"But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
"I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, according to their wills; whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
"Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; or he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
"Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
"Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
"For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true."—(Alma 29:1-8.)
An Oft-Restored Religion.—The Gospel of Christ did not make its first appearance upon this planet at the time of the Savior's crucifixion. While it seemed a new thing to that generation—for they were "astonished at the doctrine" of the Nazarene, who taught them the return of good for evil as a better rule of conduct than the Mosaic law of retaliation—in reality it was older than all the ages, older than the earth itself. It might have said, with its divine Author: "Before Abraham was I am"—with reference to the mortal life of Abraham. Originating in the heavens, before this world was created, the gospel, prior to its preaching in the meridian of time, had been revealed to man in a series of dispensations, beginning with Adam and extending down to that day. The ancient apostles of our Lord preached a restored gospel, just as much as do the apostles, seventies, and elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"Dispensation" Defined.—It is time to ask, and to more fully answer the question, What is meant by the term "dispensation"? To dispense is to deal out or distribute, as when the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is dispensed to a congregation. "Dispensation of Providence" is a phrase used to describe some dealing of God with man, either for joy or sorrow to the object of the visitation. In theology the term "Dispensation" signifies the method or scheme by which God has at different times developed his purposes and revealed himself to man. It also denotes a period marked by some particular development of the divine purpose and revelation, such as the Mosaic dispensation, lasting from Moses to Christ: or the Christian dispensation, ending in a universal apostasy which rendered necessary the latter-day restoration of the gospel and the Priesthood.
Seven Periods.—It is held by many that there are seven gospel dispensations, seven distinct periods, during which the plan of salvation, restored from heaven to earth, has been administered to the children of men; the intervals of spiritual darkness between those periods of light resulting from the world's unworthiness. Revelation, so far as I am aware, is silent as to the number of the dispensations; but I am among those who incline to the belief that seven is correct; a belief probably founded, in part, upon the scriptural or symbolical character of that number, and upon the Prophet Joseph's teaching relative to the seven periods, answering to the seven seals of the mystical book seen by John the Revelator in his vision on Patmos.—(Rev. 5 and 6.)
The Apocalyptic Book.—Section Seventy-Seven of the Doctrine and Covenants is a key to John's revelation, consisting of a series of questions and answers; those germane to this subject being as follows: