not, neither is their fire quenched.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22626.—Having learned from the Scriptures the exact way in which the Gospel is to be restored, and God's kingdom to be set up; and having also learned that these marvelous events are immediately to precede the downfall of Babylon or the great image of Nebuchadnezzar; or, in other words, the utter destruction and abolishment of the apostate Christian nations inhabiting Europe, Western Asia, and America, let us next inquire if there are any indications of the angel having come with the Gospel.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22627.—First, we know no reason why the angel may not come in our day. There are no prophecies, that we are aware of, that need fulfilling, before he comes. The whole political organization of the nations corresponds, in every particular, with the predicted state of society, as it should exist at the time of this memorable event. The feet and toes of the image have been long in existence; Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, has been indefatigable in spreading her corrupt principles among all the nations and kindreds of the earth; the nations have greedily swallowed the filthiness and abominations of her golden cup, by which they have been made drunken with the wine of her fornications. All things, according to the prophecies, seem to be in the most perfect readiness for the angel to descend from heaven with the message of the Gospel, connected with a message of judgment.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22628.—But has the angel yet come? Go to the Roman Catholics and ask them. They will tell you that they are the Church and kingdom of God—that their authority has been transferred direct from the Apostles —and that there is no need of an angel coming with the everlasting Gospel; for they have it already; and it would be superfluous for an angel to bring something that they have had since long before John saw his vision on Patmos. Next go to the Greek church, among the Russians and other nations, and ask them if an angel has lately come from heaven with a message of the everlasting Gospel, intended for all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, and they will be ready to put you in [p.227] prison for daring to ask such a question. They will consider it the highest

blasphemy, for you to dare to call in question their ancient and venerated religion: they will inform you that their church has had the everlasting Gospel among them ever since the first advent of the Messiah. Last of all go to the Protestants—to every name, and sect, and denomination, from those established by law to the dissenter of yesterday; ask them all if an angel has made his appearance from heaven to any of them, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to all people upon the face of the whole earth; and you will hear a united voice, ascending from all their ranks and grades, saying, "We have the everlasting Gospel in the New Testament—we have the kingdom of God among us and in our hearts; and this everlasting Gospel and kingdom have been on the earth ever since the first advent; and we have authorized ministers to administer all the ordinances of the Gospel; and there is no need of an angel coming from heaven with the Gospel, when we already have it; there is no need of God setting up His kingdom on the earth, when it is already on the earth, and has been on it for more than eighteen centuries."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22729.—Thus, after you have inquired of the Catholics, Greeks, and Protestants in vain; and can get no information of the appearance of the angel; but learn from all of them, that such an event is wholly unnecessary, you will, perhaps, conclude that Daniel and John were mistaken; or, if not mistaken, that they had reference to some mystery, not for man to know: thus you may endeavour to hush your fears, and to quiet your minds, and to think that all is well, and that the true Church is indeed on the earth, and is greatly flourishing, according to the united testimony of the whole of Christendom.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22730.—But stop! Do not be too hasty in your conclusion. This is a subject of too great importance to pass over with some few slight inquiries. Remember that your inquiries have been limited to those very powers who are to be destroyed, because they reject the Gospel message of the angel—to the very powers, called Babylon—the most corrupt and soul-destroying of all powers: it is not, therefore, to be expected, that you will find them rejoicing in anticipation of the angel; it is not to be supposed, that an event so opposed to their views, would find any favour among them. Go, now, to some people entirely disconnected with them, and make your inquiries. If you go to the heathen nations of Asia, Africa, or the Islands of the sea, they will tell that they know nothing about Christ, angels, or the Gospel: therefore, you can obtain no information from them upon this subject.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22731.—There remains one more people, gathered out of the nations, and isolated, dwelling far up in the sequestered vales of the Rocky mountains; go and inquire of them if an angel has come with the everlasting Gospel to preach to all people, tongues, and nations: they will with one [p.228] united voice answer, yes: they will tell you that in the year 1827, God sent an holy angel from heaven, and committed into the hands of Joseph Smith, the sacred records of ancient America, containing the fulness of the everlasting Gospel: they will tell you that after the Prophet Joseph translated these records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, the angel appeared unto three others, and showed them the plates of gold, containing this everlasting Gospel, at the same time, commanding them to bear their testimony to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to whom the record should be sent: they will tell you that on the sixth day of April, in the year 1830, God set up His kingdom by giving written commandments and

revelations: they will tell you, that chosen men were ordained under the hands of angels to preach this gospel, and that God commanded His servants by His own voice and by the voice of angels to preach this Gospel to every nation, kindred, and tongue: they will tell you, that through the preaching of this Gospel, and by the commandment of the Most High, the children of the kingdom are being gathered from the nations unto the peaceful vales of the great Rocky mountains, which form the dividing ridge between the great Atlantic and Pacific oceans: they will tell you that God has, indeed, set up His kingdom as a stone upon the mountains: they will tell you that it will roll forth from the mountain tops, increasing in greatness, in power, in majesty, and in dominion: they will tell you that it is destined to fill the whole earth, and to continue for ever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22832.—Here then, dear reader, you find a people which answer every description, pointed out by the Prophets; not one feature is lacking. Did John testify that an angel should fly, having the everlasting Gospel? this people testify of its fulfillment, and present you with the Book of Mormon, containing it, already translated into many foreign languages. Did Daniel testify that God should set up His kingdom in the latter-days? This people testify that they were set up by special commandments and revelations, and present you with the books containing them. Did Daniel prophesy that the Latter-Day Kingdom should be "cut from the mountain without hands?" this people are being gathered to the mountains, as the appropriate position of the stone. Did the former-day kingdom have inspired Apostles and Prophets? The latter-day one has the same. Did signs follow the believers in the former-day kingdom? the same is true of this people. Did the former-day kingdom receive their laws and commandments by revelation from the great King? The Latter-Day Kingdom are governed by new revelation in the same manner. Not one ordinance, commandment, law, gift, or blessing, pertaining to the kingdom of God, is lacking: not one item of prophecy, pertaining to the setting up of this kingdom, has failed. Yet, with all this overwhelming testimony, apostate Christendom will reject it, and perish; and their nations [p.229] and kingdoms be blotted out of existence; for the kingdom of God shall smite them, and they shall crumble to pieces and be known no more. This is the decree of heaven from ancient times, and no nation can thwart the purposes of Jehovah.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.22933.—If any should feel disposed to admit the truth of Daniel and John's prophecies, but yet be unwilling to believe that the Church of the Latter-day Saints is the kingdom predicted: we would ask such the following questions—Where else will you go to find a people who fulfil the terms of the prophecy? Where else will you go to find a people which even believe that an angel must come with the Gospel? Where else can you find a people that even profess that they have been set up, by express revelation, as a kingdom, representing the stone cut out of the mountains? Where else do you find a people claiming that God has by an angel restored the authority and ordained Apostles? As you can find no other people, professing to have all these characteristics are you not compelled to admit that these prophecies have not been fulfilled, unless in the setting up of the Church of the Latter-day Saints? If you reject them, as not being the kingdom predicted, on what grounds do you reject them? Is there any discrepancy or imperfection in their doctrines? Is there anything which you can prove to be false or contrary to the Gospel taught by our Saviour and his Apostles? Is there any office

lacking, which was in the ancient Church? Is there anything in the Book of Mormon, or in any of their books of revelation, that is contrary to sound doctrine? If, then, you cannot reject them upon any of these grounds, do you not run a fearful hazard by rejecting them as not being the kingdom predicted? Do you say, that though you can find no other people that answer the terms of the prophecy, yet you look for such a people hereafter to arise? What assurances have you that you would believe in their testimony, any more than you do in the Latter-day Saints? In what respects would they differ from this Church? Would they have any doctrine, or ordinance, or principle, or office, or power, or gift which this Church have not got? Would there be any mark or sign by which you could distinguish a people whom you expect to arise, from this people? If you believe this is not the predicted kingdom, must you not look for another precisely like it? Must you not look for one which will testify that an angel has come with a message of the Gospel, connected with a proclamation of Judgment? If it did not testify of this, would you believe it to be the Latter-Day Kingdom predicted? Oh, then, when you see all these predicted characteristics connected with this people, why will you doubt? Why will you join with apostate Christendom in condemning them? Why follow popular opinion and pursue the broad road, thronged by the multitude? Why not realize and lay it to heart that the [p.230] gate is strait and the way narrow that leads to truth, happiness, and eternal life?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23034.—We commenced this chapter with the intention of pointing out some of the great leading events that are to take place, prior to the second advent. We have already pointed out several, namely, the coming of the angel—the restoration of the Gospel—the preaching of the same to all nations—the setting up of the kingdom of God—and the breaking to pieces of the great image, or in other words, the down fill of Babylon. To show still more clearly, that these are events immediately preceding the glorious appearing of our Lord, the Revelator John, after seeing the angel fly with the Gospel, says—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.230"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even unto the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred ilarlongs." (Rev. xiv. 14-20)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23035.—Thus it will be perceived that shortly after the angelic message of the Gospel is revealed, the Son of man is beheld sitting upon a white cloud, with a sharp sickle; and the harvest of the earth is reaped: that is, the wheat is cut and lifted up into the cloud,

and the vine of the earth is gathered into the great wine press of the wrath of God, and trodden without the city. The Gospel message, then, brought by the angel is the great preparatory message for the second advent of the Son of man in a cloud.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23036.—This kingdom which the God of heaven was to set up, is frequently mentioned in the prophecies, under the name of Zion. Hence the Psalmist says—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.230"When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory." (Psalm cii. 16.) This is an additional evidence that Zion nowhere existed on the earth—that the Catholics, Greeks, and Protestants, who call themselves Zion, are assuming a name that in nowise belongs to them; for Zion was not to be built up, until immediately prior to the Lord's [p.231] appearing in His glory. If it had already existed for upwards of eighteen centuries, there would be no necessity for building it up; but inasmuch as the Lord has not yet appeared in His glory, we know that Zion could not have existed on the earth for so many centuries, as the most of religious societies have the presumption to assert. It is a latter-day work; it is a people especially prepared for the coming of the Lord in His glory; it is not a work brought about by human wisdom; but, it is the Lord, Himself, who is to build up Zion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23137.—Perhaps some may object to this Church being the kingdom of God, from the fact that its first origin was not in the mountains, whereas Daniel says, that the stone shall be cut out of the mountain without hands. But we ask, does Daniel say, that the first origin of the stone was in the mountain? Or does he not rather say, that it was to be taken from the mountain about the time that it should smite the feet of the image? We answer, that it is very evident, that the mountain is the place from which it is taken when the full time shall arrive for the image to be smitten.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23138.—In order to show that a mountain is not the place of the first origin of Zion, we will quote a prophetic exhortation of Isaiah in relation to it. "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain." (Isaiah xl. 9.) That this prophetic exhortation was addressed to the latter-day Zion is evident from the next verse. "Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him." (Verse 10.) Before the Lord God comes with a strong hand, to rule in great glory, He will, as the Psalmist says, "build up Zion:" and this people, called Zion, will bring glad tidings, and be commanded, as Isaiah says, to "get up into the high mountain." It is certain, then, that Zion, or the kingdom, does not take its first origin in the mountains; but after having been built up, it is commanded to take its journey up to the mountains and to be located in its appropriate position, against the time when it shall roll, as a stone, to smash the old Babylonish image. Consequently, the very fact, that the Church of Latter-day Saints did not originate in a mountainous country, but are now going up by thousands annually "into the high mountain," is an additional evidence of no small importance that they are, in very deed, the real Zion of the latter days, built up by the Lord's own hand, preparatory to His coming.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23139.—It will be noticed that the people whom Isaiah addresses as Zion, and whom he exhorts to "Get up into the high mountain," are those who bring "good tidings." Now

what tidings could be more joyful than those of the fulness of the everlasting Gospel? The Gospel is frequently defined to be glad tidings. Indeed, without the Gospel, Zion could not be built up. And as this work does not take place until just [p.232] before the coming of the Lord, it is evident that prior to that all people must have been, for a long time, without the Gospel: but being restored to the earth by an angel, Zion are the people who receive it; they are the ones who bring good tidings. When Isaiah, enrapt in prophetic vision, saw Zion in the high mountains, and saw them sending forth hundreds of missionaries to the nations afar off, with the good tidings of the Gospel, he exclaimed—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.232"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." (Isaiah lii. 7, 8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23240.—Beautiful, indeed, upon the mountains, are the messengers of Zion! they go forth to the nations, with a proclamation to all people, "That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it." As an evidence that the poor trust in Zion for a place of deliverance, see them come from the islands and from the nations afar off! see mighty ships spread forth their sails to the winds of heaven, filled with Zion's children! hear their cheerful songs, as they are swiftly carried up the rolling current of the broad majestic rivers of Zion's land! see them launch forth upon the almost boundless prairies that lie stretched out like a vast sea of meadows before them! These are the pastures of the Lord, covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, and bespangled with the flowers of Eden! Here, week after week, and month after month the joyful camps of Zion move slowly on! Here they gradually ascend the great highway of the redeemed, till they gain the mountain tops, and descending into the lovely vales of Ephraim, they greet their friends, and shout aloud for joy! How beautifully has Isaiah described this great highway of the Saints.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23241.—"They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall He guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Behold these shall come from far: and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens: and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted." (Isaiah xlix. 9-13.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23242.—Throughout this long journey, springs of water abound in every direction; and the Lord truly has made His "mountains a way," and exalted His highways upon them, and spread out His "pastures in all [p.233] high places," where the flocks of His people feed, among the wild buffalo, the deer, and the elk.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23343.—Behold the children of Zion spread forth upon the mountains, upon the hills, and in

the vales, surrounded with their numerous flocks and herds! see their granaries and storehouses full to overflowing with the rich products of the earth! see her children and the rising generation flocking by thousands to her schools, her academies, and her numerous institutions of learning! look at her manufacturers, her mechanics, and her artists, all industriously engaged to produce from the raw material everything necessary for the comfort and well-being of the people! Behold her borders enlarged by the emigrating thousands that annually pour in upon them from many nations! and then read the prophecy of Isaiah concerning her prosperity, and rejoice. "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." (Isaiah li. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23344.—From the passages which we have already quoted, it will be perceived that the Latter-Day Kingdom or Zion is to be formed by the gathering of those who receive the Gospel. That instead of remaining scattered abroad, they will be required to gather in one. This feature of the Latter-Day Kingdom is one dwelt upon largely by the inspired writers. Jesus said—"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. xiii. 47-50.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23345.—The kingdom here spoken of is not the one then built up, but the one that was to be set up just before "the end of the world," not the end of the earth, but the end of the wicked world. Both good and bad are gathered into the kingdom; both good and bad are drawn to the shore—all professing to be the children of the kingdom. This has no reference to any, but those who are called the children of the kingdom. The final separation of these wicked characters does not take place till after they are gathered out from the nations: and then it will be done by angels who will sever them from among the just. The same thing is represented in the parable of the wheat and tares; "the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall [p.234] cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matt. xiii. 39-43.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23446.—Tares or bad fish will be found in the kingdom, as well as out of it: through fear of judgments, or for some other cause, they will even go so far as to gather out of the nations with the children of the kingdom, and both will grow together until the harvest is fully ripe, and the angels pluck them out, bind them in bundles, and cast them into the fire.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23447.—That the children of the Latter-Day Kingdom will be gathered out, preparatory to the second advent, is clearly foretold in the parable of the ten virgins. When speaking of

the day of his coming, Jesus said—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.234"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." (Matt. xxv. 1.) It should be particularly noticed that the former-day kingdom was not likened to ten virgins; but Jesus spake of the future—of the time when he should come in his glory: "THEN" should be the period, when the children of the kingdom should take their lamps and go "forth to meet the bridegroom." But to what part of the earth do they go? We answer, they "get up into the high mountain." But will they find the bridegroom in the mountains? No: they only go forth to the mountains in order to be more thoroughly prepared for the time when the bridegroom shall come in the clouds of heaven. And even after they have taken all this trouble, it seems that those represented by the foolish virgins will merely take their lamps, but take no oil with them. And after they have all gathered out from the ends of the earth, the wise and foolish will both become rather careless: or as Jesus says, "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." (Verse 5.) Although they are all expecting the bridegroom, yet it seems that after they have gathered themselves out from the nations of the wicked, they will feel apparently secure, and become rather inclined to be off from their watch tower; but "at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." What a startling cry! How it must thrill through the hearts of those who are thus suddenly awakened from their slumbers! "Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out." (Verses 7, 8.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23448.—What a fearful condition the foolish virgins will be in! Fancy to yourself, dear reader, the earth trembling, reeling to and fro—the mountains sinking, the valleys rising, the heavens shaking, the trump of God sounding, the curtains of heaven parting asunder, and all nature in tremendous convulsions; and then depict upon your mind the [p.235] despair, the fearful agony of those whose lamps have gone out! hear them plead with the wise to give them oil! But their petition is in vain! "The wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." (Verses 9-12.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23549.—In this parable, as well as in the others which we have quoted, it is most definitely stated that the children of the kingdom will be gathered in one; and that among them there will gather some who are represented by the bad fish or tares; and others who will become apostates—whose lamps will only burn long enough for them to gather out with the righteous to the mountains, and there they will go entirely out, and they will carelessly fall into a deep sleep, from which nothing can awake them, but the midnight cry; but, alas! they awake too late! the door is shut against them, and they will perish with the rest of the wicked.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23550.—This is also represented by the parable of the Supper: "A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that

were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee to have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." (Luke xiv. 16-24.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23551.—The supper, or the marriage feast, had no reference whatever to the first advent, but to the great day of his second coming. And the sending of "his servant at supper time," was a latter-day message, showing that the Lord would again speak to his servants, and give them a mission to invite the rich and wealthy of the Gentiles to come to his supper; that is, to leave their fine habitations, and farms, and merchandise, and gather to the mountains to prepare a feast of fat things—of wines on the lees well refined—to prepare for the supper of the great [p.236] bridegroom. But Jesus says, that all these wealthy people would with one accord excuse themselves from going, on account of their property or some other worldly consideration. The language of the parable clearly shows, that the invitation to come to the supper, required them to go to some place. And because of their excuses the Lord was to be sorely displeased; and then his servants are commanded to gather "the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." And this being done, they were to be sent forth on a third mission, with power to compel those in the highways and hedges to come in. In all three of these missions the Lord was to speak to his servants; that is, give them new revelation, pointing out the duties of each mission; and also in all three of the missions there is a gathering implied.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23652.—Only one people upon the whole earth, are crying to the Saints among all nations, saying, "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord." A voice has come from heaven as John the revelator predicted saying, "Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered their iniquities."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23653.—This voice from heaven was to follow the proclamation of the Gospel brought by the angel. Two causes are here assigned, why the people of the Lord—the Latter-day Saints, should come out of Babylon: one is that they might not partake of her sins; and the other is that they might not receive of her plagues. The judgments which are to befall the apostate nations of Christendom, under the name of great Babylon, are of the most fearful and terrible nature. And Lot was saved by literally fleeing out of Sodom into the mountains, so will the Latter-day Saints be saved from the most dreadful plagues of Babylon, by fleeing to the mountains.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23654.—This latter-day Zion is to be like a city set upon a high hill, and lighted with the glory of God: she will give light to all the surrounding nations. This will be, not only an intellectual, spiritual light, enlightening the mind, but a light that will be seen with the natural eyes: Hence Isaiah says, that "The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night." (Isaiah iv. 5.) That this literal manifestation of the glory of the Lord in a cloud, and smoke, and fire, is to take place while yet the wicked nations are on the earth, is evident from the following prediction of the same prophet—"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." (Isaiah lx. 1, 2.) Thus, while darkness covers the earth, and [p.237] gross darkness the people, the glory of the Lord will be literally seen in the form of a cloud and smoke by day, and a flaming fire by night, not merely upon the temple, but upon all the dwelling places of the city, and upon all her assemblies.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23755.—Reader, contemplate for a moment this grand and magnificent scenery. Contemplate a great and extended city, with a dazzling and glorious light, enveloping every habitation, and filling all the heavens above it. Would not such a wonderful phenomenon attract the attention of all nations? Supposing that the newspapers and periodicals of the day should actually publish the news that a whole city was enveloped in the brightness of a flaming fire, night after night, month after month, and year after year; and that the buildings remained unconsumed, would it not create the most intense excitement? Would it not be the great topic of conversation? Would not thousands and millions come from the most distant nations to gaze upon so strange and unexpected a scenery? Hear what Isaiah further says, "The Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." "Thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be bought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." "The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah lx. 3-5, 11, 12, 14.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.23756.—Such a scene as this the earth has never realized, but it must come to pass before the Saviour appears. And there will be great multitudes from all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, who will come with their gold and silver as an offering unto the name of the Lord of Hosts. But after a while the excitement will gradually subside, and the nations will be enveloped in a seven-fold greater darkness than they were in before; and when this takes place they will be speedily ripened for the burning, and be consumed from the earth by the coming of the Lord. Then shall the glorious reign of peace commence, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the

waters cover the sea. [p.238]{11}"A General Funeral Sermon of All Saints and Sinners;Also, of the Heavens and the Earth," Sermon Delivered on 25 July 1852(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], 1:280-94)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.238I have been requested to preach the funeral sermon of the wife of brother Levi Savage, who died last December; and since coming to this place this morning, I have been requested to preach the funeral sermons of several of the Saints who have died in England; and I have concluded, instead of limiting my address to any one individual case, to preach what may be considered a general funeral sermon of all the Saints that have died in all past ages and generations, with all that shall die hereafter, and the funeral sermon of all those who are not Saints, and also the funeral sermon of the heavens and the earth; and for this purpose I will take a text, which you will find recorded in the 51st chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, and the sixth verse—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.238"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath, for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.238All things with which we are acquainted, pertaining to this earth of ours, are subject to change; not only man, so far as his temporal body is concerned, but the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, the fishes of the sea, and every living thing with which we are acquainted—all are subject to pain and distress, and finally die and pass away; death seems to have universal dominion in our creation. It certainly is a curious world; it certainly does not look like a world constructed in such a manner as to produce eternal happiness; and it would be very far from the truth, I think, for any being at the present time to pronounce it very good: everything seems to show us that goodness, in a great degree, has fled from this creation. If we partake of the elements, death is there in all its forms and varieties; and when we desire to rejoice, sorrow is there, mingling itself in every cup; and woe, and wretchedness, and misery, seem to be our present doom.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.238There is something, however, in man, that is constantly reaching forward after happiness, after life, after pleasure, after something to [p.239] satisfy the longing desire that dwells within his bosom. Why is it that we have such a desire? And why is it that it is not satisfied? Why is it that this creation is so constructed? And why is it that death reigns universally over all living earthly beings? Did the great Author of creation construct this little globe of ours subject to all these changes, which are calculated to produce sorrow and death among the beings that inhabit it? Was this the original condition of our creation? I answer, no; it was not so constructed. But how was it made in the beginning? All things that were made pertaining to this earth were pronounced "very good." Where there is pain, where there is sickness, where there is sorrow, and where there is death, this saying can not be understood in its literal sense; things

cannot be very good where something very evil reigns and has universal dominion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.239We are, therefore, constrained to believe, that in the first formation of our globe, as far as the Mosaic history gives us information, everything was perfect in its formation; that there was nothing in the air, or in the waters, or in the solid elements, that was calculated to produce misery, wretchedness, unhappiness, or death, in the way that it was then organized; not but what the same elements, organized a little differently, would produce all these effects; but as it was then constructed, we must admit that every particle of air, of water, and of earth, was so organized as to be capable of diffusing life and immortality through all the varied species of animated existence—immortality reigned in every department of creation; hence it was pronounced very "good."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.239When the Lord made the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea, to people the atmospheric heavens, or the watery elements, these fowls and fishes were so constructed in their nature as to be capable of eternal existence. To imagine anything different from this, would be to suppose the Almighty to form that which was calculated to produce wretchedness and misery. What says the Psalmist David upon this subject? He says that all the works of the Lord shall endure for ever. Did not the Lord make the fish? Yes. Did He not make the fowls of the heavens? Yes. Did He not make the beasts of the field, and the creeping things, and the insects? Yes. Do they endure for ever? They apparently do not; and yet David says all His works are constructed upon that principle. Is this a contradiction? No. God has given some other particulars in relation to these works. He has permitted the destroyer to visit them, who has usurped a certain dominion and authority, carrying desolation and ruin on every hand; the perfections of the original organizations have ceased. But will the Lord for ever permit these destructions to reign? No. His power exists, and the power of the destroyer exists. His power exists, and the power of death exists; but His power exceeds all other powers; and consequently, wherever a usurper comes in and lays waste [p.240] any of His works, He will repair those wastes, build up the old ruins, and make all things new: even the fish of the sea, and the fowls of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, must yet, in order to carry out the designs of the Almighty, be so constructed as to be capable of eternal existence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.240It would be interesting to know something about the situation of things when they were first formed, and how this destroyer happened to make inroads upon this fair creation; what the causes were, and why it was permitted.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.240Man, when he was first placed upon this earth, was an immortal being, capable of eternal endurance; his flesh and bones, as well as his spirit, were immortal and eternal in their nature; and it was just so with all the inferior creation—the lion, the leopard, the kid, and the cow; it was so with the feathered tribes of creation, as well as those that swim in the vast ocean of waters; all were immortal and eternal in their nature; and the earth itself, as a living being, was immortal and eternal in its nature. "What! is the earth alive too?" If it were not, how could the words of our text be fulfilled, where it speaks of the earth's dying? How can that die that has no life? "Lift up your eyes to the heavens

above," says the Lord, "and look upon the earth beneath; the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner." In like manner! What! the earth and the heavens to die? Yes, the material heavens and earth must all undergo this change which we call death; and if so, the earth must be alive as well as we. The earth was so constructed that it was capable of existing as a living being to all eternity, with all the swarms of animals, fowls, and fishes that were first placed upon the face thereof. But how can it be proved that man was an immortal being? We will refer you to what the Apostle Paul has written upon this subject; he says that by one man came death; and he tells us how it came: it was by the transgression of one individual that death was introduced here. But did transgression bring in all these diseases and this sorrow, this misery and wretchedness, over the whole face of this creation? Is it by the transgression of one person that the very heavens are to vanish away as smoke, and the earth is to wax old like a garment? Yes, it is by the transgression of one; and if it had not been for his transgression, the earth never would have been subject to death. Why? Because the works of the Lord are so constructed as to exist for ever; and if death had come in without a cause, and destroyed the earth, and laid waste the material heavens, and produced a general and utter overthrow and ruin in this fair creation, then the works of the Lord would have ceased to endure according to the promise, being imperfect in their construction, and consequently not very good.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.241[p.241] But what was this sin, and what was the nature of it? I will tell you what it was; it was merely the partaking of a certain kind of fruit. But, says one, I should think there is no harm in eating fruit. There would not be unless God gave a command upon the subject. There are things in nature that would be evil without a commandment: if there were no commandment, it would be evil for you to murder an innocent being, and your own conscience would tell you it was an evil thing. It is an evil for any individual to injure another, or to infringe upon the rights of another, independent of any revealed law; for the savage, or that being who has never heard of the written laws of heaven—who has never heard of the revealed laws of God with regard to these principles—as well as the Saint, knows that it is an evil to infringe upon the rights of another; the very nature of the thing shows that it is an evil; but not so in regard to many other things that are evil; which are only made evil by commandment.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.241For instance, here is the Sabbath day: a person that never heard the revealed law of God upon the subject, never could conceive that it was an evil to work on the Sabbath day; he would consider it just as right to work on the first day of the week, as on the seventh; he would perceive nothing in the nature of the thing by which he could distinguish it to be an evil. So with regard to eating certain fruits; there is no evil in it of itself, it was the commandment of the Great God that made it an evil. He said to Adam and Eve, "Here are all the fruits of the garden; you may eat of them freely except this one tree that stands in the midst of the garden; now beware, for in the day you eat thereof you shall surely die." Don't we perceive that the commandment made this an evil? Had it not been for this commandment, Adam would have walked forth and freely partaken of every tree, without any remorse of conscience; just as the savage, that never has heard the revealed will of God, would work on the Sabbath, the same as on

any other day, and have no conscience about the matter. But when a man murders, he knows it to be an injury, and he has a conscience about it, though he never heard of God; and so with thousands of other evils. But why did the Lord place man under these peculiar circumstances? Why did He not withhold the commandment, if the partaking of the fruit, after the commandment was given, was sin? Why should there have been a commandment upon the subject at all, inasmuch as there was no evil in the nature of the thing to be perceived or understood? The Lord had a purpose in view; though He constructed this fair creation, as we have told you, subject to immortality, and capable of eternal endurance, and though He had constructed man capable of living for ever, yet He had an object in view in regard to that man, and the creation he inhabited. What was the object? And how shall this object be accomplished?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.242[p.242] Why, the Lord wanted this intelligent being called man, to prove himself; inasmuch as he was an agent, He desired that he should show himself approved before his Creator.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.242How could this be done without a commandment? Can you devise any possible means? Is there any person in this congregation having wisdom sufficient to devise any means by which an intelligent being can show himself approved before a superior intelligence, unless it be by administering to that man certain laws to be kept? No. Without law, without commandment or rule, there would be no possible way of showing his integrity: it could not be said that he would keep all the laws that govern superior orders of beings, unless he had been placed in a position to be tried, and thus proven whether he would keep them or not. Then it was wisdom to try the man and the woman, so the Lord gave them this commandment; if He had not intended the man should be tried by this commandment, He never would have planted that tree, He never would have placed it in the midst of the garden. But the very fact that He planted it where the man could have easy access to it, shows that He intended man should be tried by it, and thus prove whether he would keep His commandments or not. The penalty of disobedience to this law was death.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.242But could He not give a commandment, without affixing a penalty? He could not: it would be folly, even worse than folly, for God to give a law to an intelligent being, without affixing a penalty to it if it were broken. Why? Because all intelligent beings would discard the very idea of a law being given, which might be broken at pleasure, without the individuals breaking it being punished for their transgression. They would say—"Where is the principle of justice in the giver of the law? It is not there: we do not reverence Him nor His law;justice does not have an existence in His bosom; He does not regard His own laws, for He suffers them to be broken with impunity, and trampled under foot, by those whom He has made; therefore we care not for Him or His laws, nor His pretended justice; we will rebel against it." Where would have been the use of it if there had been no penalty affixed?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.242But what was the nature of this penalty? It was wisely ordained to be of such a nature as to instruct man. Penalties inflicted upon human beings here, by governors, kings, or rulers, are generally of such a nature as to benefit them.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.242Adam was appointed lord of this creation; a great governor, swaying the sceptre of power over the whole earth. When the governor, the person who was placed to reign over this fair creation, had transgressed, all in his dominions had to feel the effects of it, the same as a father or a mother, who transgresses certain laws, frequently transmits the effects thereof to the latest generations.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.243[p.243] How often do we see certain diseases becoming hereditary, being handed down from father to son for generations. Why? Because in the first instance there was a transgression, and the children partook of the effects of it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.243And what was the fullest extent of the penalty of Adam's transgression? I will tell you—it was death. The death of what? The death of the immortal tabernacle—of that tabernacle where the seeds of death had not been, that was wisely framed, and pronounced very good: the seeds of death were introduced into it. How, and in what manner? Some say there was something in the nature of the fruit that introduced mortality. Be this as it may, one thing is certain, death entered into the system; it came there by some means, and sin was the main spring by which this monster was introduced. If there had been no sin, old father Adam would at this day have been in the garden of Eden, as bright and as blooming, as fresh and as fair, as ever, together with his lovely consort Eve, dwelling in all the beauty of youth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.243By one man came death—the death of the body. What becomes of the spirit when the body dies? Will it be perfectly happy? Would old father Adam's spirit have gone back into the presence of God, and dwelt there eternally, enjoying all the felicities and glories of heaven, after his body had died? No; for the penalty of that transgression was not limited to the body alone. When he sinned, it was with both the body and the spirit that he sinned: it was not only the body that eat of the fruit, but the spirit gave the will to eat; the spirit sinned therefore as well as the body; they were agreed in partaking of that fruit. Was not the spirit to suffer then as well as the body? Yes. How long? To all ages of eternity, without any end; while the body was to return back to its mother earth, and there slumber to all eternity. That was the effect of the fall, leaving out the plan of redemption; so that, if there had been no plan of redemption prepared from before the foundation of the world, man would have been subjected to an eternal dissolution of the body and spirit—the one to lie mingling with its mother earth, to all ages of eternity, and the other to be subject, throughout all future duration, to the power that deceived him, and led them astray; to be completely and eternally miserable, and there is no help for them, laying aside the atonement. That was the penalty pronounced upon father Adam, and upon all the creation of which he was made lord and governor. This is what is termed original sin, and the effect of it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.243But there is a very curious saying in the Book of Mormon, to which I now wish to refer your minds; it reads thus: "Adam fell that man might be, and men are that they might have joy." Says one, "If Adam had not fallen, then there could not have been any posterity." That is just what we believe; but how do you get along with that saying which was given [p.244] previous to the fall, where he was commanded to multiply and

replenish the earth? How could he have multiplied and fulfilled this commandment, if "Adam fell that man might be?" Let me appeal to another saying in the New Testament: "Adam was not deceived; but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression," says the Apostle Paul. Well, after the woman was deceived, she became subject to the penalty; yes, after she had partaken of the forbidden fruit, the penalty was upon her, and not upon Adam; he had not partaken of the fruit, but his wife had. Now, what is to be done? Here are two beings in the garden of Eden, the woman and the man; she has transgressed, has broken the law, and incurred the penalty. And now, suppose the man had said, "I will not partake of this forbidden fruit;" the next word would have been, "Cast her out of the garden; but let Adam stay there, for he has not sinned, he has not broken the commandment, but his wife has; she was deceived, let her be banished from the garden, and from my presence, and from Adam's presence; let them be eternally separated." I ask, on these conditions could they fulfil the first great commandment? They could not. Adam saw this, that the woman was overcome by the devil speaking through the serpent; and when he saw it, he was satisfied that the woman would have to be banished from his presence: he saw, also, that unless he partook of the forbidden fruit, he could never raise up posterity; therefore the truth of that saying in the Book of Mormon is apparent, that "Adam fell that man might be." He saw that it was necessary that he should with her partake of sorrow and death, and the varied effects of the fall, that he and she might be redeemed from these effects, and be restored back again to the presence of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.244This tree, of which they both ate, was called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Why was it thus termed? I will explain a mystery to you, brethren, why this was called so. Adam and Eve, while in the garden of Eden, had not the knowledge you and I have; it is true, they had a degree of intelligence, but they had not the experience, they had not the knowledge by experience, which you and I have: all they knew was barely what they knew when they came there; they knew a commandment had been given to them, and they had sufficient knowledge to name the beasts of the field as they came up before them; but as for the knowledge of good, they had not got it, because they never had anything contrary to good placed before them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.244We will bring up an example. For instance, suppose you had never tasted anything that was sweet—never had the sensation of sweetness—could you have any correct idea of the term sweetness? No. On the other hand, how could you understand bitter if you never had tasted bitterness? Could you define the term to them who had experienced this sensation, or knew it? No. I will bring another example. Take a man who [p.245] had been perfectly blind from his infancy, and never saw the least gleam of light—could you describe colors to him? No. Would he know anything about red, blue, violet, or yellow? No; you could not describe it to him by any way you might undertake. But by some process let his eyes be opened, and let him gaze upon the sun beams that reflect upon a watery cloud, producing the rainbow, where he would see a variety of colors, he could then appreciate them for himself; but tell him about colors when he is blind, he would not know them from a piece of earthenware. So with Adam previous to partaking of this fruit; good could not be described to him, because he never had experienced the opposite. As to undertaking to explain to him what evil was, you might as well have

undertaken to explain, to a being that never had, for one moment, had his eyes closed to the light, what darkness is. The tree of knowledge of good and evil was placed there that man might gain certain information he never could have gained otherwise; by partaking of the forbidden fruit he experienced misery, then he knew that he was once happy, previously he could not comprehend what happiness meant, what good was; but now he knows it by contrast, now he is filled with sorrow and wretchedness, now he sees the difference between his former and present condition, and if by any means he could be restored to his first position, he would be prepared to realize it, like the man that never had seen the light. Let the man to whom all the beauties of light have been displayed, and who has never been in darkness, be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, deprived of his natural sight; what a change this would be to him; he never knew anything about darkness before, he never understood the principle at all; it never entered the catalogue of his ideas, until darkness came upon him, and his eye-sight was destroyed: now he can comprehend that the medium he once existed in was light. Now, says he, if I could only regain my sight, I could appreciate it, for I understand the contrast; restore me back again to my sight, and let me enjoy the light I once had; let me gaze upon the works of creation, let me look on the beauties thereof again, and I will be satisfied, and my joy will be full. It was so with Adam; let the way be prepared for his redemption, and the redemption of his posterity, and all creation that groans in pain to be delivered—let them be restored back again to what they lost through the fall, and they will be prepared to appreciate it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.245In order to show you the dire effects of the fall, it is not only necessary to say that old father Adam has experienced that penalty, and laid down his body in the dust; but all generations since that time have experienced the same; and you, and I, and every man, and woman, and child, have got to undergo that penalty; it will be inflicted upon us, and thus will the law of God be magnified, His words fulfilled, and justice [p.246] have its demands. It is not because of our sins, that we die; it is not because we have transgressed, that we die; it is not because we may commit murder, or steal, or plunder, or rob, or take the name of the Lord in vain; it is not these things that bring the death of the body; but it is Adam's sin that makes the little child die, that makes kings, princes, and potentates die, and that has made all generations die from his day down to the present time. Don't you think there ought to be some way to redeem us from this dreadful calamity? We had no hand in the transgression of Adam; you and I were not there to participate in it; but it was our great father who did it, and we are suffering the effects of it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.246Cannot some of the wise medical men of the age—some of the great physicians and doctors of the day, who have studied medicine all their life—can they not imagine up something new, that will relieve the posterity of Adam from this awful calamity? They have not done it yet. Dr. Brandreth recommended his medicine for all kinds of diseases, and even it was said that steam-boats were propelled by its power; but it made no man immortal; it did not save one man; and it is doubtful in the extreme—it is certain, that no man in this mortality has ever discovered that medicine which will relieve us from these awful effects transmitted from father Adam to this present time. There is a remedy, but it is not to be found in the catalogue of the inventions of man; it is not to be found in the

bowels of the earth, or dug out of any mines; it is not to be purchased by the gold of California, or the treasures of India. What is it, and how was it discovered? It was the Being who made man, that made him immortal and eternal, that Being whose bosom is filled with mercy, as well as justice, that exercises both attributes, and shows to all creation that He is a merciful God, as well as a God of justice; it was He that discovered this wonderful remedy to preserve mankind from the effects of this eternal death. But when is it to be applied? Not immediately, for that would frustrate His designs: when the body has got back into the dust, and after man has suffered sufficiently long for the original sin, He then brings him forth to enjoy all the bloom of immortality; He tells Death to trouble him no more; He wipes away all tears from his eyes, for he is prepared to live for ever, and gaze upon His glory, and dwell in His presence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.246This great Redeemer is stronger than Death, more powerful than that direful monster who has come into the world, and laid siege to all the inhabitants thereof; He will banish it out of this creation. How will He do it? If the penalty of the original sin be the eternal separation of body and spirit, how can justice have all its demands, and mercy be shown to the transgressor? There is a way, and how? It is by the introduction of His Only Begotten Son, the Son of His own bosom, the first-born of every creature, holding the birthright over every creation [p.247] He has made, and holding the keys of salvation over millions of worlds like this; he has a right to come forth and suffer the penalty of death for the fallen sons and daughters of man. He offered his own life: says he, "Father, I will suffer death, though I have not merited it; let me suffer the demands of the law. Here I am innocent in thy presence; I have always kept thy laws from the day of my birth among thy creations, throughout ages past down to the present time; I have never been rebellious to thy commandments; and now I will suffer for my brethren and sisters: let thy justice be magnified and made honourable; here am I; let me suffer the ends of the law, and let death and the grave deliver up their victims, and let the posterity of Adam all be set free, every soul of them without an exception." This is the way that justice is magnified and made honourable, and none of the creations of the Almighty can complain of Him, that He has not answered the end of justice; no intelligent being can say, "You have deviated from your words." Justice has had its demands in the penalties that were inflicted upon the Son of God, so far as Adam's transgression is concerned.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.247I will explain a little further. So far as that transgression is concerned, all the inhabitants of the earth will be saved. Now understand me correctly. If there are any strangers present, that have not understood the views of the Latter-day Saints, I wish you to understand that we have no reference in any way to our own personal sins; but so far as the original sin of father Adam is concerned, you and I will have to suffer death; and every man and woman that ever lived on this globe will be redeemed from that sin. On what condition? I answer, on no condition whatever on our part. "But," says one, "where I came from they tell me I ought to repent for the original sin." I care not what they tell you, you will be redeemed from the original sin, with no works on your part whatever. Jesus has died to redeem you from it, and you are as sure to be redeemed, as you live upon the face of this earth. This is the kind of universal redemption the "Mormons" believe in, though in one sense of the word, it is a different kind of universal redemption

from that which the nations have been in the habit of hearing. We believe in the universal redemption of all the children of Adam into the presence of God, so far as the sins of Adam are concerned. They will obtain a universal redemption from the grave. It matters not how wicked you are; if you have murdered all the days of your life, and committed all the sins the devil would prompt you to commit, you will get a resurrection; your spirit will be restored to your body. If Jesus had not come, all of us would have slumbered in the grave; but now, wicked as we may be, if we go down to the grave blaspheming the name of the Lord, we shall as sure come up again as we go down there. This is free grace without works; all this comes to pass without works on the part of the creature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.248[p.248] Now let us pause upon another subject, as we pass along. Don't you know, my hearers, that there has been another law given since man has become a mortal being? Is it the Book of Mormon? No. After man became a mortal being, the Lord gave him another law. What was it? "You have not got into a condition that you know good and evil by experience, and I will give you a law adapted to your capacity," says the Lord, "and I now command you, that you shall not do evil."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.248What is the penalty? Second death, What is that? After you have been redeemed from the grave, and come into the presence of God, you will have to stand there to be judged; and if you have done evil, you will be banished everlastingly from His presence—body and spirit united together; this is what is called the second death. Why is it called the second death? Because the first is the dissolution of body and spirit, and the second is merely a banishment—a becoming dead to the things of righteousness; and as I have already remarked, wherever a being is placed in such a condition, there perfect misery reigns; I care not where you place them; you may take any of the celestial worlds, and place millions of beings there that are dead to righteousness, and how long will it be before they make a perfect hell of it? They would make a hell of any heaven the Lord ever made. It is the second death—the penalty attached to the commandment given to the posterity of Adam, viz., "You shall cease to do evil; for if you cease to do evil, you shall be redeemed from Adam's transgression, and brought back into my presence; and if you cease not to do evil, you shall be punished with everlasting destruction from my presence, and from the glory of my power," saith the Lord.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.248"But," says one, "He is so merciful, that He would not inflict such a penalty upon us." Have you ever seen a man that has escaped from the first death? or who had any prospect of it? No; you cannot find a remedy to hinder him from going down to his grave. Has there been any escape for any individual for 6000 years past? Now, if the Lord has been punctual to make every man, woman, and child, suffer the penalty of the first transgression, why should you suppose that you can stand in His presence, and behold the glory of His power, and have everlasting life and happiness, when He has told you that you should be banished therefrom, that the second death should be inflicted upon you? For the first provocation, He has fulfilled to the very letter the penalty of the law; so will He in the second, and there is no escape. Says one, "Is there no escape?" No; not so far as you are able to provide. But I will tell you that there is a redemption for man from this second death or penalty, and the Lord remains a perfect,

just Being, His justice being magnified.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.248There is a way of escape from the effects of your own individual transgressions, but it is different from the redemption from the original sin of Adam. The redemption from that sin was universal without works, [p.249] but the redemption from your own personal sins is universal with works on the part of the creature—universal in its nature, because it is free to all, but not received by all. The salvation, or redemption from your own sins, is not by free grace alone, it requires a little work. But what are the works? Jesus Christ, through his death and sufferings, has answered the penalty, on condition that you believe in him, and repent of your sins, and be baptized for the remission of them, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, and continue humble, and meek, and prayerful, until you go down to your graves; and on these conditions, Jesus will plead for you before the Father, and say, "Father, I not only died for Adam's sin, but for the sins of all the world, inasmuch as they believe in my Gospel; and now these individuals have repented, they have reformed their lives, and have become like little children in my sight, and have performed the works I have given them to do—and now, Father, may they be saved with an everlasting salvation in thy presence, and sit down with me on my throne, as I have overcome, and sit down with thee on thy throne; and may they be crowned, with all the sanctified, with immortality and eternal life, no more to be cast away."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.249Don't you think the Father would accept an appeal of this kind from His Only Begotten Son? Yes. He is our Mediator, to plead before the Father for those who will comply with his commands, and the laws of his Gospel. The way is simple, so simple and easy that many step over it and say, "O, that is of no consequence, it is of no avail, it will do no good to be baptized in water." But if the Lord had not constructed it upon a simple plan, adapted to the capacities of all men, they might have had some excuse; but as it is, they have none: all you have got to do is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, turn away from your sins, cease to do evil, saying, "Father, I will cease from this time henceforth to sin, and will work the works of righteousness; I will try to do good all the days of my life; and I witness this before thee by this day going down into the waters of baptism; and thus cast off the old man, with his deeds," and henceforth live in newness of life. If you will do this, you will just as sure be redeemed from your own sins, and the penalty thereof, and be lifted up to dwell in the presence of God, as you have been redeemed or lifted up from the waters of baptism. This is the Gospel, the first principles thereof, by which you can be redeemed from your own sins; and by and bye death will come, and it will be sweet to you, for Jesus has suffered the penalty of sin; the pangs of sin are gone, and you fall asleep in peace, having made sure your salvation, and having done your duty well, like those we are preaching the funeral sermon of this morning; and thus you will fall asleep, with a full assurance that you will come up, in the morning of the first resurrection, with an [p.250] immortal body, like that which Adam had before he partook of the forbidden fruit. This is the promise to them that fall asleep in Jesus.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.250When our spirits leave these bodies, will they be happy? Not perfectly so. Why? Because the spirit is absent from the body; it cannot be perfectly happy while a part of the man is lying in the earth. How can the happiness be complete when only a part of

the redemption is accomplished? You cannot be perfectly happy until you get a new house. You will be happy, you will be at ease in paradise; but still you will be looking for a house where your spirit can enter, and act as you did in former times, only more perfectly, having superior powers. Consequently, all the holy men that have lived in days of old, have looked forward to the resurrection of their bodies; for then their glory will be complete.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.250What did Paul say upon this subject? He said, "I have fought a good fight," "I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." Do you understand this passage? Remember that this crown that Paul speaks of, was not to be given in the day we die; but it is to be given in "that day"—the day of the Lord's appearing; it is to be given to all those that love his appearing; then is the time that Paul will get his crown; then is the time that the Saints who fall asleep in our day, will receive their crowns—crowns of rejoicing—kingly crowns. What good would a crown do a man who is miserable and wretched? Many persons have worn crowns in this life; tyrants have had crowns of diamonds and gold; but what benefit are they? None at all, except to a being who has made himself perfectly happy by his obedience. But what are we to understand by this crown of righteousness, which is to be given to the Saints? We understand that it is actually to be a crown of glory; that they are to be kings in reality. John speaks in the first chapter of his Revelations to the Churches in his day, and represents the Saints to be Kings and Priests; he says, Christ "hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father;" and this too, while in this life.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.250In another place he speaks of those who are dead—about their singing a new song: "And they sung a new song, saying," Thou "hast redeemed us Oh God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." Here then we find, from the first chapter, that they were made Kings and Priests before they were dead; and in the next quotation, we find that they still retained their kingly office after death, and actually had made songs to express their happy condition—Thou "hast made us kings and priests." Now we see the reason why they are to wear crowns, for they will be made Kings and Priests on the earth: the Lord then, must have some way to give this kingly power.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.251[p.251] Do you understand this, brethren and sisters? If you were to speak, I should hear innumerable voices respond, "Yes, we understand it; the Lord has revealed the ordinances; we know how the sons and daughters of God obtain this kingly office, while living here in this mortal tabernacle."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.251We will pass over that; surface it to say, that death does not wrench it from them; for they are to be kings, not for a day, or for this short life, but they are to remain to all eternity kings; having their thrones, and acting in the duties belonging to their kingly office. Compared with this, what are all the little, petty kingdoms of this earth worth? They are not worth one snap of the finger. The kings of the world exercise a certain authority over the nations—over their subjects, issuing laws, and framing governments, and controlling them; and do you suppose that the Saints will be kings in the eternal

world, and sit down upon thrones, in silence, not exercising the functions of their office? No. That is not the way the Lord has organized His creations; if there are kings, you may depend upon it they will have kingdoms under their control; they will have authority and dominion; they will give laws to those subjects over whom they bear rule; they will control them by the priestly office, for it is combined with the kingly office, and neither can be separated and contracted in His feelings, in His views and disposition, that He would limit the authority of the priestly office to this little globe we inhabit? No. God has more expansive views; His works are without beginning, and without end; they are one eternal round. What kind of works are they? They are to make creations, and people them with living beings, and place them in a condition to prove themselves; and to exercise the kingly and priestly office to redeem them after they have suffered pain, and sorrow, and distress; and to bring them up into the presence of God; that they, in their turn, may become kings and priests for other creations that shall be made, and that shall be governed and ruled over by those possessing the proper authority.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.251We do not believe that everything has got to be limited to this little space of time in this world; but the Saints will be doing a work that will be adapted to beings that are the sons of God in the fullest sense of the word, that are precisely like their Father; and if so, they will be like Gods, and will hold dominion under that Being who is the Lord of lords; and they will hold it to all eternity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.251We will come back to our text. We have been talking about the funeral sermon of the earth; the earth is to wax old like a garment and pass away. I have already proved to you the redemption of man, and how he will become immortal and eternal; now let us look after his inheritance; we will see if he is to be lifted up in space, without any inheritance to stand upon, without any land upon which to raise manna for [p.252] eating, or flax for the spinning and making of fine robes and other wearing apparel. Let us see if it is to be a shadowy existence, like the God that is served by Christendom, "without body, parts, and passions," and located "beyond the bounds of time and space."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.252The earth is to die; it has already received certain ordinances, and will have to receive other ordinances for its recovery from the fall.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.252We will go back to the creation. The first account we have of the earth, it was enveloped in a mass of waters; it was called forth from the womb of liquid elements. Here was the first birth of our creation—the waters rolled back, and the dry land appeared, and was soon clothed upon with vegetable and animal existence. This was similar to all other births; being first encompassed in a flood of mighty waters, it burst forth from them, and was soon clothed with all the beauties of the vegetable kingdom. By and bye it became polluted by Adam's transgression, and was thus brought under the sentence of death, with all things connected with it; and as our text says, it must wax old and die, in like manner as the inhabitants upon the face thereof.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.252The heavens and the earth were thus polluted, that is, the material heavens, and everything connected with our globe; all fell when man fell, and became subject to death

when man became subject to it. Both man and the earth are redeemed from the original sin without ordinances; but soon we find new sins committed by the fallen sons of Adam, and the earth became corrupted before the Lord by their transgressions. It needs redeeming ordinances for these second transgressions. The Lord ordained baptism, or immersion of the earth in water, as a justifying ordinance. Said he to Noah, "Build an ark for the saving of thyself and house, for I will immerse the earth in water, that the sins which have corrupted it may be washed away from its face." The fountains of the great deep, and the windows on high, were opened, and the rains came and overwhelmed the earth, and the dry land disappeared in the womb of the mighty waters, even as in the beginning. The waters were assuaged; the earth came forth clothed with innocence, like the new-born child, having been baptized or born again from the ocean flood; and thus the old earth was buried with all its deeds, and arose to newness of life, its sins being washed away, even as man has to be immersed in water to wash away his own personal sins.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.252By and bye the earth becomes corrupted again, and the nations make themselves drunken with the wine of the wrath of great Babylon; but the Lord has reserved the same earth for fire; Then He says by the prophet Malachi, "Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, &c." A complete purification is again to come upon the earth, and that too, by the more powerful element of fire; and the wicked will be burned as stubble. When is this to be? Is it to be before the earth dies? This is a [p.253] representation of the baptism that is received by man after he has been baptized in water; for he is then to be baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, and all his sins entirely done away: so the earth will be baptized with fire, and wickedness swept away from its face, so that the glory of God shall cover it. As the waters cover the great deep, so will the earth be overwhelmed and immersed in the glory of God, and His Spirit be poured out upon all flesh, before the earth dies. After this purifying ordinance, there will be a thousand years of rest, during which righteousness shall abound upon the face of the earth; and soon after the thousand years have ended, the words of the text shall be fulfilled—"The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like garment," &c. When the earth waxes old, and has filled the measure of its creation, and all things have been done according to the mind and will of God, He will say to the earth, "Die." What will be its death? Will it be drowned? No: it is to die through the agency of fire; it is to suffer a death similar to many of the martyrs; the very elements themselves are to melt with fervent heat, and the hills are to be made like wax before the Lord. Will the earth be annihilated? No, there is no such a word in all His revelations; such a thing was never known in the bosom of the Almighty, or any other being, except in the imaginations of some of the moderns, who have declared that the globe was to become like the "baseless fabric of a vision." It is one of the sectarian folies, that the elements and every thing else are to be completely struck out of existence. The Lord never revealed, or thought of, or even hinted at such a thing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.253The earth will not be annihilated, any more than our bodies are after being burned. Every chemist knows that the weight of a thing is not diminished by burning it. The present order of things must be done away, and, as the apostle John says, all things must become new; and he tells us the time when: it is to be after the millennium. The

passing away is equivalent to death, and all things being made new is equivalent to the resurrection. Is the new earth to be made precisely like this earth? No; but as this earth was, before sin entered into it; and we shall inherit it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.253This is our heaven, and we have the title to it by promise, and it will be redeemed through the faith and prayers of the Saints, and we shall get a title from God to a portion of it as our inheritance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.253O ye farmers, when you sleep in the grave, don't be afraid that your agricultural pursuits are forever at an end; don't be fearful that you will never get any more landed property; but if you be Saints, be of good cheer, for when you come up in the morning of the resurrection, behold! there is a new earth made, wherein dwells righteousness, and blessed are ye, for ye shall inhabit it. "Blessed are the meek," says our [p.254] Saviour, "for they shall inherit the earth," though they have died without a foot of land. The Latter-day Saints were driven from one possession to another, until they were driven beyond the pale of civilization into the deserts, where it was supposed they would die, and that would be the last of them; but behold, they have a firm hold upon the promise that the meek shall inherit the earth, when they come here with immortal bodies capable of enjoying the earth. True, we can have plenty of the things of this life in their cursed condition; but what are all these things? They are nothing. We are looking for things in their immortal state, and farmers will have great farms upon the earth when it is so changed. "But don't be so fast," says one, "don't you know that there are only about 197,000,000 of square miles, or about 126,000,000,000 of acres, upon the surface of the globe? Will this accommodate all the inhabitants after the resurrection?" Yes; for if the earth shall stand 8,000 years, or eighty centuries, and the population should be a thousand millions in every century, that would be eighty thousand millions of inhabitants; and we know that many centuries have passed that would not give the tenth part of this; but supposing this to be the number, there would then be over an acre and a half for each person upon the face of the globe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.254But there is another thing to be considered. Are the wicked to receive the earth as an inheritance? No; for Jesus did not say, Blessed are the wicked, for they shall inherit the earth; this promise was made only to the meek. Who are the meek? None but those who receive the ordinances of the Gospel, and live according to them; they must receive the same ordinances the earth has received, and be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, as this earth will be when Jesus comes to reign upon it a thousand years; and be clothed upon with the glory of God, as this earth will be; and after they have died as the earth will die, they will have to be resurrected, as this earth will be resurrected, and then receive their inheritance upon it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.254Look at the seventeen centuries that have passed away on the eastern hemisphere, during which time the sound of the Gospel has never been heard from the mouth of an authorized servant of God. Suppose now that out of the vast amount of the population of this earth, one in a hundred should receive the law of meekness, and be entitled to receive an inheritance upon the new earth; how much land would they receive? We answer, they would receive over 150 acres, which would be quite enough to raise

manna, and to build some habitations upon, and some splendid mansions; it would be large enough to raise flax to make robes of, and to have beautiful orchards of fruit trees; it would be large enough to have our flower gardens, and everything the agriculturalist and the botanist want, and some to spare.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.255[p.255] What would be done with the spare portions? Let me tell you of one thing which perhaps some of you have never thought of. Do you suppose that we shall get up out of the grave, male and female, and that we shall not have the same kind of affections, and endearments, and enjoyments that we have here? The same pure feelings of love that exist in the bosoms of the male and female in this world, will exist with sevenfold intensity in the next world, governed by the law of God; there will be no corruptions nor infringements upon one another's rights. Will not a man have his own family? Yes; he will also have his own mansion and farm, his own sons and daughters. And what else? Why, the fact is, man will continue to multiply and fill up this creation, inasmuch as it is not filled up by the resurrected Saints after it is made new.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.255And what will he do when this is filled up? Why, he will make more worlds, and swarm out like bees from the old hive, and prepare new locations. And when a farmer has cultivated his farm, and raised numerous children, so that the space is beginning to be too strait for them, he will say, "My sons, yonder is plenty of matter, go and organize a world, and people it; and you shall have laws to govern you, and you shall understand and comprehend through your experience the same things that we know." And thus it will be one eternal round, and one continual increase; and the government will be placed under those that are crowned as kings and Priests in the presence of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.255Much more might be said, for we have only just touched upon these things, only turned the key that you may look through the door and discern a little of the glories that await the Saints. Let me tell you, it has not entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God has laid up for them that love Him, unless he is filled with the Holy Ghost, and by vision gazes upon the thrones and the dominions, the principalities and powers, that are placed under His control and dominion; and He shall sway a righteous sceptre over the whole.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.255This we will consider a kind of resurrection sermon for this creation, and all the righteous that shall inhabit it. We have not time in this discourse to preach the resurrection of the wicked, nor point out the place of their location. [p.256]{12}"Celestial Marriage,"A Sermon Delivered on 29 August 1852(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], I:53-66)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.256It is quite unexpected to me, brethren and sisters, to be called upon to address you this forenoon; and still more so, to address you upon the principle which has been named, namely, a plurality of wives.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.256

It is rather new ground for me; that is, I have not been in the habit of publicly speaking upon this subject; and it is rather new ground to the inhabitants of the United States, and not only to them, but to a portion of the inhabitants of Europe; a portion of them have not been in the habit of preaching a doctrine of this description; consequently, we shall have to break up new ground.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.256It is well known, however, to the congregation before me, that the Latter-day Saints have embraced the doctrine of a plurality of wives, as a part of their religious faith. It is not, as many have supposed, a doctrine embraced by them to gratify the carnal lusts and feelings of man; that is not the object of the doctrine.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.256We shall endeavour to set forth before this enlightened assembly some of the causes why the Almighty has revealed such a doctrine, and why it is considered a part and portion of our religious faith. And I believe that they will not, under our present form of government, (I mean the government of the United States,) try us for treason for believing and practising our religious notions and ideas. I think, if I am not mistaken, that the constitution gives the privilege to all the inhabitants of this country, of the free exercise of their religious notions, and the freedom of their faith, and the practice of it. Then, if it can be proven to a demonstration, that the Latter-day Saints have actually embraced, as a part and portion of their religion, the doctrine of a plurality of wives, it is constitutional. And should there ever be laws enacted by this government to restrict them from the free exercise of this part of their religion, such laws must be unconstitutional.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.256But, says the objector, we cannot see how this doctrine can be embraced as a matter of religion and faith; we can hardly conceive how it can be embraced only as a kind of domestic concern, something that pertains to domestic pleasures, in no way connected with religion. In reply we will show you that it is incorporated as a part of our religion, [p.257] and necessary for our exaltation to the fulness of the Lord's glory in the eternal world. Would you like to know the reasons? Before we get through, we will endeavour to tell you why we consider it an essential doctrine to glory and exaltation, to our fulness of happiness in the world to come.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.257We will first make a few preliminary remarks in regard to the existence of man, to his first existence in his first estate; and then say something in relation to his present state, and the bearing which it has upon his next or future state.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.257The "Mormons" have a peculiar doctrine in regard to our pre-existence, different from the views of the Christian world, so called, who do not believe that man had a pre-existence. It is believed, by the religious world, that man, both body and spirit, begins to live about the time that he is born into this world, or a little before; that then is the beginning of life. They believe, that the Lord, by a direct act of creation, formed, in the first place, man out of the dust of the ground; and they believe that man is possessed of both body and spirit, by the union of which he became a living creature. Suppose we admit this doctrine concerning the formation of the body from the dust; then how was the spirit formed? Why, says one, we suppose it was made by a direct act of creation,

by the Almighty Himself; that He moulded the spirit of man, formed and finished it in a proper likeness to inhabit the tabernacle He had made out of the dust.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.257Have you any account of this in the Bible? Do the Scriptures declare that the spirit was formed at the time the tabernacle was made? No. All the tabernacles of the children of men that were ever formed, from remote generations, from the days of Adam to this time, have been formed out of the earth. We are of the earth earthy. The tabernacle has been organized according to certain principles, and laws of organization, with bones, and flesh, and sinews, and skin. Now, where do you suppose all these tabernacles got their spirits? Does the Lord make a new spirit every time a tabernacle is made? if so, the work of creation, according to the belief of Christendom, did not cease on the seventh day. If we admit their views, the Lord must be continually making spirits to inhabit all the tabernacles of the children of men; he must make something like one thousand millions of spirits every century; he must be working at it every day, for there are many hundreds of individuals being born into the world every day. Does the Lord create a new spirit every time a new tabernacle comes into the world? That does not look reasonable, nor God-like.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.257But how is it, you inquire? Why the fact is, that being that animates this body, that gives life and energy, and power to move, to act, and to think: that being that dwells within this tabernacle is much older than [p.258] what the tabernacle is. That spirit that now dwells within each man, and each woman, of this vast assembly of people, is more than a thousand years old, and I would venture to say, that it is more than five thousand years old.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.258But how was it made? when was it made? and by whom was it made? If our spirits existed thousands of years ago—if they began to exist—if there were a beginning to their organization, by what process was this organization carried on? Through what medium, and by what system of laws? Was it by a direct creation of the Almighty? Or were we framed according to a certain system of laws, in the same manner as our tabernacles? If we were to reason from analogy—if we admit analogical reasoning in the question, what would we say? We should say, that our spirits were formed by generation, the same as the body or tabernacle of flesh and bones. But what says revelation upon the subject? We will see whether revelation and analogy will agree.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.258We read of a certain time when the corner stones of the earth were laid, and the foundations thereof were made sure—of a certain time when the Lord began to erect this beautiful and glorious habitation, the earth; then they had a time of joy. I do not know whether they had instruments of music, or whether they were engaged in the dance; but one thing is certain, they had great joy, and the heavens resounded with their shouts; yea, the Lord told Job, that all the sons of God shouted for joy, and the morning stars sang together, when the foundations of this globe were laid.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.258The SONS of God, recollect, shouted for joy, because there was a beautiful habitation being built, so that they could get tabernacles, and dwell thereon; they expected the time—they looked forward to the period; and it was joyful to them to reflect, that the

creation was about being formed, the corner stone of it was laid, on which they might, in their times, and in their seasons, and in their generations, go forth and receive tabernacles for their spirits to dwell in. Do you bring it home to yourselves, brethren and sisters? Do you realize that you and I were there? Can you bring it to your minds that you and I were among that happy number that shouted for joy when this creation was made? Says one, I don't recollect it. No wonder! for your recollection is taken from you, because you are in a tabernacle that is earthly; and all this is right and necessary. The same is written of Jesus Christ himself, who had to descend below all things. Though he had wisdom to assist in the organization of this world; though it was through him, as the great leader of all these sons of God, the earth was framed, and framed too, by the assistance of all his younger brethren—yet we find, with all that great and mighty power he possessed, and the great and superior wisdom that was in his bosom, that after all, his judgment had to be taken away; [p.259] in his humiliation, his reason, his intelligence, his knowledge, and the power that he was formerly in possession of, vanished from him as he entered into the infant tabernacle. He was obliged to begin down at the lowest principles of knowledge, and ascend upward by degrees, receiving grace for grace, truth for truth, knowledge for knowledge, until he was filled with all the fulness of the Father, and was capable of ruling, governing, and controlling all things, having ascended above all things. Just so with us; we that once lifted up our united voices as sons and daughters of God, and shouted for joy at the laying of the foundation of this earth, have come here and taken tabernacles, after the pattern of our elder brother; and in our humiliation—for it is humiliation to be deprived of knowledge we once had, and the power we once enjoyed—in our humiliation, just like our elder brother, our judgment is taken away. Do we not read also in the Bible, that God is the Father of our spirits?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.259We have ascertained that we have had a previous existence. We find that Solomon, that wise man, says that when the body returns to the dust, the spirit returns to God who gave it. Now all of this congregation very well know, that if we never existed there, we could not return there. I could not return to California. Why? Because I never have been there. If you never were with the Father, the same as Jesus was before the foundation of the world, you never could return there, any more than I could to the West Indies, where I have never been. But if we have once been there, then we can see the force of the saying of the wise man, that the spirit returns to God who gave it—it goes back where it once was.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.259Much more evidence might be derived in relation to this subject, even from the English translation of the Bible; but I do not feel disposed to dwell too long upon any particular testimony; suffice it to say, that the Prophet Joseph Smith's translation of the fore part of the book of Genesis is in print, and is exceedingly plain upon this matter. In this inspired translation we find the pre-existence of man clearly laid down, and that the spirits of all men, male and female, did have an existence, before man was formed out of the dust of the ground. But who was their Father? I have already quoted a saying that God is the Father of our spirits.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.259In one sense of the word, there are more Gods than one; and in another sense there is

but one God. The Scriptures speak of more Gods than one. Moses was called a God to Aaron, in plain terms; and our Saviour, when speaking upon this subject, says, "If the Scriptures called them Gods unto whom the word of God came, why is it that you should seek to persecute me, and kill me, because I testify that I am the Son of God?" This in substance was the word of our Saviour; those to whom the word of God came, are called Gods, according to his testimony. All [p.260] these beings of course are one, the same as the Father and the Son are one. The Son is called God, and so is the Father, and in some places the Holy Ghost is called God. They are one in power, in wisdom, in knowledge, and in the inheritance of celestial glory; they are one in their works; they possess all things, and all things are subject to them; they act in unison; and if one has power to become the Father of spirits, so has another; if one God can propagate his species, and raise up spirits after his own image and likeness, and call them his sons and daughters, so can all other Gods that become like him, do the same thing; consequently, there will be many Fathers, and there will be many families, and many sons and daughters; and they will be the children of those glorified, celestial beings that are counted worthy to be Gods.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.260Here let me bring for the satisfaction of the Saints, the testimony of the vision given to our Prophet and Revelator Joseph Smith, and Sidney Rigdon, on the 16th day of February, 1832. They were engaged in translating the New Testament, by inspiration; and while engaged in this great work, they came to the 29th verse of the 5th chapter of John, which was given to them in these words—"they who have done good, in the resurrection of the just; and they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust." This being given in different words from the English translation, caused them to marvel and wonder; and they lifted up their hearts in prayer to God, that He would show them why it was that this should be given to them in a different manner; and behold, the visions of heaven opened before them. They gazed upon the eternal worlds, and saw things before this world was made. They saw the spiritual creation who were to come forth and take upon themselves bodies; and they saw things as they are to be in the future; they saw the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial worlds, as well as the sufferings of the ungodly; all passed before them in this great and glorious vision. And while they were yet gazing upon things as they were before the world was made, they were commanded to write, saying, "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 of God." Notice this last expression, "the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God," (meaning the different worlds that have been created and made.) Notice, this does not say, that God, whom we serve and worship, was actually the Father Himself, in His own person, of all these sons and daughters of the different worlds; but they "are begotten sons and daughters unto God;" that is, begotten by those who are made like Him, after His image, and in His likeness; they begat sons and daughters, and begat them [p.261] unto God, to inhabit these different worlds we have been speaking of. But more of this, if we have time, before we get through.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.261We now come to the second division of our subject, or the entrance of these spirits

upon their second estate, or their birth and existence in mortal tabernacles. We are told that among this great family of spirits, some were more noble and great than others, having more intelligence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.261Where do you read that? says one. Out of the Book of Abraham, translated from the Egyptian papyrus by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Among the great and numerous family of spirits—"the begotten sons and daughters of God"—there are some more intelligent than others; and the Lord showed unto Abraham "the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones." And God said to Abraham, "thou art one of them, thou wast chosen before thou wast born." Abraham was chosen before he was born. Here then, is knowledge, if we had time to notice it, upon the doctrine of election. However, I may just remark, it does not mean unconditional election to eternal life of a certain class, and the rest doomed to eternal damnation. Suffice it to say, that Abraham and many others of the great and noble ones in the family of spirits, were chosen before they were born, for certain purposes, to bring about certain works, to have the privilege of coming upon the stage of action, among the host of men, in favorable circumstances. Some came through good and holy parentages, to fulfil certain things the Lord decreed should come to pass, from before the foundations of the world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.261The Lord has ordained that these spirits should come here and take tabernacles by a certain law, through a certain channel; and that law is the law of marriage. There are a great many things that I will pass by; I perceive that if I were to touch upon all these principles, the time allotted for this discourse would be too short, therefore I am under the necessity of passing by many things in relation to these spirits in their first estate, and the laws that governed them there, and come to their second estate.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.261The Lord ordained marriage between male and female as a law through which spirits should come here and take tabernacles, and enter into the second state of existence. The Lord Himself solemnized the first marriage pertaining to this globe, and pertaining to flesh and bones here upon this earth. I do not say pertaining to mortality; for when the first marriage was celebrated, no mortality was there. The first marriage that we have any account of, was between two immortal beings—old father Adam and old mother Eve; they were immortal beings; death had no dominion, no power over them; they were capable of enduring for ever and ever, in their organization. Had they fulfilled the law, and kept within certain conditions and bounds, their tabernacles would never [p.262] have been seized by death; death entered entirely by sin, and sin alone. This marriage was celebrated between two immortal beings. For how long? Until death? No. That was entirely out of the question; there could have been no such thing in the ceremony.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.262What would you consider, my hearers, if a marriage was to be celebrated between two beings not subject to death? Would you consider them joined together for a certain number of years, and that then all their covenants were to cease for ever, and the marriage contract be dissolved? Would it look reasonable and consistent? No. Every heart would say that the work of God is perfect in and of itself, and inasmuch as sin had not brought imperfection upon the globe, what God joined together could not be

dissolved, and destroyed, and torn asunder by any power beneath the celestial world, consequently it was eternal; the ordinance of union was eternal; the sealing of the great Jehovah upon Adam and Eve was eternal in its nature, and was never instituted for the purpose of being overthrown and brought to an end. It is known that the "Mormons" are a peculiar people about marriage; we believe in marrying, not only for time, but for all eternity. This is a curious idea, says one, to be married for all eternity. It is not curious at all; for when we come to examine the Scriptures, we find that the very first example set for the whole human family, as a pattern instituted for us to follow, was not instituted until death, for death had no dominion at that time; but it was an eternal blessing pronounced upon our first parents. I have not time to explain further the marriage of Adam and Eve, but will pass on to their posterity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.262It is true, that they became fallen, but there is a redemption. But some may consider that the redemption only redeemed us in part, that is, merely from some of the effects of the fall. But this is not the case; every man and woman must see at once that a redemption must include a complete restoration of all privileges lost by the fall.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.262Suppose, then, that the fall was of such a nature as to dissolve the marriage covenant, by death—which is not necessary to admit, for the covenant was sealed previous to the fall, and we have no account that it was dissolved—but suppose this was the case, would not the redemption be equally as broad as the fall, to restore the posterity of Adam back to that which they lost? And if Adam and Eve were married for all eternity, the ceremony was an everlasting ordinance, that they twain should be one flesh for ever. If you and I should ever be accounted worthy to be restored back from our fallen and degraded condition to the privileges enjoyed before the fall, should we not have an everlasting marriage seal, as it was with our first progenitors? If we had no other reasons in all the Bible, this would be sufficient to settle the case at once in the mind of every reflecting man and woman, that inasmuch as the [p.263] fall of man has taken away any privileges in regard to the union of male and female, these privileges must be restored in the redemption of man, or else it is not complete.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.263What is the object of this union? is the next question. We are told the object of it; it is clearly expressed; for, says the Lord unto the male and female, I command you to multiply and replenish the earth. And, inasmuch as we have proved that the marriage ordinance was eternal in its nature, previous to the fall, if we are restored back to what was lost by the fall, we are restored for the purpose of carrying out the commandment given before the fall, namely, to multiply and replenish the earth. Does it say, continue to multiply for a few years, and then the marriage contract must cease, and there shall be no further opportunity of carrying out this command, but it shall have an end? No, there is nothing specified of this kind; but the fall has brought in disunion through death; it is not a part of the original plan; consequently, when male and female are restored from the fall, by virtue of the everlasting and eternal covenant of marriage, they will continue to increase and multiply to all ages of eternity, to raise up beings after their own order, and in their own likeness and image, germs of intelligence, that are destined, in their times and seasons, to become not only sons of God, but Gods themselves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.263

This accounts for the many worlds we heard Elder Grant speaking about yesterday afternoon. The peopling of worlds, or an endless increase, even of one family, would require an endless increase of worlds; and if one family were to be united in the eternal covenant of marriage, to fulfil that great commandment, to multiply his species, and propagate them, and if there be no end to the increase of his posterity, it would call for an endless increase of new worlds. And if one family calls for this, what would innumerable millions of families call for? They would call for as many worlds as have already been discovered by the telescope; yea, the number must be multiplied to infinity in order that there may be room for the inheritance of the sons and daughters of the Gods.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.263Do you begin to understand how these worlds get their inhabitants? Have you learned that the sons and daughters of God before me this day, are His offspring—made after His own image; that they are to multiply their species until they become innumerable?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.263Let us say a few words, before we leave this part of the subject, on the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The promises were, Lift up your eyes, and behold the stars; so thy seed shall be, as numberless as the stars. What else did He promise? Go to the sea-shore, and look at the ocean of sand, and behold the smallness of the particles thereof, and then realize that your seed shall be as numberless as the [p.264] sands. Now let us take this into consideration. How large a bulk of sand would it take to make as many inhabitants as there are now upon the earth? In about one cubic foot of sand, reckoning the grains of a certain size, there would be a thousand million particles. Now that is about the estimated population of our globe. If our earth were to continue 8,000 years, or eighty centuries, with an average population of one thousand millions per century, then three cubic yards of sand would contain a greater number of particles than the whole population of the globe, from the beginning, until the measure of the inhabitants of this creation is complete. If men then cease to multiply, where is the promise made to Abraham? Is it fulfilled? No. If that is the end of his increase, behold, the Lord's promise is not fulfilled. For the amount of sand representing his seed, might all be drawn in a one-horse cart; and yet the Lord said to Abraham, thy seed shall be as numerous as the sand upon the seashore; that is, to carry out the idea in full, it was to be endless; and therefore, there must be an infinity of worlds for their residence. We cannot comprehend infinity. But suffice it to say, if all the sands on the seashore were numbered, says the Prophet Enoch, and then all the particles of the earth besides, and then the particles of millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to all thy creations; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and thy curtains are stretched out still. This gives plenty of room for the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, and enough to spare for the fulfilment of similar promises to all his seed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.264We read that those who do the works of Abraham, are to be blessed with the blessing of Abraham. Have you not, in the ordinances of this last dispensation, had the blessings of Abraham pronounced upon your heads? O yes, you say, I well recollect, since God has restored the everlasting Priesthood, that by a certain ordinance these blessings were placed upon our heads—the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why, says one, I never thought of it in this light before. Why did you not think of it? Why not look upon

Abraham's blessings as your own, for the Lord blessed him with a promise of seed as numerous as the sand upon the seashore; so will you be blessed, or else you will not inherit the blessings of Abraham.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.264How did Abraham manage to get a foundation laid for this mighty kingdom? Was he to accomplish it all through one wife? No. Sarah gave a certain woman to him whose name was Hagar, and by her a seed was to be raised up unto him. Is this all? No. We read of his wife Keturah, and also of a plurality of wives and concubines, which he had, from whom he raised up many sons. Here then, was a foundation laid for the fulfilment of the great and grand promise concerning the multiplicity of his seed. It would have been rather a slow process, if Abraham had [p.265] been confined to one wife, like some of those narrow, contracted nations of modern Christianity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.265I think there is only about one-fifth of the population of the globe, that believe in the one-wife system; the other four-fifths believe in the doctrine of a plurality of wives. They have had it handed down from time immemorial, and are not half so narrow and contracted in their minds as some of the nations of Europe and America, who have done away with the promises, and deprived themselves of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The nations do not know anything about the blessings of Abraham; and even those who have only one wife, cannot get rid of their covetousness, and get their little hearts large enough to share their property with a numerous family; they are so penurious, and so narrow and contracted in their feelings, that they take every possible care not to have their families large; they do not know what is in the future, nor what blessings they are depriving themselves of, because of the traditions of their fathers; they do not know that a man's posterity, in the eternal worlds, are to constitute his glory, his kingdom, and dominion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.265Here, then, we perceive, just from this one principle, reasoning from the blessings of Abraham alone, the necessity—if we would partake of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—of doing their works; and he that will not do the works of Abraham, and walk in his footsteps, will be deprived of his blessings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.265Again, let us look at Sarah's peculiar position in regard to Abraham. She understood the whole matter; she knew that, unless seed was raised up to Abraham, he would come short of his glory; and she understood the promise of the Lord, and longed for Abraham to have seed. And when she saw that she was old, and fearing that she should not have the privilege of raising up seed, she gave to Abraham, Hagar. Would Gentile Christendom do such things now-a-days? O no; they would consider it enough to send a man to an endless hell of fire and brimstone. Why? Because tradition has instilled this in their minds as a dreadful, awful thing.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.265It matters not to them how corrupt they are in female prostitution, if they are lawfully married to only one wife; but it would be considered an awful thing by them to raise up a posterity from more than one wife; this would be wrong indeed; but to go into a brothel, and there debauch themselves in the lowest haunts of degradation all the days of their lives, they consider only a trifling thing; nay, they can even license such institutions in

Christian nations, and it all passes off very well.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.265That is tradition; and their posterity have been fostered and brought up in the footsteps of wickedness. This is death, as it stalks abroad among the great and popular cities of Europe and America.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.266[p.266] Do you find such haunts of prostitution, degradation, and misery here, in the cities of the mountains? No. Were such things in our midst, we should feel indignant enough to see that such persons be blotted out of the page of existence. These would be the feelings of this community.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.266Look upon those who committed such iniquity in Israel, in ancient days; every man and woman who committed adultery were put to death. O do not say that this people are going to do this; but I will tell you what we believe—we believe it ought to be done.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.266Whoredom, adultery, and fornication, have cursed the nations of the earth for many generations, and are increasing fearfully upon the community; but they must be entirely done away from those who call themselves the people of God; if they are not, woe! woe! be unto them, also; for "thus saith the Lord God Almighty," in the Book of Mormon, "Woe unto them that commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell!" There is no getting away from it. Such things will not be allowed in this community; and such characters will find, that the time will come, that God, whose eyes are upon all the children of men, and who discerneth the things that are done in secret, will bring their acts to light; and they will be made an example before the people; and shame and infamy will cleave to their posterity after them, unto the third and fourth generation of them that repent not.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.266How is this to be prevented? for we have got a fallen nature to grapple with. It is to be prevented in the way the Lord devised in ancient times; that is, by giving to His faithful servants a plurality of wives, by which a numerous and faithful posterity can be raised up, and taught in the principles of righteousness and truth, and then, after they fully understand those principles that were given to the ancient Patriarchs, if they keep not the law of God, but commit adultery, and transgression of this kind, let their names be blotted out from under heaven, that they may have no place among the people of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.266But again, there is another reason why this plurality should exist among the Latter-day Saints. I have already given you one reason, and that is, that you might inherit the blessings and promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and receive a continuation of your posterity, that they may become as numerous as the sand upon the seashore. There is another reason, and a good one, too. What do you suppose it is? I will tell you; and it will appear reasonable to every man and woman of a reflecting mind. Do we not believe, as the Scriptures have told us, that the wicked nations of the earth are doomed to destruction? Yes, we believe it. Do we not also believe, as the Prophets have foretold, concerning the last days, as well as what the new revelations have said upon the subject, that darkness prevails upon the earth, and gross darkness upon the minds of the people; and not only this, but that all flesh has [p.267] corrupted its way

upon the face of the earth; that is, that all nations, speaking of them as nations, have corrupted themselves before the Most High God, by their wickedness, whoredoms, idolatries, abominations, adulteries, and all other kinds of wickedness? And we furthermore believe, that according to the Jewish Prophets, as well as the Book of Mormon, and modern revelations given in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the sword of the vengeance of the Almighty is already unsheathed, and stretched out, and will no more be put back into the scabbard until it falls upon the head of the nations until they are destroyed, except they repent. What else do we believe? We believe that God is gathering out from among these nations those who will hearken to His voice, and receive the proclamation of the Gospel, to establish them as a people alone by themselves, where they can be instructed in the right way, and brought to the knowledge of the truth. Very well; if this be the case, that the righteous are gathering out, and are still being gathered from among the nations, and being planted by themselves, one thing is certain—that that people are better calculated to bring up children in the right way, than any other under the whole heavens. O yes, says one, if that is the case—if you are the people the ancient Prophets have spoken of, if you are the people that are guided by the Lord, if you are under the influence, power, and guidance of the Almighty, you must be the best people under heaven, to dictate the young mind: but what has that to do with the plurality of wives? I will tell you. I have already told you that the spirits of men and women, all had a previous existence, thousands of years ago, in the heavens, in the presence of God; and I have already told you that among them are many spirits that are more noble, more intelligent than others, that were called the great and mighty ones, reserved until the dispensation of the fulness of times, to come forth upon the face of the earth, through a noble parentage that shall train their young and tender minds in the truths of eternity, that they may grow up in the Lord, and be strong in the power of His might, be clothed upon with His glory, be filled with exceeding great faith; that the visions of eternity may be opened to their minds; that they may be Prophets, Priests, and Kings to the Most High God. Do you believe, says one, that they are reserved until the last dispensation, for such a noble purpose? Yes; and among the Saints is the most likely place for these spirits to take their tabernacles, through a just and righteous parentage. They are to be sent to that people that are the most righteous of any other people upon the earth; there to be trained up properly, according to their nobility and intelligence, and according to the laws which the Lord ordained before they were born. This is the reason why the Lord is sending them here, brethren and sisters; they are appointed to come and take their bodies here, that in their [p.268] generations they may be raised up among the righteous. The Lord has not kept them in store for five or six thousand years past, and kept them waiting for their bodies all this time to send them among the Hottentots, the African negroes, the idolatrous Hindoos, or any other of the fallen nations that dwell upon the face of this earth. They are not kept in reserve in order to come forth to receive such a degraded parentage upon the earth; no, the Lord is not such a being; His justice, goodness, and mercy will be magnified towards those who were chosen before they were born; and they long to come, and they will come among the Saints of the living God; this would be their highest pleasure and joy, to know that they could have the privilege of being born of such noble parentage.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.268

Then is it not reasonable, and consistent that the Lord should say unto His faithful and chosen servants, that had proved themselves before Him all the day long; that had been ready and willing to do whatsoever His will required them to perform—take unto yourselves more wives, like unto the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob of old—like those who lived in ancient times, who walked in my footsteps, and kept my commands? Why should they not do this? Suppose the Lord should answer this question, would He not say, I have here in reserve, noble spirits, that have been waiting for thousands of years, to come forth in the fulness of times, and which I designed should come forth through these my faithful and chosen servants, for I know they will do my will, and they will teach their children after them to do it. Would not this be the substance of the language, if the Lord should give us an answer upon this subject?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.268But then another question will arise: how are these things to be conducted? Are they to be left at random? Is every servant of God at liberty to run here and there, seeking out the daughters of men as wives unto themselves without any restriction, law, or condition? No. We find these things were restricted in ancient times. Do you not recollect the circumstance of the Prophet Nathan's coming to David? He came to reprove him for certain disobedience, and told him about the wives he had lost through it; that the Lord would give them to another; and he told him, if he had been faithful, that the Lord would have given him still more, if he had only asked for them. Nathan the Prophet, in relation to David, was the man that held the keys concerning this matter in ancient days; and it was governed by the strictest laws.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.268So in these days; let me announce to this congregation, that there is but one man in all the world, at the same time, who can hold the keys of this matter; but one man has power to turn the key to inquire of the Lord, and to say whether I, or these my brethren, or any of the rest of this congregation, or the Saints upon the face of the whole earth, may [p.269] have this blessing of Abraham conferred upon them; he holds the keys of these matters now, the same as Nathan, in his day.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.269But, says one, how have you obtained this information? By new revelation. When was it given, and to whom? It was given to our Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, Joseph Smith, on the 12th day of July, 1843; only about eleven months before he was martyred for the testimony of Jesus.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.269He held the keys of these matters; he had the right to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord has set bounds and restrictions to these things; He has told us in that revelation, that only one man can hold these keys upon the earth at the same time; and they belong to that man who stands at the head to preside over all the affairs of the Church and kingdom of God in the last days. They are the sealing keys of power, or in other words, of Elijah, having been committed and restored to the earth by Elijah, the Prophet, who held many keys, among which were the keys of sealing, to bind the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers; together with all the other sealing keys and powers, pertaining to the last dispensation. They were committed by that Angel who administered in the Kirtland Temple, and spoke unto Joseph the Prophet, at the time of the endowments in that house.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.269Now, let us enquire, what will become of those individuals who have this law taught unto them in plainness, if they reject it? [A voice in the stand, "they will be damned."] I will tell you: they will be damned, saith the Lord God Almighty, in the revelation He has given. Why? Because where much is given, much is required; where there is great knowledge unfolded for the exaltation, glory, and happiness of the sons and daughters of God, if they close up their hearts, if they reject the testimony of His word, and will not give heed to the principles He has ordained for their good, they are worthy of damnation, and the Lord has said they shall be damned. This was the word of the Lord to His servant Joseph the Prophet himself. With all the knowledge and light he had, he must comply with it, or, says the Lord unto him, you shall be damned; and the same is true in regard to all those who reject these things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.269What else have we heard from our President? He has related to us that there are some damnations that are eternal in their nature; while others are but for a certain period, they will have an end, they will not receive a restoration to their former privileges, but a deliverance from certain punishments; and instead of being restored to all the privileges pertaining to man previous to the fall, they will only be permitted to enjoy a certain grade of happiness, not a full restoration. Let us inquire after those who are to be damned, admitting they will be redeemed, which they will be, unless they have sinned against the Holy Ghost. They will be redeemed, but what will it be to? Will it be to exaltation, [p.270] and to a fulness of glory? Will it be to become the sons of God, or Gods to reign upon thrones, and multiply their posterity, and reign over them as kings? No, it will not. They have lost that exalted privilege for ever; though they may, after having been punished for long periods, escape by the skin of their teeth; but no kingdom will be conferred upon them. What will be their condition? I will tell you what revelation says, not only concerning them that reject these things, but concerning those that through their carelessness, or want of faith, or something else, have failed to have their marriages sealed for time and for all eternity: those that do not do these things, so as to have the same ordinances sealed upon their heads by divine authority, as was upon the head of old Father Adam—if they fail to do it through wickedness, through their ungodliness, behold, they also will never have the privilege of possessing that which is possessed by the Gods that hold the keys of power, of coming up to the thrones of their exaltation, and receiving their kingdoms. Why? Because, saith the Lord, all oaths, all covenants, and all agreements, &c., that have been made by man, and not by me, and by the authority I have established, shall cease when death shall separate the parties; that is the end; that is the cessation; they go no further; and such a person cannot come up in the morning of the resurrection, and say, Behold, I claim you as my wife; you are mine; I married you in the other world before death; therefore you are mine: he cannot say this. Why? Because he never married that person for eternity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.270Suppose they should enter into covenant and agreement, and conclude between themselves to live together to all eternity, and never have it sealed by the Lord's sealing power, by the Holy Priesthood, would they have any claim on each other in the morning of the resurrection? No; it would not be valid nor legal, and the Lord would say, It was not by me; your covenants were not sealed on the earth, and therefore they are not

sealed in the heavens; they are not recorded on my book; they are not to be found in the records that are in the archives of eternity; therefore the blessings you might have had, are not for you to enjoy. What will be their condition? The Lord has told us. He says these are angels; because they keep not this law, they shall be ministering servants unto those who are worthy of obtaining a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; wherefore, saith the Lord, they shall remain singly and separately in their saved condition, and shall not have power to enlarge themselves, and thus shall they remain forever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.270Here, then, you can read their history; they are not Gods, but they are angels or servants to the Gods. There is a difference between the two classes; the Gods are exalted; they hold keys of power; are made Kings and Priests; and this power is conferred upon them in time, by the everlasting Priesthood, to hold a kingdom in eternity that shall never [p.271] be taken from them worlds without end; and they will propagate their species. They are not servants; for one God is not to be a servant to another God; they are not angels; and this is the reason why Paul said, Know ye not, brethren, that we shall judge angels? Angels are inferior to the Saints who are exalted as Kings. These angels who are to be judged, and to become servants to the Gods, did not keep the law, therefore, though they are saved, they are to be servants to those who are in a higher condition.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.271What does the Lord intend to do with this people? He intends to make them a kingdom of Kings and Priests, a kingdom unto Himself, or in other words, a kingdom of Gods, if they will hearken to His law. There will be many who will not hearken; there will be the foolish among the wise, who will not receive the new and everlasting covenant in its fulness: and they never will attain to their exaltation; they never will be counted worthy to hold the sceptre of power over a numerous progeny, that shall multiply themselves without end, like the sand upon the sea shore.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.271We can only touch here and there upon this great subject, we can only offer a few words with regard to this great, sublime, beautiful, and glorious doctrine, which has been revealed by the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, Joseph Smith, who sealed his testimony with his blood, and thus revealed to the nations, things that were in ancient times, as well as things that are to come.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.271But while I talk, the vision of my mind is opened; the subject spreads forth and branches out like the branches of a thrifty tree; and as for the glory of God, how great it is! I feel to say, Hallelujah to His great and holy name; for He reigns in the heavens, and He will exalt His people to sit with Him upon thrones of power, to reign for ever and ever. [p.272]{13}"Celestial Marriage"—An Excerpt(from The Seer I [November 1853]: 173-76; 1 [December 1853]: 183-87)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.272…Inasmuch as the saints in Utah consider it moral, virtuous, and scriptural, to practice

the plurality system, they should seek by every means to eradicate, not only from their own minds, but from the minds of their children, every erroneous improper prejudice which they have formerly imbibed, by their associations with the nations of modern ChristendomA Parents who have daughters should seek to instil into their minds, that it is just as honorable for them to be united in marriage to a good man who is already a husband, as to one that is single: they should be taught to reject the society and proposals for marriage of all wicked men, whether single or not. A father should be impartial to all his children, and cultivate the same love for them all; while each wife should instil into the minds of her own children the necessity of loving the children of each of the others, as brothers and sisters. Each wife should, not only care for the welfare of her husband and her own children, but should also seek the happiness of each of his other wives and childrenA And likewise, the children of each wife should not only represent, honor, and love their own mother, but also the mothers of all their brothers and sisters. By observing these precepts, peace and tranquility will reign throughout every department of the family, and the spirit of God will flow freely from heart to heart.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.272Nothing is so much to be desired in families as peace, love, and union: they are essential to happiness here and hereafter. And, in order to promote these desirable objects, we would recommend the observance of the following rules.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.272Rule 1st.—Let that man who intends to become a husband, seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and learn to govern himself, according to the law of God: for he that cannot govern himself cannot govern others: let him dedicate his property, his talents, his time, and even his life to the service of God, holding all things at His disposal, to do with the same, according as He shall direct through the counsel that He has ordained.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.272Rule 2nd.—Let him next seek for wisdom to direct him in the choice of his wives. Let him seek for those whose qualifications will render him and themselves happyA Let him look not wholly at the beauty of [p.273] the countenance, or the splendor of the apparel, or the great fortune, or the artful smiles, or the affected modesty of females; for all these, without the genuine virtues, are like the dew-drops which glitter for a moment in the sun, and dazzle the eye, but soon vanish away. But let him look for kind and amiable dispositions; for unaffected modesty; for industrious habits; for sterling virtue; for honesty, integrity, and truthfulness; for cleanliness in persons, in apparel, in cooking, and in every kind of domestic labor; for cheerfulness, patience, and stability of character; and above all, for genuine religion to control and govern their every thought and deed. When he has found those possessing these qualifications let him seek to obtain them lawfully through the counsel of him who holds the keys of the everlasting priesthood, that they may be married to him by the authority of Heaven, and thus be secured to him for time and for all eternity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.273Rule 3rd.—When a man has obtained his wives, let him not suppose that they are already perfect in all things; for this cannot be expected in those who are young and inexperienced in the cares and vicissitudes of a married life. They, as weaker vessels,

are given to him as the stronger, to nourish, cherish, and protect; to be their head, their patriarch, and their saviour; to teach, instruct, counsel, and perfect them in all things relating to family government, and the welfare and happiness of themselves and their children. Therefore, let him realize the weighty responsibility now placed upon him, as the head of a family; and also let him study diligently the disposition of his wives, that he may know how to instruct them in wisdom for their good.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.273Rule 4th.—Betray not the confidence of your wives. There are many ideas in an affectionate confiding wife which she would wish to communicate to her husband, and yet she would be very unwilling to have them communicated to others. Keep each of your wives' secrets from all the others, and from any one else, unless in cases where good will result by doing otherwise.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.273Rule 5th.—Speak not of the faults of your wives to others; for in so doing, you speak against yourself. If you speak to one of your wives of the imperfections of the others who may be absent, you not only injure them in her estimation, but she will expect that you will speak against her under like circumstances: this is calculated to weaken their confidence in you, and sow division in the family. Tell each one of her faults in private in a spirit of kindness and love, and she will most probably respect you for it, and endeavor to do better for the future; and thus the others will not, because of your reproof, take occasion to speak reproachfully of her. There may be circumstances, when reproof, given in the presence of the others, will produce asalutary influence upon all. Wisdom is profitable to direct, [p.274] and should be sought for earnestly by those who have the responsibility of families.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.274Rule 6th.—Avoid anger and a fretful peevish disposition in your family. A hasty spirit, accompanied with harsh words, will most generally beget its own likeness, or, at least, it will, eventually, sour the feelings of your wives and children, and greatly weaken their affections for you. You should remember that harsh expressions against one of your wives, used in the hearing of the others, will more deeply wound her feelings, than if she alone heard them. Reproofs that are timely and otherwise good, may lose their good effect by being administered in a wrong spirit, indeed, they will most probably increase the evils which they were intended to remedy. Do not find fault with every trifling error that you may see; for this will discourage your family, and they will begin to think that it is impossible to please you; and, after a while, become indifferent as to whether they please you or not. How unhappy and extremely wretched is that family where nothing pleases—where scolding has become almost as natural as breathing!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.274Rule 7th.—Use impartiality in your family as far as circumstances will allow; and let your kindness and love abound towards them all. Use your own judgment, as the head of the family, in regard to your duties in relation to them, and be not swayed from that which is right, by your own feelings, nor by the feelings of others.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.274Rule 8th.—Suffer not your judgment to be biased against any one of your wives, by the accusations of the others, unless you have good grounds to believe that those accusations are just. Decide not hastily upon partial evidence, but weigh well all things,

that your mind may not become unjustly prejudiced. When one of your wives complains of the imperfections of the others, and endeavors to set your mind against them, teach her that all have imperfections, and of the necessity of bearing one with another in patience, and of praying one for another.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.274Rule 9th.—Call your wives and children together frequently, and instruct them in their duties towards God, towards yourself, and towards one another. Pray with them and for them often; and teach them to pray much, that the Holy Spirit may dwell in their midst, without which it is impossible to maintain that union, love, and oneness which are so necessary to happiness and salvation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.274Rule 10th.—Remember, that notwithstanding written rules will be of service in teaching you your duties, as the head of a family, yet without the Holy Ghost to teach and instruct you, it is impossible for you to govern a family in righteousness; therefore, seek after the Holy Ghost and he shall teach you all things, and sanctify you and your family, and make you one, that you may be perfected in Him and He in you, and [p.275] eventually be exalted on high to dwell with God, where your joy will be full forever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.275Rule 11th.—Let no woman unite herself in marriage with any man, unless she has fully resolved to submit herself wholly to his counsel, and to let him govern as the head. It is far better for her not to be united with him in the sacred bonds of eternal union, than to rebel against the divine order of family government, instituted for a higher salvation; for if she altogether turn therefrom, she will receive a greater condemnation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.275Rule 12th.—Never seek to prejudice the mind of your husband against any of his other wives, for the purpose of exalting yourself in his estimation, lest the evil which you unjustly try to bring upon them, fall with double weight upon your own head. Strive to rise in favor and influence with your husband by your own merits, and not by magnifying the faults of others.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.275Rule 13th.—Seek to be a peacemaker in the family with whom you are associated. If you see the least appearance of division arising, use your utmost efforts to restore union and soothe the feelings of all. Soft and gentle words, spoken in season, will allay contention and strife; while a hasty spirit and harsh language add fuel to the fire already kindled which will rage with increasing violence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.275Rule 14th.—Speak not evil of your husband unto any of the rest of the family for the purpose of prejudicing their minds against him; for if he be informed thereof, it will injure you in his estimation. Neither speak evil of any members of the family; for this will destroy their confidence in you. Avoid all hypocracy; for if you pretend to love your husband and to honor and respect his wives, when present, but speak disrespectful of them when absent, you will be looked upon as a hypocrite, as a tattler, and as a mischief-making woman, and be shunned as being more dangerous than an open enemy. And what is still more detestable, is to tattle out of the family, and endeavor to create enemies against those with whom you are connected. Such persons should not only be considered hypocrites, but traitors, and their conduct should be despised by

every lover of righteousness. Remember also, that there are more ways than one to tattle; it is not always the case that those persons who are the boldest in their accusations that are the most dangerous slanderers; but such as hypocritically pretend that they do not wish to injure their friends, and at the same time, very piously insinuate in dark indirect sayings, something that is calculated to leave a very unfavorable prejudice against them. Shun such a spirit as you would the very gates of hell.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.275Rule 15th.—If you see any of your husband's wives sick or in trouble, use every effort to relieve them, and to administer kindness and consolations, remembering that you, yourself, under the same circumstances, [p.276] would be thankful for their assistance. Endeavor to share each other's burdens, according to the health, ability, and strength which God has given you. Do not be afraid that you will do more than your share of the domestic labor, or that you will be more kind to them than they are to you.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.276Rule 16th.—Let each mother correct her own children, and see that they do not dispute and quarrel with each other, nor with any others; let her not correct the children of the others without liberty so to do, lest it give offence. The husband should see that each mother maintains a wise and proper discipline over her children, especially in their younger years: and it is his duty to see that all of his children are obedient to himself and to their respective mothers. And it is also his duty to see that the children of one wife are not allowed to quarrel and abuse those of the others, neither to be disrespectful or impudent to any branch of his family.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.276Rule 17th.—It is the duty of parents to instruct their children, according to their capacities in every principle of the gospel, as revealed in the Book of Mormon and in the revelations which God has given, that they may grow up in righteousness, and in the fear of the Lord, and have faith in Him. Suffer no wickedness to have place among them, but teach them the right way, and see that they walk therein. And let the husband and his wives, and all of his children that have come to the years of understanding often bow before the Lord around the family altar, and pray vocally and unitedly for whatever blessings they stand in need of, remembering that where there are union and peace, there will also be faith, and hope, and the love of God, and every good work, and a multiplicity of blessings, imparting health and comfort to the body, and joy and life to the soul.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.276Rule 18th.—Let each mother commence with her children when young, not only to teach and instruct them, but to chasten and bring them into the most perfect subjection; for then is the time that they are the most easily conquered, and their tender minds are the most susceptible of influences and government. Many mothers from carelessness neglect their children, and only attempt to govern them at long intervals, when they most generally find their efforts of no lasting benefit; for the children having been accustomed to have their own way, do not easily yield; and if peradventure they do yield, it is only for the time being, until the mother relaxes again into carelessness, when they return again to their accustomed habits: and thus by habit they become more and more confirmed in disobedience, waxing worse and worse, until the mother becomes discouraged, and relinquishes all discipline, and complains that she cannot make her children mind. The

fault is not so much in the children, as in the carelessness and neglect of the mother [p.277] when the children were young; it is she that must answer, in a great degree, for the evil habits and disobedience of the children. She is more directly responsible than the father; for it cannot be expected that the father can always find time, apart from the laborious duties required of him, to correct and manage his little children who are at home with their mothers. It is frequently the case that the father is called to attend to duties in public life, and may be absent from home much of his time, when the whole duty of family government necessarily rests upon the respective mothers of his children; if they through carelessness, suffer their children to grow up in disobedience and ruin themselves, they must bear the shame and disgrace thereof. Some mothers, though not careless, and though they feel the greatest anxiety for the welfare of their children, yet, through a mistaken notion of love for them, forbear to punish them when they need punishment, or if they undertake to conquer them, their tenderness and pity are so great, that they prevail over the judgment, and the children are left unconquered, and become more determined to resist all future efforts of their mothers until, at length, they conclude that their children have a more stubborn disposition than others, and that it is impossible to subject them in obedience. In this case, as in that of neglect, the fault is the mother's. The stubbornness of the children, for the most part, is the effect of the mother's indulgence, arising from her mistaken idea of love. By that which she calls love, she ruins her children.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.277Children between one and two years of age are capable of being made to understand many things; then is the time to begin with them. How often we see children of that age manifest much anger. Frequently by crying through anger, they that are otherwise healthy, injure themselves: it is far better, in such instances, for a mother to correct her child in a gentle manner, though with decision and firmness, until she conquers it, and causes it to cease crying, than to suffer that habit to increase. When the child by gentle punishment has learned this one lesson from its mother, it is much more easily conquered and brought into subjection in other things, until finally, by a little perseverance on the part of the mother, it learns to be obedient to her voice in all things; and obedience becomes confirmed into a permanent habit. Such a child trained by a negligent or overindulgent mother, might have become confirmed in habits of stubbornness and disobedience. It is not so much in the original constitution of children as in their training, that causes such wide differences in their dispositions. It cannot be denied, that there is a difference in the constitution of children even from their birth; but this difference is mostly owing to the proper or improper conduct of parents, as before stated; therefore, even for this difference, parents are more or less responsible. If parents, through their own evil conduct entail [p.278] hereditary dispositions upon their children which are calculated to ruin them, unless properly curtailed and overcome, they should realise, that for that evil they must render an account. If parents have been guilty in entailing upon their offspring unhappy dispositions, let them repent, by using all diligence to save them from the evil consequences which will naturally result by giving way to those dispositions. The greater the derangement, the greater must be the remedy, and the more skilful and thorough should be its application, until that which is sown in evil is overcome and completely subdued. In this way parents may save themselves and their children; but otherwise there is condemnation. Therefore, we

repeat again, let mothers begin to discipline their children when young.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.278Rule 19th.—Do not correct children in anger; an angry parent is not as well prepared to judge of the amount of punishment which should be inflicted upon a child, as one that is more cool and exercised with reflection, reason, and judgment. Let your children, see that you punish them, not to gratify an angry disposition, but to reform them for their good, and it will have a salutary influence; they will not look upon you as a tyrant, swayed to and fro by turbulent and furious passions; but they will regard you as one that seeks their welfare, and that you only chasten them because you love them, and wish them to do well. Be deliberate and calm in your counsels and reproofs, but at the same time use earnestness and decision. Let your children know that your words must be respected and obeyed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.278Rule 20th.—Never deceive your children by threatnings or promises. Be careful not to threaten them with a punishment which you have no intention of inflicting; for this will cause them to lose confidence in your word; besides, it will cause them to contract the habit of lying: when they perceive that their parents do not fulfil their threatenings or promises, they will consider that there is no harm in forfeiting their word. Think not that your precepts, concerning truthfulness, will have much weight upon the minds of your children, when they are contradicted by your examples. Be careful to fulfil your word in all things in righteousness, and your children will not only learn to be truthful from your example, but they will fear to disobey your word, knowing that you never fail to punish or reward according to your threatnings and promises. Let your laws, penalties, and rewards be founded upon the principles of justice and mercy, and adapted to the capacities of your children; for this is the way that our heavenly Father governs His children, giving to some a Celestial; to others a Terrestrial; and to others still a Telestial law, with penalties and promises annexed, according to the conditions, circumstances, and capacities of the individuals to be governed. Seek for wisdom and pattern after the heavenly order of government.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.279[p.279] Rule 21st.—Do not be so stern and rigid in your family government as to render yourself an object of fear and dread. There are parents who only render themselves conspicuous in the attribute of Justice, while mercy and love are scarcely known in their families. Justice should be tempered with mercy, and love should be the great moving principle, interweaving itself in all your family administrations. When justice alone sits upon the throne, your children approach you with dread, or peradventure hide themselves from your presence, and long for your absence that they may be relieved from their fear; at the sound of your approaching foot-steps they flee as from an enemy, and tremble at your voice, and shrink from the gaze of your countenance, as though they expected some terrible punishment to be inflicted upon them. Be familiar with your children that they may delight themselves in your society, and look upon you as a kind and tender parent whom they delight to obey. Obedience inspired by love, and obedience inspired by fear, are entirely different in their nature; the former will be permanent and enduring, while the latter only waits to have the objects of fear removed, and it vanishes like a dream. Govern children as parents, and not as tyrants; for they will be parents in their turn, and will be very likely to adopt that form of government in

which they have been educated. If you have been tyrants, they may be influenced to pattern after your example. If you are fretful and continually scolding, they will be very apt to be scolds too. If you are loving, kind, and merciful, these benign influences will be very certain to infuse themselves into their order of family government; and thus good and evil influences frequently extend themselves down for many generations and ages. How great, then, are the responsibilities of parents to their children! And how fearful the consequences of bad examples! Let love, therefore, predominate and control you, and your children will be sure to discover it, and will love you in return.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.279Rule 22nd.—Let each mother teach her children to honor and love their father, and to respect his teachings and counsels. How frequently it is the case, when fathers undertake to correct their children, mothers will interfere in the presence of the children: this has a very evil tendency in many respects: first, it destroys the oneness of feeling which should exist between husband and wife; secondly, it weakens the confidence of the children in the father, and emboldens them to disobedience; thirdly, it creates strife and discord; and lastly, it is rebelling against the order of family government, established by divine wisdom. If the mother supposes the father too severe, let her not mention this in the presence of the children, but she can express her feelings to him while alone by themselves, and thus the children will not see any division between them. For husband and wives to be disagreed, and to contend, [p.280] and quarrel, is a great evil; and to do these things in the presence of their children, is a still greater evil. Therefore, if a husband and his wives will quarrel and destroy their own happiness, let them have pity upon their children, and not destroy them by their pernicious examples.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.280Rule 23rd.—Suffer not children of different mothers to be haughty and abusive to each other; for they are own brothers and sisters the same as the children of the patriarch Jacob; and one has no claim above another, only as his conduct merits it. Should you discover contentions or differences arising, do not justify your own children and condemn the others in their presence; for this will encourage them in their quarrels: even if you consider that your children are not so much in the fault as the others, it is far better to teach them of the evils of strife, than to speak against the others. To speak against them, not only alienates their affections, but has a tendency to offend their mothers, and create unpleasant feelings between you and them. Always speak well of each of your husband's wives in the presence of your children; for children generally form their judgment concerning others, by the sayings of their parents: they are very apt to respect those whom their parents respect; and hate those whom they hate. If you consider that some of the mothers are too lenient with their children and too negligent in correcting them, do not be offended, but strive, by the wise and prudent management of your own, to set a worthy example before them, that they, by seeing your judicious and wise course, may be led to go and do likewise. Examples will sometimes reform, when precepts fail.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.280Rule 24th.—Be industrious in your habits: this is important as fulfilling the law of God: it is also important for those who are in low circumstances, that they may acquire food, and raiment, and the necessary comforts of life: it is also important for the rich as well as the poor, that they may be able more abundantly to supply the wants of the needy,

and be in circumstances to help the unfortunate and administer to the sick and afflicted; for in this way, it is possible even for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. A family whose time is occupied in the useful and lawful avocations of life, will find no time to go from house to house, tattling and injuring one another and their neighbors; neither will they be so apt to quarrel among themselves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.280Rule 25th.—When your children are from three to five years of age, send them to school, and keep them there year after year until they receive a thorough education in all the rudiments of useful science, and in their manners, and morals. In this manner, they will avoid many evils, arising from indolence, and form habits that will render them beneficial to society in after life. Let mothers educate their daughters in all kinds of domestic labor: teach them to wash and iron, to bake and do all kinds of cooking, to knit and sew, to spin and weave, and to do all other [p.281] things that will qualify them to be good and efficient housewives. Let fathers educate their sons in whatever branch or branches of business, they intend them respectively to follow. Despise that false delicacy which is exhibited by the sons and daughters of the rich, who consider it a dishonor to labor at the common avocations of live. Such notions of high-life, should be frowned out of the territory, as too contemptible to be harbored, for one moment, by a civilized community. Some of these bogus gentlemen and ladies have such grand ideas, concerning gentility, that they would let their poor old father and mother slave themselves to death, to support them in their idleness, or at some useless fanciful employment. The daughter will sit down in the parlour at her painting or music, arrayed in silks and fineries, and let her mother wash and cook until, through fatigue she is ready to fall into her grave: this they call gentility, and the distinctions between the low and the high. But such daughters are not worthy of husbands, and should not be admitted into any respectable society: they are contemptible drones, that would be a curse to any husband who should be so unfortunate as to be connected with such nuisances. Painting, music, and all the fine arts, should be cherished, and cultivated, as accomplishments which serve to adorn and embellish an enlightened civilized people, and render life agreeable and happy; but when these are cultivated, to the exclusion of the more necessary duties and qualifications, it is like adorning swine with costly jewels and pearls to make them appear more respectable: these embellishments, only render such characters a hundred fold more odious and disgustful than they would otherwise appear.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.281Rule 26th.—Use economy and avoid wastefulness. How discouraging it would be to a husband who has a large family, depending mostly upon his labor for a support, to see his wives and children carelessly, thoughtlessly, and unnecessarily, waste his hard earnings. Let not one wife, for fear that she shall not obtain her share of the income, destroy, give away, and otherwise foolishly dispose of what is given to her, thinking that her husband will furnish her with more. Those who economize and wisely use that which is given to them, should be counted worthy to receive more abundantly than those who pursue a contrary course. Each wife should feel interested in saving and preserving that with which the Lord has entrusted her, and should rejoice, not only in her prosperity, but in the prosperity of all the others: her eyes should not be full of greediness to grasp every thing herself, but she should feel equally interested in the

welfare of the whole family. By pursuing this course she will be beloved: by taking a contrary course, she will be considered selfish and little minded.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.281Rule 27th.—Let husbands, wives, sons, and daughters, continually realize that their relationships do not end with this short life, but will [p.282] continue in eternity without end. Every qualification and disposition therefore, which will render them happy here, should be nourished, cherished, enlarged, and perfected, that their union may be indissoluble, and their happiness secured both for this world and for that which is to come.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.282Let these rules be observed, and all others that are good and righteous, and peace will be the result: husbands will be patriarchs and saviours; wives will be like fruitful vines, bringing forth precious fruits in their seasons: their sons will be like plants of renown, and their daughters like the polished stones of a palace. Then the saints shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and become a great people and strong, whose goings forth shall be with strength that is everlasting. Arise, O Zion! clothe thyself with light! shine forth with clearness and brilliancy! illuminate the nations and the dark corners of the earth, for their light is gone out—their sun is set—gross darkness covers them! let thy light be seen upon the high places of the earth; let it shine in glorious splendour; for then shall the wicked see, and be confounded, and lay their hands upon their mouths in shame; then shall kings arise and come forth to the light, and rejoice in the greatness of thy glory! Fear not, O Zion, nor let thine hands be slack, for great is the Holy One in the amidst of thee! a cloud shall be over thee by day for a defense, and at night thy dwellings shall be encircled with glory! God is thine everlasting light, and shall be a Tower of strength against thine enemies; at the sound of His voice they shall melt away, and terrors shall seize upon them. In that day thou shalt be beautiful and glorious, and the reproach of the Gentiles shall no more come into thine ears; in that day, shall the sons of them that afflicted thee come bending unto thee and bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and the daughters of them that reproached thee, shall come saying, We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel, only let us be joined in the patriarchal order of marriage with the husbands and patriarchs in Zion to take away our reproach: then shall they highly esteem, far above riches, that which their wicked fathers ridiculed under the name of Polygamy.… [p.283]{14}"The Pre-Existence of Man"—An Excerpt(from The Seer I [July 1853]: 101-104; 1 [August 1853]: 113-21; 1 [September 1853]: 129-35)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28382. Having shown that man had a pre-existence in the heavens before the foundation of this world, that he was an intelligent moral agent, governed by laws, that he kept his first estate, that this earth was organized for his residence, wherein he had the privilege of being associated with a tabernacle or body, that this is the second estate, in which he encounters new trials under new conditions, which, if he overcomes, and keeps the higher laws, adapted to this state of being, will prepare him for a further advancement in the attributes and perfections of his Heavenly Father from whom he originated and by

whom he was begotten, long anterior to his present existence; having shown that the fall was necessary that he might become like the Gods, knowing good and evil, and that redemption was necessary that he might know how to appreciate happiness, by its contrast with misery, we will next inquire into the nature, origin, and extent of his capacities as a moral and intelligent being.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28383. First. What is the nature of the capacities of man? Man has the capacities of self-motion, of thinking, feeling, hating, loving, enjoying, suffering, remembering, reasoning, and many other qualities, too numerous to mention. Of all the qualities possessed by man, that of self-motion appears to us the most marvelous. All motions, excepting those of living beings, are said to be of a mechanical nature—that is, produced by matter's acting upon matter; all mechanical operations, in their origin, are the results of a living self moving force. The great laws of nature, themselves, are the results of this force. There is no other force in the universe. Those qualities which are called mechanical forces, gravitating forces, chemical forces, &c., are not forces, but only effects. The force which produces these effects is hidden from the view of mortals. A living, intelligent, self-moving force, is the origin of all the motions and laws of nature. Man has this capacity of self-motion, and exercises it to a small extent, in the moving of his limbs and body. But to enter into the investigation, in this treatise, of the nature of self-moving forces in general, would be foreign to the subject under consideration. For further information upon this interesting though recondite principle, our [p.284] readers are referred to our treatise, entitled Great First Cause, or the Self-Moving Forces of the Universe. The nature of thinking, remembering, and all the other capacities of man which we have named, are already familiar to the understanding of every one. No one will dispute, but what man possesses all these qualities.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28484. Secondly. Whence originated these capacities? When we speak of capacities we mean the original elementary capacities of the mind. We are well aware that metaphysicians consider many of the qualities named to be of a secondary or compound nature, growing out of the combinations of qualities still more original. All this we are willing to admit; but these secondary qualities, if analyzed, will be found in all instances to be the result of the combination of simple, elementary, original capacities. The question is, whence originated these elementary qualities of the mind? We answer, they are eternal. The capacities of all spiritual substance are eternal as the substance to which they belong. There is no substance in the universe which feels and thinks now, but what has eternally possessed that capacity. These capacities may be suspended for a season, but never can be annihilated. A substance which has not these capacities now, must eternally remain without them. The amount of matter in space can never be increased nor diminished, neither can there be a new elementary capacity added to this matter. For the arguments sustaining the eternity of matter and its capacities, see our treatise, referred to in the preceding paragraph. Admitting the eternity of the capacities, then the materials of which our spirits are composed, must have been capable of thinking, moving, willing, &c., before they were organized in the womb of the celestial female. Preceding that period there was an endless duration, and each particle of our spirits had an eternal existence, and was in possession of eternal capacities. Now can it be supposed, for one moment, that these particles were inactive and dormant from all

eternity until they received their organization in the form of the infant spirit? Can we suppose that particles, possessed of the power to move themselves, would not have exerted that power, during the endless duration preceding their organization? If they were once organized in the vegetable kingdom, and then disorganized by becoming the food of celestial animals, and then again re-organized in the form of the spirits of animals which is a higher sphere of being, then, is it unreasonable to suppose that the same particles have, from all eternity, been passing through an endless chain of unions and disunions, organizations and disorganizations, until at length they are permitted to enter into the highest and most exalted sphere of organization in the image and likeness of God? A transmigration of the same particles of spirits from a lower to a higher organization, is demonstrated from the fact that the same particles exist in a diffused scattered state, mingled with [p.285] other matter; next, they exist in a united form, growing out of the earth in the shape of grass, herbs, and trees; and after this, these vegetables become food for celestial animals, and these same particles are organized into their offspring, and thus form the spirits of animals. Here, then, is apparently a transmigration of the same particles of spirit from an inferior to a superior organization, wherein their condition is improved, and their sphere of action enlarged. Who shall set any bounds to this upward tendency of spirit? Who shall prescribe limits to its progression? If it abide the laws and conditions of its several states of existence, who shall say that it will not progress until it shall gain the very summit of perfection, and exist in all the glorious beauty of the image of God?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28585. When, therefore, the infant spirit is first born in the heavenly world, that is not a commencement of its capacities. Each particle eternally existed prior to this organization: each was enabled to perceive its own existence; each had the power of self-motion; each would be an intelligent living being of itself, having no knowledge of the particular thoughts, feelings, and emotions of other particles with which it never had been in union. Each particle would be as independent of every other particle as one individual person is of another. In this independent separate condition, it would be capable of being governed by laws, adapted to the amount of knowledge and experience it had gained during its past eternal existence. Each particle that complies with the laws prescribed for its rule of action, is permitted to rise in the scale of existence; for, by obeying the law, it gains more knowledge, and is thus prepared to act in a higher sphere, and under a superior law. How many different laws these particles have acted under during the endless school of experience through which they have passed is not known to us. What degree of knowledge they have obtained by experience, previous to their organization in the womb of the celestial female, is not revealed. One thing is certain, the particles that enter into the organization of the infant spirit, are placed in a new sphere of action: the laws to govern them in this new and superior condition must be different from any laws under which they had previously acted.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28586. The particles organized in an infant spirit, can no longer act, or feel, or think as independent individuals, but the law to control them in their new sphere, requires them to act, and feel, and think in union, and to be agreed in all things. When the same feelings, the same thoughts, the same emotions, and the same affections, pervade

every particle, existing in the union, the united individuals will consider themselves as one individual: the interest and welfare of each will be the interest and welfare of the whole: if one suffers, they all suffer: if one rejoices, they all rejoice: if one gains any information, it is communicated to all the [p.286] rest: if one thinks, all the rest think in the same manner: if one feels, they all feel: in fine, the union of these particles is so perfect, that there can be no state or affection of one, but all the rest are immediately notified of it, and are thus by sympathy in the same state or affection. And, therefore, they live, and move, and think, and act as one being, though in reality, it is a being of beings. So far as the substance is concerned the spiritual body is a plurality of beings; so far as the attributes or qualities are considered, it is but one being. We should naturally suppose, that individual particles which have been accustomed to act in an individual capacity, would, at first, find it very difficult to act in perfect concord and agreement. Each individual particle must consent, in the first place, to be organized with other similar particles, and after the union has taken place, they must learn, by experience, the necessity of being agreed in all their thoughts, affections, desires, feelings, and acts, that the union may be preserved from all contrary or contending forces, and that harmony may pervade every department of the organized system. Now, to learn all this, there must be a law given of a superior nature to those by which they were formerly governed in their individual capacities as separate particles. A law regulating them when existing out of the organization, would be entirely unsuitable to their new sphere of existence. New laws are wanted, requiring each particle no longer to act in relation to its own individual self, but to act in relation to the welfare and happiness of every other particle in the grand union. All disobedience to this law by any particle or particles in the organization, would necessarily bring its appropriate punishment: and thus by suffering the penalties of the law they would in process of time become martialed and disciplined to perform their appropriate functions in the spiritual system. The appropriate place for this grand school of experience, is in the Heavenly world, where, from the time of their birth as infant spirits, until the time that they are sent into this world to take fleshly tabernacles, the organized particles are instructed and educated in all the laws pertaining to their union, until they are made perfectly ONE in all their attributes and qualities; but not one in substance, for this would be impossible; each particle, though organized, maintains its own identity in the system. The oneness, therefore, can only consist in the sameness of the qualities which are attained by ages of experience through strict adherence to the wise and judicious laws, given to govern them in their united capacity.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28687. The particles organized in an infant spirit, before they had learned the necessity of being perfectly agreed might bring themselves into many disagreeable circumstances which, by a perfect agreement, might have been avoided. For instance, one law of the union is, that when any part of the system has ignorantly, or in any other way placed itself in [p.287] disagreeable circumstances, the other part shall take warning and endeavor to avoid those circumstances. To illustrate this law, suppose the particles, composing the right hand of a spirit, were placed in contact with certain substances which produced great pain, the perception of this pain is immediately communicated to the particles, composing the left hand, they, being inexperienced, give no heed to the friendly warning, and venture into the same difficulty as those in the right hand; they

now feel pained, and learn by experience, or by the things which they suffer, that they have violated one of the laws of their union. This places the particles on their guard, and they learn to respect the communications which any portion of the system conveys to the other; they learn that the same thing which will inflict pain on one part of the system, will also inflict pain upon the particles in any other part; and thus when the communication is made from one part of the system to the other, the particles have confidence in the intelligence conveyed, and act accordingly. This confidence is gained by experience. The particles learn by experience that to violate any law given to govern them in their united capacity brings punishment and misery. It is by experience that they learn to act, and feel, and think, alike; it is by experience that they learn to love and hate alike. However unlike they may be in the degrees of knowledge and experience which they had accumulated previous to their union, they, by being placed in the same organization, are schooled alike, and trained, disciplined, and educated alike, till every particle has the knowledge and experience of every other particle, and thus by experience they learn to be united in all things, and to act with one will in all their operations. To see the perfect union which now exists among the particles, composing our spirits, as manifested in thoughts, feelings, desires, and operations, one would almost think that these were the manifestations of one single being or particle, instead of a plurality of beings or particles. But a little reflection, will correct this false impression, and show us that these are the manifestations of the same attributes or qualities, dwelling in millions of particles but yielding obedience to the same great laws, ordained for the government of the organized union.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28788. Besides the laws, given to govern each individual particle in its organized capacity, there are other laws, given to govern the whole body. These again are of a still higher order; for those laws which regulate the different parts of the organization for the general good of the union, are altogether insufficient to govern the body as a whole. For instance, by the laws regulating each particle, the whole system becomes angry at the same time, if a cause exist, exciting that passion; but this law is insufficient to control the passion when it is excited. Another law is required to regulate the action of the whole system while under the passion. Under the first law no one particle has a right to get angry while [p.288] the others are pleased; they are bound by law to all get angry at once, or to all be pleased at once, that there may be a perfect agreement in their feelings. Under the second or higher law, the whole body of particles are required to govern the passions excited, in a certain manner, in accordance with the principles of justice and mercy that exist in the bosom of the one who gave the law. The spiritual body in its infancy is entirely ignorant, as a whole, of the nature of justice and mercy, good and evil, and such like qualities; but laws of justice and mercy, of good and evil, being given, the whole body learns to control itself according to those laws. A violation of any of these laws, immediately brings unhappiness—that is the being is chastized, according to the nature of the offence, and the penalties annexed to the law; in this manner the system learns, by the things which it suffers, to obey this higher law which is very different from any of the preceding laws under which the particles have been educated. The nature of justice and mercy, good and evil, are thus actually learned by experience. Obedience to the laws of justice, and suffering the penalties of disobedience, impart, in the course of time, a sense of justice to the particles in their

organized capacity: so likewise obedience to the laws of mercy, and the chastisements, resulting from the infringements of those laws, soon inform the organized particles, concerning the nature of mercy. In like manner, a sense of good and evil, and of all other like qualities, is obtained from the enjoyments resulting from obedience, and the miseries inflicted for disobedience, to the laws given to govern all those qualities and passions. All these qualities, therefore, are gained by experience. The laws, being given and adhered to, discipline and instruct the infant or youthful spirit in the knowledge of things, which previously it was entirely ignorant of.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28889. As all the infant spirits are instructed under the same laws, they all acquire the same sense of justice, mercy, good, and evil. It is for this cause, that two or more spirits do not form different ideas of the nature of good and evil; so far as they have been properly educated and taught in the same law, one will not call good, evil; or evil, good; and another have a different idea of the same principles. Of course, there will be spirits, possessing different degrees of intelligence, depending on the obedience which they have rendered to the various systems of laws under which they have acted, during the past ages of eternity, and also depending upon the length of time in which they have been educated and taught in their spiritual organization. But so far as they have acquired knowledge, it has been through the medium of the same laws; consequently the same degree of knowledge in one, cannot differ in its nature from the same degree of knowledge in another.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28890. If one class of spirits were educated under a system of laws which rewarded them for doing that which we call evil, and punished them [p.289] for that which we call good: while another class were educated by laws of an opposite nature. These two classes of spirits, when brought together, would have entirely opposite ideas concerning good and evil. The fact that the spirits have, so far as their knowledge extends, the same ideas concerning the nature of justice and mercy, good and evil, virtue and vice—shows most clearly a cause for this sameness; now that which is preceded by a cause cannot be eternal; hence, there must have been a time, when this sameness of knowledge was acquired by the particles constituting each spiritual body. The capacities of perceiving this knowledge are eternal; but the exercise of these eternal capacities in acquiring knowledge of the laws of good and evil had a beginning. We cannot conceive of millions of beings, having the same idea of the nature of good and evil, without introducing a cause to account for this sameness and likeness; and a cause always implies a beginning to the effects which follow. But if millions of beings eternally possessed the same idea of the nature of good and evil, all causes for this sameness of idea would be excluded: they would possess this sameness by chance: if it were eternal, there would be no reason why even two beings should have the same views concerning anything: but when numberless; millions of beings are perceived to have the same ideas in regard to the nature of different acts, calling one species of acts good, and another evil, it demonstrates, in the most incontrovertible manner, that these beings did not possess these ideas eternally, but that they acquired them from one common cause, which instructed and enlarged the eternal capacities in the same school of laws, that the same ideas, the same views, and the same knowledge might pervade the whole, so far as they are instructed. This sameness of ideas will enable them to act in unison, not only

for their own individual benefit, but for the benefit of the whole community or family of spirits with whom each is associated.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.28991. While we are obliged to admit the eternity of the substance and its capacities, on the other hand, we are compelled to admit a beginning to the organizations of the particles of this substance; there must also have been a time when the eternal capacities began to know good and evil, justice and mercy, love and hatred; for the sameness of these qualities, existing in the minds of all mankind shows that they must be derived qualities and therefore that they could not have possessed them eternally. All must at once see, that the moment a quality or thing is admitted to be eternal, all causes for the nature, or peculiarity, or sameness of the quality, and all causes for the particular magnitude or form of the thing or being, are totally excluded. In regard to that which is eternal, we would have no right to ask the questions, Why it is so? Why it possesses such a quality? Why it has a certain magnitude? Why it exists in a certain form? All such questions imply a cause, and, therefore, a [p.290] beginning. If we were to admit that water was eternal, then it would be entirely inconsistent to ask the question, Why one drop of pure water possessed precisely the same qualities of another? If both drops were eternal there would, in reality, be no cause for one being of the same nature as the other. As there would be no cause for any two drops, out of an infinite number, to be alike, we would have no reason to infer, prior to experience, that they would taste alike, or extinguish fire alike, or that drops of the same size would weigh alike, or that they would quench thirst alike, or that they would manifest any other qualities alike. If, on the examination of the drops, we found them to possess qualities alike, we would naturally inquire, How came they to be alike? The natural answer would be, They were designed to be alike for purposes beneficial to the universe. But if they were designed to be alike, there must have been a period before that design and before they were alike, and consequently their present qualities are not eternal, but acquired or derived from some anterior qualities. So it is in relation to the qualities of the human mind. The very fact that all human minds look upon certain acts to be good, and certain others to be evil, shows that the qualities of the mind are in many respects precisely alike. If they were eternal there would be no cause for any two, out of all mankind, to have any qualities alike: and no one would be able to infer, prior to experience, that any of the rest of mankind possessed qualities at all resembling his own. If the qualities were eternal, he could not with propriety ask the question, Why a man possessed superior qualities to a brute? Or, Why the constitution of human minds resembled each other? But man finds by experience that there is a resemblance or similarity in the constitution of all human minds, and he naturally asks the question, What is the cause of this likeness? The answer naturally occurs to his own mind that, It was thus designed for the general good of man; and consequently there must have been a time before the design took effect, when the constitution of our minds were unlike, and, therefore, that the present qualities of our minds are not eternal, but are the results of the combinations of anterior qualities, which in their turn are again the results of the exercise of the eternal capacities.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29092. Thirdly. Having investigated the nature and origin of man's capacities, let us next inquire into the extent of those capacities. It is almost universally supposed that the capacities of man are finite—that is, limited in their nature, and that it is utterly

impossible for man to acquire a fulness of all knowledge. But this is a false supposition, without the least shadow of foundation. We shall proceed to prove that the capacities of man are not finite, but infinite. It may be well for us to define the terms, finite and infinite before we proceed farther. These terms have quite a different sense when used in relation to different things. When used in [p.291] reference to space or duration, finite signifies space or time included within limits; while infinite signifies boundless space or endless duration. When used in reference to numbers, the first means a limited number, and the last a number unlimited or an endless series of numbers. When applied to knowledge, one means to know only in part, while the other is to know in full. When used in reference to capacities, finite signifies a capacity that is stationary or can only be expanded in a limited degree, while infinite signifies a capacity sufficiently great to grasp a fulness of all knowledge, after which expansion ceases for the want of nothing more to be learned. A being may have an infinite capacity, and still have only a finite knowledge. We know of no beings having only finite capacities. Angels, men, beasts, birds, fish, and insects, have finite knowledge, but we have no reason to suppose any of them to be limited in their capacities. For aught we know, each and all of them may have capacities capable of receiving infinite knowledge. If we were to suppose that some of these beings are finite in their capacities, then there must be a certain limit of knowledge, beyond which they can never pass: for if they were capable of passing any assigned limits of knowledge, they would be capable of receiving a fulness of all knowledge which would be infinite.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29193. The constitution of our minds is such, that we cannot easily conceive of a being who is capacitated to perceive one truth, but unable to perceive another. It is true, there may be obstacles in the way by which this being is prevented from acquiring a second truth; but remove all obstacles and place the being in a favorable condition, the question is, Could it not perceive a second, a third, a fourth, or even any number of truths, as well as the first? We can see no possible hindrance to its advancement in knowledge only by interposing obstacles in the way. If the capacity have an existence, which it must have in order to perceive one truth, we cannot conceive how that it could possibly be limited, so as never, under any circumstances, to be able to perceive another. We do not see why a faculty that is capable of discerning that two are more than one, cannot also discern that three are more than two. Some truths are more difficult to be perceived than others, but this is owing, not to the want of capacity, but to the obstacles which intervene between the capacity and the truth to be perceived. Let the intervening obstacles be removed, and the capacity that is able to perceive one truth could perceive all truth. Therefore, wherever a being exists that has any knowledge, however small the amount, that being has infinite capacities, capable of perceiving all things past, present, and to come, just as soon as the intervening barriers are removed. We are aware that this idea is in opposition to the views of almost all mankind: they have been taught that the capacities, as well as the knowledge of all beings, but God, [p.292] were finite; and from these false premises they have drawn the conclusion that no beings could ever attain to all the fulness of the knowledge of God. If the premises were granted, the conclusions would be just: but the premises are without foundation, and are evidently false. The capacities of man are not only eternal, but infinite, and he is capable of receiving infinite knowledge. And without infinite knowledge his capacities never will be

satisfied.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29294. It is frequently said by philosophers, that knowledge which is finite can never be increased so as to become infinite; but this is in direct opposition to fact. Our Saviour, when He came into the world, possessed only finite knowledge; hence He is represented as increasing in wisdom and stature. To increase in wisdom evidently proves that He was not at that time in the possession of all wisdom. His wisdom and knowledge were finite. But He afterwards attained a fulness, and as Paul says, "In whom (Christ) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." And again, "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. 2:3, 9.) "It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." (Col. 1:19.)John the Baptist bore record that he beheld his glory, and that he was "full of grace and truth." (John 1:14.) At the time his Father gave him the Holy Spirit, he, no doubt, received a fulness: for John soon after speaks thus of him: "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands." (John 3:34, 35.) All the treasures of wisdom, knowledge, and truth, were hid in him; he was full of them: the fulness of the Spirit, the fulness of the Godhead, and the fulness of power, dwelt in him: all things were given into his hand. There was no wisdom, nor knowledge, nor power, nor dominions, that the Father possessed, but what Jesus possessed also. In fine, he was one in all the fulness of the attributes and perfections of the Father. It was for this reason that Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." (John 10:30.) Here, then, we have an example of finite knowledge, wisdom, and power, increasing until the same became infinite.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29295. As we have one example of finite knowledge being increased to infinity, we have reason to believe that it may be the case in other instances. If the First Born or oldest brother has received a fulness, we see no impropriety in believing that the younger brethren may also receive the same fulness. Paul prayed that the Saints "might be filled with all the fulness of God."—(Eph. 3:19.) And Jesus prayed that they all might be made perfect in one, as he and the Father are one.—(John 17.) When these prayers are answered, they will know as much as the Father and Son know. They will be in the Father and Son, and the Father and Son will be in them, and the Father and Son and all the Saints will be made perfect in one. Hence John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, [p.293] and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him."—(1 John 3:2.) Not only like him in body, but also in mind. For then he "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Phillipians 3:21.) Then we shall be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect—(Math. 5:48): then shall we be pure as He is pure, and holy as He is holy: then shall we know as we are known, and see as we are seen: then shall we be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ in the inheritance of all things: then shall knowledge in part be done away, and we shall know in full: then there will be no knowledge, or truth, or wisdom in the heights above or in the depths beneath, or in the Heavens, or in the Heaven of Heavens, or in the immensity of space, or in the eternal ages of duration, but what we shall comprehend and know; then there will be no Being or Beings in existence that will know one particle more than what we know: then our knowledge, and wisdom, and power, will be infinite; and cannot, from thenceforth, be increased or expanded in the least degree: then we shall be Gods, because all the

fulness of God will dwell within us.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29396. It has been most generally believed that the Saints will progress in knowledge to all eternity: But when they become one with the Father and Son, and receive a fulness of their glory, that will be the end of all progression in knowledge, because there will be nothing more to be learned. The Father and the Son do not progress in knowledge and wisdom, because they already know all things past, present, and to come. All that become like the Father and Son will know as much as they do, and consequently will learn no more. The Father and Son, and all who are like them and one with them, already know as much as any Beings in existence know, or even can know.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29397. In the twenty-second paragraph of this article we showed that there could not possibly be but one God, so far as the attributes are concerned, but so far as it regards persons, that there were an immense number of Gods. Now we wish to be distinctly understood that each of these personal Gods has equal knowledge with all the rest; there are none among them that are in advance of the others in knowledge; though some may have been Gods as many millions of years, as there are particles of dust in all the universe, yet there is not one truth that such are in possession of but what every other God knows. They are all equal in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in the possession of all truth. None of these Gods are progressing in knowledge; neither can they progress in the acquirement of any truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29398. Some have gone so far as to say that all the Gods were progressing in truth, and would continue to progress to all eternity, and that some were far in advance of others: but let us examine, for a moment, the absurdity of such a conjecture. If all the Gods will be eternally [p.294] progressing, then it follows, that there must be a boundless infinity of knowledge that no God ever has attained to, or ever can attain to, throughout infinite ages to come: this boundless infinity of knowledge would be entirely out of the reach and control of all the Gods; therefore it would either not be governed at all, or else be governed by something that was infinitely Superior to all the Gods—a something that had all knowledge, and consequently that could not acquire more. Have we any right to say that there is a boundless ocean of materials, acting under such Superior laws that none of the Gods to all ages of eternity can be able to understand them? We should like to know what Law Giver gave such superior laws. If it be said that the laws were never given, but that the materials themselves eternally acted according to them. This would not in the least obviate the difficulty; for then there would be a boundless ocean of materials, possessing knowledge of laws so infinitely superior to the knowledge of all the Gods, that none of them, by progressing for eternal ages, could ever reach it. This is the great absurdity, resulting from the vague conjecture that there will be an endless progression in knowledge among all the Gods. Such a conjecture is not only extremely absurd, but it is in direct opposition to what is revealed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.29499. We shall now show from the revelations given through JOSEPH, the SEER, that God and his son, Jesus Christ, are in possession of all knowledge, and that there is no more truth for them to learn, and show also that the Saints will attain to the same fulness and know as much as they know. First, we will give Enoch's testimony

concerning God, the Father: "And it came to pass that the God of Heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and He wept; and, Enoch bore record of it, saying, how is it the Heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord, how is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? and were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, and millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever; thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity, and nought but peace, justice, and truth, is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end: how is it that thou canst weep?" Connected with the reply, the Almighty said to Enoch, "Behold I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name also. Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also." (See Joseph Smith's inspired translation of the Book of Genesis, published in "The Pearl of Great Price.") The Being whom Enoch [p.295] here addressed, and who conversed with him, is represented in the same connection as the Father of Christ. This Being is declared to be "from all eternity," and the creations that He had made were so immensely numerous, that the particles of dust in a million of earths like this, "would not be a BEGINNING to the number." This shows that His creations are endless, or in other words infinite in number. Now a finite number cannot, in one sense, be a beginning to an infinite number. The vast number of particles contained in millions of worlds, is still only a finite number, and is therefore limited; but an endless series of worlds is not limited, and therefore can have no beginning; and no finite number, however great, can be the beginning of something that has no beginning. This endless number of worlds are all held and controlled by the power of God, the Father of Christ. And to show that He has a full knowledge of them all, He exclaims, "Mine eye can pierce them also." The perceptive powers of His vision must be infinite or he could not look upon an infinite number of creations. It shows still further that His "eye can pierce them" all at the same instant; for if He were obliged to withdraw His vision from one in order to look upon another, He never could have time to behold them all. If He were to observe each only for the short period of one second, He could not behold even a beginning of the endless number in as many millions of ages, as there are particles of dust in the visible universe; but as His "eye can pierce them" all, He must necessarily have the power of beholding them all at the same instant. Moreover, He is present with them all, for Enoch, in speaking to the Lord in regard to the immensity of the numbers of His creations, exclaims "Thou art there, and thy bosom is there." Being present in all, beholding them all, and governing them all, He must necessarily have a knowledge of them all. And as the number of worlds are infinite, His knowledge must be infinite, and, therefore, He knows all things, and can know no more. This agrees with what this same Being said to Moses.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.295"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. And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Saviour, for he is full of grace and truth; but there is no God besides me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all." (See "Pearl of Great Price.") Here the Father of Christ declares [p.296] that His "works are without end," that "all things are present" with Him, and that He knows them all.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.296The same idea is conveyed in another revelation, as follows: "Judgment goeth before the face of Him who sitteth upon the throne, and governeth and executeth all things; He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before Him, and all things are round about Him; and He is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by Him, and of Him, even God, forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 7, par. 10.) As "He comprehendeth all things," His knowledge must be infinite; therefore, the vague conjecture that God, the Father, can progress eternally in knowledge, is, as we have shown, not only absurd, but directly opposed to the revelations which He has given.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.296100. We shall next prove by the new revelations that the Only Begotten Son is in possession of equal knowledge with the Father. "And I, John, saw that He (Christ) 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 first." (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 83: Par. 2.) What was this fulness here mentioned? Jesus answers this question, "I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying, He received a fulness of truth, yea even of ALL truth." But what is truth? "Truth is the knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." (Par. 4.) John was not satisfied with telling us that Jesus received a fulness of truth, but repeats the idea, "yea, even of all truth," or in other words, He received a fulness of the knowledge of all "things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." No power of language could be able to express the idea in clearer or more forcible terms. And now we ask, is there any other truth or knowledge in existence that Jesus could learn? We fearlessly answer, No. A fulness of all truth embraces, first, a knowledge of all "things as they are" in their present condition, or in other words, a knowledge of all the worlds that now exist throughout the boundless immensity of space, and of all the materials of nature, whether organized or unorganized, and of all their relations, and dependencies, and laws, and operations, whether animate or inanimate, intelligent or unintelligent; it embraces a knowledge of every thought and desire, of every feeling and emotion that exists among all the countless swarms of living beings in all worlds; it grasps within its infinite capacity the present state of every individual particle, its properties and qualities in all planets and suns, and systems, and universes in the boundless heights and depths of infinity itself. But this is not all; it takes in the past as well as the present; a fulness of all truth, embraces an endless duration that is past—a [p.297] boundless ocean of space—an infinity of materials—the eternal and unceasing operations of each particle—a knowledge of the exact condition of the universe as a whole, and in all its parts in every successive instant from the present back through

endless ages without beginning. But we must not stop here; the fulness of all truth embraces a knowledge of all things to come; of all worlds that shall be organized, redeemed, and glorified; of all the eternal laws, operations, and changes of every particle of substance in existence in every successive moment throughout eternal ages that will have no end. This, in connection with the present and the past, is what constitutes "all truth"—this is, the infinite knowledge dwelling in Christ; and this is what He received when a fulness was given unto Him. John informs us of the period when this fulness was granted. "And I, John, bare 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, bare 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." (Par. 2.) It is this fulness of truth that is God, and that is personified and called by the different names which the Lord has appropriated to Himself: it is this fulness of truth that constitutes the one only true and living God, and besides Him there is no God. He dwells in countless myriads of temples, and is in all worlds at the same instant. He is in all, and over all, and through all things, and the power by which they are governed. He is in the personage of the Father in all of his fulness, even the Spirit of truth. God is Truth, and Truth is God, and the material universe is His tabernacle; men are designed to be his tabernacles or temples, if they will receive Him. Jesus says, "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." (Par. I.) Jesus was called the Son "because he received not of the fulness at the first;" and he was called the Father because he afterwards did receive it. Thus the name of Father is given to the Son not because of the tabernacle, but because of the fulness of truth, which is the Father dwelling therein.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.297101. We shall now proceed to show from new revelations that the Saints are to have equal knowledge with the Father and Son. We now only know in part; so far as truth dwells in us, so far the Father and Son dwell within us. Hear what Jesus says: "Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; and none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost: and the Father and I are one: I am in the Father and the Father in me; and [p.298] inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you. Wherefore I am in your midst, and I am the good Shepherd, and the Stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall, and the day cometh that you shall hear my voice, and see me, and know that I am." (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 17: Par. 8.) We are in this revelation represented as only little children, not able, as yet, to bear all things, but are commanded to grow in grace and in truth; and are told that inasmuch as we had received Him we were in Him, and He in us. As the Father and Son are called Truth, inasmuch as we receive truth, they dwell within us. Where only a small degree of light and truth dwells within us, there only a small portion of the Father and Son abide in us; as we increase from grace to grace, and from truth to truth, so do we in like manner inherit greater, and still greater, portions of God, and when we receive a fulness of all truth, then all the fulness of God dwells in us, even the Father and Son. The fulness of all Truth in us will make us Gods, equal in all things with the Personages of the Father

and the Son; and we could not be otherwise than equal, for He is the same God who dwells in us that dwells in them; instead of dwelling in two tabernacles, under the names of the Father and Son, He will then dwell in the additional tabernacles of the Saints. And wherever He dwells in fulness, there would necessarily be equality, in wisdom, power, glory, and dominion.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.298102. We will quote another extract in order to show how we are to attain this fulness. "And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful, you shall receive the fulness of the record of John. I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of His fulness, for if you keep my commandments you shall receive of His fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace." (Doc. and Cov., sec. 83: par. 3.) The fulness is to be obtained on condition of keeping His commandments. That we are to receive a fulness in the same sense that He received it, is evident from the fact that when we obtain that blessing, Jesus says, that we should be glorified in Him as He was in the Father. In the next paragraph we have a still stronger evidence, Jesus says, "John bore record of me saying, He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth, and no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth His commandments. He that keepeth His commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." This is as plain as language can make it. When this promise is realized, the Saints will know all things past, present, and to come, and there will be no Being in existence that will be in advance of them in knowledge and wisdom. Again, Jesus says, "If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no [p.299] darkness in you, and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things." And still again, "The day shall come when you shall comprehend even God; being quickened in Him and by Him." (Doc. and Cov. 7:12, 18.) It is not necessary to multiply passages, for the revelations, both ancient and modern, are very full upon this point. Enough has been quoted to demonstrate that the light of the Saints will grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day at which time their light will be full and cannot from thenceforth be increased in brilliancy. How much more satisfactory it is to the mind to contemplate millions on millions of glorified worlds, each peopled with myriads of Beings filled with all the fulness of God or Truth, than it is to suppose them all progressing in knowledge without a possibility of ever attaining to a fulness worlds without end. This perfection and equality in knowledge among the Gods of all ages and worlds, serve to produce a perfect oneness among them all. Having equal knowledge, they would of course have equal wisdom and equal power, and would act with the most perfect union, and harmony, and consert in all things. But what inextricable difficulties and confusion there would be, if they differed in knowledge and all of them were progressing. The oneness, so necessary for the peace and good order of the Heavenly worlds, could not exist; one for the want of the requisite knowledge would undo what another of superior knowledge had done: upon the progressing principle, they never could be made perfect in one, worlds without end. Thus we have abundantly proved that the capacities of man are not only eternal, but infinite.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.299103. An infinite quantity of self-moving intelligent matter, possessed of infinite

capacities, and existing eternally, must have been engaged in an endless series of operations. It matters not how far we may, in the imagination of our minds, go back into the infinite depths of past duration, we are still obliged to admit, that every particle of matter which now exists, existed then: that it was then capable of self-motion; that it was then capable of exercising the eternal capacities of its nature, and of progressing onward and upward, until it should be perfected in all the fulness of wisdom, knowledge, and truth. An endless series of operations excludes a first operation. If it be assumed that there was a period when matter first began to act, then the succession of acts would be finite and not endless, and there would have been an endless duration, preceding that first act, during which, all things would have been in a quiescent state, or state of absolute rest. To suppose that all the spiritual matter of the universe, which is now so powerful and active, has once been eternally at rest, would seem to be absurd in the highest degree. Every thing now is in motion; every thing is highly active: every thing is acting under some law, or guided by some motive or will. Such a thing as an inactive particle of matter is not known in the universe. If all [p.300] substance once existed eternally without action, what prompted it to make the first effort? How came the first particle to move itself? Why, after an endless past duration, should it all at once, conclude to move? Why should intelligent thinking materials, capable of self-motion, have existed from all eternity without exercising their capacities? No one, therefore, upon candid reflection, can suppose, for one moment, that there was a beginning to the operations or actions of substance. There could not have been a first act or first operation. The succession of acts and operations must have been endless.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.300104. Having shown in the preceding paragraph, that there must have been an endless series of operations among the self-moving intelligent materials of nature, let us next inquire into the nature of these operations. These operations may have been extremely simple, or they may have been abstruse and intricate in their nature: they may have been the effect of each individual particle, acting at random under no particular system of laws, or they may have been the results of a combination of large masses of substances acting under wise and judicious laws: they may have acted in a disorganized capacity, or they may have acted in the capacity of organized worlds, and personages, and beings, something similar to what now exists. Simple operations at random without law, would exhibit but a small degree of intelligence; while operations such as now exist, would show something that had infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power; in other words, it would prove the existence of a God. If this endless series of operations has always been conducted with the same wisdom and power which now characterize the workings of the universe, then there must have always been a fulness of knowledge and truth existing somewhere, either in organized or disorganized substances. We cannot prove from the present appearances of nature that there has always been a God. The present exhibitions of nature only prove that there is now a God, and that there has been a God for many ages past, which is clearly proved by His works, many of which can be proved to be many thousand years old. But when we go back to ages still more remote in antiquity, nature does not inform us whether there was in those ages a God, having a fulness of knowledge, or not. We have been informed in preceding paragraphs, that men, through obedience, attain to the fulness of all knowledge and become Gods. Now there is a time before each man obtains this fulness

which constitutes him a God. Personal Gods, then, have a beginning: they exist first as spirits, then as men clothed with mortal flesh, then as Gods clothed with immortal tabernacles. If one God can have a beginning, the question arises, May not all other Gods have had a beginning? The operations and appearances of the universe only teach us that there has been a God for a few ages past; and if we had no other light, the question would very [p.301] naturally occur, was there not a first God? And if so, at what period of time did he attain to a fulness of truth and become God? What was the condition of the universe before any of the substances of nature attained this fulness? In the absence of revelation in regard to the past eternity of God, such questions as the foregoing would unavoidably arise in the mind.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.301105. If there ever were a period when none of the substances of nature, possessed a fulness of truth, then previously to that period the universe would have been governed by laws inferior to those which now obtain. But it seems altogether unlikely that among an infinite quantity of materials, possessing infinite capacities, there should be none which had perfected themselves in knowledge and truth, though they had had an endless duration in which to have accomplished it. It seems far more consistant to believe that infinite knowledge has from all eternity existed somewhere, either in organized personages or in disorganized materials.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.301106. We shall now prove by revelation given through JOSEPH, the SEER, that there has been a God from all eternity; or in other words, that there is a God who never had a beginning. One revelation commences thus: "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 worlds." (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 59: Par. I.) Here then is positive proof that Jesus Christ is from all Eternity. We are aware that there are some who consider that the words "all Eternity" have reference to a definite limited period of time. Such suppose that there have been many eternities succeeding each other: if this supposition be correct, then the period expressed by the words "from all Eternity" could not have beginning. But it is evident to our mind that the words were intended to convey the idea of an endless past duration; or in other words, a duration that had no beginning, when speaking in reference to the light and truth that dwelt in Him. That this is the true idea intended to be conveyed, is evident from other declarations of Christ; one of which reads as follows: "Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins." Among the things revealed in this revelation, Jesus says, "Unto myself my works have no end, NEITHER BEGINNING." (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 10: Par. 1 and 8.) No language could more plainly prove that Jesus Christ had no beginning. His "works have no end, neither beginning." There never was a period when Christ began His works: there never was a first work that He performed. A series that has no beginning can have no first term. A past succession of works that is endless necessarily excludes a first work. As there could not be a first act, it shows most clearly that Jesus Christ must have existed during an endless succession of ages, and that there could not be a [p.302] first age of His existence. This past endless existence of Christ has reference to the fulness of Truth, and Light, and Knowledge which now dwell in His person. These attributes are personified and called God: these had no beginning, while His person did have a beginning in its organized

capacity, being the "First Born of every creature." The attributes of Jesus Christ, or in other words, the fulness of Truth, existed for endless ages before His person was formed. Before the spiritual body or personage of Christ was born in the heavenly world, there were innumerable worlds in existence, each peopled with myriads of personages, and each were filled with all the fulness of Jesus Christ, or the fulness of Truth, which is called by various names, such as, God, the Great I AM, the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, &c. All these names, as well as the personal pronouns He, His, and Him, are applied to the FULNESS OF TRUTH, wherever it or He may dwell, whether in one tabernacle or in unnumbered millions. This Great God—the FULNESS OF TRUTH, can dwell in all worlds at the same instant—can be everywhere present—can be in all things, and round about all things, and through all things. He is in the personage of the Father; He is in the personage of the Son; He will be in the personages of all His Saints when they receive of His fulness; and in fine, He is the only living and true God, and besides Him there is no God: He is the only God worshipped by the righteous of all worlds; for He exists in all worlds, and dwells in all his fulness in countless millions of tabernacles. He has no beginning, neither have His works a beginning, but each of His organized tabernacles had a beginning: each personal spirit was organized out of the elements of spiritual matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.302107. Having proved that Jesus Christ, or the Fulness of Truth, had no beginning, let us next inquire, Whether there always have been personages in which this fulness dwelt? or whether it or He dwelt in the unorganized particles of substance prior to there being any personages formed? These are rather difficult questions to answer. It is quite probable, that it has been from all eternity about the same as at present; that there has been an endless succession of substances, both organized and unorganized, which have been exalted and glorified, and have received a fulness. It is altogether likely, that there has been an endless succession of worlds, and an endless succession of inhabitants who have peopled those worlds. If so, then there could not be a first world, nor a first person. Though each world, and each person would have a beginning, yet there would be no beginning to the grand chain of succession or genealogy. This may be exemplified, by conceiving the existence of endless straight lines in boundless space: conceive each of these lines to be divided or graduated into an endless number of yards. All can at once see, that there would be a beginning to each of these yards, but there would be no beginning to the endless succession. So, likewise, of [p.303] endless duration; we can conceive of its being divided into an endless succession of minutes; each of these minutes would have a beginning, but there would be no beginning to the succession. We have already learned from revelation that the works of Jesus Christ had no beginning. Now let us suppose that each successive work was the organization of a world and the peopling of the same. All will at once admit that each world and the inhabitants thereof would have a beginning; but His works, being without a beginning, there could not be a first world in this endless succession, nor a first Father in the endless genealogy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.303108. Looking at things through our imperfect minds, we have been accustomed to suppose that all things which are connected by a chain of causes and effects, must eventually terminate in a First Cause and in a First Effect: for instance, in tracing

genealogies, we go back from the son to the father, then to the grandfather, then to the great grandfather, and thus we trace the lineage back from generation to generation until we naturally look for a first father pertaining to the human race on this creation, so, likewise, when we trace the genealogy of our spirits. We were begotten by our Father in Heaven; the person of our Father in Heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by His Father; and again, He was begotten by a still more ancient Father; and so on, from generation to generation, from one heavenly world to another still more ancient, until our minds are wearied and lost in the multiplicity of generations and successive worlds, and as a last resort, we wonder in our minds, how far back the genealogy extends, and how the first world was formed, and the first father was begotten. But why does man seek for a first, when revelation informs him that God's works are without beginning? Do you still seek for a first link where the chain is endless? Can you conceive of a first year in endless duration? Can you grasp within your comprehension the first mile in an endless right line? All these things you will readily acknowledge have no first: why, then, do you seek for a first personal Father in an endless genealogy? or for a first effect in an endless succession of effects?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.303109. The Fulness of Truth, dwelling in an endless succession of past generations, would produce an endless succession of personal Gods, each possessing equal wisdom, power, and glory with all the rest. In worshipping any one of these Gods we worship the whole, and in worshipping the whole, we still worship but one God; for it is the same God who dwells in them all; personages are only His different dwelling places. After the resurrection, when the Fulness of Truth or God dwells in us, it can then be said of us, as is now said of Christ, that we are "from all eternity to all eternity;" it can then be said of us, that our "works have no end, neither beginning;" it can then be said of us, that we are "in all things, and through all things, and round about all things;" it can then [p.304] be said of us, that the number of worlds which we have created are more numerous than the particles of dust in a million of earths like this; yea, that this would not be a beginning to the number of our creations; it can be said of us, that we are there in all these infinity of worlds, and that our bosom is there. How, inquires the astonished Saints, can all these things be? How can we be from all eternity? How can we be omnipresent? How can our works be without beginning? We reply, that this will be true in regard to the fulness of God that dwells within us, but not true in regard to our persons; neither is it true in regard to any other persons. God is the light and the life of all things. Our life and our light are now only a part of God, but then, in that glorious day, they will be the whole of God, animating, and quickening, and glorifying a new tabernacle. Then we can say one to another, I am in you and you are in me, and we all are one, even one God, "from everlasting to everlasting." The Light and Intelligence and Truth which each Saint will then possess in fulness, was not created, neither, indeed, can be, but they were from all eternity; and they assisted in the formation of all worlds, and are present in all worlds, governing and controlling the same. Do we realize that our very life and being is constituted and composed of eternal principles? that the beings which we call ourselves are only parts of one eternal whole? that the attributes of our nature are God's attributes in embryo, placed in new tabernacles where they are required to improve and perfect themselves by cleaving unto the great fountain of which they are a part? Every additional portion of light which they receive is an additional

portion of God; when they are filled with light, they are filled with God—that is, God is in them in all of His fulness, and wherever God is, there is Almighty power, and Infinite wisdom and knowledge, and all things are subject unto Him, and He possesses all things, and all dominions and worlds are His, for He made them all. It is for this reason that each of the Saints will inherit all things, and be equal not only in power and glory, but also in dominion. All things present, and all things to come, will be theirs. All things present, include all the infinity of worlds which have been created, redeemed, and glorified from all eternity: all things to come include all the worlds which will be created, redeemed, and glorified to all eternity. Each one of the Saints who receive a fulness of God will be joint heirs with all the rest in this great common stock inheritance: each one possessing the whole. Consequently, they will be equal in dominion as well as equal in knowledge, power, and glory. This is so fully revealed in revelations, both ancient and modern, that we deem it unnecessary to multiply quotations. Indeed, Why should not the same God in one tabernacle inherit just as much as He does in every other tabernacle? If men are tabernacles, and God is the Being who dwells within them, then this One God [p.305] in each tabernacle must of necessity possess all things; for He made them all.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.305110. How very different in their nature is light and truth from substance. A substance can only be in one place at a time: while intelligence or truth can be in all worlds at the same instant. A substance cannot be divided, and a part be taken to some other place, without diminishing the original quantity from which it was taken: while different portions of light and truth may be imparted to other beings in other places without diminishing in the least the fountain from which they are derived. Substances, organized into different persons on separate worlds, become a plurality of substances or persons: while a truth may be imparted to each one of these personages, and still it is but one truth—a unity and not a plurality of truths. However great the number of truths which may be imparted equally to an infinite number of personages, still the truths are not increased in number by their increased number of dwelling places. In all these characteristics truth and substance widely differ from each other. As God is Light and Truth, and Light and Truth is God, all the characteristics which belong to one, belong to the other also. An infinite number of tabernacles filled with Truth, contains no more than one filled with the same: so likewise an infinite number of tabernacles filled with God knows no more than one knows. Truth is one Truth though dwelling in millions, so likewise God is one God though dwelling in countless numbers of tabernacles. This is the reason why we are so repeatedly told in both ancient and modern revelation, that there is but one God. And whenever a plurality of Gods is mentioned we may always know that the expression has reference only to the number of tabernacles where this one only true and living God dwells.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.305111. We have dwelt upon this subject rather longer than what we, at first, intended, because we consider it a principle which should be well understood by the Saints, not only for our own benefit, but that we may be able to teach others correctly; that when we are asked for a reason, why we believe in a plurality of Gods, we may be able to set forth our views clearly and plainly in accordance with the revelations which God has given of Himself. It is for this purpose that we have dwelt so long upon the pre-existence

of man in order that we may the more clearly understand, not only our heavenly and God-like origin, but the grand system of laws by which God originates and prepares tabernacles for His own residence in which the fulness of His wisdom, power, and glory, are manifested. O how great, and how marvelous are the ways of God, and His plans which He has adopted for the salvation and glorification of His intelligent offspring! Who can understand these things without rejoicing by day and by night! And who can understand the works of [p.306] our God and the mysteries of His kingdom, unless he is enlightened by the light of the Holy Spirit! Well did the apostle Paul say, "the natural man knoweth not the things of God, because they are spiritually discerned;" "but God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God." Well did our Saviour say, that the Spirit of Truth should guide his disciples into all Truth—should take of the things of the Father and should show them unto his people—should show them things to come, and thus make them revelators and prophets. O that mankind would consider upon these things! O that they would come unto God like men in days of old, and learn of Him now, as they did then! O that they would reflect upon their heavenly origin, and what may be their future destiny, if they would only claim, through obedience and faith, the high privileges set before them! O that they knew what belongs to their peace and welfare both here and hereafter! but they know not—they are like the beast that perisheth, for whom slaughter is prepared, and he knoweth it not: even so, it is with this generation; they know nothing only what they know naturally; they have denied the necessity of present revelation, therefore, all spiritual light and heavenly knowledge are withheld from them, and they will bring swift destruction upon themselves and perish in their sins, and this causes my heart to be sorrowful; and I mourn over the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds by day and by night; and I labor and toil, and also my brethren, to recover them, but their hearts are fully set within them to do evil, and they must soon be ripened for the destructions decreed upon the nations in the latter days.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.306112. We have in this article on pre-existence traced man back to his origin in the heavenly world as an infant spirit; we have shown that this spirit was begotten and born by celestial parents long anterior to the formation of this creation. We have shown that the great family of spirits had a probation and trial before they came here—that a third part of them fell and were cast out of Heaven and were deprived of fleshly bodies; while the remainder have come forth in their successive generations to people this globe: we have shown that, by keeping this their second estate, they will be perfected, glorified, and made Gods like unto their Father God by whom their spirits were begotten. The dealing of God towards his children from the time that they are first born in Heaven, through all their successive stages of existence, until they are redeemed, perfected, and made Gods, is a pattern after which all other worlds are dealt with. All Gods act upon the same great general principles; and thus, the course of each God is one eternal round. There will, of course, be a variety in all His works, but there will be no great deviations from the general laws which He has ordained. The creation, fall, and [p.307] redemption of all future worlds with their inhabitants will be conducted upon the same general plan; so that when one is learned, the great fundamental principles of the science of world-making, world-governing, and world-redemption, will be understood.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.307

113. The Father of our spirits has only been doing that which His Progenitors did before Him. Each succeeding generation of Gods follow the example of the preceding ones: each generation have their wives, who raise up from the fruit of their loins immortal spirits: when their families become numerous, they organize new worlds for them, after the former patterns set before them; they place their families upon the same who fall as the inhabitants of previous worlds have fallen; they are redeemed after the pattern by which more ancient worlds have been redeemed. The inhabitants of each world have their own personal Father whose attributes they worship, and in so doing all worlds worship the same one God, dwelling in all of His fulness in the personages who are the Fathers of each. Thus will worlds and systems of worlds, and gorgeous universes, be multiplied in endless succession through the infinite depths of boundless space; some telestial, some terrestrial, and some Celestial, differing in their glory, as the apparent splendor of the shining luminaries of Heaven differ. All these will swarm with an infinite number of living, moving, animated beings from the minutest animalcules that sport by millions in a single drop of water, up through every grade of existence to those Almighty, All wise, and Most Glorious Personages who exist in countless numbers, governing and controlling all things. [p.308]{15}"Resurrection of the Saints"(from The Seer 2 [June 1854]: 273-88)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.308Among all the blessings which God has promised to fallen man, there are none greater than that of the resurrection of the body to eternal life and happiness. The life that we now enjoy, though mingled with sorrow and trouble, is still desirable and sought after most eagerly by man. When death stares him in the face, he would be willing to part with thrones and kingdoms, with houses and lands, and with all his possessions, could he redeem himself from the grasp of this awful monster. Many remedies have been sought out and prescribed, not to redeem man from death, but to shield and protect him for a few years longer from this fearful enemy. But no one has been about to discover a remedy that will render man immortal. All are overtaken, sooner or later, by the grim tyrant and prostrated low in the dust. Generation after generation fall beneath the mighty conqueror! Oh, how dismal must be the thought of a never-ending sleep in the tomb! Death must be bitter indeed, to those who have no knowledge of the resurrection—who lay their bodies down without the least idea of receiving them again; and yet, many hundreds of millions have passed away without the faintest hope of a future resurrection—who suppose that they part with their bodies for ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.308Could man be fully persuaded that his body would rise again from the grave, and that he would live and move, and act, as he does now, and enjoy the same that he now experiences, he would consider it a blessing far greater than earthly riches or honors; and were he certain that such a blessing could be attained, there would be no sacrifice too great for him to make in order to secure an immortality in a world that would afford him no greater happiness than the present one. If, then, in a world like this, where troubles meet us on every side, we still enjoy life and so earnestly cling to it, what would be our joy were we assured of a resurrection to an eternal life of the most perfect happiness? where no troubles or sorrows could ever come? where death could no more

enter? What tidings could be more joyful to the soul than these?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.308Now, the inhabitants of this fallen world have been most positively assured by the word of God, that their bodies shall all live again—that they shall be called forth from the dust and be reorganized, and that the same spirits which once inhabited them, shall reanimate them again. This redemption of the body is not a partial one—that is, the body is [p.309] not merely redeemed from the grave to a life of mortality subject to a second dissolution, but is redeemed to immortality—the spirit being re-united with the body never more to be disunited.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.309The resurrection of the body from the dust will be affected by the word and power of God. The Spirit of God which dwells in the elements, will, by His command, bring them together, depositing every particle in its proper position, so as to form a perfect tabernacle! The deformities existing in the mortal body, will not appear in our resurrection bodies; but all who are counted worthy to receive a celestial body, will appear in the image and likeness of the glorified body of Jesus; and his body is in the express image and likeness of his Father's person. Paul, in speaking of the resurrection says, that Jesus "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Philippians 3:21.) Notwithstanding we shall be fashioned like his body, yet there will be a variety of features and size by which one will be distinguished from another, the same as in this life. The likeness will be in the general outlines—in the perfection of the organization—in the beautiful adjustment of the several parts—in the perfect symmetry of the whole—and in the purity, immortality, and glory with which it is filled and surrounded. In all these respects there will be a perfect likeness. But when sizes are compared, there will be a great variety from the tabernacles of infants up through every grade to those of gigantic magnitude. Although there will be an endless variety of features, yet all will appear equally glorious and beautiful; the beauty being the result of the perfection and glory of the spirit inhabiting the tabernacle. There will undoubtedly be distinguishing characteristics relating to the age attained previous to the dissolution. This distinction will probably be manifested, in some small degree, in the countenance and in the color of the hair, and in the difference of size between the child and the man of gray hairs. In all the works of God, we behold a resemblance among classes; but a variety among individuals belonging to each class. All the planets of our system resemble each other more or less in form; but in magnitude and in many other respects, there is a great variety. In every species of animals and plants, there are many resemblances, in the general outlines, and many specific differences characterizing the individuals of each species. So in the resurrection: there will be several classes of resurrection bodies; some celestial, some terrestrial, some telestial, and some sons of perdition. Each of these classes will differ from the others by prominent and marked distinctions; yet in each, considered by itself, there will be found many resemblances as well as distinctions. There will be some physical peculiarity by which each individual in every class can be identified.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.309Will the same identical materials composing the mortal body be reorganized in the resurrection body?—There will be a sufficient quantity [p.310] of those materials brought forth to form a perfect tabernacle for the spirit. But it is not to be expected that every

particle, which at any time has formed a component part of the mortal body, will be raised and enter into the immortal one. Many persons by severe sickness, lose from fifty to a hundred pounds of flesh in the course of a few months; and after recovering, they not unfrequently, in the course of one of two years, regain as much flesh as they lost. And in the course of a long life, they may, by successive intervals of health and sickness, gain and lose from ten to fifteen hundred pounds of flesh. Now it would be altogether absurd to suppose that these ten or fifteen hundred pounds of flesh are all to be reorganized in the resurrection body. The same reasoning will apply to the bones as well as the flesh, for many small pieces of bones may be extracted from the system, and by the deposition of new matter, new bones, or rather parts of bones, will be formed; and in the course of a long life, there could be many pounds of bone extracted by small pieces at successive intervals from the human system, and many pounds of new bone formed to supply the place of the old. Also, children shed their teeth, and others grow in their stead. Now we cannot suppose that in the resurrection, the old and new teeth, and the old and new bones will all be raised and enter into the composition of the immortal body. Many persons cut off over one-tenth of an inch of their beard every week, which, in the course of a year, will amount to over five inches, and in the course of sixty years, will amount to over twenty-five feet. And those who are in the habit of paring off the ends of the finger and toe nails, will find that in the course of sixty or eighty years, they have actually cut off from each finger and toe, from six to eight feet of nail. If, therefore, all the old materials of the human system are to arise, we shall be favored with a beard and hair from twenty-five to thirty feet long; with finger and toe nails, six or eight feet long; with two sets of teeth, and with ten or fifteen hundred pounds of flesh and bones. Such a supposition would be ridiculous. We are, therefore, compelled to believe that in the resurrection, each immortal body only takes that quantity of the old materials as is amply sufficient to form a beautiful and perfect tabernacle for the spirit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.310It is believed by many scientific men that our bodies are constantly and gradually changing through the whole of our lives, and that in the period of from seven to ten years, the whole body undergoes an entire change; the old particles having been thrown off, and new ones having succeeded in their stead, and that the reason why many old scars remain during a long life is, because the new particles in the gradual interchange, take the position of the old, necessarily perpetuating the shape of the scar years after the old particles have fled. It is pretended that this doctrine is established by many indubitable evidences that cannot be [p.311] shaken. If we should admit this idea to be correct it would still further prove that in the resurrection all the materials of the mortal body do not come forth; for an old man whose weight has been some two hundred pounds the most of his days, and having passed through ten entire changes of the materials of his system, would have had, during his life, about one ton of flesh and bones that has been successively deposited and thrown off, and in the resurrection not over one-tenth part of these materials would be needed to construct the immortal body. Therefore, whether we admit the idea of a constant and gradual change, or sudden changes, produced by successive intervals of sickness and health, we are led to the same conclusion, that only a part of the old materials of the mortal body will enter into the composition of the immortal one.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.311Some persons have denied the possibility of the resurrection, on the ground that among cannibals, where they are in the constant habit of devouring human flesh, one human body is, in a great measure, formed out of the component parts of many others. And because the same particles have, at successive periods, existed in scores of individuals, forming parts of each successive tabernacle, they argue that each individual has equal claim upon the same identical particles. And as the same particles in the resurrection can only be organized in one body at the same time, they reason that all the others who have equal claims to the same, would be lacking of the necessary materials, and consequently could not rise. If, in this argument, the premises are granted, the conclusions would be correct. But the premises are false: for all flesh was originally formed from animal and vegetable matter; and though cannibals and carnivorous animals grow and increase, both in size and weight, on flesh; yet that very flesh, when traced back through successive animals which have been devoured, will be found to have originated in herbiferous animals whose flesh is wholly composed of earthly and vegetable substances. Now the amount of vegetable substances, converted into flesh, is not only equal to, but far greater than the amount of animal substances, converted into the flesh of other animals. This is evident from the constant change to which the bodies of all animals are subject, owing to the removal of old particles, and the deposition of new, as manifested by a decrease or increase of flesh, depending on the scarcity or abundance of food. When we take into consideration the whole animal kingdom, nothing is more certain than that the flesh, formed by devouring other flesh, can never exceed in weight the flesh formed from vegetables and earthly matter: indeed it would be an absolute impossibility for the former ever to exceed the latter. And when we take into consideration the calls of the appetite, and that every animal, in the course of a very few years, requires many times its own weight in food, it demonstrates beyond all controversy that the amount of flesh, formed from herbs and vegetables, [p.312] must far exceed, by many times its own weight, that formed by devouring flesh; for were it not so, the former would in a very few months be wholly devoured by the latter, and the earth would speedily be depopulated of men and animals.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.312If, then, the amount of flesh, formed directly from vegetable substances, exceed, by an immense quantity, all other kinds of flesh it demonstrates the fact, that in the resurrection the whole herbiferous and carnivorous tribes of the land and water, including fish, fowls, animals, and men, could be raised up from the dust with immortal bodies, constructed of the same identical particles of rather a sufficient quantity of them, that once existed in the form of mortal flesh; and still there would be an immense quantity to spare, being surplus flesh, arising from the constant mutations or changes to which all mortal flesh is subject.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.312We will venture to remark still further, that should it be maintained that even every vegetable of our globe should be reconstructed and made new, there would be an abundance of materials that have once existed in those vegetables to form them all anew without making use of any foreign matter that has not been thus organized. This may, at first view, appear impossible; it may be supposed that as to the whole animal kingdom, if raised to immortality, being composed of vegetable matter, would require a

vast amount of the vegetable materials to reconstruct their immortal bodies; and that, therefore, if the whole vegetable kingdom was likewise to receive a resurrection, it would require that portion of its materials which constitutes animal flesh. But this would be unnecessary: for the same change, which is said to be constantly taking place in the animal body, is also affirmed to be a characteristic in the vegetable economy. It is said that every blade of grass—every herb and plant, and every tree, is constantly throwing off or parting with its old particles, and that new matter is every moment being secreted to supply the place of the old. It is said that a tree, as well as a man, undergoes an entire change of materials every few years. If this be the case, the whole vegetable kingdom, including those of every age, might be reorganized out of old vegetable particles, without being under the necessity of borrowing materials from foreign sources, that never were before vegetable constituents.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.312Without coinciding with the views of the scientific world in regard to the constant and gradual change, operating upon all organic substances, by which they are said to contain, in the course of a long period, several times the quantity of matter that they inherit at any one time, we can still account for the resurrection and reconstruction of all organic bodies, both of the vegetable and animal kingdoms, by supposing, that in the renewal of those bodies, it is not absolutely necessary that their whole systems should be composed of materials which have previously been thus organized. If there be enough of the old materials to form the [p.313] germ or nucleus of the resurrection body, it will not matter, in our view of the subject, whether the balance of the materials are the old particles again collected, or foreign matter, similar in kind, but not identical in substance. In the formation of a drop of water, it would make no difference, whether it were composed of the eight parts of oxygen and one of hydrogen that it was previously composed of, or whether the same proportions of these elements were derived from some foreign source where they never had existed in combination as water. Two drops of pure water—one formed in Asia and the other in America, would be composed of the same definite proportions of their elementary constituents—would have the same properties and qualities in every respect; and one could be changed for the other without the least inconvenience, and would serve exactly the same purpose in all experiments, conditions, or circumstances to which it might be subjected: and, therefore, the original circumstances in which the elements existed, would not have the least bearing upon their present combinations and future purposes. If the particles of the body, themselves, were intelligent and accountable beings, they then might, with some propriety, contend that it was their right to be reorganized into an immortal tabernacle in connection with their old companions, and again be placed in conjunction with the same immortal spirit that governed and controlled them in their mortal career. But if those particles only exist as an organized tabernacle for the accommodation and happiness of the immortal spirit, and they themselves are not benefited, or remain insensible to their condition, then it would make no difference, so far as they are concerned, whether they were reorganized; and it certainly would make no difference to the human spirit what particular particles its tabernacle was constructed of, providing the organization was perfect and consisted of the right kind of matter.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.313Paul compares the resurrection to the growing up of grain after it is sown and dies. "But

some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds." (1 Corinth. 15:35-39.) When a kernel of wheat falls into the earth, it dies, or rather a portion of its substance is disorganized; and the germ unites itself with other materials, and forms a stalk which heads, and blossoms, and numerous other kernels of wheat begin to make their appearance which grow and ripen; and it is at length found that sixty or a hundred other kernels of the same, shape, size, and quality, as the one sown, are produced. Now these new kernels are not the same identical [p.314] materials sown: neither is the one-hundredth part of the old particles found combined in each of the new: they are each composed of almost entire new substance that never was before organized as wheat: The old particles were only necessary as a foundation to give direction to the organization, that the new might be moulded after the old, bearing the same appearance, and possessing the same quality. Hence the farmer soweth not that body that shall be, but he soweth its likeness; and other bodies of the same form spring forth. So likewise man sows not the body that shall be, but he sows one containing the form, and magnitude, and, in some degree, the elements of the new.—Without the sowing of the old wheat, and its dissolution in the earth, the new could not be expected: so also, without our bodies are sown in corruption, there would be no foundation for incorruptible bodies. And as the new wheat is mostly composed of new particles never before organized as wheat; so, it is probable, that the new immortal body will contain much matter never before organized in human bodies.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.314"But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body;" that is, God doth not cause thorns to grow from figs, nor wheat to spring from potatoes, nor elephants to be produced from mosquitoes: but He giveth to "every seed his own body," not the identical old one, but one in its likeness in magnitude, form, and construction. "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds." When the ponderous whale that flounces in the mighty deep, is raised from the dead, he will not take the form of the rhinoceros neither will the tiger, in the resurrection morn, put on the form of a shark, neither shall we have wolves converted into lambs, nor lions into cows; but in the resurrection, God will give to every seed his own body; not the identical one, but a similar one, so that the different species of fish, fowls, and animals will be distinguished from each other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.314The springing forth of new grain from the kernel of the old which falls into the earth and dies, is analogous to the resurrection only in those qualities already named; and this seems to be as far as the apostle intended the analogy to be carried when he made use of the representation. The new wheat, like the old, is subject to decay; but the new body is immortal and eternal, and in this respect is unlike the old. The new wheat is formed through a gradual and rather lengthy process of growth; while the immortal body is organized at once of the proper size and form: the former is slow in its operation; the

latter is a quick and sudden work, when compared with the formation of the infant through the process of generation, and its gradual growth to manhood: and even when compared with the slow process of the growth of grain, it may be considered a quick and sudden work. There is no doubt, but [p.315] what the resurrection will occupy a short interval of time in the formation and completion of the different organs and frame work of the immortal body. It will not be as sudden as a flash of lightning, or as the twinkling of an eye; neither will it be a prolonged work, like that of the growth of vegetables, or the still slower growth of animals.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.315Ezekiel describes the resurrection as follows: "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and behold! there were very many in the open valley: and lo! they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, Can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking and the bones came together bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo! the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, Son of Man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army." (Ezekiel 37:1-10.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.315From this vision of the resurrection, we can see that it is not accomplished in the twinkling of an eye: first the bones come together, bone to its bone; and thus the foundation and framework is laid; secondly, the flesh and sinews come upon the bones; thirdly, the skin covers the flesh and sinews; and lastly, the breath enters them, and they live and stand upon their feet. In cases where the bones are decayed, as well as flesh, sinews, and skin, the first process will be to bring together the particles and form the various bones, after which they will be joined together in their appropriate positions. The formation of so many bodies directly from the dust, will require a wisdom and skill far surpassing our utmost comprehension; but there will be nothing more marvelous in this, than there was in the formation of the tabernacles of our first parents who were constructed directly out of the dust, of the full size and shape.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.315Indeed, all the immortal bodies of flesh and bones are made independent of the process of generation. All fleshly bodies begotten and born are mortal: all made directly out of the dust, as Adam and [p.316] Eve, and the first fish, fowls, and animals, are immortal. To organize a mortal body out of the ground, independent of generation, would be something unheard of, and consequently, unnatural: So likewise, to organize an immortal body of flesh and bones by the process of generation, would be something unheard of, unrevealed, and consequently unnatural. We call that natural which

transpires in a certain definite manner, so that under the same circumstances, the same event happens, according to the same tried laws. We call that unnatural which happens out of the ordinary course: for an immortal body of flesh and bones to be born, would be unnatural, because we have no account of such an event ever happening, or that such an event ever will happen: but to form it directly from the dust would be natural, because this is the way that new revelation, as well as old, informs us that all the first pairs of fish and fowl, beast and man, were first constructed; and this is the way that the resurrection is brought about.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.316There is nothing more marvelous about the resurrection and reorganization of all the generations of men and animals out of the dust, than there is in the generation of their mortal bodies: the latter is just as miraculous as the former. All the difference is, we cease to regard the latter as a miracle, because of the frequency of its occurrence; while the former, only having happened at a certain period before the fall, and, in a few instances, immediately after the resurrection of Christ, is regarded in the light of a miracle. When all the righteous are called from their graves at the second advent of our Saviour; and when, during the Millennium, all the aged that fall asleep in death, are immediately raised again to immortality, we shall cease to call the resurrection any thing more miraculous than the formation of the mortal tabernacle by generation. This method of calling things unnatural or natural, miraculous or not miraculous, according to the unfrequency or frequency in which the events happen, is extremely erroneous. Gravitation, by which a piece of iron sinks in the water, is just as miraculous as the causing of the same to swim on water: the latter, however, is called a miracle because of the unfrequency of its occurrence; and because it deviates from the former mode of action, which, by its constancy, is called a law of nature. A deviation from this law is called a miracle; while the law itself, which is still more marvelous, is looked upon as nothing but a common occurrence. A law of nature is the exertion of the power of God upon the materials of nature to make them act all the time in a certain fixed definite manner; consequently a law of nature is nothing less than the continued exertions of the power of God, according to prescribed laws. A deviation from the laws of nature is the exertion of the power of God, contrary to His general method of action: both are the effects of the same power and of the same God; but of the two, the laws of nature are [p.317] the most astonishing and the most marvelous, because they are the displays of Omnipotent power upon a more extensive and grand scale. To see all the universe acted upon at the same time, and these actions continued year after year without any interruption, is astonishing beyond all measure; it is overwhelming and almost overpowering to every contemplative mind; but to see a body spring forth from the dust, though it is certainly miraculous, yet it is local in its character, and only as it were a momentary action, and in itself no more miraculous than the springing forth and growth of a blade of grass, or the falling of a stone, or the intense power that holds together the particles of a piece of iron; all these are the effects of that same Almighty power that brings forth the dead from their graves, and stamps immortality upon all resurrection bodies.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.317The resurrection is a gift bestowed upon all mankind. Because of the fall the human race forfeited their bodies and lost them; but the Son of God, having given his body to

the shafts of death, and suffered in man's behalf, wrought out a full and perfect redemption for the bodies of all the human family; not a redemption which immediately restores man to immortality, but a redemption which grapples with the monster death, after he has overpowered his victim and laid him low in the grave. Justice armed death with eternal power; it authorized him to destroy all nations and generations, and plunge them into the dismal gulf, and to set an eternal seal upon them; it gave him power to bind them down with everlasting chains which no man could loose; the huge gates were closed; the bolts, and bars, and locks, were firmly fastened; a world of fallen beings was enclosed in the eternal prison of the grave; all nature wept! and eternity was clothed in mourning! while the greedy monster death, having satiated his capacious maw, sat enthroned upon the funeral pile exulting in the eternal ruin of a once beautiful world!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.317But hark! a voice is heard on high of one mighty and strong! It is the voice of one who pleads! Ah see! He stands before the majestic throne, where justice sits! He weeps! but not for himself; it is for fallen man! Listen! he speaks of mercy for a ruined world! What compassion swells his bosom! what lovely words poured forth in melting strains of mercy! Justice is moved to tears, but still holds fast the flaming law and with sword unsheathed exclaims, "How can I show mercy! must not the penalties of my law be inflicted? and the honor of my throne be maintained?" The merciful—the kind—the Holy One, with bowels yearning o'er the miseries of a fallen world, replies, "On me, O Justice, let all thy vengeance fall! but spare these my brethren!" Mercy prevailed—the offer was accepted—and the only Begotten of the Father left the peaceful heavenly mansions of glory to suffer, to die, to enter the solitudes of the grave, to unbar the gates of death, and break the everlasting chains, and say to the sleeping nations, live.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.318[p.318] Though all the human race will eventually be liberated from the grave, yet the righteous will be liberated long before the wicked. When the great Redeemer shall roll back the curtains of heaven, and unveil his glorious face, an angel shall sound his trump, both long and loud, which will cause the whole earth to quake: then will the graves of the saints be opened, and their sleeping bodies will come forth, clothed in all the beauty and freshness of immortality; arrayed in beautiful garments and white robes, and encircled with pillars of light, their glory will be as the dazzling rays of the sun. These shall all be caught up from the earth, and be wafted from the four winds towards the great central gathering place in the clouds of heaven, where the Redeemer will be seen, armed with Omnipotent power, followed by the saints of all ages, nations, and kindreds, accompanied by the angels and all the armies of heaven. In the midst of the numberless hosts will be seen all the saints of the latter-days who shall be alive on the earth at that time; for they also shall be caught up, as well as the righteous dead; and they shall be quickened by the power of God. And thus shall the whole combined hosts of the righteous, of both the heavens and the earth, be gathered in one. Then shall the nations of the wicked, who have not previously been destroyed, gaze with awful fear and terror upon the immense multitude of glorified beings, filling all the heavens above. And while they gaze with frightful astonishment at the glory, power, and majesty, displayed in the heavens, another trump is heard, calling forth another class who have received their part in prison, where the gospel has been preached to them that they might be judged according to men in the flesh. These are not Christ's until his coming,

but then they are redeemed, being brought forth from their prison houses by the power of the Lamb.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.318While the terror-stricken nations still behold, they hear the sound of the third trump, calling forth the spirits of wicked men who are to be judged, and who are not found worthy to receive their bodies, until the thousand years are ended, and who are to be cast out into outer darkness, where is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. After which the fourth trump will proclaim the dreadful doom of the sons of perdition. When the spirits of the dead have been attended to, and sealed over unto the end, to reap the results of their own evil doings, then shall the fifth angel sound his trump in the ears of the frightened nations still living, proclaiming that the hour of God's judgment is come: then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon them; and the fierce and vivid lightnings shall streak forth, and the thunderings of his power shall shake the earth and heavens, and the nations of great Babylon shall be cast down by devouring fire; and the hills and mountains shall melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, and the earth shall be purified of its wickedness, and the saints shall receive their inheritances on the same, [p.319] and the poor and the meek shall be comforted, for the fatness of the earth and all the fulness thereof shall be theirs.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.319The saints who have received their immortal bodies from the grave, will each receive a crown immediately after their resurrection. Some have supposed that the saints would not be crowned until after the millennium, and the earth passes away, and the new heavens and new earth are made. But Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by the will of the Father, that mine apostles, the twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me and kept my commandments, and none else; for a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth: yea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one." (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 10, par. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.319From this quotation we learn that the crowns are to be on the heads of the apostles and of the resurrection saints in the day of the Lord's coming, and that they will not have to wait one or two thousand years longer before they receive their kingdoms. If the apostles have crowns placed upon their heads immediately after they obtain their bodies, they will most unquestionably each have a throne. When Jesus was with them in his ministry at Jerusalem, he made them the following promise: "Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28.) These twelve thrones will not merely be thrones of judgment, but they will be thrones of kingdoms, as we are informed in a parallel passage: "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:28-30.) As

the twelve tribes of Israel, or that portion of them who are righteous enough to come forth in the first resurrection, will receive their inheritances in the land of Palestine: the twelve apostles will, no doubt, have their thrones located in Jerusalem, after it is rebuilt. John, the revelator, in describing the appearance of that city, as he beheld it in vision ascending upon the new earth, says it "had a wall great and high, and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Rev. 21:12, 14.) Jerusalem, then, will be the residence of these twelve kings: there their thrones will be located, upon which they [p.320] will sit and judge the tribes. When the great and high wall is built around it, the names of each of these twelve kings will be most beautifully engraved upon the twelve great foundation stones.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.320At what time the wall will be built is uncertain: the commencement of the building of the city will be just prior to the coming of the Messiah and the Millennium: it will undoubtedly be continued under the superintendence of Jesus and his apostles, during the whole of that peaceful and happy period. It is very probable that the wall will be about the last thing built; this will be thrown around the city to prevent the apostate nations after the thousand years are ended from encroaching upon the holy and consecrated place. We are told by the prophet Isaiah, that Jerusalem shall put on her beautiful garments and become a holy city, and that from "henceforth there shall no more come into her the uncircumcised and the unclean." (Isaiah 52:1) To prevent the intrusion of wicked characters when Satan shall be loosed, a high wall will be built; it will also serve as a splendid ornament to the city, the gates being formed of the most costly and magnificent pearls, while the twelve foundation stones will each be different, and each will be garnished with all manner of precious stones; and the light of the glory of God shining upon them, will give the whole a most brilliant and dazzling appearance.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.320The Lord has promised that this city, after it is rebuilt, "shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more for ever." (Jer. 31:38-40.) Consequently, when the old earth passes away, and the new one is formed out of the old materials, it will be necessary for the preservation of the city to take it up from the earth into the heavens, where it will remain until the new earth is fully completed, when it will descend as the great capital and seat of government over the new creation, where Jesus and his apostles will continue to reign over the House of Israel for ever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.320But to return again to the sceneries, connected with the first resurrection. We have already ascertained, that the apostles after their resurrection will have crowns, and thrones, and a kingdom given to them; and that Jerusalem, where they formerly suffered shame, and affliction, and persecution, will be their residence, where their mansions, and their palaces and their thrones, will be erected; and that the resurrection saints, included in the twelve tribes of Israel, will be judged by them, or in other words, be ruled and governed by them, as their lawful kings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.320Jesus will also have his throne erected in Jerusalem: for he will reign over the house of Israel; and the apostles, in the exercise of their kingly office, will be subject to him. The angel said to Zacharias concerning 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 for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32, 33.) The throne of Jesus will be erected in [p.321] the magnificent temple, described by the prophet Ezekiel in the last chapter of his prophecy. "Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: and, behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory." "And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard Him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And He said unto me, Son of man, THE PLACE OF MY THRONE, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings." (Ezekiel 43:1, 2, 4-7.) Whether the twelve apostles will have their twelve thrones in the same temple, or in separate palaces, is not stated.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.321The dwelling places of many of the resurrection saints will be in the same city: others of them will have their mansions erected in other cities, and upon their farms and inheritances throughout the land of Canaan. Ezekiel, as we have already noticed, had a view of their resurrection: he saw their bones united; he saw the flesh, sinews, and skin, placed in their proper position; he saw the breath enter them, and that they lived and stood upon their feet an exceeding great army. And not fully understanding who or what people they were, the Lord gave him further instruction, as follows:—"Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel," (meaning no doubt the righteous among them, for the wicked will not be favored with a resurrection at the time of the righteous;) "behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts." No doubt the house of Israel in Ezekiel's time, were in great fears and doubts, about the fulfilment of the promises made to their fathers: they could read in their sacred books that the righteous of Abraham's seed were to inherit that land for ever; and yet they saw that many holy prophets and righteous men of Israel died in foreign lands in captivity. And having no knowledge that the promise could be fulfilled after death, they contended that many had died without receiving the promise, and that their bones were dry and mouldering in their graves, and that those righteous persons never inherited a foot of the promised land: and seeing all this, they exclaimed in despair, "Our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts." The Lord in order to show them that the promise was still sure, gave Ezekiel this vision, and showed him how Israel should inherit the promise after the resurrection. Hence, the Lord commanded him to prophesy to those bones or to the whole house of Israel in their sepulchers, "and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your [p.322] graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves; and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall please you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." (Ezekiel 37:11-14.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.322All the righteous of the twelve tribes are to have their graves opened, and they are to come up out of their graves an exceeding great army. And Oh, what joy will fill their bosoms, when they find themselves in possession of that very land, where the tribes of

Israel once lived—the land where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived as strangers and pilgrims! How joyful it will be for Abraham, Sarah, Hager, and his other concubines to find themselves dwelling again in the land of their pilgrimage; and to see the numerous hosts of their immortal children all around them. Jacob and his four wives will gaze upon the descendants of their twelve sons, and see them spread out upon the face of the land, like the stars of heaven for multitude. How these ancient fathers and mothers of the hosts of Israel, will rejoice to gather around them their descendants to the hundredth generation and relate to them the sceneries of their childhood, and point out to them the places where they pitched their tents—where they built their altars—where they called upon the Lord in mighty prayer—where angels descended and comforted them—where the God of glory appeared and gave them great promises, concerning their seed forever! How delighted will all the generations of their children be, to visit the mansions of these glorified patriarchs and eat and drink with them, and realize that death can no more separate them, but they shall dwell in the land of Israel for ever!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.322Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have already received their crowns, and their thrones, and now sit upon them, (see Revelation in No. I, vol. I of the Seer, paragraphs 11 and 14,) being exalted among the principalities and powers of the heavenly worlds; and they look forward with longing anticipations, to the time when all their righteous children shall come out of their graves, that they may return to the land of Canaan, and reign on the earth, as they now reign in the heavens. As these ancient patriarchs now sit upon their thrones, it is evident that they must have received their resurrection immediately after the resurrection of Christ. Matthew says, that "The graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." (Matthew 27:52, 53.) The Book of Mormon bears testimony that many of the saints in ancient America arose from the dead, and appeared to many on this land. All those who then arose have undoubtedly received their crowns, and have been sitting upon thrones, and reigning as kings in the heavens, from that day to this. Their redemption had been perfected, but they [p.323] wait for the redemption of their children to be perfected also, upon the earth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.323America, being the land of Adam, and the land of Enoch, and the land of the Jaredites, and the land of the branch of the tribe of Joseph, and the land of the Gentiles who are now upon the face thereof; will be the promised land of the righteous of all those nations and generations, even as the land of Palestine is to the righteous of the twelve tribes. And in the first resurrection, the righteous who have dwelt on this land, will again inherit it in their immortal state.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.323The twelve American disciples of Jesus whom he chose, soon after his resurrection, at the time he showed the remnant of Joseph his risen and glorified body, will also sit upon twelve thrones to judge the righteous upon this land who are of Israel: and these twelve will be judged by the other twelve at Jerusalem: or in other words, they will be guided and directed by the advice and counsel of the twelve apostles in all the important affairs pertaining to their kingdom and government in America.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.323One of the most important personages whose throne will be established in America, will

be Adam, the father of the human race. He will reign over all the other kings upon the face of the whole earth, under the counsel and direction of the Holy One: Jesus alone will have the pre-eminence over him. Adam, therefore, will stand forth as the grand Patriarch and chief Prince over all the righteous of his posterity. This promise was made to him three years previous to his death by the mouth of the Lord who appeared to him, and the righteous of his posterity, in the grand council, held in the valley of his residence, called Adam-Ondi-Ahman, near the western boundaries of Missouri. This venerable Patriarch was called Michael the arch-angel, or the head angel. He is called in Daniel, "the Ancient of days, being the most ancient personage who lived in days—the first flesh formed from the dust of the earth. Having received the eternal priesthood which includes the kingly power, he received a crown most glorious, and sits upon a throne highly exalted in the eternal heavens, awaiting the period when the corrupt thrones of earthly monarchs shall be cast down, when he will be sent from heaven to earth, accompanied by thousands on thousands of glorified beings, to make ready and prepare all things before the Son of Man, who will come with the clouds of heaven, and present himself before the ancient of days, even Adam, who will stand forth as the head representative of the earthly kingdom and present it to his great Redeemer, the King of kings, and Lord of lords: then will the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God on the earth become one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.323It is Michael the arch-angel who sounds the seventh trump, and proclaims the finishing of the great preparatory work for the reign of [p.324] his Saviour: it is Adam or Michael who holds the keys of the mysteries of the mighty works of God which are to be accomplished during the seventh thousand years, or Millennium; and he will proclaim the same, at the second sounding of his trump, in the ears of all living: it is he who is to "stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer;" it is he that will lead forth all the armies of heaven, against all the armies of the combined hosts of hell, after the close of the Millennial period, and the Devil and his armies will be overcome, and they will be cast into their own place where they will not henceforth, have power over the saints any more at all.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.324The throne of this great and illustrious personage will most probably be in America—the land of his pilgrimage, and the land of his fall; the land where first the glad tidings of redemption reached the ears of mortal man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.324The throne of Enoch will also be in or near America, in the midst of his own city, Zion, which he built unto the Lord before the flood, and which fled from earth to heaven, to be reserved until a day of righteousness should come, when it will come again in the sight of the astonished nations, and have place, until the end shall come. This city will, most probably, not rest upon the earth but hover over it, and will be the abode of glorified immortal beings: Hence we read that when the aged die, during the Millennium, they are not buried in the earth, but they are immediately raised to immortality, and are caught up where their rest is glorious. This proves that there will be a glorified place above the surface of the earth to which these aged people ascend after they are raised. This place is undoubtedly the city or Zion of Enoch in connection with other redeemed cities which

the Lord has taken from all creations which He has made. The Zion of Enoch, therefore, will probably be very near the earth, located over the American continent where it was anciently built; and, most likely, will partake of the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth, so as not to change its relative position in regard to the western hemisphere of our planet.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.324We have spoken of Jesus and the twelve apostles having their thrones in Jerusalem, and of the resurrection saints, connected with the twelve tribes of Israel, receiving their inheritances; besides these, they will have heavenly thrones and heavenly inheritances, not connected with the earth, or rather, not standing upon the earth, but in the redeemed cities and glorified worlds above. Therefore, these celestial Kings and Priests, and resurrection Saints will only visit their earthly kingdoms, and sit upon their earthly thrones, and occupy their earthly mansions, and dwell upon their earthly inheritances, at intervals, whenever they think it necessary for the welfare and benefit of the earthly and mortal inhabitants.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.325[p.325] That the Father, and Son, and all the children of God will have thrones and kingdoms in the heavens eternally as well as upon the earth, is clearly revealed in many parts of scripture both ancient and modern. In the second epistle of Mormon to his Son Moroni, he closes thus: "And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of His power, until all things shall become subject unto Him, be, and abide with you for ever." God the Father has a throne high in the heavens. The prophet Mormon in his sermon on Faith, Hope, and Charity, speaks of Christ thus: "He advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens." And in speaking of the three Nephites who were never to taste of death, but who received a partial change, he says that in the judgment day of Christ they are to receive a full change from mortality to immortality, and "be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens." The same idea is clearly expressed in many other revelations, from which it is plain that the earthly thrones and kingdoms are but a small portion of the vast dominions and blessings of the righteous.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.325In a revelation given through Joseph the Seer in March, 1832, the Lord sets forth a pattern for His servants in regard to being equal in temporal things, that they might become equal in heavenly things. He says, "Through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the Church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world, that you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made Rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion." Thus we see that there are many kingdoms, besides those pertaining to the earth, over which the faithful servants of God will be made rulers. In this same revelation the Lord says "he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things." (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 76.) Again, the Lord says, concerning His faithful servants, that "he that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is least and the servant of all: wherefore, he is possessor of all things, for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father, through Jesus

Christ His Son; but no man is possessor of all things, except he be purified and cleansed from all sin; and if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done." (Doc. &Cov. Sec. 17:6.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.325From these quotations, it will be perceived that the children of God who are purified from all sin are to be made equal one with another in earthly and heavenly things—that they are to possess the light and the life, the spirit and the power; that all things are to be subject unto them [p.326] both in heaven and on the earth—and that they are to inherit all things. In section Seventh, paragraph thirty-third, we are informed that the saints are to be made equal with Christ immediately after their resurrection; and in the vision, we are told that they are to be made "equal in power, and in might, and in dominion." How, it may be asked, will the saints be made equal "in dominion?" We know not, unless it will be by each one inheriting all things: if all the thrones, and kingdoms, and worlds throughout universal space, should be the inheritance of God the Father, and of His Son, and of each of His children who attains to a fulness of celestial glory; then it might with propriety, be said that they were equal "in Dominion:" if one ruled over a greater number of worlds than another, it would appear not only to destroy the equality "in dominion," but the equality "in power," and the promise of all things, and of the inheritance of all things would seem to be void. Jesus in his prayer to the Father says, "And all mine are thine, and thine are mine." (John 17:10.) Again, Jesus says, "All things that the Father hath are mine." (John 16:15.) Hence we perceive, that the Father inherits all things, that Jesus inherits all that the Father does; and that the saints are to be equal with Jesus and be joint heirs with him in all his possessions, and to sit down with him on his throne, even as Jesus sits on his Father's throne and exercises almighty power in his kingdoms: consequently all glorified worlds that have been, that are, and that ever will be, appear to be the common property of all saints who attain to the fulness of the glory of the celestial world. Herein consists the perfect oneness between the Father, Son, and all his Saints. The Saints will be as perfect as the Father and Son are perfect; they will be as pure as they are; they will receive a fulness of all truth—even a knowledge of "all things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come." They will be "equal in power, and in might, and in dominion," they will "inherit all things;" they will be crowned over all the kingdoms of our God. All principalities and power, whether in heaven or in the heaven of heavens, in the heights above or in the depths beneath will be subject to them. Each one will be God in all the fulness of His glorious attributes, swaying almighty power over all, and in all, and through all things. Then we shall know that we are in God and God in us; otherwise, we could not abound; then we shall know that there is but one God so far as the attributes are concerned, and that He dwells in an infinity of tabernacles; and that He has prescribed laws to govern Himself in all the tabernacles which He inherits, and that He acts in and through each tabernacle according to His own laws; and the fulness of His attributes in one tabernacle will not act in opposition to the fulness of His attributes in another; but He will act in all His dwelling places in harmony with Himself.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.326Now, we are but parts of God, dwelling in different tabernacles, [p.327] and we are required to gain other parts; and if we abide in the law ordained for our government, God will impart more of Himself; hence Jesus says, "Inasmuch as ye have received me,

ye are in me, and I in you." When we have received him in fulness, it prepares us to be joint heirs with Him in the inheritance of all things. It is this fulness of God in each tabernacle that inherits all things—that possesses all things—that exercises power over all things—that reigns over all, erecting His thrones upon all glorified worlds, and giving Himself universal dominion wherever He may dwell whether in one tabernacle or in the whole.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.327The earth, as we have already stated; will be one of the glorified kingdoms, where the resurrection saints will receive their inheritances, and their thrones; but during the Millennial period, they will not dwell so constantly on their earthly thrones as on their heavenly ones. After the earth has passed away and been made new, and become a glorified and celestial world, it will be crowned with the presence of God the Father, and it will be the dwelling place of numerous tabernacles of God; for though each inherits all things, no one can be in two places at once, so far as the tabernacle is concerned; therefore the glorified earth will be the homestead of those saints who have previously inhabited it; while the saints of other glorified worlds who also inherit all things, will have the respective worlds to which they belong as their everlasting homes or head quarters. Thus God by His attributes, inhabiting an infinity of tabernacles, dwelling on numberless worlds, can be in them all at the same moment, and thus be Omnipresent. While if it were not for this arrangement, He could only be on one world at a time. Oh, how great and marvelous are the ways of the Almighty! How wonderful are His doings! He organizeth for Himself dwelling places in all glorified worlds that He may abide in them for ever! He maketh them beings independent in the highest sphere, and yet by His wisdom He subjected them to the same celestial law and uniteth them as one!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.327When the resurrection saints have attained to all this fulness of glory, and have become exalted as gods upon their eternal thrones, there will be no possibility of their falling, any more than there is of the fall of the Father and Son. Therefore the inhabitants of all inferior kingdoms, over whom they reign, will look to them with the same confidence that we now look upon the Lord our God. And God, that is in each, will proclaim Himself to all his creations as the only wise God, that, besides Him there is none else, and that He is from everlasting to everlasting, His works having no end, neither beginning.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.327Notwithstanding we have spoken of the saints jointly inheriting all things, yet there will, undoubtedly, be strict and unchangeable laws regulating this joint inheritance, by which no one will be permitted to infringe upon the rights of others; these laws being established upon [p.328] the strictest principles of justice and equity, from which there will be no deviation. Each will be appointed to take the immediate charge of particular or specified portions of the joint inheritance, over which he will more immediately rule: though the whole is the inheritance of each, yet each cannot in his own person, be every where present to govern and rule over the whole: therefore each will have his family, and particular kingdoms, and worlds assigned him to govern and control, so that the great, universal and infinite inheritance may be properly managed for the benefit of its joint owners. This will be a grand co-partnership, embracing the inhabitants of all glorified worlds who have attained to the fulness of celestial glory.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.328

Though the saints are all "equal in power, and in might, and in dominion," so far as the universal joint inheritance is concerned, yet we suppose, that they will be unequal in regard to the extent of the allotted portions of the joint inheritance assigned to the management of each. This inequality probably arising from the nature of their callings and their righteousness in this life. To illustrate this, we will suppose that all the inhabitants of Utah were united together in a firm or co-partnership, in which each individual should be considered as having equal privileges, or in other words, each individual should be called the possessor and owner of the whole capital invested. If this capital were appropriated to every species of useful business throughout the territory, it is evident that branches of business assigned to individuals would be very unequal: some requiring a hundred fold more of the joint capital than others, and some would be entrusted, from the nature of the business, with a hundred fold more responsibility than others; but notwithstanding this great inequality in the multiplied branches of industry, in the extent of the responsibility, and in the amount of the joint capital entrusted to some in comparison with others, yet when the whole capital is taken into consideration, they are all equal; for each one possesses the whole; each one has equal powers in regard to the whole; each one inherits all things, included in the great general capital.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.328Now let this general capital be infinitely enlarged, so as to take within its scope all glorified worlds in boundless space, that now is or that ever will be, and the same principle is equally applicable: it accounts for the inequalities in some things, and the equality in others; it reconciles the apparent contradictions which some have supposed to exist in the revelations of heaven: it shows how we can "inherit all things," and be made "equal in power, and in might, and in dominion," and at the same time be very unequal in the distribution of the management of different portions of the joint inheritance. [p.329]{16}"The Equality and Oneness of the Saints"(from The Seer 2 [July 1854]: 289-300)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.329"BE ONE: AND IF YE ARE NOT ONE, YE ARE NOT MINE." This is the command of Jesus Christ to the Latter-day Saints, given as early as the year 1831, before the Church was one year old. In what respects are the Saints required to be one? We answer, they are required to be one in things temporal and spiritual, in earthly and heavenly things—one in the new birth—one in the same family and kingdom—one in justification, sanctification, and redemption—one in obedience to the powers and authority ordained of God—one in virtue, honesty, and uprightness of conduct—one in the enjoyment of heavenly and spiritual gifts—and when they are perfected, to be one in glory, power and dominion—to be one with the glorified beings of all celestial worlds—each one inheriting all things—each one possessing a fulness of wisdom, knowledge, and power—each one dwelling in God, and God in him—each one knowing as he is known, and seeing as he is seen—each one perfected in all the fulness of every attribute of God. This oneness is to be so perfect that either of these glorified beings will represent God in all the glory of his attributes, in all the fulness of his wisdom and excellency, in all the majesty and omnipotence of his power.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.329

The command to "Be One," embraces all other commands. There is no law, statute, ordinance, covenant, nor blessing, but what was instituted to make the Saints one. This is the ultimate end and aim of the great plan of salvation. For this, Jesus suffered and died; for this, his servants have toiled and labored day and night in our fallen world; for this, all the powers of heaven will be exerted, until Satan shall be overcome, and the earth be redeemed, and all the glorified inhabitants thereof become one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.329As the grand and ultimate object of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is to take their own children who have made themselves imperfect, and restore them to perfection, and make them one like themselves, let us examine the plan by which this great work is accomplished. First, God has revealed a plan of adoption, by which these imperfect beings may be made members of His own family. Secondly, He has revealed laws for the government of His family; and lastly, He has ordained authorities to teach His laws and minister in all things to make the Saints one. Through faith, repentance, baptism, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the imperfect sons and daughters of Adam become [p.330] the sons and daughters of God; and being born of God, and all baptized with the same spirit into the same body, they begin to feel alike, think alike, and act alike, in many things: this is a first approximation towards a oneness: but being weak, and only having obeyed the first principles of the celestial law, they are tempted by the devil; divisions of feeling arise; each one sees the faults and imperfections of his brothers or sisters; and instead of trying to reclaim them in the spirit of meekness from their faults, he whispers them to others; prejudice rises; their love towards them begins to grow cold; this coldness is felt by others, and begets the same feeling in them. And thus the seeds of division are sown, and begin to sprout, and grow, and, if not checked, they speedily bring forth nauseous and bitter fruit, which, when ripened, contains the poison of death.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.330To counteract these divisions strict laws are given, and authorities ordained to strengthen and succour the weak; to root out all evil-speaking; and to check every sinful thing on its first appearance. Those who give diligent heed, will become habituated to keep the law of God, and will understand their duties, and perform them with cheerfulness and delight. Such will become more and more assimilated in their feelings; their love towards each other, and towards God, and His word, will grow stronger and stronger; and thus by habit they learn obedience to the law of oneness, until they are ready and willing to do anything which that law requires. While those, on the other hand, who do not give heed, find themselves more and more tempted, and their love growing colder and colder, and the faults and imperfections of their brethren and sisters still more magnified in their eyes; and at last, they become destitute of the spirit—destitute of good desires—destitute of the meekness and humility of the Gospel; and the devil takes possession of them, and leads them captive at his own will and pleasure. These do not abide a celestial law, therefore they cannot be made one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.330The Saints are not only one in doctrine, but they are to be made one in temporal things, without which they cannot be made equal in spiritual things. For many centuries past mankind have sought to accumulate riches, and to aggrandize themselves one above another; and this covetous spirit has prevailed even among those who have professed

to be the followers of Jesus and his Apostles: hence, we find rich and poor, all belonging to the same Church, and all expecting to go to the same heaven: one rolling in luxury and wealth, and another ground down in poverty and affliction. Was this the way that the Church was built up in the days of the Apostles? Did they not sell their houses and lands and lay the avails thereof at the Apostles' feet? Did they not have all their property in common? Did not the poor rejoice in that he was exalted, and the rich in that he was made low? Were they not all considered [p.331] equal and one in temporal riches? Yes: they consecrated all they had to the Lord; and holy men were appointed to minister these temporal things to others, according to their wants, without partiality; and this they did in the fear of the Lord: and no part nor portion of the great common stock fund was considered as belonging to some individuals to the exclusion of others; but it belonged to the Lord, and to them all equally, and the officers who were appointed to supply the wants of the Saints had no more title to it, than the least member of the Church. And thus they were all equal in temporal things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.331This same oneness in temporal things existed in the Christian church among the ancient Nephites, so long as they continued in righteousness: for each one had equal claims upon the whole. The same order of things existed in the Zion of Enoch: there were no poor among them. And the same order of things must exist in the Zion of the Latter-days, or else the inhabitants thereof never will be one. Any thing short of a perfect equality in temporal things is a sin: hence, the Lord says, "It is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore, the world lieth in sin." (Doc. and Cov. lxv. 3.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.331Is this law now enforced upon the Saints? Do they have all things common? Do they all possess the same? No: They have not become righteous enough to obey this law. Covetousness has taken such deep root in their hearts, through the wicked traditions of their Gentile fathers, that this law remains unheeded. And had it been enforced in all its strictness, but few would have continued in the Church. The Lord, in order that He might be just, granted His Saints, the privilege of living up to this law, when He first began to gather them on the land where the Zion of God is to be built. But the Saints soon manifested their Gentile covetousness and would not obey the law; and the rich refused to gather because the law required them to consecrate all their property, and place it in the general storehouse of the Lord, and henceforth become stewards over such portions of the Lord's property as he saw fit to bestow upon them or place under their charge. This was too holy a law for their covetous dispositions; they could not endure it. The Lord, therefore, concluded that if they would not endure His holy law, they should not remain on His holy land to pollute and corrupt it. He, therefore, suffered them to be smitten and driven by their enemies, and to be expelled from His goodly land. But He did not wholly cast them off, because he knew that their covetousness was instilled into their minds by their wicked fathers; and He knew that they were very weak, and lacked experience, and that in the main they were inclined to do right; He therefore gave them another law more suited to their weakness. This latter law only required them to consecrate all their surplus property, and afterwards pay one-tenth of all their annual income. This left them [p.332] with all the property which was not surplus, as their own. The first law required them to consecrate all their property, instead of the surplus

portion, and afterwards to become stewards. The last law permitted them to keep a certain portion, not called surplus. The first law required them to consecrate annually all the income of their stewardships, except what they needed for their immediate support: the second law required them to pay annual tithes of only one-tenth of their income. Thus we see the great difference between the perfect law of oneness by which the latter-day Zion is to be built up, and the law given to the children of Zion in their scattered and persecuted condition.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.332But the Saints are not perfect enough to give heed even to this last law. When they gather to Utah, instead of consecrating all their surplus property as the revelation requires, they only give one-tenth to begin with, and afterwards pay one tenth of their annual income: consequently they are transgressors, and do not abide the lesser law only in a degree. The children of Zion, while scattered from their inheritances, could not obey the perfect law of the Lord in all respects, as they could if they were dwelling on the consecrated land; hence the Lord said, "Let those commandments which I have given, concerning Zion and her law, be executed and fulfilled after her redemption." (Doc. and Cov. cii. 10.) In the mean time, the Saints are under preparatory laws given because of the hardness of our hearts, and the blindness of our minds, and our covetousness: not that the celestial law has been wholly taken from us: for we are under an inferior law only in some temporal matters, adapted to our present condition, during the days of our correction and chastisements, that we may learn by degrees how to subdue our covetousness. And when we have fully learned by the things we suffer, how to wean ourselves from the god of this world, the Lord will again restore us to the privileges of the celestial law of consecration; and we shall once more be permitted to consecrate houses and lands, flocks and herds, gold and silver, jewels and precious things. We shall then have the glorious privilege of giving everything to the Lord, and of receiving from him in return whatever He in His boundless liberality shall see proper to return or bestow upon us.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.332We are in hopes that the time will soon come, when the inferior law of consecration, which we are now under, will be kept to the very letter. We want to see the time come, that when the Saints arrive in Utah, all their surplus property shall be consecrated, instead of one-tenth: and that when a Saint arrives with one hundred thousand dollars, instead of giving ten thousand and keeping ninety thousand himself, he shall give all except what the Bishop may judge sufficient for his immediate necessities in procuring house, and home, and other comforts in the same proportion that the rest of his brethren enjoy. After that, let him earn [p.333] himself a living in whatever business he may be engaged, and give annually one-tenth of all his income, be it little or much. And if he by accident, or misfortune, or sickness comes to want, let him be liberally supplied out of the Lord's storehouse, and let the Lord's Bishops judge concerning the wants and necessities of all His people. And when the Saints have learned to keep this inferior law of consecration, it will prepare them to keep the more perfect one, when they shall return to build up Zion according to the celestial order; when all the riches and wealth of Zion shall be common property, and each of the Saints inherit their portion as stewards. Then, and not till then, will they be equal in temporal things; and the least member of Zion will be as rich as the highest Apostle or Prophet. This will be a oneness in earthly

things which will prepare them for a oneness in heavenly things; for the equality in heavenly things is to be brought about and established upon the same principles as the equality in earthly ones; the one being a type of the other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.333The Lord, in a revelation given in 1832, speaks of an "everlasting establishment and order," into which the Church must be organized, that they "may be equal in the hands of heavenly things: yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things; for if ye are not equal in earthly things, ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things." (Doc. and Cov. lxxvi. I.) Nothing is more certain, than that the Saints must eventually become perfect enough to consent to the great principles of equality in regard to property. And if they cannot abide such an order of things in this life, they never can attain to the fulness of the glory of the celestial kingdom. Heavenly riches and earthly riches are of the same nature; only one is glorified and made immortal, and the other is in a fallen, unglorified state. If we are not willing to be governed by the law of equality in regard to that which is of least value, who shall intrust us with all the riches of eternity? If we seek to grasp more than our brother of this world's treasures, will not the same spirit of selfishness govern and control us in regard to the more valuable treasures of the world to come? He that will not conform to the law in earthly things, can not be trusted with the more sacred things of heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.333Where property is all invested in one common fund, there will be one common interest among the Saints in increasing that fund. We see this illustrated in well-regulated families, where the husband and wife, sons and daughters, all seem to be engaged with equal interest to add to or increase to the family property; for each receives a support from that property; and each feels anxious to contribute his portion to the fountain; and the father or head directs each one in regard to his particular branch of business, not only for his own good, but for the mutual good of the whole. When prosperity attends them, they all rejoice together: when adversity overtakes them, and their common fund is diminished, [p.334] they all suffer together; and thus they bear each other's burdens; and as Paul says, when one member suffers, they all suffer; when one rejoices in affluent circumstances, and has an abundance of the luxuries of life, they all participate in the same, and rejoice with him. In such a family, under a wholesome discipline, there is an equality in the enjoyment of temporal things: there is a union and oneness of interest and feeling. By this union of action and interest, they are able to accomplish more, unitedly, than they could accomplish individually with separate interest. Indeed, in many circumstances, certain objects could be accomplished with a united exertion which never could be brought about by separate individual action.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.334What is applicable to small families is also applicable to larger ones; and the same great heavenly principle is applicable to a union of any number of families; or to the whole body of the Saints: yes, more; it is applicable to the union of all the glorified inhabitants of all celestial worlds: they can accomplish great and wonderful works by union, which they could not accomplish as individuals.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.334In this life all Saints have not an equal degree of knowledge and wisdom to manage property, yet such may be equally faithful to all the commands of God. Now, is it right for

these faithful ones to suffer for the good things of this life, because circumstances, or the want of experience, has prevented them from accumulating property? No. They are just as much entitled to the good things which the Lord has made, and which He owns, as those whom circumstances have favored. And for one part of the Saints to retain these blessings from another part equally faithful, is sin, and not according to the celestial law which requires them to be one. If then all are to share alike, it is proper that the property of the whole Church should be placed under the managements of those who have wisdom, and who are ordained of God to manage temporal things: for this purpose, God has appointed Bishops, whose duty it is to appoint every family their stewardships, and to receive the avails of these stewardships, not to aggrandize themselves, but as the agents, to regulate the temporal affairs of the Saints, by the revelations of the Holy Ghost, and the counsels and voice of the presidency of the Church. We are now speaking of what ought to be, and what must be when Zion is built up according to the celestial law. The First Presidency, and the Twelve, and other authorities, are doing all that they can, under present circumstances, to prepare the people for this more perfect law of consecration, which we know must, sooner or later, be brought into full force and operation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.334Is a bishop any more honorable, or any better in the sight of God, because he is called to direct in temporal things, than the humble, private citizen who consecrates the avails of his stewardship into his hands? [p.335] No. If they are equally faithful, they are equally beloved of the Lord; and they are equally entitled to food and raiment, and to the good things of the earth. And the Bishop has no more claim upon the Lord's storehouse than the least member of the Church, only as his time may be more occupied in public matters, which may prevent him from cultivating the earth or engaging in other business avocations. And the same is true in regard to the Twelve, or the First Presidency. The highest officers and the lowest are all one in Christ—children of the same great family; God is their father, and He looks upon His children without partiality; if they serve Him equally, He loves them equally, and He will make them equal; or, in other words, joint owners of all the property and riches which He thinks proper, in this life, to confer upon them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.335An inequality in riches lays a foundation for pride, and many other evils. A family who are rich can build comfortable houses, purchase inheritances and fine carriages, clothe themselves in splendid attire, and educate their children in every branch of useful learning; while those who are poor labour and toil from morning until evening to procure a scanty subsistence; their families are coarsely clad, their children are not so highly educated. These opposite circumstances produce distinctions; the rich family do not feel to associate with the same degree of familiarity with the poor as they do with the rich: the sons and daughters of the rich seek for companions among those that are wealthy; the poor feel themselves slighted, and feel envious, because they are not rich. Besides the great inequalities in regard to the actual comforts of life, it produces great inequality in education, in the social circle, in marriage associations, and in almost every other respect. Hence, an inequality in property is the root and foundation of innumerable evils; it tends to division, and to keep asunder the social feelings that should exist among the people of God. It is the great barrier erected by the devil to prevent that unity and

oneness which the Gospel requires; it is a principle originated in hell; it is the root of all evil.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.335Riches are not a curse, but they are a great blessing: it is inequality in riches that is a great curse. God has made all the riches of the earth, and the riches of all worlds. He made the gold, and the silver, and the precious metals: He formed the flocks and herds, and all useful animals: He has made the earth exceedingly rich; and He has given man dominion over all these things: the more His people enjoy of these things the better he is pleased; it is impossible for His people to become too rich: if the whole world, with all the treasures thereof, were in the hands of the Saints, the Lord would still be delighted for them to have more. But these blessings have become a great curse to man, because they have been unequally possessed. We again repeat the word of the Lord to this Church: "IT IS NOT GIVEN THAT ONE MAN SHOULD POSSESS THAT WHICH IS [p.336] ABOVE ANOTHER: WHEREFORE THE WORLD LIETH IN SIN." Unequal possession of that which God has made for the benefit of all His children, is sin. All nations, kindreds, and people, are in sin because of this inequality. The Saints are still in sin so far as they approve of this unequal possession; and we shall remain in sin until we make exertions to put this inequality away from us. We must be one, not only one in heavenly riches, but one in earthly riches.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.336But how are we to be made one and equal in the inheritance of temporal things? If the riches of the earth were equally divided among all the children of God, circumstances would soon render them unequal; accidents, misfortunes, unwise calculations, sickness, and many other calamities would reduce some to poverty; while through experience and favorable circumstances, others would greatly add to their property; and in many instances, increase the same ten, fifty, or a hundred-fold. Hence, it is supposed by some, that under such changing and fluctuating circumstances, equality could not be maintained, even though it should be established. They argue that if they were all made equal today, circumstances would render them unequal to-morrow. To such, we reply, that God's plan of making His Saints equal in property is not subject to any fluctuating circumstances; it is a perfect plan; it is not brought about by an equal division of property, nor by any division at all. Division of property, like a division in doctrine, is a plan of the devil, followed by Gentiles. Equality among the Saints is not to be introduced by an equal division of property, but by a UNION of property. Let all the property of the Church be united instead of divided: and then let each person in the Church possess the whole; and let this joint possession be under strict and impartial laws; and let each individual and family have their stewardship; some in one branch of business and some in another; some having more capital under their charge, and some less, according to the nature of their callings and business; and let each one give an account of his stewardship to those whom God has appointed as judges in Israel; and let each family receive a sufficient portion of the avails of their stewardship to supply their proper wants and necessities, according to the magnitude of the joint fund, and the amount of population to be supplied from it. In this way a perfect equality could be maintained; for if each inherited all things, then all would be perfectly equal; and while this order of things remained, no circumstances could render them unequal. Then no one could say to his neighbor, I own more than you, or you own more than I. No one would shun his

neighbor because he was more poor, or because his children had not the same advantages of education as his own. No envying could exist, because of wealth and riches. No chance for one to sit in idleness, and feast himself upon the luxuries earned by the hard labors and toils of others. Whatever a man earned in [p.337] his stewardship, whether little or much, would go into the Lord's storehouse, except what was needed for his immediate necessities: and thus there would be no chance for one to become rich and another poor. And if any family were sick and unfortunate in their stewardship, so that they did not accumulate enough to supply their wants, they would have claim upon the Lord's storehouse. The widow and the fatherless, as well as those of old age, or who are lame, or blind, or afflicted in any way, are just as rich as the others. The great common stock fund is all theirs, to be dealt out by those whom the Lord appoints by the voice of this people. The poor emigrant also who escapes from Babylon, and arrives in Zion weary, hungry, and naked, becomes as rich as any of his brethren. This order of things is not now established, but it surely will be established as a permanent and everlasting order, to remain, not in time only, but in eternity. For "he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things," in eternity as well as in time: "all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things in heaven and upon the earth," whether they are the heavenly worlds at present existing, or the heavenly worlds that are yet to come. All the fulness of the riches thereof is his. He is a joint inheritor—a joint heir—perfect equal with all the rest "in dominion," in power, in glory, being, as modern revelation says, made equal with Jesus, who is also equal with the Father: being one, as he and the Father are one: their glory will be one, even as the glory of the sun is one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.337Some, perhaps, may object to this perfect order of equality, on the supposition that it will lay the foundation for idleness among certain individuals who will claim a support, whether they labor much, or little, or none at all. But this objection is effectually destroyed by the following items of revelation:—The Essential Orson Pratt, p.337"Every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, inasmuch as is sufficient for himself and family." (Doc. & Cov. xiii. 9.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.337"It is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity. For he who is faithful and wise in time is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for them of my Father." (Sec. xc. par. 1.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.337Every steward must render an account of his stewardship in time as well as in eternity. The individuals whom the Lord has ordained to judge these accounts and keep records of the same, are the Bishops whom the Lord has appointed to be judges in Israel. These judges with their counsellors are required to judge according to the law of the Lord. Now what law has God given concerning idlers?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.337"Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the labourer." (Doc. and Cov. xiii. 12.)

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.338[p.338] "And the inhabitants of Zion, also, shall remember their labours, inasmuch as they are appointed to labour, in all faithfulness; for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord. Now, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them." (Doc. and Cov. xxii. 4.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.338"Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the Church, except he repents, and mends his ways." (Doc. and Cov. lxxxviii. 5.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.338The idler, when he stands forth before the judgment seat of the Bishop, will find that there are strict laws in regard to his case: he will find that it is not for him to eat the bread nor wear the garments of the labourer. He will find himself cast out, and entitled to no place among the people of God. Therefore, the Lord's plan of equality is effectually guarded against idlers. We would remind such to study the parable of the talents. The steward that buries his talent in the earth, or is idle, and does not improve his stewardship, will have that which is committed to his charge taken from him, and given to other stewards who have labored faithfully, while the unfaithful steward will be cast out of the vineyard of the Lord, and be counted unworthy to have place among those that are faithful.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.338The benefits derived from this order of things, are infinitely superior to the Gentile order: for it is not only impartial in conferring temporal blessings upon the Saints, but it prevents an immense amount of suffering, which would naturally attend any other order. Where individuals are wholly dependent upon their own resources, sickness, fires, and other calamities may reduce them to great poverty and sufferings; but when these losses are sustained by the whole people, instead of one individual, the burden becomes light, or is scarcely felt. And thus much suffering is prevented.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.338This method is also the surest way of becoming rich and wealthy as a people. Much poverty is frequently the result of mismanagement; but where there are wise men ordained of God to manage temporal things, to whom the Lord's stewards must seek for counsel, and to whom they must render an account, the various departments of the Lord's vineyard will be managed by the wisdom of the Spirit; economy will characterize the movements of the whole people; the farmer, the mechanic, the manufacturer, and the merchant will flourish and greatly prosper in their business. Riches will flow in abundance through all these channels into the great common reservoir. If there is any great enterprise to be undertaken, requiring a vast amount of capital, that capital is on hand, being furnished by the whole people, instead of a few individuals. If any great public works, such as railroads, canals, electric telegraphs, temples, state houses, Universities, forts, fortifications, walls, &c., are [p.339] required for the good of the people, the union of the whole property and strength of the people have many fold more power to accomplish these great undertakings, than the exertions of a few individuals. Where idleness is considered a sin, and not permitted to exist among a people, and where industry universally prevails, and is directed in the proper channels, there wealth will rapidly increase, and unbounded prosperity will necessarily crown their united exertions.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.339But it may, perhaps, be asked, What benefit is to be derived from becoming exceedingly rich as a people? We answer, that God designs to restore to civilization and Christianity the American Indians, who are a remnant of the tribe of Joseph of the house of Israel. These Indians number many millions, and they are generally poor: and being unaccustomed to the arts and sciences, and the labors of civilization, they will require a vast amount of assistance, preparatory to their being in a condition to support themselves. The riches and wealth accumulated by the Saints, will be of incalculable benefit towards alleviating their wants, in preparing food, raiment, habitations, farms, farming utensils, and other necessities, to succour and sustain them, while they are learning to take care of themselves. And in doing this work, we shall be fulfilling the word of the Lord, which says, "I will consecrate of the riches of those who embrace my gospel among the Gentiles, unto the poor of my people who are of the house of Israel." (Doc. and Cov. xiii. 11.) Riches will also be needed to build up the city of the New Jerusalem, which, we are informed, is to be constructed of the most costly materials, and in the most magnificent style; and it will require immense wealth to procure the precious stones, the gold, and other costly ornaments with which it must be adorned. Riches will also be needed to gather home hundreds of thousands of poor Saints, who will embrace the gospel in foreign lands. For instance, to gather only one million of Saints at the low rate of one hundred dollars per head, would cost about two hundred tons of gold. Many great enterprizes the Saints will be obliged to engage in, which will require all the means that they can accumulate by their united energy and industry.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.339The object of riches is to alleviate the sufferings of mankind, and place them in a prosperous, happy condition. And when this can be accomplished upon just and equitable principles; when all can be made equally happy and comfortable, then the end is attained for which riches are given. Riches are not given to gratify the pride and ambition of man; they are not given to exalt one man in extravagance and grandeur above another; they are not given to make kings and princes of some, and beggars and slaves of others; they are not given to encourage man in idleness and in vain and unprofitable pursuits; but they are given to ameliorate his condition; to satisfy the wants of his physical nature; to [p.340] beautify and adorn his habitations, his gardens, his vineyards, his inheritances; to supply him abundantly with wholesome food, with comfortable raiment, and with all the luxuries that can be righteously desired to please the eye, the taste, or the smell; to furnish him with useful or entertaining books, or with musical instruments to delight the ear or gladden the heart with melodious sounds; that with music, and with cheerful songs and hymns of praise, the full hearts of the Saints may flow with joy and thanksgiving to Him who is the author of riches, and from whom all blessings flow. For all these, and many other great and good purposes, riches are given, not to be enjoyed by some, to the exclusion of others equally worthy; for this is sin, but to be equally enjoyed by the whole family of God, that they may be one. Otherwise, there will ever be envying, fault finding, dissatisfaction, pride, extravagance, oppression, murmuring, complaining, continual divisions, unjust speculations, defrauding, and every other evil work, all arising from separate interests, and inequalities in temporal things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.340

If the riches of the Saints were all consecrated to the Lord, and they occupied the same as accountable stewards, being required to annually consecrate all the income of their stewardships, except what was sufficient to supply their wants, they would have no desire to speculate one out of another; for if one half of the Saints should, by close bargains and business transactions, speculate with the other half, and take away their stewardships or any part of them, nothing would be gained at the end of the year; for all that the speculators had gained out of their brethren would have to be consecrated, and would still belong to the whole Church; this property would not be increased by merely changing hands from one family to another. Speculation, therefore, out of each other could not exist with the least degree of advantage to the common fund. The general fund could only be increased by a surplus of that which was actually manufactured or raised in flocks or herds, or from the ground, or obtained from some foreign source. If one half should turn thieves, and steal millions of property from the other half, when the stolen property was consecrated it would not increase the general fund in the least; for if it had remained in the hands of the rightful owners or rather stewards, they would have consecrated it therefore, there would be no object for stealing one from another; neither would there be any object in cheating or defrauding one another; for none of these evil acts could increase the great capital. Therefore, this order of equality would effectually do away with speculating, defrauding, cheating, or stealing from one another. Each one owning the whole, no one would feel any interest in stealing his own property, or in defrauding his right hand for the sake of his left.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.341It is true, where each one receives his stewardship, there would still [p.341] be buying and selling, trading and exchanging property with one another as well as with the world; for no one would be permitted to take that which was in the charge of another, without paying for the same. And in this way each could render a proper account of his stewardship. On the other hand, if each one had a right to take property wherever he found it, without paying an equivalent for the same, all would be confusion; no one would be able to account satisfactorily for his gains or losses. Hence, the Lord says, "Thou shalt stand in the place of thy stewardship; thou shalt not take thy brother's garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou shalt receive of thy brother; and if thou obtainest more than that which would be for thy support, thou shalt give it into my storehouse, that all things may be done according to that which I have said." (Doc. and Cov. xii. 14.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.341It will easily be seen, from what we have said now the Saints are made equal and one in earthly things: it is not by dividing the properties of the Church equally among them all, but it is by a union of the same for the good of each; wherein each becomes the possessor of the whole, under certain restrictions and laws. But will there not be a difference in regard to the amount of the stewardships distributed among the Saints? Yes; there will be a great difference. Some stewards will be intrusted with a hundred-fold more than others, and have a hundredfold greater responsibility resting upon them. There are many useful branches of industry which could not be successfully carried on, without ten, fifty, a hundred, or even a thousand-fold more capital, than others: consequently, stewardships must necessarily vary in amount and value, according to the nature of the business, callings, capacities, and circumstances of the several

stewards; but as all the profits, arising from these unequal stewardships, must go into the general fund, they are all equally enriched by them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.341As in temporal things, so in spiritual: each faithful member here in this life is made a partaker of all spiritual blessings granted to the Church: each one inherits the benefits of all the gifts. There are a great variety of spiritual gifts given; but none of these gifts are given for the exclusive benefit of the individual possessing them: for instance, God has given to some to hold the keys of revelation, and knowledge, and wisdom: they become stewards over these gifts: they use these keys to unlock the sacred treasures of eternity, and become acquainted with hidden stores of knowledge, deep mysteries are made plain; secret things are manifested; wonders are exhibited; and the mind, richly laden with the choice treasures of the heavenly worlds, and the wonderful works of God, feasts upon the delicious food; the soul is filled with joy unspeakable; the heart swells with the love of God; and the bosom yearns with compassion towards all mankind, and especially towards all who are pure in heart. [p.342] They long to pour out the knowledge which they have received, into the hearts of others who are equally worthy with themselves: the impartation of knowledge to others who are pure in heart, diffuses in each and all, the same joy and happiness that they themselves have; indeed, their own joy is increased by imparting their knowledge to others; and if they impart all the knowledge they have to the pure in heart, then, all become equal in knowledge, so far as it is revealed: this makes them one so far as the revealed knowledge is concerned. Now the whole body of the Saints who are thus made equal in knowledge are not revelators; the keys were not intrusted to them all, but the keys of this rich stewardship were intrusted to some for the benefit of all. Now it matters not, through what source this knowledge is first communicated, whether to one or to all, if the pure in heart are all equally benefitted by it.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.342There is not a division in knowledge, that is, it is not divided into equal shares, and one portion given to one, and another to another: this is not God's plan of making His Saints one and equal in knowledge: but each becomes the possessor of the whole revealed: they are joint heirs—joint owners of the whole, the same as in temporal things, which are the types of heavenly ones. There is this difference, however, between temporal riches and knowledge: when each Saint obtains the fullness of all the knowledge revealed, instead of being made an accountable steward over a small portion of the joint fund, he is accountable for the whole; for each is made a steward of the whole which could not conveniently exist in relation to temporal things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.342Each is required to improve upon his stewardship, and obey every law connected with the additional knowledge imparted, in order that he may be prepared for more, through the keys that are ordained and thus knowledge is multiplied upon knowledge, and the light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day, the whole body being perfected in knowledge, light, and truth, through the choice gifts of revelation given to some.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.342To some it is given to teach the word of wisdom, that the whole Church may be equally wise, inasmuch as they give diligent heed. The Saints may have great knowledge revealed to them, and still be exceedingly unwise in the use of that knowledge.

Therefore, God has appointed some to be filled with great wisdom as well as knowledge; not for their own benefit alone, but for the benefit of the whole body. God is altogether in favour of the common stock principle in wisdom and knowledge, as well as in property. He, therefore, is not willing that the stewards over these rich treasures should hoard them up for their own exclusive use, when there are others equally worthy of enjoying the same. They are commanded to give, not a part, but the whole, to the pure in heart, that all may be equal in the enjoyment of these precious gifts.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.343[p.343] So likewise, the gifts of prophecy, visions, the discerning of spirits, or the beholding of angels and in ministering spirits, the gifts of healing, miracles, tongues, interpretations, &c., are distributed among the Saints; each to be exercised for the benefit of all, being common stock blessings belonging to the whole body, though ministered through many channels. These gifts are given to perfect the whole Church, that it may become the tabernacle of God—His habitation—His temple, becoming sanctified, purified, glorified, and finally, perfected; being filled with the fulness of Him who is in all things—who knoweth all things, who maketh them equal, even one with himself. Then, and not till then, the most of these gifts will be done away: having subserved the purposes for which they were given. Healings will then cease, for the Saints will then all be immortal, and will have no need of healing; tongues and interpretations will then fail, for from thenceforth they will all use one perfect pure language, viz., the language of the Holy Ghost; prophesying will cease, for all things in the future will be known by all; knowledge in part will be done away, for the Saints will know all things; the gift of revelation will cease, for the Saints no longer know in part, but already know as they are known, and see as they are seen. While knowledge in part continues, revelations and prophesying will continue; but when all things are known, these gifts necessarily cease. But charity never faileth; it is a gift that will abide for ever. The fullness of knowledge and wisdom, light and truth, will also remain for ever; the gift of immortality and eternal life will continue and have no end. All things that are perfected will be everlasting; but the most of the instruments or gifts used to bring about this perfection, will cease, being adapted to imperfect beings only, and like the scaffolding to a building, wholly unnecessary, when the edifice is finished.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.343It is in this glorified perfect state that the most indissoluble ties will exist; being perfected in wisdom and knowledge, light and truth, justice and mercy, goodness and love, no one can or will do anything, but that will be the will of the whole. Each one in all the greatness and infinity of his worlds will be doing the perfect will of the whole. As the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are united in all their works, and never do the least thing contrary to each other's will, so all this infinitude of celestial beings, inhabiting all glorified worlds, will possess the same perfect oneness, acting in this same perfect union. This oneness will be as undeviating and as unchangeable as truth itself, and will continue throughout all eternity, and have no end.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.343Although an equality of knowledge is intended for the Saints, yet there are some who do not prepare themselves to receive it; therefore, it is withheld from them. Some are permitted, because of their righteousness and faith to receive knowledge that is not lawful to be uttered to [p.344] others. This inequality arises, not from any imperfection in

the plan, but from the imperfection of those who profess to receive the plan. God desires them to have all the knowledge that lie has; but he desires that they should obtain it in the way that he has appointed. If any fail of obtaining the knowledge which others have received, and which they are not permitted to utter, the fault is wholly in themselves: it is free to all upon the same principles; and God is better pleased with those who attain to it, than He is with those who do not. It is, true, here in this life, there is a great inequality of circumstances surrounding individuals which may prevent them from obtaining a perfect equality in the knowledge of God. The improvement of the capacities or intellects of some may differ in consequence of some physical organization, or some injury which the body may have sustained, or which they may have inherited from their ancestors. All these things arise in consequence of the imperfections introduced into our world by the fall of man. And furthermore, there is no doubt but the spirits of man in their antecedent state vary, not in capacities, but in the improvement of them; some spirits being reckoned among the noble and great ones, because of their attainments. All these circumstances combined prevent some from obtaining knowledge with the same ease as others. Yet, when all these shall be fully redeemed from all opposing causes, and all shall be blessed with immortal bodies, perfect in their organization, nothing will hinder them from understanding all things, discerning them by the Spirit of God. This will make them equal and one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.344In what manner, it may be asked, will this fullness of truth be imparted? Will it be by the long and tedious process of study? or will it be by the immediate light of the Spirit Which is in us? We will answer these questions by a quotation from the word of the Lord spoken unto Moses, given to Joseph the Seer in June, 1830. The Lord said unto Moses, "Look, and I will shew 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."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.344"And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, he cast his eyes, and beheld the earth, yea, even all the face of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God; and he beheld also the inhabitants thereof; and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants upon the face thereof."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.345From this we perceive, that Moses beheld the whole earth, not [p.345] merely its general outlines, or the surface, consisting of land and water, islands and continents, rivers, lakes, and oceans, but the interior portions also: "there was not a particle of it which he did not behold." All the inhabitants thereof were also beheld; not one soul escaped his vision. The great telescope, by which the whole was rendered visible, was not formed by human art: it was no less than the all-wise—all-powerful Spirit of God. If this all-powerful telescope had been pointed to the sun, moon, planets, or comets, it would have rendered every particle of each distinctly visible: Moses could have looked upon each with the same ease that he looked upon those of the earth. It was a

telescope not limited in its field of vision; its capacities were such that the astonished beholder could see in all directions at the same instant. And if prepared with an immortal body, so as not to be overpowered with the dazzling glory, and magnificence, and omnipotence of the scenery, eternity itself, with all its boundless contents, and infinitude of worlds, would be present before the eyes: every particle in endless space could be seen through the same medium that Moses beheld every particle of the earth. But no man can have the aid of this most wonderful telescope, to show him all the works of God which include all His glory, till he is prepared with an immortal and celestial body; for the glory of the infinitely extended view would consume his mortal body in a moment.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.345Another wonder is connected with this telescope; it not only shows things as they now exist, but as they have existed, and as they will exist. That great and renowned philosopher, the brother of Jared, by calling upon the Lord, obtained the use of this magnificent telescope for a short time, by which he was enabled to look upon the Lord, and saw the body of His spirit, and beheld his glorious face, and conversed with Him as a man converses with his friend; and not satisfied with beholding things present, he looked upon things past, and upon things to come; and the Lord showed unto him "all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and He withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth." What a wonderful instrument! it enables one to look not only in all directions at the same time, but to look into the past, present, and future, at the same moment.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.345Lord Ross has constructed a telescope that will enable us to see millions of worlds so distant that their light by which they are now rendered visible, must have left them hundred of thousands of years before our earth was made: this enables us to see, not the present existence of these worlds, but their past existence. But with all this ingenuity, neither he, nor any other man, can form a telescope that will show us the present existence of those distant bodies: neither can they invent instruments that will show the future existence of bodies that are to be created and made. Neither will his telescope, nor any other instrument of man's [p.346] invention, enable us to look at every particle that enters into the composition of worlds. Hence, the Lord's plan of assisting the vision is infinitely superior to all others. We can readily perceive that the means by which man discerns knowledge in the heavenly worlds are not by reasoning nor studying as here: it will be by a sudden process; for if the Holy Ghost, when resting upon mortal men, can in a moment show them such wonderful things, what an infinitude of knowledge it will pour into the mind of an immortal being upon whom it rests, not in measure, but in fulness. Can anything, past, present, or to come, be hidden from them? Will there be bounds set to circumscribe their vision? Or is the field so extensive that the power of the telescope will not reach it?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.346It is upon this same principle that God the Father can behold all things; or as He says in the prophecy of Enoch, "I can stretch forth mine hands, and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also;" or as our Saviour says, "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." (Doc. and Cov. xii. 1.)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.346Enoch informs us that if every particle of this earth was numbered, and millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of worlds which that Being had made whom he was addressing; and yet that God informs him that He could pierce all these creations with His eye. Jesus also says, "All things are present before mine eyes;" and this he gives as a reason why he knows all things. It is very evident, therefore, that all these Beings discern things through the same medium; that is, by the Spirit; and though the works of God are infinite, yet there are none beyond the reach of His all-powerful vision. And because they all behold and discern by the Spirit without any opposing obstacles, they all have an opportunity of seeing alike, and understanding alike, and knowing the same things; they are made perfect in one, and enjoy the same glory.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.346Oh, ye Saints of the Latter Days, do not forget the high destiny that awaits you. An eternity is before you, which has no end: a boundless space surrounds you, filled with an infinitude of worlds. The kingdoms, principalities, and heavenly powers that fill all the vast expanse are yours: the heights and depths, the lengths and breadths, the riches and honors, the wisdom and excellency, the knowledge and power, the glory of all things, and the fulness of all things, are yours for ever and ever. Blessed is he that over-cometh, for he shall inherit all things.[p.347]{17}"The Holy Spirit and the Godhead,"A Sermon Delivered on 18 February 1855(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols.[Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], 2:334-47)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.347I presume that the people who are now before me feel, with myself, somewhat disappointed in their expectations this morning. We met together here for the purpose of hearing an address from our beloved President, in regard to the views of this people respecting the Government of the United States, and our relations and connection with that Government as a people.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.347It is certainly a disappointment to me, and I have no doubt but it is to all who are under the sound of my voice, but you see that the house is insufficient to accommodate us all, and in consequence of this, being requested by some of the First Presidency, I have come out into the open air for the purpose of addressing you, according to the strength of my lungs and the wisdom which God may be pleased to give me.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.347Let us all lift up our hearts in faith before the Lord, and in our disappointment in not hearing the President, the Lord may still be merciful, and pour out from on high the Holy Ghost upon us, that we may be instructed and edified, and have our minds strengthened by the gift, and power, and wisdom thereof; for without the gifts and strength of the Holy Spirit to inspire the hearts of those who speak and of those who hear, our remarks will be in vain, and our hearing will be in vain; but keep that Spirit with

us, and then, notwithstanding the circumstances under which we are placed, all will be well; and never let the Saints feel discouraged, neither forget to pray for the Holy Spirit to rest down upon them, and upon those who speak to them, that each and all may be directed to act at all times by that Spirit that is able to guide into all truth. This certainly is the object for which we are gathered out from the nations of the earth; this is the object for which we are assembled here to-day; at least, it ought to be. We ought not to have any other thing in view only to be blessed, edified, and strengthened in the Lord.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.347I am sure that I have no other object in view, and I am the last person in my feelings that would come out and undertake to speak for the sake of hearing myself and getting the applause of men; for so far as speaking is concerned, I feel more like retiring into some lonely place; for I never did feel a desire to be engaged in public life, only so far as I [p.348] can do good; but I have a desire to serve the Lord, I have a desire to do good, I have a desire to persuade men and women to become righteous, I have a desire to understand the knowledge and things of God, and those great principles that will be calculated to aid me under all the circumstances of this life, as well as in that which is to come; and for these things I live, and for this cause (believing that it is required of my hands by the Lord) I take a part in public life.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.348I believe I will take a text, and then I can, perhaps, collect my thoughts and concentrate my mind upon some subject. I am aware that it is very difficult to speak in the open air, but I will endeavor to make all hear. I know of no more appropriate text than one which is expressed in two words, and it is therefore a very short one; and although I have spoken and written upon the subject before, there may be those present who are not fully acquainted with it, and it may also assist the Elders to defend our principles when they are sent forth to preach the Gospel. It is comprehended in the following two words—"BE ONE."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.348Why are we required to be one? What is the object of being one? I do not know of any better way to illustrate this question than this—if this congregation who are now present before me, were required to perform some great and mighty works, wherein great strength was necessary to be exerted, and each individual went and tried to perform the work given to them to do unitedly, his acts, being individually and separately performed, would fail to perform the work.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.348It may be a work of great moment which we are called upon to perform, requiring all the union, strength, and force that are in our minds. If men undertake any work of great magnitude by their united force and strength, they may be able to bring to pass that which they could not accomplish individually; and so it is with regard to the things of the kingdom of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.348We are required to be one in order that our exertions and strength may be united, and have an influence to accomplish our great end and aim; for by our united faith and exertions we shall be able to prove ourselves worthy. The Saints are universally interested, as much as we are, in the building up of this kingdom, which requires oneness of action.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.348The devil is all the time working in opposition to our exertions, and he feels quite interested in opposing us by all his forces, embodied and disembodied; for he has a great many ways by which he overcomes the human family, and brings them into bondage. He has been a long time in war with the kingdom of God, and has become very wily, and has great experience in his favor, and that is the way he has acquired such a great deal of cunning; although he has not the same degree of knowledge that there is in exercise in behalf of the Saints; for he knows not the mind of God in all things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.349[p.349] That he is thus limited in knowledge is clearly revealed in the Prophet Joseph's inspired translation of the book of Genesis. He has many years of experience, and so have his associates; for they have been engaged in a spiritual warfare for many ages, endeavoring to bring into captivity the spirits of men, to lead them into subjection to his own power; and it requires a strong force to operate successfully against his numerous host; consequently, we read that in the last great battle that shall be fought with this adversary, all the forces of heaven will be brought to bear against him: they will all be united in one great body under the direction of our father Adam, the chief prince, the archangel who was appointed in the beginning to overcome the devil by the assistance of his children. He will marshal all the hosts of heaven, and will be able to prevail against him; and then will the Saints be delivered from his power from henceforth and for ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.349Now you see the nature of the thoughts and ideas that the Savior had in his mind when he commanded his people to be one. We have to learn the lesson of union here, and when the time shall come for the commands to be issued forth by the archangel, or the head angel, that his children may be ready, and all under his command really prepared to go and perform the work that is given them to do. How, or in what manner, this battle will be fought, it is not necessary in this discourse to explain; indeed, we do not know all the particulars, for they are not revealed, but we may judge from analogy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.349We see how the devil operates with us in this life, for he knows now that our strength is broken; some are in distant settlements, and some here, and others scattered abroad among the nations; and he is all the time operating and laying plans for the purpose of injuring and afflicting the Saints of the living God; and he will not alter his evil course, but will try to entrap as many as possible by his stratagems, and lead them astray from the path of life. That is the way he fights against the cause of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.349Whether there will be any physical force used by celestial beings when fighting against other beings is not revealed; but suffice it to say, that there will be a spiritual strength and force exercised, and an endeavor made to overcome the minds of men and women, and bring them into subjection and captivity; and when the mind is brought into subjection, there will be a spiritual misery, and this is one of the greatest causes of misery.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.349It is not this physical body that suffers in such a case as the one we have mentioned;

but as I have, years ago, frequently told the people that the body has not life in itself; it is the spirit that has life and feeling, and that is capable of experiencing sorrow and joy, and all those changes of sensation to which we are liable in this mortal state; when we are [p.350] overcome, the spirit is in bondage, subject to the power of him who has subjected and overcome it, and so it will be with those that Satan finally overcomes; they will become his prisoners, for he will have prevailed against them; and thus they are spiritually subdued.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350If they are overcome in their bodies while here, if their minds are bound down in captivity by their great enemy, if they render themselves subject to him, it will produce misery and pain and wretchedness to every such soul. This is compared to a literal pain of the body by fire and brimstone, about which so much has been said by the religious world.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350I do not know but there will be a literal hell of this description; for aught I know, the Lord may have worlds prepared with plenty of fire and brimstone in them; but in my opinion the greatest torment the wicked will have, will be the torment and sting of the mind, being brought into subjection to that being that is continually seeking to overcome and entangle mankind in his snares.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350Then, it is necessary that we should be one, and hence the Lord said to us in the early rise of this Church, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." Why not His? Why will He not accept of us? Because without union, without concentration, it is clear that we cannot enjoy ourselves as the Lord designs we should; in short, exclusive of the principle and spirit of union, we never can accomplish any great work like the one given into our hands.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350The Lord, therefore, designed to have His people united in one, to show us the nature of His laws, and the necessity of being united, so that we may enjoy the society of the ancients, and be one with them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350We are also commanded to shun all contentions and strifes, and all those fiendly emanations that would create a hell for us, and for those with whom we are associated in our families.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350The Lord has no sure foundation to work upon, unless we are united; and consequently in order to prevent discord and disunion, the results of every one going his own way, He has warned us before hand, and said that unless we are one, we are not His.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350But let us for a few moments examine this text. The Scriptures read in one place that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one. What are we to understand from this expression? Are we to understand that the persons of the Father and Jesus Christ are incorporated in one? No, it has no such meaning as this. Then are they one in substance, as the Methodist discipline, and many other creeds, declare? No; from the very fact that two particles of matter can never be one; or in other words, where one is, the other is not, and cannot be at the same instant of time.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.350There may be several separate substances existing at the same time, possessed of the same properties, perfections, and attributes; the particles of which they are composed may be the same in kind, and be [p.351] possessed of the same amount of wisdom, power, and intelligence; but still they are separate substances, occupying separate portions of space; so with the persons of the Father and Son: for instance, if we examine the constituents of pure water obtained in Utah and in France, we find them the same, not in substance, but in quality.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.351A particle of oxygen, or of hydrogen in Europe, is precisely the same in quality as in America, or any where else; it is just so with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are one in the attributes and principles that exist in their substances, and materials being the same in kind and qualities only. But I will not say that the Holy Ghost is a personage, the same as the Father and Son. When I speak of the Holy Spirit, I speak of it as being a substance that is precisely the same in its attributes as those of the Father and Son; I speak of it as a substance that is diffused throughout space, the same as oxygen is in pure water or air, and as being cognizant of every day's events. And wherever this Holy Spirit is, it possesses the same attributes and the same kind of qualities that the personages of the Father and the Son are possessed of; consequently, the oneness that is here spoken of, must be applied to the attributes, and not to the persons themselves.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.351This subject has been a great mystery to men in the religious world; they could not comprehend it, and consequently they have conjectured many things in relation to it, without having the inspiration of the almighty to guide them; and hence, one has got one idea, and another has conjectured in his way and got another idea, quite different from that of his neighbor. And in this way men have got up creeds and systems diverse from each other, and contrary to the real truth; and about these false creeds they have been striving and contending for ages.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.351For my own part, I see no mystery about it; the subject is plain and simple to those who enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.351In order to explain my mind more fully upon this subject, I will take a father and son, and a person who lives with them, and works about the farm and performs such other duties as may be required: let those persons have the same attributes, suppose that one knows as much as the other, and that they all act in union and concert; it could then be said of those three persons that they were one; and no one would, from that expression, suppose them to be one identical person, but every one would believe and understand that they were one in their knowledge, one in their views, and in their attributes. I understand the same with regard to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.351I will tell you what I believe in regard to the Holy Ghost's being a person: but I know of no revelation that states that this is the fact, neither is there any that informs us that it is not the fact, so we are left to form our own conclusions upon the subject, and hence some have [p.352] concluded that they were right, and that others were not. It is in fact

a matter of doubt with all, whether there be a personal Holy Spirit, or not.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352I am inclined to think, from some things in the revelations, that there is such a being as a personal Holy Ghost, but it is not set forth as a positive fact, and the Lord has never given me any revelation upon the subject, and consequently I cannot fully make up my mind one way or the other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352I know there are indications that such is the fact; for instance, where the personal pronoun is applied to the Spirit, as "He shall lead and guide you into all truth;" "he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak;" and "he shall take of the things of the Father, and show them unto you."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352From these and many other passages of the same kind and bearing, we may draw the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is actually a person. Then, again, there are other revelations where the pronoun it is applied, such for instance as, "The Spirit itself maketh intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered." And many other revelations convey the idea that the spirit is a diffused substance. Just so in the Book of Mormon, we find many of those terms, and consequently we are left to our own conjecture respecting there being a personal Holy Spirit; but one thing is certain, whether there is personal Holy Spirit or not, there is an inexhaustible quantity of that Spirit that is not a person. This is revealed; this is a fact. And it is just as probable to my mind, that there should be a portion of it organized into a person, as that it should exist universally diffused among all the materials in space.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352This Holy Spirit is all-wise, and in many of its attributes much like the Father and Son, and acts in concert with them. It governs and controls all things, and from this some might infer that it has the same knowledge and power as the Father and Son have.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352I will tell you some of the knowledge that this Holy Spirit has; it controls all the laws that you see existing around you in the variations of the weather and the changes of the seasons, and all those phenomena that you behold, and that you call the laws of nature; all these are nothing more nor less than the workings of this all-wise Spirit.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.352You see a stone or other substances fall to the ground, and you ask, What makes them fall, and what controls them? Why will they not rise? Has any person ever found out the cause of this? No; even Sir Isaac Newton's principles of gravitation have failed to show it; as learned a man as he was, he has only given us an index or key to the effects, but not the cause of those effects. He has taken great pains to show us that when anything falls to the ground, it is the effect of the law of universal gravitation; but he himself declares that the law gives no indication of the cause; he makes this declaration in his writings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.353[p.353] If, then, he knew nothing about the cause of stones falling, and if no other persons know, the inquiry may still with propriety be made—what is the cause of stones or any other substances, when hurled into the air, falling to the earth? This is one of the mysteries of nature not yet discovered, unless we can attribute it to the Holy Spirit's

governing and controlling all things. But is the Holy Spirit in the stone, says the inquirer? and is it that which causes it to fall to the ground, instead of going in a horizontal direction? This Spirit is in all things, governing and controlling them according to the eternal decrees of the Almighty. "How do you prove it," says one. I will prove it by quoting a revelation where it says, "He is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made. And the earth also, and the power thereof; even the earth upon which you stand."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.353"And the light which now shineth," meaning the light of the sun, "which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understanding; which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God, to fill the immensity of space. The light which is in all things—which giveth life to all things—which is the law by which all things are governed: even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.353This light, then, recollect, is so universally diffused, that it giveth light to all things. This is the same light that governs all things, and it is called the "power of God." And this, in connection with another passage in the same revelation, clearly sets forth the doctrine I had presented before you; the passage says that "light cleaveth to light." You all recollect the paragraph. The revelation goes on to say that "God, who sitteth upon his throne, governeth and executeth all things; he comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things; and all things are by him and of him, even God, for ever and ever."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.353Well, then, shall we say, when God, or His Holy Spirit, which in many revelations is called God, is through all things, being universally diffused, and in and round about all things, that it is not in a stone when it falls to the ground? No; we will not exclude it from anything that exists, for if we exclude that Spirit from one substance, we might as well exclude it, or attempt to exclude it, from all matter. If God be in all things, He is in the stone. If we were to take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost ports of the earth, God is there; or if we make our bed in hell, He is there; and that Spirit is there, not in suffering, but executing the decrees of the Almighty.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.354[p.354] All those vast bodies which we behold traversing space, are governed and controlled by the same Spirit. If each of them, or the Holy Spirit diffused through them, did not know enough of those universal laws by which all worlds and all matter are kept in order, they might frequently come in contact with each other, as the orbits of many of them intersect each other in performing their revolutions. Even the stone that is thrown into the air does not go at random, but its path is marked out systematically; according to certain laws and conditions, it always falls to the ground.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.354Why did the axe rise to the top of the water when commanded by Elisha the Prophet? I will tell you how Elisha made it come up to the surface of the water. The spirit or power that caused the piece of iron to sink, was used to bring it up again, for it required the

same power to bring it to the top of the water that it did to take it down. The agency or power that caused the iron axe to sink when it fell into the water, is called the law of "universal gravitation." There is no attraction towards the earth, as some have supposed, but there is a gravitating power, or a power that sends everything towards the earth as soon as it is left loose in the atmosphere.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.354Suppose you take the spirit, which is in all things, away from the axe of which we are speaking, would the particles of iron cleave together? No, they would not; there would be no more union of the particles than there is in the atmosphere we all breathe; but it is the Spirit of God that causes the particles of iron to cleave together in the axe, and it is the same Spirit that brings it up to the water's surface, and that same Spirit causes iron to sink to the bottom of a creek or river into which it may fall; and consequently all these universal laws that appear so prominently before us from day to day are nothing more than the operations of that all-wise Spirit which we are told is "round about and in all things," and which acts according to certain laws prescribed by the Almighty.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.354It is this same Spirit that acts in connexion with the Father and Son in governing all things in the heavens and upon the earth, and through all the boundless extent of space. Cause this oneness, this union among the particles of the Spirit, to cease, and you would soon see all things go into confusion. Take away this Spirit, and you would immediately see some things going up, others down; some moving horizontally; one portion of the earth would divide from the other; one part would be flying here and another there. Unless there was a oneness existing in the innumerable atoms of this universal Spirit, matter would cease to move by law; but they all act in concert, and hence there is no confusion in the operations of nature or of nature's laws.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.355I have heard it observed, as an argument against this view of the [p.355] subject, that if all the particles of the Holy Spirit had the same degree of knowledge, they might get to quarreling with each other. Take away this kind of union that now exists, and you would find one particle contending for one kind of government, and a second for another, and each would think its own method the best; there would be room for a great deal more contention and quarreling where a diversity of opinion exists through lack of knowledge, than if they had the same knowledge. In short, if the particles of the Holy Spirit were not one in knowledge, there would be a constant quarreling for want of understanding. Differences of views, arising from the want of the same knowledge, introduce discordant feelings and expressions into every family, and among every class of persons where they exist.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.355Give to two individuals of two capacities the same knowledge of anything—let them see and understand so that they shall have the same views formed by that sameness of knowledge, and they will not quarrel about their views, but they will act as one, and consequently will be one in the thing which they understand alike; and just so it is with the planets, the earth, the moon, and other worlds: they act in concert, and the spirit that governs them understands the principles by which this world and all others are governed, and consequently there is no confusion nor discord; no worlds clashing against each other, and breaking themselves into millions of atoms, and scattering

themselves throughout space. Why is there nothing of this kind? Because the particles of the Holy Spirit are one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.355You do not find one part of our spirits or our bodies fighting against another part. You do not find the spirit that is in our left foot fighting against the spirit that is in the right foot; but they act together, being one. If one hand gets burnt, the other is warned and keeps away from the fire. Why is this? It is because the particles of spirit in both have the same degree of intelligence, and being united in all things, one is warned by the other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.355Some suppose that all our intelligence is in the head. I do not believe any such thing; but I believe that if our spirits could be taken from our bodies and stand before us, so that we could gaze upon them with our natural eyes, we would see the likeness and image of each of the tabernacles out of which they were taken. Not only the head, but the figure of the head, feet, arms, hands, face, and of the whole body. If the spirit is composed of innumerable particles possessing knowledge or intelligence, we argue that it is diffused through the system in which it dwells. For if the parts of the spirit had individually no knowledge, then they would not have any knowledge collectively.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.355How many dead persons would you have to pile together to make a living one? If ten thousand were piled together they would produce [p.356] neither life nor knowledge. And it is just so with these particles or parts of the body said to have no spirit in them, you might bring them together, and they would know just as much as a hundred thousand dead persons. consequently, if the whole is intelligent, the parts are. It matters not if the particles are so small that ten thousand of them might be put upon the point of a cambric needle, they all form parts of that intelligent Spirit, and act in unison one with the other in all things; and hence there is a oneness according to the words of our text. No fighting one against the other, but a perfect oneness exists, and is exhibited through all the actions of that Spirit. If the all-wise Spirit gains an existence in man, it endeavors to influence and persuade him to become one with God, as it is one with Him.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.356Portions of this Spirit, we say, exist throughout every part of space, and they perform all the work of governing, and keeping that perfect harmony which we behold in all nature. All nature is by these means made to submit to the great law of oneness. Then why not we conform to the same great principle at once? We must conform to it, if we intend to enjoy the presence of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ. We have got to become just as much one in our faith and in our actions as our right and left hands are in their actions one with the other.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.356"But," say the people, "inasmuch as you are touching upon this principle of oneness, we should like to have you explain to us the passage where it says, 'The Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Spirit is in them both,' or words to this effect." It is the passage recording Jesus' prayer for his disciples. I will give you our Savior's own words: "Neither pray I for these alone,! but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." How often we are told in the Scriptures of the truth of this one great and important fact—

the oneness of the Father and the Son, and it is as often repeated in the Book of Mormon. Just on one single page of that book we find it repeated a great number of times.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.356Now Jesus, in his prayer, had no reference to the oneness of their substances, but to the attributes, showing to us, in a most explicit manner, that the attributes that dwell in the Father dwell also in the Son.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.356Now, let me ask you, if the same knowledge be in two or more persons—if they understand a truth, and any other persons understand it, does that make it more than one truth? Or, if I understand a truth, and some other person in this congregation understands the same, does that make two truths of it? No; it does not. And if this body of people before me were in possession of the same truth as I am, does that make as many truths as there are persons who understand it? No; certainly not: [p.357] it is all one truth, dwelling in various tabernacles; it is one truth wherever it is found, or whoever may possess it—it is still the one unchangeable truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357Jesus could with all propriety say, when speaking of the knowledge he had, "The Father is in me, and I in him."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357What does he say concerning us in a revelation in 1831? He says, "I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and inasmuch as you have received me, I am in you, and you in me." That is as much as to say, that "not the whole of me is in you, because, you are imperfect: but inasmuch as you have received the truth I have imparted, so much of me is in you, for I am the truth, and so much of you dwells in me." And if you should happen to get a knowledge of all the truth that he possesses, you would then have all of his light, and the whole of Christ would then dwell in you.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357There is one revelation that this people are not generally acquainted with. I think it has never been published, but probably it will be in the Church History. It is given in questions and answers. The first question is, "What is the name of God in the pure language?" The answer says, "Ahman." "What is the name of the Son of God?" Answer, "Son Ah-man—the greatest of all the parts of God excepting Ahman." "What is the name of men?" "Sons Ahman," is the answer. "What is the name of angels in the pure language?" "Anglo-man."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357This revelation goes on to say that Sons Ahman are the greatest of all the parts of God excepting Son Ahman and Ahman, and that Anglo-man are the greatest of all the parts of God excepting Sons Ahman, Son Ahman, and Ahman, showing that the angels are a little lower than man. What is the conclusion to be drawn from this? It is, that these intelligent beings are all parts of God, and that those who have the most of the parts of God are the greatest, or next to God, and those who have the next greatest portions of the parts of God, are the next greatest, or nearest to the fulness of God; and so we might go on to trace the scale of intelligences from the highest to the lowest, tracing the parts and portions of God so far as we are made acquainted with them. Hence we see that wherever a great amount of this intelligent Spirit exists, there is a great amount or

proportion of God, which may grow and increase until there is a fulness of this Spirit, and then there is a fulness of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357Looking at the subject in this light, there is no longer any mystery in the Scripture that says the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, for they are always one, working together to accomplish the great work of redemption.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.357The flesh and bones of the Son were not in the Father, neither did Jesus try to convey such an idea. The Apostles understood as we do on this point, and they likewise knew that he had made and created all [p.358] things; we believe the same, and that he is infinite. Not infinitely expanded in his person, but that the all-wise substance, called the Holy Spirit, is "in all things, and round about all things."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358We see the propriety, then, of this prayer of our Savior's: "Father, I pray not only for these Twelve Apostles that thou hast given me, but for all those who shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they may be made perfect in one, even as we are one."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358Hence, then, men are to be one with Christ on the same principle that he is one with the Father. Now there is no man that will be so foolish as to think and believe that all men, who shall believe on the Savior through the Apostle's words, will become the same identical person; this is not the idea conveyed, but they were to have that same truth, so as to make them one in their feelings, desires, designs, and actions for the salvation of the fallen race of Adam.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358When we look at all those principles, and reflect upon them, they afford us joy and comfort, and the reflection gives me an earnest desire to be one with my brethren, and to be one upon the principles of righteousness, and not upon unrighteous principles; for if it were possible for men to be one upon unrighteous principles, it would be of no use to them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358You will perceive that in the devil's kingdom, with all the knowledge that they have gained by a long experience, they are not one. There are disunion and strife continually among them; they are not united upon false principles, and wherever false principles exist in the world, or anywhere else, there will be discord and contentions, and hence he (Jesus) says "Be one." This has no reference whatever to being one upon an unrighteous foundation; it has only a reference to being one upon the principles of the celestial law. And as soon as this people are united, and become one upon the principles of the celestial law, the Lord will pour out His blessings more abundantly upon them; when all understand it, they will all be governed by it; they will believe alike, and act alike, and this will make them one.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358There is another thing upon which I will now speak, namely, the Omnipresence of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.358Every one knows that it is absurd to believe in a personage being present in two places at once. "But," says one, "nothing is impossible with God." But I beg to differ with such

persons, and inform them, that if the Scripture be true, there are things which are impossible with God; for it is said that it is impossible for Him to lie; and if so, it would be impossible for Him to act inconsistent with truth; He could not place His body in Europe and America at the same time, for that would be inconsistent with the simplest principles of truth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.359[p.359] We heard a most excellent discourse last Sunday about the angels being sent to the various nations of the earth, to superintend the affairs and destinies thereof; also about each person upon the face of the whole earth having his guardian angel from the time that he comes into the world. The Holy Spirit acts in conjunction with those angels, and in places where they cannot be, for there are a great many places where those angels cannot be present, and the Holy Spirit being omnipresent is in every place at the same moment of time, regulating the seasons, and governing the planets in their courses. There would have to be a vast number of angels to be present in every place at the same instant of time, directing the movements of each particle of matter throughout the vast extent of space; consequently this is attended to by that All-powerful Spirit that exists in inexhaustible quantities throughout the universe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.359The Holy Spirit "is in all things, and round about all things," holding all things together in every place and part of the earth, and in all the vast creations of the Almighty. If you ascend into heaven, it is there: if you take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth, it is there; if you go to the depths of hell, it is there, not suffering, but performing the works of His justice upon the ungodly. Go where you will, through endless space, and you will find the Spirit there, and consequently, when we speak of the omnipresence of God, we have reference to His Spirit, and not to His person. But why is this called omnipresence of God? Simply because this Spirit possesses the same knowledge that dwells in the person of God the Father and God the Son, hence God is there, so far as that knowledge is there.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.359This, then, will account for the great mystery which exists in the sectarian world about God's being everywhere present. Some of them think and believe that God is a person, and that He can be everywhere present in a personal capacity. Those who are called the wisest among the religious world have made it out, that the persons of the Father and Son can be in them and in every other place at the same instant of time. This is as gross an absurdity as it would be to say that three times three make ten, or three times one make four. But they have drawn this conclusion out of certain passages of Scripture, in order to satisfy their hearers with regard to this intricate subject. They do not wish to acknowledge their ignorance, and therefore they have given out this doctrine, which is diametrically opposed to every principle of science as well as of reason.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.359The plain, simple Scriptural doctrine is that God's Spirit is there, which is God in all His power and majesty. All those seemingly mysterious passages which the learned divines have applied to the person of the Father being omnipresent, have reference to that All-wise Spirit of which we have spoken. What effect will this view of the doctrine have [p.360] upon persons? We answer, that a person who believes and follows this as

taught in the Book of Covenants, and the Book of Mormon, will never be confounded. Such persons will be all the time thinking, "If we have anything to do, God is in that thing, and is the law and power by which all things that surround us are governed and kept in such perfect order." What influence will this have over a man who believes it? It will put him more upon his guard, far more than he otherwise would be; for God cannot be in this board, or in each blade of grass in person, but when we know that the Holy Spirit is everywhere present, being combined with all matter, then we have a correct understanding. God cannot be in every place without understanding our actions and our thoughts too. Do you believe that the particles of the Holy Spirit have such great knowledge? How much knowledge will they require to enable them to overlook and superintend all the works of God? They will require knowledge infinitely greater than ever we thought of. For instance, they must have a most perfect knowledge of the law of the inverse square of the distance of those innumerable worlds under their charge, so as to keep them moving harmoniously as we see them. Particles of intelligence that can do all this, can surely know of the thoughts and intents of the heart; hence, we should always consider, when tempted to do evil, that God is round about us with all the knowledge that governs and controls nature. You see, then, that this view of the subject is calculated to have an effect that will be profitable to us all.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.360"But" inquires one, "how are you going to get along with the passage, in Isaiah, where the Lord declared that, 'There is no God before me, nor shall there be any after me?'" How can we believe this, when we believe in the revelation given through Joseph Smith, which says there are many Gods, and that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are Gods, and that all good men in this Church shall become Gods? Paul also speaks of the only wise God. Perhaps some may suppose that it is translated improperly. But you will find the same thing in the Book of Mormon, translated by the Urim and Thummim; the same things are also contained in the new translation of the book of Genesis, given to Moses, where the Lord declares that, "There is no God besides me." In these expressions, God has reference to the great principles of light and truth, or knowledge, and not to the tabernacles in which this knowledge may dwell; the tabernacles are many and without number, but the truth or knowledge which is often personified and called God, is one, being the same in all; God is one, being a unity, when represented by light, truth, wisdom, or knowledge; but when reference is made to the temples in which this knowledge dwells, the number of Gods is infinite.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.360This explains the mystery. If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more [p.361] Gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds. But the attributes of Deity are one; and they constitute the one God that the Prophets speak of, and that the children of men in all worlds worship.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.361One world has a personal God or Father, and the inhabitants thereof worship the attributes of that God, another world has another, and they worship His attributes, and besides Him there is no other; and when they worship Him they are at the same time worshipping the same attributes that dwell in all the personal Gods who fill immensity. And hence the Lord says, in one of the revelations of these last days: "Ye are tabernacles in which God dwells, man is the tabernacle of God." Suppose that there

should be a thousand, or one hundred and forty-four thousand, which number John saw, and they should have the inscription "God" on their foreheads, not placed there to make fun of them, but to describe their persons and the authority they possess. Suppose they should all receive the same knowledge, would not God dwell in them? If man is the tabernacle of God, then God dwells in them all, being only one God; but when we speak of them in their personal capacity, we say that John saw a hundred and forty-four thousand Gods; if we speak of the light or truth in each that governs them all then there is but one God, and He is in all worlds, and throughout all space, wherever the same identical light or truth is found; and all beings, from all eternity to all eternity, have to worship and adore the same one God, and always will have to worship Him; though they worship Him in so many different tabernacles, yet it is the one God, or in other words, the same light or truth that is worshipped by all. When we look at the subject in this light, there is no mystery about it. Only look at it in the light that it is revealed to man in these last days, and there is none of that darkness and sectarian foolishness which characterize apostate Christendom; and we cannot understand nor explain one single principle correctly, and are in the dark and cannot see the way before us; but when we talk and act under the immediate influence of the spirit of revelation, then we can see that which the world are ignorant of. When we undertake to talk of the great and glorious principles revealed in our day, and speak of the great and glorious light now revealed, and of which the world have been ignorant for so many generations, and assert that the Lord has seen fit to reveal the fulness of the everlasting Gospel to Joseph Smith, an illiterate man, the religious world spurn at it and drive it from their dwellings.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.361How came the Lord to pass by all the great and good men with their wisdom—how was it, I say, that He passed by the learning of this generation to reveal the doctrines and principles of our holy religion? Because He was determined that no flesh should glory in His presence. How was it that Joseph Smith was enabled to make those doctrines as [p.362] plain as the alphabet? It was because God was with him; God was in the work; and we should just as soon worship that Holy Spirit or intelligence in Joseph Smith or in any person else, not the person, but the God that is in him, as to worship the same attributes somewhere else. And when we find the Father of Jesus Christ, we will worship Him, not the flesh and bones, but the attributes. The Savior tells us that he has revealed a great many things, that we may know how to worship in spirit and in truth. How can a man call on the name of God acceptably and understandingly, unless His doctrines are revealed? How can the poor ignorant Indians of the forest worship acceptably until they are taught about God and about Jesus? They must understand a great many things in order to enable them to comprehend the things of God, and be baptized in an acceptable manner. If we would worship the Father and the Son, we must know something about them.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.362We should study the laws of God, and get a perfect understanding of all things that are revealed, and we will find that we can comprehend all that is for our present good.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.362I do not know but I am taking up too much time. I have been led in my mind to explain some of these things, I have done it from the fact that the Elders go abroad among the

nations of the earth and meet with much opposition. For instance, when the learned and the wise begin to controvert the revelations given to Joseph the Seer, let them (the Elders) know what arguments to bring forth to sustain them, and you will see, brethren, how easy it is to show that there is but one God when speaking of the attributes, but that there are many Gods when speaking of the personages in which the same attributes dwell, and you can make it clear and plain. These things I published on my last mission, according to the knowledge I had, knowing that they were views that the Christian world came in contact with; and knowing also, this morning, that they were things that the Elders would need to understand, I have spoken as I have. If the Elders would inform themselves, they would find that they have a strong armor to support themselves with, and their testimony would be so powerful that the arguments of our enemies would fall to the ground; indeed, when on my mission, I could not find any to investigate or to controvert what I set forth, and this was a disappointment to me. I could not find any opposition, only through the papers; and consequently, I had to throw out our views and leave the public to judge. Amongst all the papers and periodicals that are published in the States I have never seen one of the arguments set forth in the Seer met by good sound reason; ridicule and denunciations were the only weapons used against us; and this has always been the case. You will find when the truth is set before the people they will appeal to ridicule, from the fact that they have no arguments.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.363[p.363] Having said this much, may the Lord bless you, brethren and sisters, and His Spirit rest upon us all, and may we feel the importance of being one in all things that are good, virtuous, and upright. Amen. [p.364]{18}"Man is the Offspring of God—Truth is Eternal—The Doctrines of Christ—The Law of Gravitation—Free Agency,"A Sermon Delivered on 14 March 1875(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols.[Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], 17:322-33)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364I will read a few paragraphs which you will find recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, commencing near the middle of the second paragraph of a revelation given December 27, 1832:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364"In that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made. And the earth also, and the power thereof; even the earth upon which you stand.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364"And the light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. The light which is in all things; which giveth life to all things; which is the law by which all things are governed; even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the

bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364We will now pass on to the ninth paragraph of this same revelation, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet:The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364"All kingdoms have a law given; and there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom. And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.364"All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified; for intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy, and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course, and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne, and governeth and executeth all things; he [p.365] comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, for ever and ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.365"And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and their seasons; and their courses are fixed; even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets; and they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years; and these are one year with God, but not with man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.365"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God. Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand? Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these, hath seen God moving in his majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God; being quickened in him and by him. Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me, otherwise ye could not abound.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.365"Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field; and he said unto the first, go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance; and he said unto the second, go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance; and also unto the third, saying, I will visit you; and unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.365"And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord; and then he

withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth; and thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord; every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season; beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in him, that they all might be glorified.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366[p.366] "Therefore, unto this parable will I liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof; every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season; even according to the decree which God hath made.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366"And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you, to ponder in your hearts with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near; draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you; whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you; and if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366"Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is spirit; my spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you, and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore sanctify yourselves that your mind become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366I have read these sayings from a revelation given a little over forty-two years ago, to that youth, called Joseph Smith, a farmer's boy. Do they sound like the ravings of a madman? Do they sound like something that was invented or composed by the wisdom of man, or do they sound like the truth? Joseph Smith was not a learned man, he had to work for his living when he was a lad; and when God called him and gave these revelations through him he had not studied any more than the generality of the young men who now sit in this congregation, and probably not near as much. Yet these words were given to him, and they contain information and knowledge far beyond that which you will find recorded in the writings of the learned, information expressed so simply that a common mind can, in some degree, grasp it, and yet so sublime and so great that when we come to investigate its depths, it requires greater powers and greater understanding than what man naturally possesses.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.366We are told, in the part of the first paragraph that I read, that God is in the sun of our firmament, that he is the light of the sun, and that he is the power of the sun by which it was made. We are also told that he is in the moon, and that he is the light of that

heavenly luminary, and the power by which it also was made. We are also told that God is in the stars, those worlds so distant from ours, those great centres around which, no doubt, millions on millions of opaque bodies revolved as our planets [p.367] revolve around our central body, the sun; that he is in those stars, that he is their light, and the power by which they are governed; or to come home directly to our earth, he is in the earth, and is the power and light and glory that is attached to the elements of our globe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.367This would seem to exhibit before us the nature of that Being whom we worship. We worship him because of his glory, greatness, goodness, justice, mercy, knowledge, and wisdom. We worship him, because he has the power to govern and control the universe, and because he has commanded us so to do. He is a personage; and we are told that in the beginning man was created in his image. We are also told that we are his sons and his daughters, that we were begotten by him, before the foundation of this world; that we are his offspring, as much so as as the little children in this room are the offspring of their parents. Seeing then, that he is a personage and that we are in his image, we can form some idea of the general outlines and resemblance of that personage, but can we form an idea of the intelligence that he possesses? We have but a very limited idea of that. He comprehends all things, all things are before him, all things are round about him, and he is the great and supreme Governor of all the works of his hands.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.367We are told that the same light which shines from the sun, from the moon, and from the stars, is the same light that quickens the understandings of the children of men. But who is there in this congregation, or upon the face of the earth, that can tell how that light operates in quickening the understandings of men? It is the same light by which you are enabled to see each other, and surrounding nature. The light that proceeds forth from all these heavenly luminaries, with very great velocity, is the same light that quickens the understanding. Do you know how that is done? I do not; yet this is what God has revealed. He is the light that is in all things. Do you or I comprehend how that light is connected with all things? No. These are lessons which we have got to learn in the future, when we ascend in that scale of knowledge and intelligence now possessed by celestial beings. How long it will be before we comprehend these things I know not. How our capacities may hereafter be enlarged, I know not; how they will be developed and quickened so as to comprehend all these great truths and principles, I know not; but we are told in this revelation that the light that quickens the understandings of the children of men, and lighteth all things is one and the same and that it is also the life of all things. What are we to understand by this? Have we life? Yes, we certainly have. Where did we obtain this life? Where was it created or made? There is a revelation upon this subject which says that intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created, neither indeed can be. Is it then eternal? Yes. Then this light that shines is eternal in its nature is it? Yes, because it is the same light [p.368] that gives life to all things. Did our spirits, that have power to think and to reason, have life before the foundation of the world? Yes. And what gave them this life? The elements, composing our spirits were eternal; they were never created, neither indeed can be; they existed from all eternity, and were, at a certain period, combined or organized in the form of our spirits; and hence the pre-existence of man before the world was made.

The Essential Orson Pratt, p.368This same light which gives us life, and without which we could not abound, proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. Can we get away from it? No; for it fills all the intermediate spaces between world and world, between one system and another, and between universe and universe; "and there is no space in which there is no kingdom, and there is no kingdom in which there is no space;" hence, this being the case, all eternity, as far as your minds can possibly stretch, is filled with kingdoms, and with this power of God, this light which is the life of all things, and the law by which all things are governed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.368Perhaps you may ask me why I dwell on this mysterious subject? I answer, why did the Lord dwell upon it forty-two years ago, if he did not want us, in some measure to understand it? Would he speak at random? Would he give a revelation without expecting that the people would ever try to understand it? If the Lord wished us to understand something, and condescended to reveal something, why should we, after forty-two years of experience, think that we are stepping over our bounds in trying to approximately comprehend what the Lord desired us to understand, in some measure, forty-two years ago? It is an old sectarian whim and notion, to suppose that we must not try to understand revelation. You know that when they come to something in the divine records which they do not understand, they will say—"Oh, the Lord never intended us to understand that, that is a mystery, we must not search into these things, they are mysteries." Just as though the Lord would reveal something that he never intended or wished the human family to understand. Saying nothing about the Deity, it would be an act of foolishness on the part of a man to attempt a revelation of something that he never intended his fellow-men to understand. The Lord is more consistent than man; and if he reveals anything, he surely intends that thing to be for the profit and edification of the pure in heart.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.368I was going to say that we had dwelt too long on baptism for the remission of sins. But no, we should still retain that in our remembrance. Not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, we ought to go on to perfection. I believe that King James's translation of that passage says,—"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." But the translation given by the inspiration of the Holy [p.369] Ghost, through the Prophet of the Lord puts in the little word not. "Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." I do not want the people to leave baptism, or to cast from their minds, and forget the first principles of the doctrine of Christ; but, on the contrary, you should always retain them in your memories. When you repented you did a good work; retain that good work in your minds. When you were baptized for the remission of your sins, through the ministration of a servant of God divinely authorized, you did a good work; retain that in your minds, do not leave that principle. When you had hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that was confirmed upon you, you were obedient to one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ; do not leave that, but retain it in your minds. Do not suppose, however, that those first principles are the only ones to be learned; do not become stereotyped in your feelings, and think that you must always dwell upon them and proceed no further. If there be knowledge concerning the future; if

there be knowledge concerning the present; if there be knowledge concerning ages that are past, any species of knowledge that would be beneficial to the mind of man, let us seek for it, and that which we can not obtain by using the light which God has placed within us, by using our reasoning powers, by reading books, or by human wisdom alone, let us seek to a higher source—to that Being who is filled with knowledge, and who has given laws to all things and who, in his wisdom, goodness, justice and mercy, controls all things according to their capacity, and according to the various spheres and conditions in which they are placed.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.369When we reflect upon this subject, the query naturally arises in our minds—if he has given a law unto all things and has set bounds and conditions to every law which he has given, will it hurt any intelligent being to learn concerning those laws as far as he possibly can? I think not. To illustrate this, let us suppose that a learned man, by years of research and study, has discovered many of the great laws of nature, and that he has a family of children growing up, do you think that he would be displeased with his children because they had a curiosity and a desire to know something in relation to that which their father understood? No, you say, he would be pleased to see the intellectual faculties and powers of his children expanding, and to hear them inquiring about this, that, and the other thing, with which he was perfectly familiar, but of which they were ignorant. Furthermore, if it would be pleasing to a father to hear his children making such inquiries, would it not be still more pleasing to him to impart useful information unto them? You reply, "Oh yes, nothing would delight me more than to impart useful instruction to my children, and to aid them in developing their mental powers." Well, that is just the way our heavenly Father feels in relation [p.370] to his children. Anything that would be for our good to know—and all knowledge is for our good if we make a right use of it—he is willing to impart, if we but seek unto him in a proper and acceptable manner. Let us then keep all the commandments, and laws, and conditions which God has appointed for us to keep. It is our right and privilege to knock, and we have the promise that it shall be opened to us; to seek, and when we do seek, to do so with the expectation of findings. In this way we may receive more and more information and knowledge, concerning the things of God, and the works of his hands. There are many things that we can learn, already within our reach, without any special and direct revelation, that is, when I say special revelation, I mean without the Lord revealing directly by a vision, the ministration of an angel, or by direct word, as he revealed many things to the ancient revelators, seers, and Prophets. There are a great many things that we can learn independently of these direct revelations; but still we need the help of the Lord, in some measure, in our researches, to learn anything; we need the influence of the Spirit of God to quicken the light that is within us, for light cleaves to light, and the Spirit of God is light, and it cleaves unto the light that enters into the composition of the spirit of man; and when we keep his commandments the Lord is ever ready and willing to quicken the judgment, inform the mind, and lead us along in our thinking and reflecting powers, that we may have power to understand a great many truths, without his coming out and saying,—"Thus saith the Lord."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.370There are a great many truths which might be revealed to me in words which I should not be able to understand; that is, a law of nature might be revealed to me in words, but

I could not understand the principle involved therein after it was thus revealed. For instance, I could reveal a great many things to school children in words, which they could not possibly comprehend. I could give them a revelation that would take them perhaps two or three years deep study to comprehend, and yet it could be printed in a very few words. Just so with the Lord—he could reveal in a few words, a principle to us which it would take us years of study and reflection to understand. Suppose, for illustration, we take the principle of force or gravitation, by which things fall to the earth, and by which the planets are held in their orbits, and do not fly away from the great central luminary of our system—the sun. We will suppose that we know nothing about this law of force, called gravity, and that some man among us should get a direct revelation, expressing that law; if he had never studied sufficiently to understand the nature of these words, the very words that he would receive would be incomprehensible to himself. For instance, the law of gravity is expressed, in the words of Sir Isaac Newton, as follows—"Every particle of matter in the [p.371] universe attracts every other particle with a force varying indirectly as its mass, and inversely as the square of its distance from every particle." Now supposing that law had been given to Newton, or to the world, and that there had been no knowledge of mathematics among men, what would they have understood about the law? They might have said—"There is a formula which comprehends the law of the force of the universe;" but what would they know about it? If, however, they understood the terms used, they would know how the force varied at different distances from the attracting or gravitating body. That is the real revelation; it is not the words. A thousand things might be revealed to this congregation, but if merely revealed in words, they perhaps would not know anything about them. We must understand the nature of the thing, the nature of the idea comprehended in any law in order to have it a revelation to us; words are nothing but signs of ideas; if the ideas are not understood, the words will be a mystery.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.371When we undertake to investigate the laws which govern the various departments of nature, we are investigating the laws of God. Says one—"Do you mean to say that the law of gravitation, which was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton, by which all the bodies in the universe are held in their proper position, is a law of God?" Yes. If he has given this law of force to all bodies, then it is one of his laws, and all who study that law study one of the laws of God. To illustrate this still more familiarly to the minds of the congregation, we will say—here is brother Kesler, who, I presume has been teaching school in this house. Perhaps he has some students in algebra, and perhaps in geometry; then, perhaps he has many scholars who know nothing about these things. Now suppose that brother Kesler should call up a class, the members of which know nothing whatever of the sciences I have named, and should express certain rules in algebra to them, would that be a revelation to that class? It would in words, but what would they comprehend about it? Not a thing; it would be as dark as midnight. There are the words in which the rules are expressed, but could the students in that class put those algebraic rules into operation? No, a process is necessary in order to enable these children to understand the revelation, and that process is one of slow growth, mastered a little to-day, a little to-morrow, and a little the next day, and by and by, in one or two years, they would probably comprehend the algebraic revelation given to them so long before in words. It is so with arithmetic, with grammar, geography and almost any branch of science taught

in our common schools or universities. No wonder then, to me, that Paul in speaking of a man, who was caught up to the third heavens, said he saw things that were not lawful to be uttered, that could not be uttered; for if he had undertaken to utter them, he would have utterered something that the people could not [p.372] possibly comprehend, until they had learned previous principles. Such a man might tell about certain laws which prevail in heaven, and certain glories which he saw there, but yet, unless the people to whom such things were told had placed themselves in a position to have the Holy Ghost, or the visions of heaven opened to their minds, the words uttered would not be a revelation to them, for it would be altogether beyond their powers to comprehend.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.372The revelation which Sir Isaac Newton obtained concerning the forces of the universe, has been developed from his day until the present time. The whole learned world of mathematicians have brought all their faculties and powers to bear upon this one little law which I have expressed to you, and have they got through with it? Oh no, it is just beginning to unfold to them some of the common phenomena of the universe, and that is about all. In about a century hence, if the Lord should spare the world, and men make as much advance in these matters as they have done in the century past, this law, there is no doubt, will be carried out into a great many channels and branches that we know nothing about now. Says one—"If it requires so much study on the part of the learned world to unfold and comprehend this one law, it is discouraging to think that there are perhaps hundreds of other laws as intricate as this to investigate before it is possible to come to an understanding of them." We need not be discouraged upon this subject; for if we do the best we can according to the position in which we are placed, and the opportunities which we have, we do all that the Lord requires; and by and by we shall be placed in a condition in which we can learn much faster than we can now. We need not be discouraged. Perhaps the man who, under a sense of discouragement, gives up and does not make the best of his present limited opportunities, will be limited hereafter in the life to come, and will not be allowed to progress very fast, because of his laziness and his want of desire, courage and fortitude to pursue certain channels of knowledge that were opened up to him here in this life. But when we see individuals not only willing to receive some few of the simple principles of the Gospel of Christ, but are willing to press onward towards perfection as far as opportunities present themselves, we may rest satisfied that they will be honored of the Lord according to their diligence, perseverance, fortitude and patience in striving to understand the laws which he has given to all things.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.372We might, if we had time, point out a great many other laws. The law of light, for instance, and the law of the velocity of light, or the manner in which light is permitted to go from world to world, and in touching upon these and similar subjects we should be describing to you the power, wisdom, greatness and majesty of the Creator, who has constructed all these things according to law, and all of them are [p.373] governed by his laws. It would seem almost impossible to untutored minds, if we were to tell them that a motion could be transferred from world to world at the rate of one hundred and eighty-five thousand miles every second of time. Wonderful. We almost start back at the declaration, and almost doubt the possibility of the velocity thus indicated. But incredible as it may seem to the uneducated, it is a certain thing; it does not rest upon the

imaginations of the children of men; it is just as certain that light travels at nearly that rate from one creation to another, as it is that men can time the speed of horses with a watch held in their hands, and the most ignorant will admit that it is perfectly easy to do that. Well, it is just as easy to demonstrate the velocity of light, and it has been done not only by one law, but by many laws; not only by one phenomenon, but by many phenomena, and it is a thing that cannot be disputed by those who have investigated and are capable of understanding the methods of demonstration that have been given.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.373What causes this immense velocity, and who constructed the great etherial medium that intervenes between all worlds, by means of which a jar can be carried from world to world with that immense velocity? It was God, that Being who is said to be in all things, not by his person, but by his Spirit and his agency. He constructed this great medium so that it should communicate vibrations or jars, from world to world at that rapid rate.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.373We see an illustration, on a small scale, here on the earth, in connection with our atmosphere. Who constructed this atmosphere and gave it its elasticity, and all its principles and powers, by which sound is communicated from place to place at a very rapid rate? God. He constructed all these things. Sound, we are told, flies at the rate of ten hundred and ninety feet in a second. How does it travel with that velocity? Do the particles from a sounding body—for instance a bell that is ringing—travel all that distance? Oh no, it is merely the vibration, or wave that is sent through the great mass of the atmosphere, from the sounding body to the organ of the ear; and it is sent at the rate of speed I have mentioned—over one-fifth of a mile in a second—and we call that very rapid velocity; but what is it compared with a hundred and eighty-five thousand miles a second.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.373When you study all these things you are learning lessons concerning God. He it is who has thus organized all these materials of nature, has given them their properties, endowed them with their elasticities, placed them in certain proportions; or, as one of the inspired writers says—"He has weighed the mountains in a balance." Everything is adjusted in the best possible manner, to carry on his operations throughout the great universe which he has constructed. But I do not wish to dwell lengthily upon these subjects; of more importance than all these [p.374] laws which govern the materials of nature, are the intelligent beings who inhabit these creations. God, in constructing these materials into creations and worlds, has done it for a wise and noble purpose. The great purpose that he had in view was the intelligent beings who should occupy these creations. No law was given to our earth and its materials, or to the planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the various asteroids, merely for the sake of giving laws; but the Lord had a useful design in view, namely to add to his own glory and to the happiness of millions of his sons and daughters who should come to people these worlds I have named, that they might be prepared to be redeemed from their fallen condition, as the people of this creation are to be redeemed from theirs.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.374Inquires one—"Do you mean to say that other worlds have fallen as well as ours?" Yes, man is an agent; intelligence cannot exist on any other principle. All beings having intelligence must have their agency. Laws must be given, suited and adapted to this

agency; and when God sends inhabitants on various creations he sends them on the great and grand principle of giving them an opportunity to exercise that agency; and they have exercised it, and have fallen. Is there anything revealed to prove that other worlds have fallen as well as ours? Oh yes, read some of the other revelations. I might quote you one which now occurs to my mind, given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, revealing anew that which was formerly revealed to Enoch, before the flood, concerning the vastness of the creations of the Almighty, and many other things. After speaking of these innumerable creations, Enoch exclaims—"Thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom out of all the creations thou hast made." Why should the Lord take Zion from all these creations? Because all of their inhabitants were not worthy. The very expression shows that there were only a few on each of these creations that he could denominate Zion. You know what Zion means: it means the pure in heart, and only a few could be selected from each of all the creations which have been made, as worthy to be taken to his own bosom as a Zion. Does not that show that they have fallen? If they had not transgressed, but had always been obedient, the Lord, as an impartial Being, would have redeemed all the inhabitants of these creations and taken them all to his own bosom. But it seems that only a few had the privilege of being gathered into the bosom of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.374Says one—"There is another thing I would like to have explained, about the parable you have read. 'Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field; and he said unto the first, go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the light of my countenance.' And he said unto the second in the same manner, [p.375] and unto the third, and so on unto the twelfth. And when they had fulfilled certain conditions, their Lord comes unto them, and they are made glad with the light of his countenance, during their hour. After he has visited the first, he visits the second, then the third, and so on until the twelfth, each man in his own order, according to his time and season. Now what does all this mean?" The Lord wanted to represent these kingdoms so that we could understand what he desired to impart, and he gave it as a parable, in order to assist our weak comprehensions to understand something about Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and others of the various worlds that he has formed. Says the interrogator—"I do not comprehend this idea of the Lord's withdrawing from one and going to another." In order to comprehend this let us come back to our own globe. Do we not expect that the Lord will, by and by, come and visit us and stay a little while, about a thousand years. Yes, and then we shall be made glad with the joy of the countenance of our Lord. He will be among us, and will be our King, and he will reign as a King of kings and Lord of lords. He will have a throne in Zion, and another in the Temple at Jerusalem, and he will have with him the twelve disciples who were with him during his ministry at Jerusalem; and they will eat and drink with him at his table; and all the people of this globe who are counted worthy to be called Zion, the pure in heart, will be made glad by the countenance of their Lord for a thousand years, during which the earth will rest. Then what? He withdraws. What for? To fulfill other purposes; for he has other worlds or creations and other sons and daughters, perhaps just as good as those dwelling on this planet, and they, as well as we, will be visited, and they will be made glad with the countenance of their Lord. Thus he will go, in the time and in the season

thereof, from kingdom to kingdom or from world to world, causing the pure in heart, the Zion that is taken from these creations, to rejoice in his presence.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.375But there is another thing I want you to understand. This will not be kept up to all eternity, it is merely a preparation for something still greater. And what is that? By and by, when each of these creations has fulfilled the measure and bounds set and the times given for its continuance in a temporal state, it and its inhabitants who are worthy will be made celestial and glorified together. Then, from that time henceforth and for ever, there will be no intervening veil between God and his people who are sanctified and glorified, and he will not be under the necessity of withdrawing from one to go and visit another, because they will all be in his presence. It matters not how far in space these creations may be located from any special celestial kingdom where the Lord our God shall dwell, they will be able to see him at all times. Why? Because it is only the fall, and the vail that has been shut down over this creation, [p.376] that keep us from the presence of God. Let the vail be removed, which now hinders us from beholding the glory of God and the celestial kingdom; let this creation be once perfected, after having passed through its various ordeals, after having enjoyed the light of the countenance of our Lord, in our hour and in our season, and let all things be perfected and glorified, and there will be no necessity for this vail being shut down.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.376Says one—"Do you mean to say, then, that there is a faculty in man, that he can behold the Lord and be in his presence, though millions on millions of miles distant, on another creation?" Yes, just as easy as we can behold one another here in this room. We shall then see as we are seen, and know as we are known, and there will be a perfect redemption. In this way all the creations that are redeemed can enjoy the continued and eternal presence of the Lord their God. I mean those who are made celestial, not those who are in the lower orders, who are governed by telestial laws, but those who are exalted to the highest degree of glory, those who will be made kings and priests, those who have kept celestial law, obeyed celestial ordinances, and received the Priesthood which God has ordained, and to which he has given power and authority to administer and to seal on earth that it may be sealed in heaven. The people who are thus glorified are said to be taken into the bosom of the Almighty; as Enoch says—"Thou hast taken Zion from all these creations which thou hast made, and thy bosom is there," &c. He does not mean that the Lord God is right within a few rods of every individual; this would be an impossibility, so far as the person is concerned; but he means that there is a channel of communication, the privilege of beholding Zion, however great, the distance; and, the privilege of enjoying faculties and powers like this is confined to those high and exalted beings who occupy the celestial world. All who are made like him will, in due time, be able to see, to understand and to converse with each other though millions and millions of miles apart. With all the imperfections of the present state men have invented means by which they can converse with the inhabitants of the uttermost parts of the earth. We may sit down in our chimney corners and converse with the people in Asia, England, France, and in the four quarters of the globe; we can bid each other "good night," or "good day," as the case may be; and if man with all his imperfections can do this by using some of the gross powers and materials of nature, why may not the God who has power to control and govern all these materials, so organize and construct the

machinery of the universe that we may be able to communicate intelligence a distance of millions on millions of miles in the twinkling of an eye, so that, according to the words which are revealed, we may be considered to be in his own bosom, where we can converse with him, see him, hear him, &c. Time will not permit me to pursue this matter any further. Some of [p.377] the items of this subject occurred to my mind a little while before I came into the house. I have been in the habit of preaching a great deal in the 13th and 14th Wards, where many strangers attend who wish to hear about our doctrines. But having a congregation of Saints before me today, I thought I would touch upon things that are revealed in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It contains many ideas that are great and grand in the extreme, and which are calculated in their nature to inspire every faculty of the soul of man with desires to know and comprehend more of the things of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.377May God bless you. Amen. [p.378]{19}"Salvation Tangible—Personality of God—Character of God—Pre-existence of Man—Jesus Our Elder Brother—Transformation of the Earth—Creation and Organization—Its Final Destiny, the Home of the Saints—Revelations by Joseph Smith in Harmony with Scripture,"A Sermon Delivered on 12 November 1876(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols.[Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], 18:286-97)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.378I am pleased to see so large a company assembled together, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather; it shows to me that there is an interest in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to their future salvation. We, as a people, have passed through many scenes trying and afflicting to our natures, which we have endured because of the anxiety of our hearts to obtain salvation. People who are sincere will manifest their sincerity in undergoing great tribulation, if necessary, for the sake of being saved. This mortal life is of small consideration, compared with eternal salvation in the kingdom of the Father. There is nothing pertaining to the things of this present life that is worthy of being named, in contrast with the riches of eternal life. Jesus, in speaking upon this subject when he was on the earth, asks this question: "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" There is nothing so precious, nothing of so great importance, as that of securing, in this life, the salvation of our souls in the world to come. Far better is it if we can gain salvation by passing through various scenes of affliction and persecution in this world, than to give way to its pleasures and vanities, which can only be enjoyed for a season, and afterwards lose that eternal reward which God has in store for the righteous.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.378It is true we look upon our future reward in quite a different light from the religious world generally. We look for something tangible, something we can from some degree of rational conception of, having a resemblance in some measure to the present life. But how very imaginary are the ideas of the religious world! I do not now refer to the heathen world, but to the enlightened Christian nations, the two hundred million of

Christians now existing on the earth. If you ask these people about the future state of man, some will give you one idea and some [p.379] another, all more or less, perhaps, differing from each other, but in the main they all agree, namely, that it is a state entirely spiritual, that is, unconnected with anything tangible like this present life, an existence which cannot be conceived of by mortals.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.379You may think I am misrepresenting our Christian friends. I will therefore say that for many years now I have been engaged, more or less, in the study of religion, and have therefore read quite extensively the ideas of the religious world. I have not accepted the ideas of a few individuals belonging to the various sects, but I have appealed to their standard writings, their articles of faith, which are adopted by the various religious bodies and known as their creeds. For instance, in the articles of faith of a great many of the religious sects, an idea like this is set forth—that there is a Being who is entirely spiritual, called God, and that Being is described as consisting of three persons, and these three persons are without body, without parts and without passions. Such is the god that is worshiped by the Methodists—a people whom I highly respect, and whose meetings I attended in my early youth more than those of any other religious denomination. The three persons that compose this one God are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, all of whom are said to be without bodies or passions; and in connection with this, one of the cardinal doctrines of their faith, they tell us that one of this holy Trinity, namely Jesus, was crucified, dead and buried, and that on the third day he arose again from the dead and ascended into heaven.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.379When I was a boy, attending the Methodist meetings, I, as many now do who are of maturer years, accepted sincerity for truth. But when I grew to manhood my attention was called to this article of faith; I tried in all earnestness to comprehend it, but could not, and cannot to this day. It is one of those incomprehensible things which cannot be grasped by the human mind. You, my hearers, try now with me for a few moments to comprehend, if you can, a being consisting of three persons, and these three persons without any body, parts, or passions. I had been taught, when studying the exact sciences, that everything that existed was composed of parts, that there could not exist anything as a whole unless it existed as parts. I could not, therefore, understand how it was that one of these three persons could be crucified if he had no body; how it was possible and be consistent with reason, for him to lay down his body—something he never possessed—and arise again from the tomb, taking up that same body. This is indeed a mystery!The Essential Orson Pratt, p.379Now it so happens that the Scriptures do not teach anything so absurd, so irreconcilable and so contrary to our senses. This is a man-made doctrine, the creation of uninspired men. The Methodists did not originate this doctrine,—it existed and was widely believed in before the days of the good man, John Wesley.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.380[p.380] The Latter-day Saints believe that there is a true and living God, that this true and living God consists of three separate, distinct persons, which have bodies, parts, and passions, which belief is in direct opposition to this man-made doctrine. We believe that God, the Eternal Father, who reigns in yonder heavens, is a distinct personage

from Jesus Christ, as much so as an earthly father is distinct in his existence from his son. That is something I can comprehend, which I conceive to be the doctrine of revelation. We read about Jesus having been seen, after he arose from the dead. Stephen the Martyr, just before he was stoned to death, testified to the Jewish people that were standing before him at the time, saying, "Behold. I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." Here, then, the Father and Jesus, two distinct personages, were seen, and both had bodies. We find numerous other authorities bearing out this same idea. I do not intend to dwell upon this subject, because the greater portion of this congregation understand the scriptural view of this subject; hence it is not necessary to speak lengthily on it. We may, however, say a few things with regard to the passions of these personages.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.380It is declared, as part of the belief of the Methodists, that God is without passions. Love is one of the great passions of God. Love is everywhere declared a passion, one of the noblest passions of the human heart. This principle of love is one of the attributes of God. "God is love," says the Apostle John, "and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." If, then, this is one of the great attributes of Jehovah, if he is filled with love and compassion towards the children of men, if his son Jesus Christ so loved the world that he gave his life to redeem mankind from the effects of the fall, then, certainly, God the Eternal Father must be in possession of this passion. Again, he possesses the attribute of Justice, which is sometimes called Anger, but the real name of this attribute is Justice. "He executeth justice," says the Psalmist; also, "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne." Justice is one of the noble characteristics of our heavenly Father; hence another of his passions.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.380We have it recorded too in this sacred Bible, that God was seen by ancient men of God. Jacob testifies as follows: "for I have seen God face to face." I know that there are other passages of Scripture, which would seem to militate against this declaration. For instance, there is one passage which reads, "No man hath seen God at any time." This is in direct contradiction to the testimony of Jacob. The way I reconcile this is that no natural man can see the face of God the Father and live, it would overpower him; but one quickened by the spirit, as old father Jacob was, could look upon God, and converse with him face to face, as he says he did, he must have seen a personage, a being, in his general outlines like [p.381] unto himself; man, as Moses informs us, having been created in the image of God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.381We might refer to many other passages of Scripture, bearing on this subject. The Prophet Isaiah saw God; he saw not only the Lord; but a great congregation in connection with him, so that his train filled the Temple. He is always represented by those who have seen him as a personage in the form of man.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.381Having cited a very few evidences, let us inquire into the character and being of God, the Eternal Father. We are the offspring of the Lord, but the rest of animated nature is not; we are just as much the sons and daughters of God as the children in this congregation are the sons and daughters of their parents. We were begotten by him. When? Before we were born in the flesh; this limited state of existence is not our origin,

it is merely the origin of the tabernacle in which we dwelt. The mind we are possessed of, the being that is capable of thinking and reflecting, that is capable of acting according to the motives presented to it, that being which is immortal, which dwells within us, which is capable of reasoning from cause to effect, and which can comprehend, in some measure, the laws of its Creator, as well as trace them out as exhibited in universal nature, that being, which we call the Mind, existed before the tabernacle.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.381But says one, "That does not look reasonable." Why not? Do you not believe that the Spirit will endure forever? O, yes. You may ask, what becomes of the spirit, separated from the body of flesh and bones, when this body lies in the grave? Has it life and intelligence and power to think and reflect?" Let us hear what was said by those who sat under the altar, who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, as seen and heard by John while on Patmos. "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? The Lord tells them that they should "rest yet for a little season." These faithful servants of God are anxiously awaiting the time when the Lord will avenge their blood? Why? Because that will be the time when their bodies will be redeemed, they look forward with great anxiety to the time when they shall be again identified with the fleshly tabernacle with which they were known and distinguished while on the earth—hence this prayer.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.381Here we find another and further existence for the spirits of men who exist in heaven, who are capable of thinking, of using language, of understanding the future, and of anticipating that which was to come. Now, if they could exist after they leave this tabernacle, while the tabernacle lies mouldering in the dust, why not exist before the tabernacle had any existence? Was it not just as easy for an existence to be given to [p.382] spiritual personages before they took possession of bodies as it is for them to exist after the body decays? Yes, and these are our views, founded upon new revelation; not the views of uninspired men, but founded upon direct revelation from God.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.382Where did we exist before we came here? With God. Where does he exist? In the place John denominated heaven. What do we understand heaven to be? Not the place described by our Christian friends, beyond the bounds of time and space, for there is no such place, there never was, nor ever will be; but I mean a tangible world, a heaven that is perfect, a heaven with materials that have been organized and put together, sanctified and glorified as the residence and world where God resides. Born there? Yes, we were born there. Even our great Redeemer, whose death and sufferings we are this afternoon celebrating, was born up in yonder world before he was born of the Virgin Mary. Have you not read, in the New Testament, that Jesus Christ was the first-born of every creature? From this reading it would seem that he was the oldest of the whole human family, that is, so far as his birth in the spirit world is concerned. How long ago since that birth took place is not revealed; it might have been unnumbered millions of years for aught we know. But we do know that he was born and was the oldest of the family of spirits. Have you not also read in the New Testament that he is called our elder

brother? Does this refer to the birth of the body of flesh and bones? By no means, for there were hundreds of millions who were born upon our earth before the body of flesh and bones was born whom we call Jesus. How is it, then, that he is our elder brother? We must go back to the previous birth, before the foundation of this earth; we have to go back to past ages, to the period when he was begotten of the Father among the great family of spirits. He became, by his birthright, the great Creator. God, through him, created not only this little world, this speck of creation, but by him the worlds were made and created. How many we know not, for it has not been revealed. Suffice it to say, a great many worlds were created by him. Why by him? Because he had the birthright, he being the oldest of his father's family, and this birthright entitles him, not only to create worlds, but to become the redeemer of those inhabitants of this our earth, but of all the others whom he created by the will and power of his Father.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.382But says one, "By that expression one would infer that other worlds have fallen as well as our own, having doubtless been placed in a state of temptation, and if so it would be fair to presume that there was a Garden of Eden to each of these worlds, containing all kinds of fruit, among which was the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and that they became fallen precisely in the same manner as ours did, and consequently they would need a redeemer; and, therefore, the people of [p.383] these worlds would be redeemed and saved according to their diligence and faithfulness in keeping the commandments of God?" Have you not read in the first chapter of Genesis of two persons appearing on this earth before man was made, when one who was God, said to the other, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness?" Does not that bespeak a pre-existence of another personage besides the Almighty? And have you not read too in the same chapter that "God created man in his own image; male and female created he them?" When? It is said to have been on the sixth period, or, according to King James' translation, "on the sixth day." Do you mean to say, we were all in existence on the sixth day? Yes. But on the seventh day, we are told in the following chapter, "there was not a man to till the ground. Is it not very singular that all should have an existence on the sixth day, and on the following day there was not a man in existence to till the ground? Why not? Because man was not yet placed in this temporal creation, but he had an existence then in heaven, where we were begotten. You and I were present when this world was created and made—you and I then understood the nature of its creation, and I have no doubt that we rejoiced and sang about it. Indeed, the Lord put a very curious question to the Patriarch Job, apropos of this. He said to him, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth?" Where wast thou, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.383Supposing Job to be living now, and this same question put to him, and supposing too, that, instead of answering it himself, he were to seek to the learned Christian world for enlightenment on the subject, what do you think would be the nature of the answer he would receive? It would be, in effect, "Why, Job, when the Lord laid the foundation of the earth, you had no existence, for you were not born." Why did not Job so answer the Lord? It was because he understood something about man's previous estate. He was wise in making no reply to the Lord, for doubtless he felt himself unable to do so. But we find that Moses understood the subject, for at the time the children of Israel

transgressed he and his brother Aaron fell upon their faces before the Lord, and Moses, pleading with great power and faith in behalf of the children of Israel, used these words, "O God, the god of the spirits of all flesh," etc. He understood that God was the Father of our spirits, and he addressed him as such. I think too that the Apostles in ancient days must have had an idea of the pre-existence of man, judging from a certain question which they put to the Savior. It is said that "as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"The Essential Orson Pratt, p.383Let us now consider this question in connection with present modern ideas, and we shall at once perceive how utterly foolish it will [p.384] appear. To state the question fairly in other words we might say, Master, was this man born blind because he had sinned? The very nature of this question would indicate, to those even who do not believe in the principle, that this blind man had an existence before he was born into this world, and that he was capable, too, of committing sin. To show yet more clearly that the principle of man's pre-existence is founded on biblical authority, I will quote you part of the Savior's prayer to the Father, just prior to his crucifixion—"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Here we find Jesus actually referring to the time he dwelt with his Father before he took upon himself a body of flesh and bones. He also says, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." He came down from the presence and abode of his Father. On another occasion, while addressing the Jews, he says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am." He was, in fine, the first-born of every creature, and consequently the eldest of our Father's family.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.384If, therefore, it be now admitted that our elder brother had a previous existence with the Father, why should it be thought unreasonable that the rest of the family should have a pre-existence as well as the First Born? He was born according to man in the flesh, and why not his younger brethren have a similar birth with him in the spirit?The Essential Orson Pratt, p.384But now this carries us back still further, and invites us to ascertain a little in relation to his Father. A great many have supposed that God the Eternal Father, whom we worship in connection with his Son, Jesus Christ, was always a self-existing, eternal being from all eternity, that he had no beginning as a personage. But in order to illustrate this, let us inquire, What is our destiny? If we are now the sons and daughters of God, what will be our future destiny? The Apostle Paul, in speaking of man as a resurrected being, says, "Who (Jesus) shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like unto his glorious body," which harmonizes with what John says, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him." Our bodies will be glorified in the same manner as his body is; then we shall be truly in his image and likeness, for as he is immortal, having a body of flesh and bone, so we will be immortal, possessing bodies of flesh and bones. Will we ever become Gods? Let me refer you to the answer of the Savior to the Jews when accused of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. Says he, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If ye called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures cannot be broken." This clearly proves to all Bible believers that in this world, in our imperfect state, being the

children of God, we are destined, if we keep his commandments, to grow in [p.385] intelligence until we finally become like God our Father. By living according to every word which proceeds from the mouth of God, we shall attain to his likeness, the same as our children grow up and become like their parents; and, as children through diligence attain to the wisdom and knowledge of their parents, so may we attain to the knowledge of our Heavenly Parents, and if they be obedient to this commandment they will not only be called the sons of God, but be gods.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.385In the 1st verse of the 14th chapter of Revelations, we are told that John saw one hundred and forty-four thousand persons standing with the Lamb upon Mount Zion, and they had a peculiar name written in their foreheads—even their Father's name, him whom we call, in our language God. Then there will be written upon the foreheads of these hundred and forty-four thousand this insignia, the Father's name and they will be gods; and they will associate with him as do the Father and his Only Begotten, that is, the only son begotten in the flesh.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.385From this we can draw the conclusion that God, Our eternal Father, who is a spiritual being, has a body of flesh and bones, the same as his children will have after the resurrection.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.385Says one, to carry it out still further, "if we become gods and are glorified like unto him, our bodies fashioned like unto his most glorious body, may not he have passed through a mortal ordeal as we mortals are now doing? Why not? If it is necessary for us to obtain experience through the things that are presented before us in this life, why not those beings, who are already exalted and become gods, obtain their experience in the same way? We would find, were we to carry this subject from world to world, from our world to another, even to the endless ages of eternity, that there never was a time but what there was a Father and Son. In other words, when you entertain that which is endless, you exclude the idea of a first being, a first world; the moment you admit of a first, you limit the idea of endless. The chain itself is endless, but each link had its beginning.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.385Says one, "This is incomprehensible." It may be so in some respects. We can admit, though, that duration is endless, for it is impossible for man to conceive of a limit to it. If duration is endless, there can never be a first minute, a first hour, or first period; endless duration in the past is made up of a continuation of endless successive moments—it had no beginning. Precisely so with regard to this endless succession of personages; there never will be a time when fathers, and sons, and worlds will not exist; neither was there ever a period through all the past ages of duration, but what there was a world, and a Father and Son, a redemption and exaltation to the fullness and power of the Godhead. This is what Jesus prayed for, and he did not limit his prayer to his Apostles, but he said, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which [p.386] shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.386But says one, "Does not that oneness mean one person?" No; Jesus meant that those

who believed in him through his servants, might be able to come up to that fullness and glory and power and exaltation which he inherited, even to the fullness of the celestial glory, to be crowned with God the Eternal Father, and with his Only Begotten, to be made equal, as it were, with them, in power and dominion; agreeing with some modern revelations God has given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said all they that receive this Priesthood, that is, those who receive the testimony of the servants of God, they receive me; and whosoever receives my Father, receives my Father's kingdom; whereupon all that my Father hath shall be given to him. This is a glorious promise, to be joint heirs with the son of God in the inheritance of all things, even the fullness and glory of the Celestial world, their bodies eventually to become glorified, spiritual bodies of flesh and bones, the same as God the Father.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.386Before the earth was rolled into existence we were his sons and daughters. Those of his children who prove themselves during this probation worthy of exaltation in his presence, will beget other children, and, precisely according to the same principle, they too will become fathers of spirits, as he is the Father of our spirits; and thus the works of God are one eternal round—creation, glorification, and exaltation in the celestial kingdom.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.386How many transformations this earth had before it received its present form of creation, I do not know. Geologists pretend to say that this earth must have existed many millions of years, and this assertion is generally made by men who do not believe in God or the Bible, to disprove the history of the creation of the world, as given by the Prophet Moses. We will go further than geologists dare to go, and say that the materials of which the earth is composed are eternal, they will never have an end.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.386What is meant by creation? Merely organization. In six days, we are told, God created this world, also every living thing that then existed. Did he create any of these things out of nothing? Did the materials then originate? No, there is no Scripture to be found within the lids of the Old and New Testament, or Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or in any of the revelations of God, ancient or modern, that even intimates such a thing, for such was not the case; but go to the creeds of men and you will find these things taught. I was taught them in my youth; they were instilled into my young mind, and of course I believed them. But as I matured in years and thought, especially after I began to study the Hebrew language, I learned that the material of which this [p.387] earth was made, always did exist, and that it was only an organization or formation which took place, during the time spoken of by Moses.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.387How many transformations this earth passed through before the one spoken of by Moses, I do not know, neither do I particularly care. If it had gone through millions on millions of transformations, it is nothing to us. We are willing, for the sake of argument, to admit that the materials themselves are as old as geologists dare to say they are; but then, that does not destroy the idea of a God, that does not destroy the idea of a great Creator, who, according to certain fixed and unalterable laws, brought these materials, from time, to time, into a certain organization, and then by his power completed the worlds that were thus made, by placing thereon intelligent and animated beings,

capable of thinking and having an existence; and then again, for various reasons, he destroys their earthly existence, until finally he exalts them from their former condition, and makes them celestial in their nature.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.387This is the destiny of this globe of ours; it will eventually attain a state of organization that will no more be destroyed. When? After God has fulfilled and accomplished his purposes, after it has rested from wickedness one thousand years, during which time Satan will not have power to tempt the children of men, during which time the faithful will reign, as kings and priests on the earth in their resurrected bodies, when, too, the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be in possession of the Saints of the Most High; not only in the possession of those who are mortal Saints, but also in the possession of those who are immortal Saints, appearing as they will in their resurrected bodies, rising up as rulers, as kings and priests, upon the face of our globe.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.387A government administered by such men will be one that can be depended on; in that respect it will be very different from the political nations of mortal man. Then there will not be the contention we now have, for all things pertaining to the government of God's kingdom will be conducted in order and on the eternal principles of righteousness.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.387The Twelve Apostles who were called by Jesus, and who ministered in his name while they tarried on the earth, will sit upon twelve thrones hereafter, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. There will be nothing intangible or etherial about these thrones, they will be just as real as any kingly throne of the earth. And the Twelve Apostles will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel for the space of a thousand years, having, as they will have, their celestial bodies, and they will eat and drink at the table of the Lord. He will be here also, he will be King of kings, before whom all must bow, all must acknowledge his power—and that will be for the space of a thousand years.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.388By and by, when the time comes for this earth to die—for there has [p.388] been a great deal of wickedness here—Satan will be loosed to go forth again to deceive, for there will still be some of the Saints mortal, who will be subject to temptation, and even Satan will not only try to deceive the mortal Saints, but he will gather together his armies around the camp of the Saints.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.388Then another time comes, when a great white throne will appear, and he who sits thereon will be glorious in his majesty and power, from before whose face the earth will flee away and no place be found for it. Will he annihilate it? No, not a particle of the earth will be annihilated, not a particle of the earth was ever originated, consequently not a particle of it will go out of existence; but it will flee away to its original element, in the same manner as the human body would were it burned at the stake. The elements would be diffused among original matter, so with the elements of our earth when it undergoes its change. John was not satisfied with only seeing the earth pass away, but he saw still further, even until he beheld a new heaven and a new earth, for, said he, the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. Again, he testifies further, saying, "And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down

from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.388This creation, when made new, will be inhabited by immortal beings, who will no more be subject to death, consequently there will be no more pain or sorrow, nothing to mar their peace or to prevent them from entering into the fullness of happiness and joy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.388This, I say, is the destiny of this earth, and the Lord has told us that the time is nigh at hand. In other words, this is the last dispensation, and we are preparing for the work of the Millennium. When the thousand years are passed, the earth will be made new—it will then become a heaven, the habitation of the former and Latter-day Saints, as well as all they who prove themselves faithful who will be born during the Millennium. How long will they inhabit it? For ever.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.388When I was a boy, nineteen years old, I first saw Joseph Smith; I attended a Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on the 2nd January, 1831. At that Conference the people desired him to inquire of the Lord for them—they were anxious to know his mind and will. They were at that time comparatively few in number, not being [p.389] more than two hundred. Joseph Smith sat down at a table, and received a great revelation, which is now contained in this Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Part of it, in relation to a land of promise, reads as follows,—"And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts: and this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children for ever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.389When I sat and heard that revelation, as it was uttered by the Prophet Joseph, and written by his scribe, I thought to myself, that is a very curious doctrine, for I had not then learned that his earth was to become our future home and heaven, and I did not think Joseph Smith knew it. But it seemed so curious to me to bring myself to believe that the Lord was going to give us part of this earth, to possess it, and our children after us, while time should last, and to retain it through all eternity, never more to pass away. This was so different from anything I had been taught—I was utterly confounded—to think that my Father in heaven would come and live here on this earth! But when I came to read the Bible on this subject and found how numerous the passages were promising that the Saints should inherit the earth forever, I was perfectly astonished that I had never thought of it before. "Blessed are the meek," says the Savior, "for they shall inherit the earth." The meek have been driven into the dens and mountains of the earth having had to hide themselves up from their persecutors, while the wicked, the proud and the haughty have inherited the earth. Yet here is a promise that the meek shall inherit this earth, which all of course would readily admit has never had its fulfillment.

Then again I was still more confirmed of the truth of this doctrine when finding other corroborative passages. David, for instance, in his 37th Psalm, says, "The wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell thereon for ever." I go back to the books of Moses, and there ascertain that the earth is promised to the Saints forever. I came to the Acts of the apostles, wherein the martyr Stephen, in answering the charge of blasphemy, tells of Abraham, how he came to leave his own country, and how that the Lord had promised him a land for an inheritance which "he would give to him for a possession, and to his seed after him," and yet he never possessed any of it, "no, not so much as to set his foot on," and this same promise was confirmed to Isaac and Jacob. And when I read in the Revelations of John about the new song that he heard them sing in heaven about their coming back to the earth (Rev. v, 9, 10), I was fully confirmed that the new revelation was from God. One portion of the song which John heard the angels sing was, "for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [p.390] And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth."The Essential Orson Pratt, p.390How very plain it is when we once learn about our future heaven. We do not have to pray, according to the Methodists, for the Lord to take us to a land beyond time and space, the Saints secure abode. How inconsistent to look for a heaven beyond space! The heaven of the Saints is something we can look forward to in the confident hope of realizing our inheritances and enjoying them forever, when the earth becomes sanctified and made new. And there, as here, we will spread forth and multiply our children. How long? For eternity. What, resurrected Saints have children? Yes, the same as our God, who is the Father of our spirits; so you, if you are faithful to the end, will become fathers to your sons and daughters, which will be as innumerable as the sands upon the sea shore; they will be your children, and you will be their heavenly fathers, the same as our heavenly Father is Father to us, and they will belong to your kingdoms through all the vast ages of eternity, the same as we will belong to our Father's kingdom.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.390He that receiveth my Father, says the Savior, receiveth my Father's kingdom, wherefore all that my Father hath shall be given to him. It is a kind of joint stock inheritance, we are to become joint heirs with Jesus Christ to all the inheritances and to all the worlds that are made. We shall have the power of locomotion; and like Jesus, after his resurrection, we shall be able to mount up and pass from one world to another. We shall not be confined to our native earth. There are many worlds inhabited by people who are glorified, for heaven is not one place, but many; heaven is not one world but many. "In my Father's house are many mansions." In other words—In my Father's house there are many worlds, which in their turn will be made glorified heavens, the inheritances of the redeemed from all the worlds who, having been prepared through similar experience to our own, will inhabit them; and each one in its turn will be exalted through the revelations and laws of the Most High God, and they will continue to multiply their offspring through all eternity, and new worlds will be made for their progeny. Amen. [p.391]{20}"The Great Principles of Salvation, Etc.,"A Sermon Delivered on 18 September 1881

(from Journal of Discourses, 26 vols.[Liverpool: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86], 22:223-26)The Essential Orson Pratt, p.391It has been almost one year since I have been able to stand up before a congregation to address them, having been severely afflicted during that period of time. I am now blessed with the opportunity and privilege of occupying a few minutes, as long as my health would justify, in speaking a few words to the congregation. I am just able to stand upon my feet, most of the time scarcely able to sit up. I believe that the Saints have exercised their prayers and their faith in my behalf. If they had not done this, I doubt very much whether I would now be able to appear before you. Notwithstanding the afflictions of my body and the long silence that I have kept, so far as public congregations are concerned, yet I have felt the same enduring love for the principles of truth and for the people of God in all my afflictions, that I had in the time of my health. There is nothing so precious to me as the great principles of salvation. They have for the last 51 years of my life—it being 51 years tomorrow since I was baptized—occupied the uppermost place in my mind. Riches, the honors of this world, etc., have been but a very small consideration with me, compared with the riches of eternal salvation, the blessings of the everlasting Gospel, the new covenant which we have embraced, the great work which the Lord, our God is performing by his mighty hand in the age in which you and I live. I trust and verily believe that that which has had so conspicuous a place in my understanding, in my thoughts, in my meditations, in my mind, will continue to hold the same position with me so long as the Lord shall permit me to tarry here in this probation. Fifty-one years ago tomorrow, as I have said, I entered this Church, the Church then being confined to a small district of country in the State of New York. The knowledge of the Gospel, and the doctrines which we have taught, had not spread forth except within a very small limit of country. What a contrast between then and the present! To-morrow—if I live till to-morrow—I shall be 70 years of age, which is said to be the average old age of man. They are the years appointed to man. So says one of the inspired writers, and if man, peradventure, should reach a few years, beyond three score and ten, it is said that it is filled up with afflictions and sorrow and infirmities of old age. I trust, however, that if I am permitted to tarry [p.392] still longer than this appointed time, or rather this period of time, I trust that my days may not be those of suffering. At any rate, so far as my mind is concerned, my understanding, that is at rest, that is at peace. I know what my hopes are. I know the plan of salvation. I have had the communications of the spirit of the Lord God, to teach me more or less all the days of my life, and this had given me great consolation. Hence, if I live past seventy, I do not expect to have sorrow of mind. I may have afflictions; I may encounter them; I may not to any great extent.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.392I wish to call your attention for a few moments to a subject closely connected with those days that I have been speaking of—the rise of the Church. It will be, next Thursday night, 54 years since the Prophet Joseph Smith, then but a lad, was permitted by the angel of the Lord to take the gold plates of the Book of Mormon from the hill Cumorah, as it was called in ancient times, located in the State of New York. This I consider one of the most marvelous occurrences which has taken place for the past eighteen centuries—to be permitted to observe the face of an holy angel, and then be permitted, in

addition to that, to take out of the ground, in fulfilment of ancient prophecy, a record of one-half of our globe, giving a history of the peoples and nations that occupied this great western hemisphere—more marvelous than anything that has transpired during that long period. What makes it still more marvelous is, that it is connected with revelation, with something that comes from heaven, with divine authority. God permitted this record to be taken from its place of ancient deposit. He it was that sent the angel to deliver those records into the hands of this boy. It was God. And what object did the Lord have in performing this marvelous thing? It was to establish on this earth that kingdom predicted by the ancient Prophet Daniel, that should be set up in the last days, which should stand forever, and should finally become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. What could be of more importance? Such an event was predicted to happen, that such a kingdom should arise, that God should be the authority of it, that he should lay the foundation of it, that he should set it up. If we go back to the finding of the records of the Book of Mormon; if we go back, to that eventful day when God sent his angels to confirm the divinity of that record to three other persons; if we go back to the time of the organization of this Church, we find that God has in all these matters spoken himself. We did not select the day on which this kingdom would be organized. Joseph Smith, the Prophet, did not select the day, but God pointed out the very day, the very month, in which this work should be performed. Hence it is God's work; it was God and not man that set up this kingdom. Has there been an authority established in this Church from the day of its organization that was established by man's authority? Not one. Every authority in this Church, however high or [p.393] however low, or whatever the nature of the callings might be, whatever the duties of the callings, God has introduced that authority. We have no record, no minutes in our Church, where there have been Apostles called and ordained in this kingdom, by man's authority. It is just what we might expect. Anything else than this would not be ascribed to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God could not be set up by man. Man has no right to select even the day for the organization of that kingdom of God. The kingdom of God could not be set up by man. Man has no right to select even the day for the organization of that kingdom. Man has no right to select the least officer of that kingdom; it must all come from heaven. It was said that such a kingdom should be set up. It was set. It was set up according to the mind of God, according to his own mind, not according to the whims and notions of sectarians, or any theologians, or any learned man, but according to the mind of the great Jehovah. We have seen the progress of this kingdom. We have seen what God has accomplished during the last 51 years. We have seen his hand made manifest. We have seen the kingdom organized, not to dwell in the place of its particular organization, and the people be scattered all over the world like sectarianism, but a kingdom that should gather together the sons and daughters of God, according to the predictions of the ancient prophets into one place upon the face of our globe, to prepare them for the mighty events and occurrences that should take place when he should accomplish that work. And how marvelous it is to see the hundreds and hundreds of vessels that have crossed the ocean, the mighty ocean, in perfect safety, bringing the Saints of God to their destined haven, to rejoice in one body, in one place, in one region in the mountains of Israel, the great back bone of the western hemisphere, if we may so term it. This is all to fulfil prophecy.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.393

But I must not enlarge upon this subject. How happy I feel that I am once more, after having been brought so low, so near the gates of death—how happy I feel that I am permitted once more to lift up my voice before you. I do not know that I can make you all hear, but I trust that my voice will be strengthened, I trust that my body will be strengthened, I trust that my mind—if it has been weakened at all by sickness—may also be strengthened, and that I yet may have the humble privilege of lifting up my voice and testifying, before thousands of people in these mountains, if not abroad among the inhabitants of the earth, of God's power. It is a day in which he has commenced to perform a mighty work, and the foundation is already laid and is quite broad, and he has quite a numerous people through whom he can work and accomplish his mighty purposes; and although feeble in body, I do not know but what the Lord may yet strengthen me to again publish glad tidings of great joy abroad among the nations of the earth, or [p.394] perform whatever duties may be assigned unto me by the general authorities of His Church.The Essential Orson Pratt, p.394May God bless the people of Zion—all the Latter-day Saints scattered throughout all these mountain regions; may he favor us before many years with a full and complete redemption according to the promises that are made in His word. Amen.