| 73 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 another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
Behold this is my work to my glory, to the immortality and eternal life of man. And now Moses my son, I will speak unto you concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write these things which I shall speak, and in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as nought [naught], and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold I will raise up another like unto thee, and they shall be had again among the children of men; among as many as shall believe those words were spoken unto Moses in the Mount, the name of which shall not be known among the children of men. And now they are spoken unto you. Amen.
Times and Seasons.
City of Nauvoo,
Monday, January 16, 1843
Sons of God
When the gospel of Jesus Christ was ushered forth into the world, there was something beautiful and glorious, connected with it;-something which when rightly understood, had a tendency to enamour [enamor], and captivate the soul of man. There was a dignity, a glory, and a freedom associated with its principles, which the generality of men, and even the teachers of Israel knew little or nothing about. The Jews indeed had been taught "that to them belonged the promises, the giving of the law, and the service of God:" that "theirs were the Fathers," and that from them (according to the flesh) Christ was to come: but of the nature and office of the Messiah, of the kind of glory that should be revealed when he came, and of the dignity, glory, and fulness [fullness] of those blessings that should accrue to the human family, when he made his appearance among the children of men, they seemed to be entirely ignorant, as well as of the union, and relationship to God which it would be placed within the reach of the children of men to obtain through the medium of his atonement, and the redemption wrought out by him. Long accustomed to types and shadows, to sprinklings, washings, sacrifices, and the observance of a law, that could never make the comers thereunto perfect, they understood not, and could not appreciate that more "excellent sacrifice," and the "better covenant," when it was revealed. They had long been "under a schoolmaster," and he had not taught them the glories of a celestial law:-the riches, glory, fulness [fullness] and blessing of the gospel of peace, nor the freedom of the ; "sons of God;" consequently when the "true light, that lighteth every man that cometh into the world," made his appearance, "He was in the world, and the world knew him not." He came to his own, and his own received him not; but to as many as did receive him to them gave he power to become the "sons of God," even to as many as believed on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of man, but of God."
Not only were the Jews ignorant of these things; but the gentiles also, (who profess to believe the gospel) seem to be ignorant of the great principles that regulate the kingdom of God, and of the unspeakable priviledges [privileges] of the "sons of God." As the peculiar priviledges [privileges] of the gospel have long been banished from the church; as the light of revelation has long since ceased to dawn upon the professors of Christianity; and as the followers of Jesus have had no other landmark but that of the written word of God, perverted by the enthusiastic zeal of uninspired partizans [partisans] and religious bigots; who however well meaning and sincere they might be, and however learned and intelligent in other respects, had no means of obtaining correct religious intelligence, nor a knowledge of the things of God. The world therefore must necessarily be ignorant, for "faith comes by hearing," (not by reading only,) and hearing by the word of God; and how can they hear without a preacher; and how can he preach except he be sent,"
"To as many as believed to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to a many as believed on his name," is the declaration of John. This declaration being made, it becomes us to enquire [inquire] what peculiar blessings are connected with this sonship? and what is the nature of this heavenly boon referred to by John? "for says he, to as many as believed, to them gave he power" &c., evidently showing that if they did not believe, they could not become the sons of God, neither could they without the "true light" referred to by John:-he might be in the world, and the world knew him not:-he might come to his own, and his own receive him not, but nevertheless he was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, as it is written by the prophet of the Lord, "the light of truth; which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ;. As also he is the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the moon, and the light of the
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