The Plan of Salvation

by John Morgan

THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

for the reception of the Holy Ghost. This is a principle, to a great extent, ignored by the Christian world, yet plainly taught in the scriptures.

Peter and his brethren of the twelve had doubtless all been baptised, and endeavored to lead holy lives during their association with Jesus; yet we find Him, just previous to His ascension on high, telling them, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them." (Luke 24:49, 50.)

We find a still further explanation of the manner of obtaining this gift and blessing, in the Acts of the Apostles, where He "commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:4, 5.)

Turning to the account of the ministry of Philip in Samaria, we find that after the Samaritans had exercised FAITH sufficient to cause them to REPENT, they had been BAPTIZED under the hands of Philip. "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John; who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost." (Acts 8:14-17.)

Paul, writing to Timothy, charged him thus: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of hands of the presbytery." (I. Tim. 4:14); and again, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by putting on of my hands." (II. Tim. 1:6.)

We also call the attention of the reader to the account of Paul's visit to the baptized saints of Ephesus, and his inquiry of them: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. * * * Then they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they spake with tongues and prophesied." (Acts 19:2-5.)

Sufficient has doubtless been said to clearly establish the fact that the gift of the Holy Ghost was formerly obtained by the laying on of the hands of those who held the authority to do so. Nowhere do we find that the order here laid down has been supplanted or annulled. On the contrary, the apostle spoke in the strongest terms against any innovation upon the established forms that Jesus taught them.

Paul, writing to the Galatians, speaks of those who were "perverting" the gospel; doubtless teaching that the laying on of hands was not necessary, or else that it was done away with, and says, "But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8.)

The reader has now examined the fourth step for man's advancement in the probation in which he is now living; and in the words of our Savior, "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." (John 10:1.)

We have traced man from a pre-existent state, before the world began, when he dwelt in the presence of the Father, and of our elder Brother, Jesus, and mingled with the spirits who have or shall come into this sphere of action.

As it is beautifully expressed in one of the songs of Zion:

"Oh my Father, Thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place!
When shall I regain Thy presence,
And again behold Thy face?
In Thy holy habitation,
Did my spirit once reside?
In my first primeval childhood,
Was I nurtured near Thy side?

For a wise and glorious purpose
Thou hast placed me here on earth,
And withheld the recollection,
Of my former friends and birth;
Yet ofttimes a secret something
Whisper'd, 'You're a stranger here'
And I felt that I had wandered
From a more exalted sphere."

This is certainly a grander and nobler conception of man's origin that that of some of the would-be philosophers of to-day, who advocate the idea of evolution from a lower scale.

Having described the nature of the duties (to have faith in God and His promises, to repent of his sins, to be baptized for their remission, and to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost) that he must perform in this life to lay a foundation for future exaltation, we now turn to the consideration of man's FUTURE EXISTENCE.

Upon this subject there is a great diversity of opinion among men, and almost every possible conjecture has, from time to time, held the attention of the human family. If we are to judge by the accepted creeds of the Christian world, we find that an almost universal belief exists in future punishment.

We find, also, that the fear of future punishment is used as a mighty power to influence the minds of the people in a religious sense. The fearful horrors of the never-ending punishment of the guilty are portrayed in the liveliest colors from the Christian pulpits of the land. They are so clearly defined, that in many instances we find that the love and justice of God are lost sight of in the description of the fearful character of the punishment He inflicts, not so much upon unbelievers as upon those who reject the creeds, articles of faith and discipline, whereby men seek to "know God."

Let the reader lay aside preconceived notions, tradition and prejudice, and examine this subject with a desire to know the truth.

We shall again refer to holy writ, and ask the candid attention of the reader to the proofs we place before him.

If we had the history of two persons, the one good and the other bad, after they left the earth, or laid down their bodies in death, it would serve as a guide to decide upon the future destiny of the whole human family. Fortunately, there is left upon record such information, and by it we can determine this all-important question.

No one will dispute the assertion that Jesus of Nazareth was appropriately termed the "Just One," a person of pure and holy life.

The confession of guilt by one of the men crucified beside Jesus, is testimony enough to convict him of being a bad man. "We received the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41), were the words of the malefactor, thus confessing that death was the proper penalty for the many crimes he was guilty of.

Now, here are two persons who were born upon the earth, lived out a certain number of years, and then laid down their lives, their bodies becoming cold and inanimate in death, while their spirits, freed from their earthly tenements, passed into another stage of existence, leaving their remains to be cared for in the ordinary rites of sepulture.

While suffering the agonies of crucifixion, a conversation was carried on between them, which will serve our purpose in opening up an investigation.

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42, 43.)

The request of the thief was so far favorably looked upon, that he had the promise that he should accompany Jesus to a place which He designated as paradise. He could not have consistently granted him the privilege of entering into His kingdom, when He had replied to Nicodemus: "Except a man be born of water (baptized) and of the Spirit (received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5.) The thief, not having attended to these ordinances, could lay no claim to that privilege; but, says Jesus, "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

We are aware that the majority of the Bible-believing world are of the opinion that the thief was permitted to enter heaven, and enjoy the presence of God; but is this idea a correct one? Let us candidly examine it, and see; for upon it hangs a great principle of truth.

After the body of Jesus had lain three days in the tomb, the spirit again entered into it. The angels rolled the stone away from the mouth of the sepulchre, and the resurrected Redeemer of the world walked forth, clothed with an immortal body of flesh and bones.

Mary, who seems to have had some special interest in the Savior, came early to the tomb, and weeping, discovered that the body of her Master was not there. A voice spake to her, saying, "Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:16, 17.)

Here we have the assertion of Jesus, Himself, that during the three days immediately subsequent to His crucifixion, while His body lay in the tomb, His spirit did not go into heaven or the presence of His Father. Logically, it must follow, neither did that of the thief. The generally accepted idea, therefore, of the thief being saved, must inevitably fall to the ground. Jesus asserted that "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise," and upon His return to the earth, He informed Mary that He had not ascended to His Father.

The question naturally arises, where had He been during these three days? We are not left in doubt upon this point, but scripture plainly points out the character of the duties He was called upon to perform, while His body rested in peace in the new-made tomb of Joseph. He to whom Jesus transferred the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and who stood at the head of the twelve apostles, would certainly be accepted as a competent witness in this matter; and, by turning to his epistles, we gain this information: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just 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." (I. Peter 3:18, 19.) Here we have an account of what He was doing during the three days absence from the body: preaching "unto the spirits in prison," also a very clear explanation as to where the thief went. It was to a prison world, where he could have an opportunity to hear the Savior preach the gospel of deliverance to the captive spirits, "which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah." (I. Peter 3:20.)

We now understand what Isaiah, the prophet, meant, when speaking of Jesus. He says, "That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth." (Isaiah 49:9.) And again, "He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." (Isaiah 61:1.) And again, "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." (Isaiah 52:7.)

How appropriately do these passages coincide with, and support the assertion of Peter, relative to Jesus preaching to the "spirits in prison." Men, who in the days of the flood failed to obey the commandments of God, and for two thousand long, weary years had suffered the penalty for their wrong doing, had been fulfilling the principle so clearly enunciated by our Savior, when He said, "Verily, I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." (Matt. 5:26.) "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." (Luke 12:47, 48.)

With what joy must these long-suffering spirits, held in confinement, have greeted the Redeemer when He appeared and preached to them the glad tidings of great joy, and presented for their acceptance the EVERLASTING GOSPEL! Through its means they could have their prison doors opened, and themselves delivered from the grasp of Lucifer, the son of the morning, who is appropriately described as one who "made the earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners." (Isaiah 14:16, 17.)

How grand and glorious is the plan of salvation that the Creator has ordained for His children, reaching from eternity to eternity, and covering in its details every possible emergency; controlling, guiding and directing their footsteps while in a pre-existent state; teaching them while sojourners upon the earth, and extending beyond the grave into the spirit world, there to cause their hearts to rejoice and gladden under its benign influence, growing and increasing in might and majesty, power and glory, as the ages roll by, until the inspired words of our Divine Master shall be fulfilled: "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess."

Well might Jesus say to the apostles just previous to His death, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live * * * Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice." (John 5:25-28.)

Turning again to the epistle of Peter, we find this assertion, "Who shall give account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 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 4:5, 6.)

Jesus, upon one occasion, when explaining the gospel to the apostles, said, "Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matt. 12:32.)

This, in perfect plainness, explains itself to mean, that there is a class of sins that can be forgiven in this world, and a class that cannot; also that there is a class of sins that can be forgiven in the world to come, and a class that cannot.

Peter, speaking of the patriarch David, says, "For David is not ascended into the heavens." (Acts 2:34.) But David himself, knowing full well that the mercy of the Lord endureth forever, says, "For thou will not leave my soul in hell." (Psalm 16:10.) He knew that after he had paid the penalty of the deeds done in the body, there would be a way whereby he might gain a place in the midst of the righteous in the presence of God.

If the present generation desire to know what will be the result of their disobedience to the proclamation of the principles of the gospel, and their contending against the servants of God who proclaim them, let them read what Isaiah says: "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage. * * * And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the hosts of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." (Isaiah 24:20-22.)

After having waited, perhaps, as long as they did who rejected the word of God in the days of Noah--after having passed through, perchance, thousands of years of punishment, until they have "paid the uttermost farthing," then the gospel will again be presented to them, and "they will be visited." Another opportunity will be given them to hearken unto the truth, but in the meantime, the saints of former and latter days will have advanced in the scale of progression and passed beyond the reach of those who, to-day, reject "the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized." A separation will have taken place, in which there shall be "weeping and wailing," sorrow and mourning, over the neglect to obey the gospel when there was opportunity.

In accordance with divine law, "they were judged every man according to their works" (Rev. 20:13), not indiscriminately consigning all grades and classes of sinners to the same punishment, and that to continue forever, but meting out judgment according to their works, some with many stripes and some with but few.

Would it not be a libel upon justice, if a judge, presiding over one of our ordinary courts, should award to every criminal brought before him, the same punishment? "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Certainly the law of poor, weak, mortal man is not superior to that of the Judge of all.

Paul beautifully and aptly expresses the principle in writing to the Corinthians: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I. Cor. 15:19); but knowing that the gospel would be preached to the spirits in prison, and that untold millions of those who failed to accept the gospel here would do so there, he felt to rejoice in his heart instead of being the most miserable of men. He was fully aware that there was but one way to be saved, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5); that it was positively necessary for man to pass through the door to enter into the sheepfold; that the many devices whereby men sought to save themselves must of necessity fail, for "God's house is a house of order." He knew there was only one name under heaven whereby men might be saved; that obedience to this law was a prime necessity to salvation, for "in vain do ye say, Lord, Lord, and do not the things I command you."

Knowing these facts, the life of every good and true man, as was Paul, would be rendered miserable at the thought that so many millions of the human family must irretrievably perish, and be subject to torture throughout all the eternities to come; but understanding the great principle of the mission of our Savior to the prison world, they can rejoice in the fact that the plan of salvation is a complete one. They have hope that, not only in this life, but in the life to come, the gospel will be preached and men be taught its precepts.

We here introduce the evidence of some learned men, who have a reputation for scholarly ability, far and wide.

Professor Taylor Lewis, a prominent English writer, states: "We are taught that there was a work of Christ in Hades, He descended into Hades; He made proclamation in Hades to those who are there, in ward."

Bishop Alford says: "I understand these words (I. Peter 3:19) to say that our Lord, in His disembodied state, did go to the place of detention of departed spirits, and did there announce His work of redemption; preach salvation in fact, to the disembodied spirits of those who refused to obey the voice of God when the judgment of the flood was hanging over them."

Professor A. Hinderkoper, a German writer, says: "In the second and third centuries every branch and division of the Christian church, so far as their records enable us to judge, believed that Christ preached to the departed spirits ." (Haley's Discrepancies of the Bible.)

These writers were willing to ignore the teachings of tradition, and let the words of inspired men mean just what they said, without any "private interpretation."

God, being no respecter of persons, it would be manifestly unjust for one portion of the human family to have the privilege of hearing the sound of the gospel in this life, while so great a proportion never hear it, and lie under condemnation from that fact. No; the plan of salvation is complete, and, reaching from our pre-existent state, applies to our present condition, and will extend to the future state, until every son and duaghter of Father Adam has had ample opportunity to embrace its tenets, and live in accordance with its spirit.

We have now examined the gospel proof of pre-existence, and quoted the testimony of Jesus and many of the servants of the Most High. We have gone over the ground of the duties that pertain to this life, connected with faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,[A] and examined the scriptures relative to preaching to spirits in prison.

[Footnote A: Should the reader desire a more complete treatise on these important points, we refer him to Tract No. 1.]

We now take one more step in our investigation, and shall endeavor to learn if there is a way wrought out for the deliverance of the prisoners bound and captive in the grasp of Satan.

The fact of their being preached to, is one evidence that something could be done to mitigate their condition, for it would be cruelty intensified, if, after being taught the gospel, it would be necessary to inform them that there was no deliverance.

The word of the Lord through the prophet Malachi, was "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Mal. 4:5, 6.) Here was a work for the translated prophet of Israel to perform at some future period of time, with the fearful consequence of non-compliance placed before us, that the Lord would smite the earth with a curse. The nature of that work is briefly set forth as turning the heart of the fathers to the children, and that of the children to the fathers.

The apostle Paul asserts that they without us could "not be made perfect," or in other words, that their salvation was necessary to our happiness or perfection.

Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, said: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

"But," asks the reader, "how shall a spirit be born of water, or baptized in water?"

Very many of those who have gone into the spirit world had never submitted to the ordinance of baptism, while vast numbers of those who had been baptized, had the ordinance administered by persons who had no rightful authority whatever, and whose acts God will not by any means recognize.

They stand in the same position to the "kingdom of God" that a man does, who, as an alien to the government of the United States, has received his papers of citizenship from a man who held no office under government, and, as a consequence, had no authority to confer those rights upon any one.

Paul, writing to the Hebrews, speaks of baptism in the plural: "Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, and of the doctrine of baptisms." (Heb. 6:1, 2.)

Many have supposed this passage to sanction the idea of different modes of baptism, but, by turning to another of Paul's epistles, we learn clearly his meaning. We gain also the information how we may be instruments in the hands of a wise Creator in doing a work for the dead: "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptised for the dead?" (I. Cor. 15:29.)

We here have an explanation as to how their prison doors may be opened, and they set free: by the ordinance of the gospel through the baptism for the dead. Those that are in the flesh can do a vicarious work for their dead, and become "saviors upon Mount Zion."

We here insert an account of the visit of Elijah to the earth, in fulfillment of the promise of the Lord through Malachi.

On the 3rd day of April, 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, while in the temple at Kirtland, had the vision of heaven opened, and Elijah, the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before them and said: "Behold the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors." (Doctrine and Covenants, new edition, page 405.)

Elijah the prophet having come, and conferred the authority to baptize for the dead, the Latter-day Saints are assiduously engaged in erecting temples, wherein this ordinance may be performed. The object of Elijah's visit having been partially accomplished, in causing the hearts of the fathers, dead and gone, to turn to the children here on earth, the children are feeling after the fathers and seeking to open their prison doors, and to bring them through the door of baptism into the sheep fold.

Not only are the elders of Israel traveling, preaching the gospel, and baptizing the people by the thousand, but the saints are flocking to the temples of the Lord, and redeeming their dead from the grasp of Satan. They are performing a great and mighty work for the human family who have lived upon the earth in different ages of the world's history, and who, in some instances, by revelation, make manifest to their children or friends the fact that they have accepted the gospel in the spirit world.

The patriarchs and prophets of former days, with Peter, James and the apostles who lived in the meridian of time, with Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other prophets of the "dispensation of the fullness of times" in the latter days, are earnestly engaged in the work of giving information and directing the preaching of the gospel in the spirit world.

Associated with our Father in the heavens, with the angels, and the good and true of the earth, we can afford to smile at the puny efforts of man to overthrow the work of God. What! can man strive against the bucklers of Jehovah? Can the designs that have been in process of fulfillment since the world began, now be stayed in their onward progress, because they do not happen to meet the approval of the people of to-day?

In conclusion, let us examine one more question that has doubtless presented itself to the mind of the reader, and that is the question of future punishment. If, by preaching to the spirits in prison, bringing them to a knowledge of the truth, and being baptized for them, released them from their prison house, it logically follows that there must be an end to future punishment.

We hear the question asked, "Do not the scriptures say it is 'eternal punishment' and 'everlasting punishment'?" We answer, "Yes." But let us not put any private interpretation on these terms, but correctly understand their meaning.

Eternal punishment is God's punishment; everlasting punishment is God's punishment; or, in other words, it is the name of the punishment God inflicts, He being eternal in His nature.

Whosoever, therefore, receives God's punishment, receives eternal punishment, whether it is endured one hour, one day, one week, one year, one age. "And they were judged every man according to their works." (Rev. 20:13.) Some shall be beaten with few and some with many stripes. (Luke 12:47, 48.) Here we have plainly set forth the fact that all men are not punished alike, that some receive a greater punishment than others; that as their works are, so shall be the punishment awarded them. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them." (Rev. 20:12, 13.)

These were the words of John upon the Isle of Patmos, and most impressively he adds, "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev. 22:19.)

We consider that enough has been said to establish the principles we have advanced, and we call upon all to whom these words shall come, to exercise faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, to repent of their sins, to be baptized for the remission of them, to receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then to serve the God of Israel with all their might, mind and strength.

Produced by Villate Brown McKitrick and Jared Ure, Mormon Texts Project Intern (MormonTextsProject.org)

Transcriber's Note:

This edition is meant to reproduce the original 1921 edition. Any changes that vary from the original were minor and essential for readability.