I will use, for the foundation of my remarks, words found in Rev. 11th
chap., 15th verse—"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great
voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever
and ever."
How near to this text I shall preach, I know not; there is enough in
it to answer my purpose, and it is one upon which a great deal can be
said.
The plan of salvation cannot be told in one discourse, nor in one day,
one month, or one year, for it is from everlasting to everlasting,
like the Priesthood of the Son of God, without beginning of
days or end of life. The Gospel we declare unto you leads to eternal
life, and this kingdom is the kingdom of God which he has promised, by
the mouths of his Prophets, that he would set up in the last days—a
kingdom that must triumph over all the ills that afflict the family of
man, and usher in everlasting righteousness.
Man has wandered far from his Maker—far from the path of rectitude his
Heavenly Father has marked out for his feet—and is walking in a way
strewn with dangers; he has left the true light, and is walking in
darkness; rejected the wisdom and intelligence that is from Heaven,
and has become benighted in ignorance and unbelief, neither knowing
God, nor the object of his own existence upon the earth. This darkness
and ignorance must be dispelled by the preaching of the Gospel, and as
many as will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in all the
ordinances of God blameless, will be numbered with his Saints and be
gathered into his kingdom, to be further taught the principles of
eternal life.
The kingdom of God in the latter days must triumph upon all the earth,
subdue every species of sin, and destroy every source of sorrow to
which downtrodden humanity has been subject. The work of making the
kingdoms of the world the kingdom of God and his Christ has commenced;
and all the inhabitants of the earth, without exception, will yet
acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
All mankind are individually interested in this Latter-day Work, for
all have a future, whether glorious or inglorious.
Man is created for a glorious purpose—for a life that is eternal. A
great deal is comprehended in the two words "eternal life;" they
entirely exclude death. We have no death to preach, for we should
never practice the principles of death, but pursue the path that leads
to the continuation of the lives. The world will be revolutionized by
the preaching of the Gospel and the power of the Priesthood, and this
work we are called to do. In its progress every foolish and
unprofitable custom, every unholy passion, every foolish notion in
politics and religion, every unjust and oppressive law, and whatever
else that is oppressive to man, and that would impede his onward
progress to the perfection of the Holy Ones in eternity, will be
removed until everlasting righteousness prevails over the whole earth.
Such was the design of the preaching of the Gospel in the days of the
Apostles.
It is written in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, "And when they
found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers
of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are
come hither also." Using the same figure, the Elders of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are called to right up the world. To
turn it over is a gigantic work, but it will be done, for both the
righteous on earth, and the sanctified in heaven are working at it,
and all power both in heaven and on earth is given to the Savior by
his Father. It is our business to fully comprehend the sayings and
doings of the Savior in his mission on the earth, which is life to
all who believe and endure to the end in the pursuit of life eternal.
A lifetime is too short to tell the extent of the mission of the
Savior to the human family, but I will venture to use one of his
sayings, in connection with what I have already quoted from the book
of Revelation. When he was arraigned before Pilate to be tried for
his life, he said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that
I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence." Connect this saying with "Blessed are the peacemakers: for
they shall be called the children of God," and we can understand how
the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, because it is established
in peace, unlike all worldly kingdoms which are established in war.
The motto of his kingdom is "Peace on earth and good will towards
men," and hence not after the order of worldly kingdoms.
It was remarked this morning that the Book of Mormon in no case
contradicts the Bible. It has many words like those in the Bible, and
as a whole is a strong witness to the Bible. Revelations, when they
have passed from God to man, and from man into his written and printed
language, cannot be said to be entirely perfect, though they may be as
perfect as possible under the circumstances; they are perfect enough
to answer the purposes of Heaven at this time.
The saying, "My kingdom is not of this world," and the saying, "The
kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of God and his
Christ," at the first glance would appear palpable contradictions; but
when they are read with their proper connections and by a person whose
mind is enlightened by the power of the Holy Ghost, instead of
contradiction between them there is seen to exist a perfect harmony.
Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the last days, had a happy faculty of
reducing the things of heaven to the capacity of persons of common
understanding, often in a single sentence throwing a flood of light
into the gloom of ages. He had power to draw the spirits of the people
who listened to him to his standard, where they communed with heavenly
objects and heavenly principles, connecting the heavenly and the
earthly together—in one blending flood of heavenly intelligence. When
the mind is thus lit up with the Spirit of revelation, it is clearly
discerned that the heavens and the earth are in close proximity—that
time and eternity are one. We can then understand that the things of
God are things which pertain to his children, and that the expression,
form, and sympathies of his earthly children pertain to their Great
Father and Creator.
It has been thought by some that the kingdom Jesus established on the
earth, when he was here in the flesh, was not the kingdom Daniel saw.
Pardon me, if I differ from this view and say that it was the very
kingdom that Daniel saw, but it was not then the time to establish it
in its fullness, it was not then the time for the kingdom of God to
subdue all other kingdoms as it would in the latter days.
Jesus came to establish his spiritual kingdom, or to introduce a code
of morals that would exalt the spirits of the people to godliness and
to God, that they might thereby secure to themselves a glorious
resurrection and a title to reign on the earth when the kingdoms of
this world should become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. He
also came to introduce himself as the Savior of the world, to shed
his blood upon the altar of atonement, and open up the way of life to
all believers. When Jesus came to his own they received him not, but
said, "This is the heir, let us kill him and seize on his
inheritance;" and they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard,
and slew him. Had the Jews received him as the heir, and treated him
as such, he would have established his kingdom among them at that
time, both spiritually and temporally; and they would have gathered
the lost tribes that wandered from Jerusalem, would have overcome
their enemies, possessed Palestine in peace, and spread to the
uttermost parts of the earth and possessed the kingdom under
the whole heavens.
Again, at the time the children of Israel left Egypt if they had then
received the Gospel Moses had for them, the kingdom would then have
been given to them, and it never would have been broken up, and the
house of Israel never would have been smitten and scattered to become
bondsmen among the nations. If the children of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, previous to the Egyptian bondage, had been faithful, they would
have received the keys and power of the kingdom, and would never have
gone into Egypt to suffer four hundred years in bondage, but they by
their wickedness rejected the kingdom.
When God speaks to the people, he does it in a manner to suit their
circumstances and capacities. He spoke to the children of Jacob
through Moses, as a blind, stiffnecked people, and when Jesus and his
Apostles came they talked with the Jews as a benighted, wicked,
selfish people. They would not receive the Gospel, though presented to
them by the Son of God in all its righteousness, beauty and glory.
Should the Lord Almighty send an angel to rewrite the Bible, it would
in many places be very different from what it now is. And I will even
venture to say that if the Book of Mormon were now to be rewritten,
in many instances it would materially differ from the present
translation. According as people are willing to receive the things of
God, so the heavens send forth their blessings. If the people are
stiffnecked, the Lord can tell them but little.
The kingdom that Jesus came to establish is the kingdom Daniel saw,
but that stiffnecked, rebellious generation would not receive the
Gospel, and he did not fully establish his kingdom at that time. Could
the Lord consistently have given them power over their enemies to whom
they were subject while in this state of rebellion to God and his
laws, they would have become more wicked than the Romans or other heathen
nations of the land. Had he given them power over the Egyptians in the
days of Moses, they would have become more wicked than the Egyptians,
and would have used this saving power to bring upon them a more sure
and terrible destruction.
The Lord called upon Moses, and he stood amid the thunders and
lightnings of Mount Sinai. Moses was a good and great man, but he had
lived with and so often been aggravated by a wicked, murmuring, and
rebellious people that he could not look upon God in his glory, but he
could hear his voice and converse with his Heavenly Father in the
pillar of cloud and fire. He was, on one occasion, in company with
seventy Elders of Israel, permitted to see the back parts of the
Almighty. He received the law of carnal commandments for Israel from
the mouth of God. I believe with all my heart that if the children had
been ready to receive the Gospel in all its fulness, the yoke of
carnal commandments would never have been placed upon their necks.
Moses was a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and yet he
partook of the sins of the children of Israel to such a degree that he
could not see the face of God.
The very kingdom that Jesus said was not of this world would in his
day have been permanently established in this world, if the people
could have received it, but they would not have the man Christ Jesus
to rule over them; they turned away from the holy commandments, and
preferred fables. When Jesus stated that his kingdom was not of this
world, he did not mean to convey the idea that it had no right to be
on this earth, but that his kingdom was a righteous, holy
kingdom, and not like the wicked kingdoms of the world; and the
wickedness of the world was such that he could not then establish his
kingdom upon this earth.
When Moses went into the mountain to converse with the God of Israel,
the cry was heard in the camp, "where is this Moses?" And they made a
molten calf of the jewelry they had borrowed from the Egyptians,
and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it,
and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, tomorrow is a feast of the
Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat
and to drink and rose up to play." There was as much sense in this
proceeding as there is in people's worshipping their property and
money at the present day.
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, and he wishes to
establish his kingdom upon it. I do not think any person will start a
single argument to prove that the Lord does not own this earth and all
that is upon it. All Christians acknowledge that the earth is the
Lord's and the fulness thereof, and that Jesus is the Christ and heir
of all things.
One excellent idea that was advanced this morning, I will venture to
carry out a little further. The time was when the test of a Christian
was his confession of Christ. In the first Epistle of John it is
written, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into
the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world." This is no test to this generation, for all men of the
Christian world confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This
generation, however, is not left without a test. I have taught for
thirty years, and still teach, that he that believeth in his heart and
confesseth with his mouth that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph
Smith is his Prophet to this generation, is of God; and he that
confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith
with the fulness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but
is antichrist. All who confess that Joseph Smith is sent of God in the
latter days, to lay the foundation of his everlasting kingdom no more
to be thrown down, and will continue to keep his commandments, are
born of God. All those who believe in their hearts and confess with
their mouths that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet, at the same time
trying with their might to live the holy principles Joseph the Prophet
has revealed, are in possession of the Holy Spirit of God and are
entitled to a fullness. When such men go into the world to preach the
Gospel though they know not a letter in a book, they will do more real
good to erring man than the great and wise can possibly do, though
aided by all their learning and worldly influence in the absence of
the gift of the Holy Ghost. When the spirit of the preacher is imbued
with the Spirit and power of God, his words enter the understandings
of the honest, who discern the truth and at once embrace it to their
eternal advantage.
Every person who seeks to know right, to understand every principle of
truth pertaining to the earth and the heavens, and by obedience to
the laws of the Gospel to obtain the Spirit of truth from the
great Fountain of truth, when he hears a truth, whether moral,
religious, scientific, or mechanical, whether it pertains to God, to
man, to the heavens, or to the earth, that truth is congenial to his
feelings, and it seems to him that he had known it all his life.
Notwithstanding the dreadful effects of the fall of man, almost all
men delight in truth and righteousness. If men are not righteous
themselves, as a general thing they honor and revere a righteous
person more than they do the wicked and froward. A few in these latter
days have ventured to stem the current of iniquity; defying the
finger of scorn, they have raised their hands to Heaven saying, "we are
for God." They repeat a glorious text, "The kingdom of God or
nothing." It is with them, "Heaven or nothing." The Lord must reign
and rule.
We did not produce ourselves. We did not make the earth, nor stretch
out the starry heavens. We have not sought out the wisdom of him who
formed the foundations of the great deep, nor explored the vastness of
his skill in the formation of the finny tribes. "Who removeth the
mountains, and they knew not; who overturneth them in his anger. Who
shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of
the sea. Who maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades and the chambers of
the south. Who doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders
without number."
Philosophy has tried to search out God, but it stands aghast amid the
great and wondrous works of the great Supreme. It acknowledges a great
Designer and Framer of the universe, but how to approach him, it
findeth not. This great Being is the God of the Latter-day Saints; to
whom we accede the right of reigning over the workmanship of his own
hands. It is his right to control the gold and the silver, the wheat
and the fine flour, yea, all the elements that have been enumerated by
the searching eye of philosophy and science, and those that are past
finding out by mortals in their present state. Has an unholy
principle, a wicked influence that leads to death, the right to
control the ability and power to do good which God has placed in man?
No. God alone has the right to control the intelligence that is in the
human family, for he is the giver of it.
Religious people talk a great deal about doing wondrous great things
for the Lord—about doing this, that, and the other for the glory of
God. Every good that man performs is, firstly, for his own benefit and
eternal welfare, if he continues in well doing, and secondly, for the
common good of others, so far as his example and the influence of good
done effects others. We may, for comparison's sake, imagine a great
king who has many kingdoms to dispose of and many sons to give them
to, but one of his sons will not have his kingly father to rule over
him, neither will he accept of any of his favors. Now, if anybody
suffers loss in this case, it is the proud, rebellious son; the father
can give the kingdom, that he otherwise would have given to his
wayward son, to a more worthy subject. He is all powerful, and bestows
ability to whom he will to become powerful like himself. "If I were
hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness
thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High."
The generations of men from the beginning have refused to pay
homage to their God, and to render unto him that which belongs to him.
If men serve God, it is to their advantage; but they suppose that they
sacrifice a great deal for God and do him a great service, and are
enriching him and impoverishing themselves. Render unto God that which
is God's. I care not whether it be gold, silver, or copper. When men
extract the precious metals from the earth, they breathe the air,
drink the water, and eat the food that belongs to God.
I could give the reasons why the servants of God, from the beginning,
have not been able to establish his kingdom on the earth, but I have
not time to do so today. In these latter days, the kingdoms of this
world will become "the kingdoms of our God and his Christ," and those
who have gold and silver and wealth of other descriptions, and refuse
to devote it to the Lord, are blind and naked and destitute of that
wisdom which comes from above. The breath that is in their nostrils is
not really their own. All people live upon the bounty of the Almighty,
yet they say that the precious metals are theirs, and they will devote
this wealth to their own service, revel in luxury, and do as they
please. Those who possess the wealth of this world, possess it by the
permission of the Almighty, and then they go needlessly on in the way
to destruction. How long? Until their race is run.
All must have the privilege of proving to God and angels what they
will do with the talent and ability God has given them, whether they
will waste their blessings in pandering to unholy appetites or use
them in the way God has designed they should. This is one great reason
why men are permitted to do as they do. It is an orthodox doctrine
that God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. He has decreed many
things to come to pass, but not all things. He has not decreed that
one man shall blaspheme his name, and that another shall often be
found on his knees praying to him; this is left to the free volition
of the creature. All the inhabitants of the earth have had the
privilege of proving themselves before God in their lifetime whether
they delighted in that which was right or that which was wrong, and
according to that, those who have been without law will be judged
without law. What better, in the sight of Heaven, are those who place
their affections upon earthly wealth, than the children of Israel who
worshipped a calf?
Those who wish to join us in this great work, must do as we have done,
to obtain that which we have obtained. It is not our business to
question the validity of any of the laws and ordinances of God. It is
no matter to us how simple the ordinance he requires us to submit to,
in order to attain a certain end. He has said, "he that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved." If he has instituted baptism in water for
the remission of sins, it is not our business to question his right
to do this, by quarrelling with the mode of this ordinance. If he had
told us to dig a hole in the ground and bury ourselves for a certain
length of time, it is his right to do so, and our advantage to obey.
Whenever the Gospel has been preached in any age of the world, the
ordinance of baptism has been in force. It had the same validity in
the days of Adam, Enoch, and Noah as in the days of Jesus Christ and
his Apostles, or as it has now.
An angel of the Lord visited Adam, when Adam was offering up
sacrifice. The angel asked him why he was offering up sacrifice. Adam
replied, "I know not, but this I do know, the Lord has commanded me,
therefore I offer up sacrifice." It may be said that Adam was
very ignorant. It was designed by the Lord that his previous knowledge
should pass from him.
"Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus),
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born
when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and
be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
A man must be born again before he can see the kingdom of God; and
must be born of water and of the Spirit, before he can enter therein.
It may be asked whether any person can be saved, except those who are
baptized. Yes, all the inhabitants of the earth will be saved, except
those that sin against the Holy Ghost. Will they come into the
presence of the Father and the Son? Not unless they are baptized for
the remission of sins, and live faithfully in the observance of the
words of life, all the rest of their days. "In my Father's house are
many mansions." "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be
which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." A
question was asked Joseph Smith if all would be damned, except the
Latter-day Saints. He answered "yes and most of the Latter-day Saints,
unless they repent and do better than they have done."
The glory of those who are not permitted to enter into the presence of
the Father and the Son will be greater than mortals can imagine, in
glory, excellency, exquisite pleasure, and intense bliss. It has not
entered into the heart of man to conceive of the greatness of their
glory. But the glory of those who enter into the presence of God
exceeds all these in glory, as the light of the sun exceeds the light
of the moon and stars. All these different glories are ordained to fit
the capacities and conditions of men.
Let me say a word in praise of the congregation before me. Here I see
people who have gathered from almost every nation of the earth, and
they have brought with them their national customs, traditions,
education, fashions and language; yet this mixed people dwell together
in peace: all nationality gradually subsides, and we see a universal
blending into one, possessing the same feeling and spirit of our holy
religion, all being determined to promote the kingdom of God on the
earth, looking forward to the day of rest. What other community less
needs the services of lawyers, magistrates and judges than this
community? This is a joy to me.
The Lord designs to set up his kingdom in our day, and the
commandments he requires us to obey and the duties he makes obligatory
for us are easy. We can perform all he requires of us, without hurting
us in the least.
Some contend that there is no virtue in the water, but there is virtue
in him who has made the commandment, and he has power to pardon sins.
Were I to command you to wash your bodies and you refused to do so,
your filthiness would cleave to you, and you alone would suffer the
inconvenience.
We break the bread, which represents the Lord's body, as he has
commanded, in remembrance of him, and that he will come to earth again
when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God
and his Christ. We pour out water or wine in remembrance of his blood
which was shed, and in token of the time when he will drink of the
fruit of the vine anew with us in his Father's kingdom, when
he comes again and the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdoms of
our God and his Christ. The kingdoms of this world must be prepared
for his coming by the proclamation of the Gospel, or be wiped out of
existence.
The whole world have lost confidence in themselves and in their God.
How can it be restored? By beginning to serve God, and then trying to
induce every man and woman to join heart and hand in this moral
reformation. By associating with those with whom you can trust your
wealth, honor, good name, virtue, and integrity, and inviting all to
join you who are full of integrity and honor, and who will treat you
as the angels of God would if they were here. We must restore the
integrity and confidence which have been lost to the world. The kings
upon their thrones have to pay for their positions, for they cannot
trust themselves in the hands of their attendants, without bribery.
Only the semblance of honor, integrity, and confidence are to be found
in the world, and even that brings a high price; however, this general
remark has its honorable exceptions. We must find men and women that
we can trust with everything that is sacred to us, or the kingdom of
God can never be established upon the earth. The Lord will not
acknowledge a people who will falsify their word and are unvirtuous;
he will not long trust a man of that kind with any of the affairs of
his kingdom. He will not trust an unvirtuous people with his Holy
Priesthood. He will not trust a people with property—with earthly
wealth—who will covet the same and use it to pander to their lusts,
and otherwise devote it to the power of the enemy of God and man.
The business of the Latter-day Saints is to bring forth the kingdom of
God in the last days, morally, re ligiously, and politically. Will they
do it? I rather think they will, with the help of God. No matter what
the enemies of God and his cause do with our name, or with our means;
no matter how often they hurl us from our habitations and drive us
from city to city, and from county to county, let every one of us be
found standing upon the pedestal of truth and virtue, defiling not our
persons by sin in any way. Let us esteem all that we are permitted to
possess as given to us of the Lord; whether it be gold, silver, goods,
houses, lands, or wives and children, they are all the Lord's. These
blessings are only lent to us. When we have passed this earthly ordeal
and have proven to the heavens that we are worthy to be crowned with
crowns of glory, immortality and eternal lives, then the Lord will say
these are yours, but until then we own nothing.
Will all believe as we believe? I know not. I would be pleased if all
men would believe the truth and practice righteousness. If they have
truth in their possession, I wish them to be as generous with it as I
am. I freely impart to my fellow beings all the truth I know of, and
all the rules of godliness I am in possession of. My religion teaches
me to embrace all truth in the heavens, on the earth, under the earth,
and in the bottomless pit, if there is any there. My creed embraces
all truth. If you have truth that I have not, let me know it, and it
will come to where it belongs; and if I have truth which you have not
you are welcome to it. There is no need of debate and contention in
regard to truth and error, for debate tends to create a spirit of
bitterness.
There is no need for war and bloodshed, for the earth is large enough
for all. The elements of which this earth is composed are all around
it. Philosophers say the at mosphere is forty miles deep. Be
this as it may, there are no bounds to the elements that compose
worlds like this. This earthly ball, this little opaque substance
thrown off into space, is only a speck in the great universe; and when
it is celestialized it will go back into the presence of God, where it
was first framed. All belongs to God, and those who keep his celestial
law will return to him.
Many inquiries are made as to what will become of that portion of the
world of mankind who have died without law. When we return to build up
the waste places of Zion, then will the Scripture be fulfilled—"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 servants of God will officiate for the dead in the
temples of God which will be built. The Gospel is now preached to the
spirits in prison, and when the time comes for the servants of God to
officiate for them, the names of those who have received the Gospel in
the spirit will be revealed by the angels of God and the spirits of
just men made per fect; also the places of their birth, the age in
which they lived, and everything regarding them that is necessary to
be recorded on earth, and they will then be saved so as to find
admittance into the presence of God, with their relatives who have
officiated for them. The wicked will be cleansed and purified as by
fire; some of them will be saved as by fire. Some will be given over
to the buffeting of Satan, that their spirits may be saved in the day
of the Lord Jesus. Others will receive their bodies, but cannot be
saved in the kingdoms and mansions that are in the presence of God.
All the children of men will receive a glory in the mansions of God
according to their capacities, and rewards according to their acts in
the flesh.
Brethren and friends, do you naturally despise such a doctrine as
this, or does it find a response of welcome in your bosoms? My soul
says, Hallelujah, every moment I think of the ample provisions God
has made for his sons and daughters. They will not welter in hell to
an endless eternity, but they will rise higher and higher, and
continue to increase in intelligence and love of truth as they
advance. There will be an eternal progress in the knowledge of God.
May God bless the people. Amen.