Chapter XXIV: Eternal Life and Salvation (3)

Now what I want to call to your minds is, emphatically, the undeniable and unequivocal and direct description of {587} the body, the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ, given in this narrative of his resurrection and appearance to his disciples, which dissipates all imagination or thought that the death of the body and the departure of the spirit from the body is the resurrection of the dead. Does it not? Christ is the Son of God, and his disciples bear faithful record of the truth as they witnessed it--as they declare they did witness it; for they declare that they saw it with their eyes, heard it with their ears, were pricked in their hearts, and they examined the wounds with their own hands, to see and feel that he was indeed the same individual, the same person, the same body that was crucified, bearing the same marks that were inflicted upon the body while it was extended upon the cross--all this must go to show to you that the resurrection of Christ was the resurrection of himself, and not his spirit. Before I proceed further, there is another scripture that I will read to you, from the 24th chapter of Luke:

"And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three-score furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him." (Luke 24:13-16)

And he journeyed and talked with them on the way, and unfolded the scriptures unto them, but they did not know that it was he. They did not personally know that it was Christ resurrected.

"And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them."

Now this is not the testimony of John. This is the testimony of Luke, another of the disciples of Christ.

"And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, {588} Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit bath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." (Luke 24:30-44)

Now, shall we accept the scriptural definition of the resurrection of the body? Shall we accept Christ's manifestation in his own person resurrected from the dead? Or shall we take the Rev. Mr. Phillip's opinion of it, that the death of the body and the separation of the spirit from it is the resurrection of the dead? Which do you choose?

Joseph the Prophet declared in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants (Sec. 130:22) that the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's, and the Son of God has a body of flesh and bones as he himself has declared that he has, and is not a mere spirit, but is a risen being, a resurrected {589} soul. And the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, but not a personage of bones and flesh, as are the Father and the Son. Consequently, the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, may be conferred upon men, and he may dwell with them for a while, or he may continue to dwell with them in accordance with their worthiness, and he may depart from them at his will.

Now I am going to read a little from the Book of Mormon, a book of scripture that was translated by the gift and power of God, for the voice of God declared to the three witnesses that it had been translated by the gift and power of God and that it was true. The three witnesses declared and testified to its truth, and eight other witnesses, besides the Prophet Joseph, declared that they beheld the plates and handled them, and saw the engravings on them, and that they do know that Joseph Smith did have the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. And it is one of the greatest puzzles to scientists that they are discovering in the path of ancient civilization of this continent evidences and proofs of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, that they cannot dispute or gainsay. And their wonder is, how Joseph Smith, a man unlearned in history, in theology, in science, a man without book learning, practically, could ever so closely hit upon facts that are now being discovered by explorers and scientists throughout this historical country, that the Book of Mormon covers, and they say it is perplexing to them. It is astonishing to them that three men could testify, as the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon have testified, and that the eight other witnesses could testify as they have done, and yet not one of them ever repudiate his testimony. They cannot understand and they cannot account for it upon any scientific principle. If it was a fraud, and these men were deceived or led into a trap, and did it by sophistry or with a purpose of deceiving the world, surely some one or more of them {590} would have risen to the truth before they died and have divulged the fraud. But no, not one of them did. They apostatized from Joseph, but they did not deny the divinity of the Book of Mormon. They remained faithful and true to their testimony to that. True, they declared that Joseph Smith had gone astray, that the Church had gone astray, just like all other apostates have declared. You never saw apostates anywhere who would admit that they were wrong; but they always claim that they are right, and the Church is wrong. So it was with Oliver Cowdery until he repented and returned to the Church.

So it was with David Whitmer until the day of his death. He believed that Joseph had been led astray, first, into receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood as well as the Aaronic priesthood. That he received the Aaronic priesthood and was ordained under the band of John the Baptist he admitted and believed, but he denied any ordination under the hands of Peter, James, and John to the Melchizedek priesthood, and consequently he went to work and organized a church and a presidency after the order of the Aaronic priesthood. But never, up to the time of his death, did he deny his testimony as one of the three witnesses, and in his dying words he declared that his testimony contained in this book is true.

So did Oliver Cowdery. He came back into the Church after saying many bad things and after wandering about for a while, and confessed his follies and his wrong, and claimed that if he could only be permitted to come back a lay member in the Church it would be all that he could ask, or would ask for. He felt that he was unworthy of anything better or greater, and he was permitted to come back and be baptized.

Martin Harris also came back and was baptized into the Church, and died with his testimony on his lips, for not one of them ever repudiated his testimony.

{591} Furthermore, not one of the eight witnesses ever did either. Neither did the Prophet Joseph. So, here you have a record, the witnesses of which remain unimpeached and whose integrity no power beneath the kingdom of God can impeach, for they told the truth, and they abode in the truth which they told until they died in the flesh.

Now, one of the ancient disciples or prophets who lived upon this continent, who was inspired of God and who delivered this message to the world afterwards that was engraven upon plates of gold, and preserved and handed down and revealed in this dispensation of the world, has something precious to say upon this subject. This is not from Jerusalem. This is not a message that was delivered to the disciples of Christ in Jerusalem; but this is a message that was delivered by a prophet who lived upon this continent;--and here are his words:

"And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; [for this was before the coming of Christ to redeem his people] and he shall take upon him the transgression of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else."

Now let me say here: "He shall come into the world, and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name."

And those who believe will do the works that he commands. No man that will believe in truth will ever refuse to do what is required. And these are they that believe, that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

"Therefore, the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands {592} of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death; the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. [Not the resurrection of the spirit, but the resurrection of the mortal body.] I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is from death; even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption." (Alma 11:40-45)

Now that is the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. That is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and, as he is the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead, as he was raised up, so will be raise up all the children of his Father upon whom the curse of Adam came. For as by one man came temporal death upon all men, so by the righteousness of Christ all shall come to life, through the resurrection from the dead upon all men; whether they be good or whether they be evil, whether they be black or white, bond or free, learned or unlearned, or whether they be young or old, it matters not. The death that came by the fall of our first parents is {593} eradicated by the resurrection of the Son of God, and you and I cannot help it.--_Journal of Discourses,_ October 26, 1867.

WORK FOR THE DEAD. The work for our dead, which the Prophet Joseph laid upon us with more than ordinary injunction, instructing us that we should look after those of our kinfolk and our ancestors who have died without the knowledge of the gospel, should not be neglected. We should avail ourselves of those sacred and potent ordinances of the gospel which have been revealed as essential to the happiness, salvation and redemption of those who have lived in this world when they could not learn the gospel and have died without the knowledge of it, and are now waiting for us, their children, who are living in an age when these ordinances can be performed, to do the work necessary for their release from the prison-house. Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1916, p. 6.

TEMPLE ORDINANCES UNCHANGED. We are engaged in temple work. We have built four temples in this land, and we built two temples in the eastern country before we came here. During the lifetime of the Prophet Joseph Smith one of the two was built and dedicated, and the foundation of the other was laid and the walls had well progressed when he was martyred. It was finished by the efforts of the people under the most trying circumstances, and in poverty, and was dedicated unto the Lord. The ordinances of the house of God were administered therein as they had been taught to the leading authorities of the Church by the Prophet Joseph Smith himself. The same gospel, the same ordinances, the same authority and blessings, that were administered {594} by the Prophet Joseph Smith and taught by him to his associates are now being enjoyed by and taught to the Latter-day Saints in the four temples that have been built in these valleys of the mountains. When you hear anybody say that we have changed the ordinances, that we have transgressed the laws, or have broken the everlasting covenants which were entered into under the personal administration of the Prophet Joseph Smith, tell them for me, tell them for President Snow, for President Cannon, and for all those who are living today who received blessings and ordinances under the bands of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that they are in error. The same gospel prevails today, and the same ordinances are administered today, both for the living and for the dead, that were administered by the Prophet himself, and delivered by him to the Church.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1900, pp. 46, 47.

CARE AND NEED OF TEMPLES. We feel that an effort should be made to preserve the temples of God, those houses that have been erected for the purpose of administering the ordinances of the gospel therein, for the living and the dead. We desire that these buildings shall be preserved and kept in repair and in a wholesome condition, so that the Spirit of the Lord may dwell in them, and that those who minister therein may feel the presence and influence of his Spirit. We also feel that when the time shall come and our hands shall be free from the obligations that now rest upon us, other places should be prepared for the convenience of the Latter-day Saints in more distant stakes, in order that those who are living at great distances from the center may have the privilege of receiving the ordinances of the gospel without being put to the great expense and loss of time that is necessary now in journeying from 500 to 1,000 miles in order to reach the houses of God. We hope to see the day when we shall have temples built in the various parts of the land where they are needed for the convenience {595} of the people; for we realize that one of the greatest responsibilities that rests upon the people of God today is that their hearts shall be turned unto their fathers, and that they shall do the work that is necessary to be done for them in order that they may be joined together fitly in the bond of the New and Everlasting Covenant from generation to generation. For the Lord has said, through the Prophet, that this is one of the greatest responsibilities devolving upon us in this latter day.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1902, pp. 2, 3.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN THE SPIRIT WORLD. Never has there been a name brought to the intelligence of the human race since the foundation of the world that has cost so much, that has accomplished so much, that has been revered and honored so much as the name of Jesus Christ, once so hated, and persecuted, and then crucified. The day will come, and it is not far distant either, when the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith will be coupled with the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, as his representative, as his agent whom he chose, ordained and set apart to lay anew the foundations of the Church of Jesus Christ, possessing all the powers of the gospel, all the rites and privileges, the authority of the holy priesthood and every principle necessary to fit and qualify both the living and the dead to inherit eternal life and to attain to exaltation in the kingdom of God. The day will come when you and I will not be the only ones who will believe this, by a great deal, but there will be millions living and dead who will proclaim this truth. This gospel revealed to the Prophet Joseph is already being preached to the spirits in prison, to those who have passed away from this stage of action into the spirit world without the knowledge of the gospel. Joseph Smith is preaching that gospel to them. So is Hyrum Smith. So is Brigham Young, and so are all the faithful apostles that lived in this dispensation under the administration of the Prophet Joseph. They are there, having carried with them {596} from here the holy priesthood that they received under authority, and which was conferred upon them in the flesh; they are preaching the gospel to the spirits in prison; for Christ, when his body lay in the tomb, went to proclaim liberty to the captives and opened the prison doors to them that were bound. Not only are these engaged in that work but hundreds and thousands of others; the elders that have died in the mission field have not finished their missions, but they are continuing them in the spirit world. Possibly the Lord saw it necessary or proper to call them hence as he did. I am not going to question that thought, in the least, nor dispute it. I leave it in the hand of God, for I believe that all these things will be overruled for good, for the Lord will suffer nothing to come to his people in the world that he will not overrule eventually for their greater good.--M. I. A. Conference, June 5, 1910; _Young Woman's Journal,_ Vol. 21, pp. 456-460.

VISION OF THE REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD. On the third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, I sat in my room pondering over the Scriptures and reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God for the redemption of the world, and the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world, that through his Atonement and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved.

While I was thus engaged, my mind reverted to the writings of the Apostle Peter to the primitive saints scattered abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and other parts of Asia where the gospel had been preached after the crucifixion of the Lord. I opened the Bible and read the third and fourth chapters of the first epistle of Peter, and as I read I was greatly impressed, more than I had ever been before, with the following passages:

"For Christ also bath once suffered for sins, the just {597} for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

"By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (I Peter 3:18-20)

"For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (I Peter 4:6)

As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great. And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality, and who had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer's name. All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death. Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.

While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of {598} death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful, and there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance. But unto the wicked he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised, neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face. Where these were, darkness reigned, but among the righteous there was peace, and the saints rejoiced in their redemption, and bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer and Deliverer from death and the chains of hell. Their countenances shone and the radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them and they sang praises unto his holy Name.

I marveled, for I understood that the Savior spent about three years in his ministry among the Jews and those of the house of Israel, endeavoring to teach them the everlasting gospel and call them unto repentance; and yet, notwithstanding his mighty works and miracles and proclamation of the truth in great power and authority, there were but few who hearkened to his voice and rejoiced in his presence and received salvation at his hands. But his ministry among those who were dead was limited to the brief time intervening between the crucifixion and his resurrection; and I wondered at the words of Peter wherein he said that the Son of God preached unto the spirits in prison who sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time.

And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went {599} not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; but behold, from among the righteous he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men. And thus was the gospel preached to the dead. And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord, and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound; even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel. Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross. Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh, that they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead unto whom he could not go personally because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.

Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous, were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all, and our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who {600} had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God. Abel, the first martyr, was there, and his brother Seth, one of the mighty ones, who was in the express image of his father Adam. Noah, who gave warning of the flood; Shem, the great High Priest; Abraham, the father of the faithful; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, the great law-giver of Israel; Isaiah, who declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was anointed to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound, were also there.

Moreover, Ezekiel, who was shown in vision the great valley of dry bones which were to be clothed upon with flesh to come forth again in the resurrection of the dead, living souls; Daniel, who foresaw and foretold the establishment of the kingdom of God in the latter days, never again to be destroyed nor given to other people; Elias, who was with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration; Malachi, the prophet who testified of the coming of Elijah--of whom also Moroni spake to the Prophet Joseph Smith--declaring that he should come before the ushering in of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, were also there. The prophet Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, for the redemption of the dead and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.

All these and many more, even the prophets who dwelt among the Nephites and testified of the coming of the Son of God, mingled in the vast assembly and waited for their deliverance, for the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. These the Lord taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life, and {601} continue thenceforth their labors as had been promised by the Lord, and be partakers of all blessings which were held in reserve for them that love him.

The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great Latter-day work, including the building of the temples and the performance of ordinances therein for the redemption of the dead, were also in the spirit world. I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God. Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits, and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.

I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead. The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God, and after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.

Thus was the vision of the redemption of the dead revealed to me, and I bear record, and I know that this record is true, through the blessing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even so. Amen.--_Joseph F. Smith_.

This _Vision of the Redemption of the Dead_ was submitted October 31, 1918, to the Counselors in the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve and the Patriarch, {602} and by them unanimously accepted.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 22, December, 1918, pp. 166-170.

MODERATION IN BURIAL DISPLAYS. A good friend who is often called upon to attend to the proprieties on behalf of the dead, calls attention in a letter to the indulgence of extravagance in the laying away of our departed friends and relatives. She believes that the Lord is not pleased with the profusion of flowers, the expensive dress, and even with the ornaments of gold in the form of rings and other jewelry used in decorating the dead.

We certainly recommend moderation and wisdom in the use of flowers, the hire of carriages, and the purchase of caskets. In the old scriptures we have numerous examples of simplicity in burials. While we are not called upon literally to follow these, they should be a lesson to us to avoid ostentations, and to attend to these matters with only such displays and preparations as will show due respect for the departed, and proper consideration for the living.

Relating to dress, the Latter-day Saints burial clothes are all sufficient for our day. Anything more is unnecessary, which good, common sense would clearly suggest; while the burial of jewelry with the dead can serve no good purpose. It savors of vanity, and might prove a temptation to grave robbers,--a naturally horrible thought. In like manner with carriages and caskets, only the necessary and modest should be used.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 12, December, 1908, p. 145.

WHO CANNOT BE REACHED BY THE GOSPEL? And he that believes, is baptized, and receives the light and testimony of Jesus Christ, and walks well for a season, receiving the fulness of the blessings of the gospel in this world, and afterwards turns wholly unto sin, violating his covenants, he will be among those whom the gospel can never reach in the spirit world; and all such go beyond its saving power, they will taste the second death, and be banished from the presence {603} of God eternally.--_Oct. C. R., Deseret Weekly News,_ Vol. 24, 1875, p. 708.

PRINCIPLE OF BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD. Here will come in the principles of baptism for the dead, and of proxy and heirships, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that they may receive a salvation and an exaltation, I will not say a fulness of blessing and glory, but a reward according to their merits and the righteousness and mercy of God, even as it will be with you and with me. But there is this difference between us and the antediluvians--they rejected the gospel, consequently they received not the truth nor the testimony of Jesus Christ; therefore they did not sin against a fulness of light, while we have received the fulness of the gospel; are admitted to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and a knowledge of the living and true God, whose will it is also our privilege to know, that we may do it. Now if we sin, we sin against the light and knowledge, and peradventure we may become guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ, for which sin there is no forgiveness, neither in this world nor in the world to come.--_Oct. C. R., Deseret Weekly News,_ Vol. 24, 1875, p. 708.

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