Outlines of Mormon Philosophy: Or the Answers Given by the Gospel, as Revealed Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to the Questions of LifeWilson, Lycurgus A. (Lycurgus Arnold)
Religion
Outlines of Mormon Philosophy: Or the Answers Given by the Gospel, as Revealed Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to the Questions of Life
Wilson, Lycurgus A. (Lycurgus Arnold)
Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines
"And it came to pass, that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Be
merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth,
and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant
will be content.
"And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying, The heavens, they are many,
and they cannot be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me,
for they are mine, and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens
thereof, even so shall others come; and there is no end to my works,
neither to my words.
"For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man." [21]
We have here, then, a plain statement of the purpose of the Lord in
formulating the Gospel, and we may now inquire as to the course of
procedure to be followed to accomplish the object in view.
VII.
PLAN OF THE GOSPEL.
We may use still further the comparison of instructor and pupil. The
plan of the work he is to pursue is laid before the student at the
outset. All the steps of his progress are pointed out to him from the
opening of his course until his graduation. In outline he can trace his
work throughout, and can tell at any stage of his advancement how far
he has come, and what yet remains to be done before he can claim his
diploma.
Just so the Lord has outlined the course of procedure under the Gospel
plan, and, as with the student, so we may know how far we have advanced.
Following is a remarkable disclosure in which we have the plan outlined:
"And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who
keep not their first estate, shall not have glory in the same kingdom
with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second
estate, shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever." [22]
When the time had arrived for the council in heaven to name a Savior,
according to the plan of the Father, to come to the earth in the
meridian of time and make possible the resurrection from the dead,
there was a rebellion, the account of which gives us an indication
of the dividing point in our progress between the first and second
estates. It reads as follows:
"And the Lord said, Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto
the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said:
Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the
second was angry, and kept not his first estate, and at that day, many
followed after him." [23]
Additional information as to the proportion of that host of spirits who
"followed after him," is given in the Doctrine and Covenants:
"For, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me,
saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power: and also a third part
of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels." [24]
We learn, therefore:
That, according to the plan of the Gospel, there are two estates, with
varying glories attached to each.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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