| 1100 We have began to have a relationship with eternity and eternal things. We knew nothing of these things, while we were associated with the christian world. If a man took any steps with regard to anything, formerly, it was considered only in regard to time, and at death, every thing ended. If a man should have a friend drop out of existence and not be converted, his doom was to go down, down, down, to the bottom of the bottomless pit, to be bound for ever and ever in the flames of liquid fire, and brimstone. In those days, every body were unacquainted with the great principles of salvation; but we are in possession of principles revealed from heaven, of a gospel that will save men; and if they cannot be saved they must go down to hell, until the prison doors be opened, and the captives set free. Our Savior was put to death in the flesh and yet he was quickened by the spirit, and by that spirit he went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had been held in confinement since the days of Noah. He preached that they might have liberty, that they might from henceforth be snatched from the jaws of the devil, and having suffered enough for their crimes he came to open the prison doors, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord. He was put to death in the flesh, and quickened by the spirit, and so will every believer be, and be put in possession of the same eternal principle, for if the same spirit dwell in us, it will also quicken our mortal bodies, so that we shall not only exist in spirit, but our bodies will exist upon the same principle. How different is this to the religion of the world. Theirs is full of gloom and misery and death; ours of life and immortality. All the wisdom of the religion, or of the nations of the earth, is but to be prepared to meet death. When I went to the Methodist class meeting, it used to be asked me: well, brother, are you prepared for death? I don't think any thing about death. I don't believe in meeting Christ at death. I believe that Christ is our life and that when he who is our life shall appear, we shall appear like unto him in glory, he is our life, our living head, and by the power that dwells in him, we may be raised to immortal bloom, and grasp eternity itself. What is eternity? It is duration. It had no beginning and it will have no end. What is the Priesthood? It is everlasting ; it had no beginning and it will have no end. What is the gospel? It is everlasting; it had no beginning and it will have no end. What is matter? It is eternal. What is spirit? It is eternal. God did not make this world out of nothing; that would be impossible. But the christians say, nothing is impossible with God. He made the world out of matter that existed before he framed it. He spake; chaos heard; and the world rolled into existence. There is no end to the works of the Almighty, but we may soar among the knowledge of God, forever. We can look unto Jesus Christ, forever. We can do the works that he did, and greater; because he has gone to the Father, for we are told, all things were created by him, and for him; principalities, powers, things present, and things to come; and if ever we should get to such a state, as to be like him, we might be able to do such kind of business as he did; the same as carpenter, or any other mechanics, know how to make the various utensils that are used by man. They do not make them out of nothing; the trouble is to get material. It troubles them sometimes to get stock to commence business, or to drive business ahead, and I expect we shall want some one to counsel us and shall have to covenant to abide by his counsel, and walk to the mark. It is also necessary that we should learn the principles of order and government; but first we must learn how to govern ourselves; next, how to govern our families, and, in the next place, learn how to be governed, which is the hardest lesson that can be set us; it is worse than to govern somebody else. Jesus was not prepared to govern, till he was placed in circumstances that gave him experience. The scriptures say, it is necessary to the bringing of many souls to glory, that the Captain of our salvation should be made perfect threugh [through] sufferings. So, he was not perfect before, but he had to come here to be made perfect; he had to come here to pass through a multitude of sufferings, and be tempted and tried in all points like unto us, because it was necessary. Had it not been necessary he would not have been placed in those circumstances, and this is the reason why we are here, and kicked and cuffed round, and hated and despised, by the world. The reason why we do not live in peace is because we are not prepared for it. We are tempted and tried, driven, mobbed, and robbed; apostates are in our midst, which cause trouble and vexation of spirit, and it is all to keep down our pride and learn us to honor the God of Jacob in all things and to make us appear what we really are. The gospel turns us inside out and makes manifest every good and every evil way. When we were Methodists, we would say is not that brother so and so? what a holy man so and so is; he is a pattern of piety; but when the gospel appears among them, they loose all their false religion and pretended piety in one day, and are as guilty of as much foolery as any body else, though they would seem to be more righteous than the angels who are on
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