Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith : Notes : : - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith : Notes : 360 : 13
Notes
~7.1. See the title-page of the Book of Mormon, the two paragraphs mentioned.
~7.2. At a conference of the Church held in November, 1831, the Prophet received the revelation known as Section One, or the Preface to the Book of Commandments. At this conference the Elders considered the question of publishing the revelations which had been given up to that time as the Book of Commandments. This action the Lord approved by revelation. It was decided that 10,000 copies should be published, but later this was changed to 3,000 copies. A number of the brethren, at this conference, arose and stated that they were willing to testify to the world that they knew that the revelations received by the Prophet were of the Lord. In due time the revelations were compiled by the Prophet, and at a conference held November 12, 1831, the revelations were received with thanksgiving. Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer and William W. Phelps, were appointed to review the revelations for printing, and Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer were appointed to carry them to Missouri where the printing was to be done. These brethren were "dedicated and consecrated with the sacred writings and all they have entrusted to their care to the Lord." The publication was commenced by William W. Phelps and Co. in Jackson County, Missouri, but before the work was completed the press and type were destroyed by a mob, July 20, 1833, and only a few of the printed forms were preserved; these were bound and used by those fortunate enough to secure them in the uncompleted condition as the Book of Commandments. Later, in the year 1835, the revelations, now greatly increased in number, were again compiled and ordered printed as The Doctrine and Covenants. This first edition, prepared under the care of the Prophet Joseph Smith, contained 254 pages and was printed by Frederick G. Williams and Co. in Kirtland, Ohio. The revelations ranged over a period from 1828 to 1834. Seven Lectures on Faith, which had been given before the School of the Elders in Kirtland were also added to the volume, not as revelations, but as stated by the brethren at that time "as profitable for doctrine." In this book there also appeared two articles written by Oliver Cowdery, one on Marriage, and the other on Governments and Laws in General. These were ordered printed in the volume with the revelations, but it should be remembered this was done in the absence and without the approval of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who with President Frederick G. Williams was in Michigan at the time this action was taken. Hence these articles are not, as some have supposed, revelations and were not so considered by the Church. It was on the occasion of the acceptance of the revelations for publication, November 12, 1831, when the Prophet wrote in his journal the comment on the value of the revelations.
~8.3. D&C, Sec. 70.
~9.4. This is not a verbatim statement, but report in the minutes of the meeting of the conference held on that day.
~9.5. This is also a statement from the minutes of the Prophet's remarks as recorded by the scribe, not a verbatim report but a synopsis.
~9.6. Shortly after the organization of the Church the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to make a translation of the Book of Mormon that because of iniquity "many plain and precious things" were "taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God." (1 Nephi 13:28.) Moreover, because of the "many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them." (1 Nephi 13:29.)
As early as April, 1829, the Lord declared that many of these plain and precious sayings were to be restored, not only through the Book of Mormon, but through a revision of the Bible. When Oliver Cowdery came to the Prophet Joseph Smith and commenced to write at the Prophet's dictation in the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Lord said unto him: "Verily verily, I say unto you, that there are records which contain much of my gospel, which have been kept back because of the wickedness of the people. And now I command you, that if you have good desires--a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven--then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity." (D&C 6:26-27.) A few days later, in the same month of April, 1829, the Lord again referred to the coming forth of these scriptures in the following words: "I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record [i.e., the Book of Mormon], which I have entrusted unto him [Joseph Smith]. And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate." (D&C 9:1-2.) The earliest manuscripts of the Bible translation are in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. These bear the beginning date of June, 1830, and continue until October 21, the same year. This was done in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Fayette, New York. Brother Cowdery then departed for Ohio and Missouri in response to a call from the Lord for missionary service among the Lamanites. (D&C 32:1-2.) At this juncture, John Whitmer served as scribe to the Prophet as the translation continued. In December, 1830, having recently joined the Church, Sidney Rigdon came to Fayette to see the Prophet Joseph and was called by revelation to do this writing in the following words: "And a commandment I give unto thee--that thou shalt write for him; and the scriptures shall be given, even as they are in mine own bosom, to the salvation of mine own elect." (D&C 35:20.) In February, 1831, the Lord spoke again, saying: "Thou shalt ask, and my scriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they shall be preserved in safety; and it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning them, and not teach them until ye have received them in full. And I give unto you a commandment that then ye shall teach them unto all men; for they shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people." (D&C 42:56-58.)
From June, 1830, until March 7, 1831, the Brethren labored with the revision of the early chapters of Genesis. However, on the latter date they were instructed to begin a translation of the New Testament also. (D&C 45:60-61.) This they began the next day, March 8. The work continued through both the Old and New Testaments until July 2, 1833, when the Prophet finished the work as far as the Lord required of him at that time. In the remaining eleven years of his life the Prophet further revised some passages and attempted to prepare the manuscript for publication. However, because of persecution and a lack of financial means, this was not accomplished before his death. The original manuscripts came into the hands of his widow, Emma Smith, who refused to give them to the Church, although a request was made to her for them. The manuscripts subsequently came into the possession of the Reorganized Church and were used for the publication of the "Inspired Version" of the Bible in 1867.
A partial copy of the manuscripts was made in the spring of 1845 by Dr. John M. Bernhisel and is now in the archives of the Church in Salt Lake City. Although it is an incomplete copy, it served to corroborate the accuracy of the printed editions insofar as its limited scope permits. The Prophet Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible is one of the greatest tangible evidences of his spiritual insight and divine calling.
~11.7. Section 76, D&C
~110.1. In speaking here of the completion of the organization of the Church, the Prophet had reference to the organizations of the Priesthood quorums; and the reference to the bestowal of "all the necessary ceremonies," and that he had given the brethren "all the instruction they needed," had reference to their setting apart and the receiving of all the necessary blessings to enable them to go forth and preach the Gospel in all the world. They were now prepared by instruction and endowment sufficiently to carry the message acceptably to the world. This remark by the Prophet did not have any reference to other ceremonies which were revealed later, as set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 124, 127, 128 and 132.
In 1834 (see D&C 105:33) the Elders who had been preaching the Gospel were instructed to gather at Kirtland and there they were to be endowed. This is the commandment: "Verily I say unto you, it is expedient in me that the first elders of my church should receive their endowment from on high in my house, which I have commanded to be built unto my name in the land of Kirtland." In the month of March, 1836, these endowment ceremonies were given. These ceremonies were not as complete as are the endowment ceremonies given in the Church today, but they were sufficient for the needs of that time and in keeping with the commandment of the Lord herein stated.
~117.1. This statement by the Prophet is in accord with the action of the High Council of the Church shortly after its organization in February, 1834. At one of the earliest meetings of this council over which the Presidency of the Church presided, the following action was taken: The question was asked:
"Whether disobedience to the word of wisdom was a transgression sufficient to deprive an official member from holding office in the Church, after having it sufficiently taught him?" After a free and full discussion, Joseph Smith the Prophet gave the following decision which was unanimously accepted by the council: "No official member in this Church is worthy to hold an office after having the word of wisdom properly taught him; and he, the official member, neglecting to comply with and obey it."
~118.2. There is a prevalent notion in the world today that before the time of Columbus, Galileo, and Copernicus, all ancient people believed that the earth was flat and the center of the universe. From the writings of the Scriptures, and more especially those which have come to us in this dispensation, we know that the ancient peoples, when they were guided by the Spirit of the Lord, had the true conception of the universe. The Lord revealed to Abraham great truths about the heavenly bodies, their revolutions, times and seasons, and these were published by the Prophet Joseph Smith before modern astronomers were familiar with these facts. From the writings of Abraham we learn that the Egyptians understood the nature of the planets. Moses also recorded much about this and other worlds, but because of the unbelief and apostasy from truth, these writings were eliminated from his writings. In the Book of Abraham we find the following:
"But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs concerning, the right of Priesthood the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me."
We learn from the Book of Mormon (Helaman 12:13-15) that the Nephites understood the nature of the planets. It was not until apostasy and rebellion against the things of God that the true knowledge of the universe, as well as the knowledge of other truths, became lost among men.
~120.3. Nothwithstanding this remark about due respect for both the living and the dead, the Prophet varied from this view in counseling his brother Hyrum. Hyrum Smith's wife Jerusha, died in October, 1837, leaving an infant daughter and a large family of small children. The Prophet told his brother Hyrum that it was the will of the Lord that he should marry without delay and take as a wife a young English girl, named Mary Fielding, who had joined the Church through the preaching of Elder Parley P. Pratt in Toronto, Canada. Hyrum accepted this counsel from the Prophet and Mary Fielding became his wife and the mother of President Joseph F. Smith, who was born November 13, 1838.
~129.4. The following important communication written by the Prophet and signed by all of his fellow prisoners, to the Church at large, and to Bishop Edward Partridge in particular, was written between the 20th and 25th of March. In the Prophet's history as published many years ago in current issues of the Deseret News and Millennial Star the communication is divided near the middle of it by reciting the few incidents happening between the 20th and 25th of March--the former being the date on which the letter was begun, the latter the date on which it was completed; but in this publication it is thought desirable that the letter be given without this division, and hence it appears under the date on which it was completed, viz., the 25th of March, 1839. The parts of the communication enclosed in brackets were regarded of such special value that they were taken from this communication, and placed in the Doctrine and Covenants and comprise sections 121, 122 and 123 of that work.
~158.5. In saying the spirit of man is not created the Prophet without any doubt had in mind the intelligence as explained in the Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 93:29: "Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be." From this we gather that the intelligence in man was not created, but the Prophet taught very clearly that man is in very deed the offspring of God, and that the spirits of men were born in the spirit world the children of God. See Doctrine and Covenants 76:24.
~167.1. The doctrine here taught by the Prophet that Adam was the first man, and because of that fact was named the "Ancient of Days," the "oldest of all," because he is the grand progenitor of the earth, is confirmed in several passages of scripture. In the D&C 84:16, the Lord says in speaking of the authority of Priesthood: "And from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his brother, who received the priesthood by the commandments of God, by the hand of his father Adam, who was the first man." Again in the Book of Moses, 1:34: "And the first man of all men, have I called Adam, which is many." (i.e., that is the name means many, because he is the father of all.) In the same record (Moses 3:7) we also read: "And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also." In the Prophet Joseph Smith's revision of the Scriptures where the genealogy of our Lord is given in Luke (v. 45) we find the following: "And of Enos, and of Seth, and of Adam, who was formed of God, and the first man upon the earth."
~193.2. The reason for the commandment from the Lord discontinuing baptism for the dead in the Mississippi River is found in the fact that the font in the Nauvoo Temple had been prepared for these ordinances. It was only in the days of poverty and when there was no font in a Temple, that the Lord granted baptism for the dead outside of his holy house. November 8, 1841, the font in the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated and from that time forth until the exodus baptism for the dead in the Temple in Nauvoo was performed.
~198.3. This very positive statement by the Prophet, that every tree, plant, and herb, and evidently every other creature, cannot produce except after its kind, is in harmony not only with the scriptures, but also with all known facts in the world.
~200.4. In the Improvement Era for June, 1904, President Joseph F. Smith in an editorial on the Resurrection said:
"The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth or development in the grave. As it is laid down, so will it arise, and changes to perfection will come by the law of restitution. But the spirit will continue to expand and develop, and the body, after the resurrection will develop to the full stature of man."
This may be accepted as the doctrine of the Church in respect to the resurrection of children and their future development to the full stature of men and women; and it is alike conformable to that which will be regarded as both reasonable and desirable.
~260.1. See D&C, Sections 127, 128.
~268.2. The Prophet's statement that there will be wicked men on the earth during the Millennium has caused considerable confusion in the minds of many who have read in the Scripture in many places that when Christ comes the earth shall be cleansed from its wickedness, and that the wicked shall not stand, but shall be consumed. See D&C 5:18-19, 29:8-10, 101:23-25; Isaiah 24:1-3; Malachi 4:1. The evil-minded inhabitants, those "who love and make a lie" and are guilty of all manner of corruption, will be consumed and pass away when Christ comes. In using the term "wicked men" in this instruction at the home of Judge Adams, the Prophet did so in the same sense in which the Lord uses it in the eighty-fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, 49-53. The Lord in this scripture speaks of those who have not received the Gospel as being under the bondage of sin, and hence "wicked." However, many of these people are honorable, clean living men, but they have not embraced the Gospel. The inhabitants of the terrestrial order will remain on the earth during the Millennium, and this class are without the Gospel ordinances. See D&C 76:73-76.
~344.1. These remarks will be better understood, if it is remembered that about this time the storms of a renewed persecution were bursting upon the Prophet, and his life was threatened upon every side.
~346.2. The argument here made by the Prophet is very much strengthened by the following passage: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (St. John 5:19).
~346.3. Perhaps no passage in the Prophet's discourse has given more offense than the one here noted, and yet men are coming to think and feel the truth of what he said. Henry Drummond, for instance (following the Prophet by half a century), in his really great work, Natural Law in the Spiritual World, in the chapter on Growth, wherein he points out the difference between the merely moral man and one whose life has been touched by the spiritual power of God, and so received something that the merely moral man has not received, says: "The end of salvation is perfection, the Christ-like mind, character and life. ~ ~ ~ Therefore the man who has within himself this great formative agent, Life [spiritual life] is nearer the end than the man who has morality alone. The latter can never reach perfection, the former must. For the life must develop out according to its type; and being a germ of the Christ-life, it must unfold into a Christ." Joseph Smith's doctrine means no more than this.
Sir Oliver Lodge says much to the same effect in the following passage on "Christianity and Science" (Hibbert's Journal, April, 1906):
It is orthodox, therefore, to maintain that Christ's birth was miraculous and his death portentous, that he continued in existence otherwise than as we men continue, that his very body rose and ascended into heaven--whatever that collection of words may mean. But I suggest that such an attempt at exceptional glorification of his body is a pious heresy-- a heresy which misses the truth lying open to our eyes. His humanity is to be recognized as real and ordinary and thorough and complete; not in middle life alone; but at birth, and at death and after death. Whatever happened to him may happen to any one of us, provided we attain the appropriate altitude; an altitude which, whether within our individual reach or not, is assuredly within reach of humanity. That is what he urged again and again. "Be born again." "Be ye perfect." "Ye are the sons of God." "My Father and your Father, my God and your God." The uniqueness of the ordinary humanity of Christ is the first and patent truth, masked only by well-meaning and reverent superstition. But the second truth is greater than that--without it the first would be meaningless and useless,--if man alone, what gain have we? The world is full of men. What the world wants is a God. Behold the God! --[That is, the God, Jesus Christ.]
The divinity of Jesus is the truth which now requires to be reperceived, to be illumined afresh by new knowledge, to be cleansed and revivified by the wholesome flood of scepticism which has poured over it: it can be freed now from all trace of grovelling superstition; and can be recognized freely and enthusiastically: the divinity of Jesus, and [the divinity] of all other noble and saintly souls, insofar as they, too, have been inflamed by a spark of Deity--insofar as they, too, can be recognized as manifestations of the Divine.--Notes by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~349.4. i.e., Used the term "lawyer" without explanation hitherto.
~350.5. The view of the Prophet on this subject of creation is abundantly sustained by men of learning subsequent to his time. The Rev. Baden Powell, of Oxford University, for instance, writing for Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, says: "The meaning of this word (create) has been commonly associated with the idea of 'making out of nothing.' But when we come to inquire more precisely into the subject, we can of course satisfy ourselves as to the meaning only from an examination of the original phrase." The learned professor then proceeds to say that three distinct Hebrew verbs are in different places employed with reference to the same divine act, and may be translated, respectively, "create," "make," "form or fashion." "Now," continues the Professor, "though each of these has its shade of distinction, yet the best critics understand them as so nearly synonymous that, at least in regard to the idea of making out of nothing, little or no foundation for that doctrine can be obtained from the first of these words." And, of course, if no foundation for the doctrine can be obtained from the first of these words--viz., the verb translated "create," then the chances are still less for there being any foundation for the doctrine of creation from nothing in the verb translated, "made," "formed," or "fashioned."
Professor Powell further says: "The idea of 'creation,' as meaning absolutely 'making out of nothing,' or calling into existence that which did not exist before, in the strictest sense of the term, is not a doctrine of scripture; but it has been held by many on the grounds of natural theology, as enhancing the ideas we form of the divine power, and more especially since the contrary must imply the belief in the eternity and self-existence of matter."
Dr. William Smith's great dictionary of the Bible (Hackett edition, 1894) has no article on the term "create" or "creation," but in the article "earth" we have reference to the subject, and really an implied explanation as to why this work contains no treatise on "create" or "creation." "The act of creation itself, as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, is a subject beyond and above the experience of man; human language, derived, as it originally was, from the sensible and material world, fails to find an adequate term to describe the act; for our word 'create' and the Hebrew bara, though most appropriate to express the idea of an original creation, are yet applicable and must necessarily be applicable to other modes of creation; nor does the addition of such expressions as 'out of things that were not,' or 'not from things which appear,' contribute much to the force of the declaration. The absence of a term which shall describe exclusively an original creation is a necessary infirmity of language; as the events occurred but once, the corresponding term must, in order to be adequate, have been coined for the occasion and reserved for it alone, which would have been impossible."
The philosophers with equal emphasis sustain the contention of the Prophet. Herbert Spencer, in his First Principles, (1860), said:
"There was once universally current, a notion that things could vanish into absolute nothing, or arise out of absolute nothing. ~~~ The current theology, in its teachings respecting the beginning and end of the world, is clearly pervaded by it. ~~~ The gradual accumulation of experiences, has tended slowly to reverse this conviction; until now, the doctrine that matter is indestructible has become a commonplace. All the apparent proofs that something can come of nothing, a wider knowledge has one by one cancelled. The comet that is suddenly discovered in the heavens and nightly waxes larger, is proved not to be a newly-created body, but a body that was until lately beyond the range of vision. The cloud which in the course of a few minutes forms in the sky, consists not of substance that has begun to be, but of substance that previously existed in a more diffused and transparent form. And similarly with a crystal or precipitate in relation to the fluid depositing it. Conversely, the seeming annihilations of matter turn out, on closer observation, to be only changes of state. It is found that the evaporated water, though it has become invisible, may be brought by condensation to its original shape. The discharged fowling-piece gives evidence that though the gunpowder has disappeared, there have appeared in place of it certain gases which, in assuming a larger volume, have caused the explosion."
Fiske follows Spencer, of course, and in his Cosmic Philosophy sums up the matter in these words. "It is now unconceivable that a particle of matter should either come into existence, or lapse into non-existence."
Robert Kennedy Duncan (1905), in his New Knowledge says: "Governing matter in all its varied forms, there is one great fundamental law which up to this time has been ironclad in its character. This law, known as the law of the conservation of mass, states that no particle of matter, however small, may be created or destroyed. All the king's horses and all the king's men cannot destroy a pin's head. We may smash that pin's head, dissolve it in acid, burn it in the electric furnace, employ, in a word, every annihilating agency, and yet that pin's head persists in being. Again, it is as uncreatable as it is indestructible. In other words, we cannot create something out of nothing. The material must be furnished for every existent article. The sum of matter in the universe is x pounds,--and, while it may be carried through a myriad of forms, when all is said and done, it is just--x pounds.--Note by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~352.6. "The elements are eternal, and spirit and element inseparably connected receive a fullness of joy. ~~~ The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples." (D&C Sec. 93:33-35.)
~352.7. It appears to be very clear that the Prophet had in mind the intelligence, when he said "the soul--the mind of man--the immortal spirit," was not created or made, and he did not have reference to the spirit as a begotten child of God. It was the doctrine of the Prophet, and is of the Church, that the spirits of men are begotten sons and daughters of God. See the official statement of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve as published in the Improvement Era, August, 1916, under the caption, The Father and The Son. The passage in the Doctrine and Covenants on which this doctrine is based is found in Sec. 93:29-30, and is as follows: "Man was in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be." See also the statements in following paragraphs.
~353.8. Undoubtedly the proper word here would be "co-eternal," not "co-equal." This illustrates the imperfection of the report made of the sermon. For surely the mind of man is not co-equal with God except in the matter of its eternity. It is the direct statement in the Book of Abraham--accepted by the Church as scripture--that there are differences in the intelligences that exist, that some are more intelligent than others; and that God is "more intelligent than them all" (Book of Abraham, chap. 3). I believe that this means more than that God is more intelligent than any other one of the intelligences. It means that he is more intelligent than all of the other intelligences combined. His intelligence is greater than that of the mass, and that has led me to say in the second Year Book of the Seventies:--"It is this fact doubtless which makes this One, 'more intelligent than them all'," God. He is the All-Wise One! The All-Powerful One! What he tells other Intelligences to do must be precisely the wisest, fittest thing that they could anywhere or anyhow learn-- the thing which it will always behoove them, with right loyal thankfulness, and nothing doubting, to do. There goes with this, too, the thought that this All-Wise One will be the Unselfish One, the All-Loving One, the One who desires that which is highest, and best; not for himself alone, but for all: and that will be best for him too. His glory, his power, his joy will be enhanced by the uplifting of all, by enlarging them; by increasing their joy, power, and glory. And because this All Intelligent One is all this, and does all this, the other Intelligences worship him, submit their judgments and their will to his judgment and his will. He knows, and can do that which is best; and this submission of the mind to the Most Intelligent, Wisest--wiser than all--is worship. This is the whole meaning of the doctrine and the life of the Christ expressed in--"Father, not my will but Thy will, be done."--Note by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~354.9. "A spirit from age to age"--not "spirit from age to age"; but "a spirit," that is, an entity, a person, an individual. This paragraph in the Prophet's remarks may well be taken as an interpretation of D&C, Sec. 93:29.--Note by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~354.10. "Behold this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."--(The Lord to Moses, Book of Moses, chap. 1:39; Pearl of Great Price)--that is, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man," as man. The passage has reference doubtless to man as composed of spirit and body--a proper "soul" (see D&C Sec. 88:15-16)--"For the spirit and the body is the soul of man; and the resurrection of the dead is the redemption of the soul." In other words, the "work" and the "glory" of God are achieved in bringing to pass the "immortality and eternal life of man," as man, in the eternal union of the spirit and body of man through the resurrection through the redemption of the soul. This brings into eternal union "spirit and element" declared by the word of God to be essential to a fulness of joy--"The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; and when separated man cannot receive a fulness of joy" (D&C, Sec. 93). Also, "Adam fell that men might be: and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Indeed, the whole purpose of God in bringing to pass the earth life of man is to inure to the welfare and enlargement of man as urged in the teaching of the Prophet in the paragraph above. God affects man only to his advantage. See also Seventy's Year Book No. 2, Lesson 2, note 6.--Note by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~355.11. Accusations were repeatedly being made about this time that President Smith was a fallen prophet. But when the mighty doctrines that in this discourse he is setting forth are taken into account, and the spiritual power with which he is delivering them is reckoned with, no more complete refutation of his being a fallen prophet could be made. The Prophet lived his life in crescendo. From small beginnings, it rose in breadth and power as he neared its close. As a teacher he reached the climax of his career in this discourse. After it there was but one thing more he could do--seal his testimony with his blood. This he did less than three months later. Such is not the manner of life of false prophets.--Note by Elder B. H. Roberts.
~358.12. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:4-6). Those who sin against the light and knowledge of the Holy Ghost may be said to crucify more than the body of our Lord, they crucify the Spirit.
~360.13. The omitted paragraph indicated by the asterisks refers to the exaltation and power that will be wielded by children in the resurrection before attaining to the development of stature of men and women; but which developments will surely come to those who are raised from the dead as infants. It is quite evident that there was some imperfection in the report of the Prophet's remarks at this point, and hence the passage is omitted. Those who desire to investigate the matter more fully should consult