While sitting listening to the singing, it occurred to me that, in
making a few remarks on this occasion, I would read part of a
revelation given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on
the 27th of December, 1832, believing that we may derive some
comfort and encouragement, as well as enlightenment by doing so.
He then read section lxxxviii, Doctrine and Covenants, new edition,
from the 3rd to the 32nd verse inclusive.
These are the words of God unto us, words that were not spoken in some
remote period of the world, and handed down to us by the traditions of
our fathers, but they are the words of the Almighty spoken directly to
our brethren chosen by God to be his mouthpiece and revelators to the
people of this time. They are, therefore, words of truth, and of
eternal life, words upon which we may rely with the utmost confidence,
without doubt or misgiving, or fear of yielding to the caprice of vain
philosophy, for they are not the words of man, but of God.
It is well for us to realize, if we possibly can—and we can if we
enjoy a sufficient portion of the Spirit of God—that we are living in
an age in which the Father in heaven has deigned to visit his
children, making himself known by declaring his law and his word, by
his own mouth and by his own presence. If we could always realize
this, it appears to me that we would place greater reliance upon the
words of eternal life which have come unto us; we would thereby be
induced to live so near to the Lord, and be so faithful in the
discharge of our duties, as the covenant people of God, that our
hearts would burn with grateful joy, we would be inclined to that
which is pleasing and acceptable unto the Lord, all the day long, and
we would eschew even the appearance of evil. In all the varied scenes
of life, we would never forget him, disobey his will, nor neglect a
duty; but we would abide in the covenant of the Gospel, in the love of
God and of our fellow creatures, doing the works of righteousness, not
omitting to improve an opportunity to do good. It is necessary for us
to understand these things and bear them in mind, in order to abide
the law which has been given unto us, a portion of which I have read
to you; and which is necessary for us to obey, in order to be found
keeping the celestial law, and in order to be quickened by that glory,
that our souls, which are our bodies and spirits, may be redeemed and
restored to life and immortality, to possess crowns of glory and
exaltation, which are to be had only in the celestial kingdom; in
other words, that we may be quickened by the celestial glory and
receive a fullness thereof, according to this revelation.
God has given laws to govern all his works, and especially has he
given laws to govern his people, who are his sons and daughters. We
have come to sojourn in the flesh, to obtain tabernacles for our
immortal spirits; or in other words, we have come for the purpose of
accomplishing a work like that which was accomplished by the Lord
Jesus Christ. The object of our earthly existence is that we may have
a fullness of joy, and that we may become the sons and daughters of
God, in the fullest sense of the word, being heirs of God and joint
heirs with Jesus Christ, to be kings and priests unto God, to inherit
glory, dominion, exaltation, thrones, and every power and attribute
developed and possessed by our heavenly Father. This is the object of
our being on this earth. In order to attain unto this exalted
position, it is necessary that we go through this mortal experience,
or probation, by which we may prove ourselves worthy, through the aid
of our older brother, Jesus. The spirit without the body is not
perfect, it is not capacitated, without the body, to possess a
fullness of the glory of God, and, therefore, it cannot, without the
body, fulfil its destiny. We are foreordained to become conformed to
the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ; and in order that we may become
like unto him, we must follow in his footsteps, even until we sanctify
ourselves by the law of truth and righteousness. This is the law of
the celestial kingdom; and when we die, its power will bring us forth
in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with glory,
immortality, and eternal lives. Unless we do keep the law that God has
given unto us in the flesh, which we have the privilege of receiving
and understanding, we cannot be quickened by its glory, neither can we
receive the fullness thereof and the exaltation of the celestial
kingdom.
"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations
of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated; and when we
obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon
which it is predicated."
We must, therefore, learn the laws of heaven, which are the laws of
the Gospel, live and obey them with all our hearts, and in faith abide
in them, perfecting ourselves thereby, in order to receive the fulness
of the glory of that kingdom.
I make these remarks, not to the departed, but to the living—to you as
well as myself, who still tarry in the flesh, to battle with the
weaknesses and infirmities of human nature, who have yet to learn by
experience, that we may be instructed in the things necessary to know,
in order that our course here may secure unto us the greatest reward
in the presence of our Father and God.
We have not met here to brood over our sorrows in this our temporary
loss—in thus being deprived, perhaps only for a little while, of the
society and companionship of a daughter, a sister, a friend; for tears
are partially dried and sorrow is greatly ameliorated in the fact that
our loss is her gain. She has been released from a world of sorrow,
anguish and pain, and rests from her earthly labors. Blessed is her
condition, for she has performed her mission to earth, she has made
her name honorable amidst the honest and true of God's people, she has
fought the good fight, and has now taken her departure, gone to her
old home from whence she came. What has she lost? Simply the society
of her earthly friends, but not to the extent that we miss her; for I
believe the greater can always comprehend the lesser, but the lesser
can only comprehend the greater as it may be revealed by glimpses from
time to time by the Holy Spirit. While we are in mortality we are
clogged, and we see as through a glass darkly, we see only in part,
and it is difficult for us to comprehend the smallest things with
which we are associated. But when we put on immortality, our condition
will be very different, we ascend into an enlarged sphere; although we
shall not become perfect immediately after our departure from the
body, for the spirit without the body is not perfect, and the body
without the spirit is dead. The disembodied spirit during the interval
of the death of the body and its resurrection from the grave is not
perfect, hence it is not prepared to enter into the exaltation of the
celestial kingdom; but it has the privilege of soaring in the midst of
immortal beings, and of enjoying, to a certain extent, the presence of
God, not the fulness of His glory, not the fulness of the reward which
we are seeking and which we are destined to receive if found
faithful to the law of the celestial kingdom, but only in part. The
righteous spirit that departs from this earth is assigned its place in
the Paradise of God; it has its privileges and honors which are in
point of excellency, far above and beyond human comprehension; and in
this sphere of action, enjoying this partial reward for its righteous
conduct on the earth, it continues its labors, and in this respect is
very different from the state of the body from which it is released.
For while the body sleeps and decays, the spirit receives a new birth;
to it the portals of life are opened; it is born again into the
presence of God. The spirit of our beloved sister in taking its
departure from this world is born again into the spirit world,
returning there from the mission it had been performing in this state
of probation, having been absent a few years from Father, Mother,
kindred, friends, neighbors, and from all that was dear; it has
returned nearer to the home circle, to old associations and scenes,
much in the same way as a man who comes home from a foreign mission,
to join again his family and friends and enjoy the pleasures and
comforts of home. This is the condition of her whose remains now lie
before us, or of everyone who has been faithful to virtue and purity,
while traveling here below; but more especially of those who while
here had the privilege of obeying the Gospel, and who lived true and
faithful to its covenants. They instead of continuing here among the
things of time, surrounded as we are with the weaknesses of a fallen
world, and subject to earthly cares and sorrows, are freed from them
to enter a state of joy, glory and exaltation; not a fulness of
either, but to await the morning of the resurrection of the just, to
come forth from the grave to redeem the body, and be reunited with it,
and thus become a living soul, an immortal being never more to die.
Having accomplished its work, having gone through its earthly
probation, and having fulfilled its mission here below, it is then
prepared for the knowledge and glory and exaltation of the celestial
kingdom. This Jesus did; and he is our forerunner, he is our
exemplar. The path which he marked out we have got to walk in, if we
ever expect to dwell, and be crowned with him in his kingdom. We must
obey and put our trust in him, knowing that he is the Savior of the
world.
It is not a difficult thing for me to believe this; I read the Bible
in which I find narrations of many of his doings, sayings, precepts,
and examples. And I do not believe that any upright, honest man or
woman, possessing common intelligence, can read the Gospels of the New
Testament and the testimonies therein given of the Savior, without
intuitively feeling that he was what he professed to be. For every
upright, honest person is possessed, more or less, of the Holy Spirit,
and this holy messenger in the hearts of men bears record of the word
of God; and when all such read these inspired writings, with honesty
of heart and meekness of spirit, divested of prejudices and the false
conceptions arising from traditions and erroneous training, the Spirit
of the Lord bears witness in unmistakable language that burns with
conviction, therefore, I believe that Jesus was the Christ, the
Savior, the only begotten of the Father; and this too through reading
the Bible. But do we depend upon the Bible for this conviction and
knowledge? No, thank the Lord we do not. What else have we to impart
this know ledge and confirm this testimony? We have the "Book
of Mormon," the "stick of Ephraim," which has come to us by the gift
and power of God, which also testifies of him, and which reveals an
account of his mission to and dealings with the inhabitants of this
continent, after his resurrection from the dead, when he came to this
land to visit his "other sheep," to unite them in the one fold, that
they might also be his sheep and he their great shepherd. Besides the
conviction that the Book itself carries with it, we have the
collateral testimony of him who translated it, who sealed his
testimony with his blood; also that of other witnesses, who testify to
the whole world that they saw the plates and the engravings thereon,
from which the Book was translated, these plates were shown them by an
angel of God, who declared that the Book had been translated correctly
by the gift and power of God; and in obedience to divine command these
witnesses bear record of what they saw and heard.
Here, then, are two witnesses—the "Bible" and the "Book of
Mormon,"
both bearing record of the same truth, that Jesus was the Christ, that
he died and lives again, having burst the bands of death and triumphed
over the grave. This latter additional evidence the Latter-day Saints
have of this fact, over and above that possessed by the Christian
world who do not believe in the "Book of Mormon."
But is this all? No. We have here another book, the "Doctrine and
Covenants," which contains revelations from God through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, who lived cotemporary with ourselves. They are Christ's
words, declaring that he was the same that came to the Jews, that was
lifted up on the cross, was laid in the tomb, burst the bands of death
and came forth out of the grave. That he was the same who came to the
Nephites upon this continent; who, when about to take his departure
from them, declared that he was going to visit the ten tribes whom the
Father had led away, having the same purpose in view that he had in
visiting the Nephites. Here, then is another testimony of this divine
truth; hence we have three witnesses. In the mouth of two or three
witnesses, we are told, all things shall be established; and by the
testimony of two or three witnesses shall we stand, or be condemned.
But would this satisfy me? It might, if I could obtain no further
light or knowledge. But when greater light comes, and I have the
privilege to make myself possessor of it, I could not remain satisfied
with the lesser. We could never be satisfied nor happy hereafter,
unless we receive a fulness of the light and blessings prepared for
the righteous. This, in part, will constitute the misery, sorrow and
anguish of the condemned—those who reject the truth when it is offered
to them, for their eyes will be opened to behold, in part, the greater
light, exaltation and joy which they might have attained unto, but
which is irretrievably lost to them, because of their disobedience
and wrong doings. Then I say we cannot be satisfied with anything
short of a complete salvation in the kingdom of God, our joy cannot be
full unless we obtain a fullness of knowledge. Hence I am not
satisfied with the Bible, the "Book of Mormon," nor the "Doctrine and
Covenants." All these three are not sufficient for me, for the reason
that greater privileges have been revealed to man, and they are within the reach of all that live upon the earth. Therefore, I
could not rest satisfied with myself until I had fully availed myself
of my privileges.
It is given to us to know these things for ourselves. God has said he
will show these things unto us; and for this purpose the Holy Ghost
has been imparted to all who are entitled to it through submission,
which bears record of the Father and the Son, and also takes of the
things of God and shows them unto man. Convictions that we may
previously have had respecting the truth the Holy Ghost confirms,
giving us a positive assurance of their correctness, and through it we
obtain a personal knowledge, not as one that has been told, but as one
that has seen, felt, heard, and that knows for himself.
Then, in standing before you, my brethren and sisters, as a humble
instrument in the hands of God, I testify, not by virtue of the
knowledge I may have derived from books, but by the revelations of God
to me, that Jesus is the Christ. I know that my Redeemer lives; I know
that although the worms may destroy this body, that I shall in my
flesh see God, and I shall behold him for myself and not for another.
This light has come to me, and is in my heart and mind, and of it I
testify, and through and by it I testify, and I know whereof I speak.
God has called me, in connection with my brethren, to this mission,
and this is our testimony to the whole world. I therefore say, there
is no death here, instead of death it is life to the departed. That
which we call death is merely the slumber and rest of this mortal
clay, and that only for a little season, while the spirit, the life,
has gone to enjoy again the presence and society of those from whence
it came, and to whom it is joy again to return. And this will be the
condition of the righteous until the morning of the resurrection, when
the spirit will have power to call forth the lifeless frame to be
united again, and they both become a living soul, an immortal being,
filled with the light and power of God. I am a witness of these
things. Am I alone? No; there are tens of thousands today that can
bear this testimony. They, too, know it for themselves; God has shown
it to them, they have received the Holy Ghost, which has born witness
of these things in their hearts, and they likewise are not dependent
upon books, nor upon the words of another, for they have received a
knowledge from God themselves, and know as he knows, and see as he
sees in relation to these plain and precious things.
What reason have we to mourn? None, except that we are deprived for a
few days of the society of one whom we love. And if we prove faithful
while in the flesh we will soon follow, and be glad that we had the
privilege of passing through mortality, and that we lived in a day in
which the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel was preached, through
which we will be exalted, for there is no exaltation but through
obedience to law. Every blessing, privilege, glory, or exaltation is
obtained only through obedience to the law upon which the same is
promised. If we will abide the law, we shall receive the reward; but
we can receive it on no other ground. Then let us rejoice in the
truth, in the restoration of the Priesthood—that power delegated to
man, by virtue of which the Lord sanctions in the heavens what man
does upon the earth. The Lord has taught us the ordinances of the Gos pel by which we may perfect our exaltation in his kingdom.
We are not living as the heathen, without law; that which is necessary
for our exaltation has been revealed. Our duty, therefore, is to obey
the laws, then we shall receive our reward, no matter whether we are
cut down in childhood, in manhood or old age; it is all the same, so
long as we are living up to the light we possess, we shall not be
shorn of any blessing, nor deprived of any privilege; for there is a
time after this mortal life, and there is a way provided by which we
may fulfil the measure of our creation and destiny, and accomplish the
whole great work that we have been sent to do, although it may reach
far into the future before we fully accomplish it. Jesus had not
finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it
after his resurrection from the dead, although he had accomplished the
purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all
his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every
son and daughter of our father Adam that has or ever will be born upon
this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is
his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved
ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon
us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ.
We are called to this mission. The dead are not perfect without us,
neither are we without them. We have a mission to perform for and in
their behalf; we have a certain work to do in order to liberate those
who, because of their ignorance and the unfavorable circumstances in
which they were placed while here, are unprepared for eternal life; we
have to open the door for them, by performing ordinances which they
cannot perform for themselves, and which are essential to their
release from the "prison house," to come forth and live according to
God in the spirit, and be judged according to man in the flesh.
The Prophet Joseph Smith has said that this is one of the most
important duties that devolves upon the Latter-day Saints. And why?
Because this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, which will
usher in the millennial reign, and in which all things spoken by the
mouth of holy Prophets, since the world began, must be fulfilled, and
all things united, both which are in heaven and in the earth. We have
got that work to do, or at least all we can of it, leaving the balance
to our children, in whose hearts we should instil the importance of
this work, rearing them in the love of the truth and in the knowledge
of these principles, so that when we pass away, having done all we can
do, they will then take up the labor and continue it until it is
consummated.
May the Lord bless this bereaved family and comfort them in their
deprivation. Those who die in the Lord shall not taste of death. When
Adam partook of the forbidden fruit he was cast out from the presence
of God into outer darkness; that is, he was shut out from the presence
of his glory and the privilege of his society, which was spiritual
death. This was the first death; this indeed was death; for he was
shut out from the presence of God, and ever since Adam's posterity
have been suffering the penalty of this spiritual death, which is
banishment from his presence and the society of holy beings. This
first death will also be the second death. Now we look upon the mortal
remains of our departed sister; her immortal part has gone. Where?
Into outer darkness?—banished from the pre sence of God? No,
but born again into his presence, restored, or born from death to
life, to immortality and to joy in his presence. This is not death,
then; and this is true in relation to all Saints who die in the Lord
and the covenant of the Gospel. They return from the midst of death to
life, where death has no power. There is no death except to those who
die in sin, without the sure and steadfast hope of the resurrection of
the just. There is no death where we continue in the knowledge of the
truth and in hope of a glorious resurrection. Life and immortality are
brought to light through the Gospel, hence there is no death here;
here is peaceful slumber, a quiet rest for a little season, and then
she will come forth again to enjoy this tabernacle. If there is
anything lacking in regard to ordinances pertaining to the House of
the Lord, which may have been omitted or not reached, those
requirements can be attended to for her. Here are her father and
mother, her brothers and sisters; they know the course to pursue, they
know the ordinances necessary to be performed in order to secure every
benefit and blessing that it was possible for her to have received in
the flesh. These ordinances have been revealed unto us for this very
purpose, that we might be born into the light from the midst of this
darkness—from death into life.
We live then, we do not die, we do not anticipate death; but we
anticipate life, immortality, glory, exaltation, and to be quickened
by the glory of the celestial kingdom, and receive of the same, even a
fullness. This is our destiny: this is the exalted position to which
we may attain, and there is no power that can deprive or rob us of it,
if we prove faithful and true to the covenant of the Gospel.
That the Lord may bless, comfort and solace the family of his servant,
who are called to lament this momentary loss, that in the midst of
their affliction, while their sorrow finds no relief in tears, they
may bow obedient to Heaven's will, and in gratitude and thanksgiving,
praise Him "from whom all blessings flow." And that the Lord may help
us to be faithful, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- Joseph F. Smith