If a man cannot stand up in the defense of truth, to the death, it is not worth having, and he is not a man who is acknowledged or considered worthy among the Saints.
Those who have received pure and heavenly principles, and lived up to them, and kept the celestial law of God, will enjoy a celestial Kingdom. Those who have not attained to this perfection but can obey a terrestrial law, will receive a terrestrial glory, and enjoy a terrestrial Kingdom, and so on. But I believe, furthermore, that there are eternal grades of progression, which will continue worlds without end, and to an infinity of enjoyment, expansion, glory, progression, and of everything calculated to ennoble and exalt mankind.
"Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world anxious to bless the whole human race."
—Joseph Smith, The Prophet.
"If we are here by chance, if we happened to slip into this world from nothing, we shall soon slip out of this world to nothing; hence nothing will remain."
—Brigham Young.
A WORD OF ADVICE.
By Elder P. P. Pratt, in Millenial Star, 1846.
As the Elders and others in the Kingdom of God go forth in the discharge of their duties, in proclaiming the word of the Lord and in administering in the ordinances of the Kingdom of God, they will doubtless find the enemy always on the alert to ensnare them if possible and bring them and their mission into contempt. There will be found a great need for wisdom on all occasions, that the enemy may not gain the advantage over them.
In the first place we would advise the Elder, or whatever else he may be, never to lose sight of his high calling of God in Jesus Christ—never to forget the authority of that portion of the Priesthood which has been conferred upon him. We do not give this advice in order that the brother might be puffed up with the idea of the dignity of his calling, by no means; neither will the contemplation of it produce that effect, for inasmuch as we are called of God according to the order of His Kingdom, therefore, we of ourselves have not assumed the office which we hold, neither do we usurp an authority to which we have no legal claim; and since it is entirely of the Lord and not of ourselves, we shall be led to glorify Him and look for the assistance of His spirit in discharging the varied duties of the same.
But now if an officer of the Church be brought into contact with some one opposed to the work of the Lord, and he forgets his Priesthood and calling, what is the result? He is left to his own resources as an individual, which in many cases may not equal those of his adversary, and thus he may suffer an apparent defeat in the eyes of others, and the influence of the principles of truth may be lessened thereby.
In our own experience with the ministers of the day, we have found them very desirous of evading the great first principles of salvation, by calling for evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon, which were we to furnish, as might be done, both with regard to internal and external evidence, as well as the researches of travelers accumulating a mass of proof as abundant as can be brought in testimony of anything, yet it would be deemed insufficient. And why? We answer, because spiritual things are spiritually discerned; and as no man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. And inasmuch as the Book of Mormon is a divine record, so assuredly would the individual be unable to discern the same. But he might reply that he believed the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and was satisfied with the evidence adduced in their favor; yes, and so would he have believed in the Book of Mormon had it been in existence with him and he had been taught to reverence it in a manner similar to the Bible; or we would carry it farther and say, had the person's lot been cast in Turkey, he would have grown up in a full belief in the authenticity of the Koran of Mahomet. But it is not such an evidence as this that can give satisfaction to the Saint of God. Multitudes express their belief and full confidence that Jesus was the Savior of men, but it is a conviction that has been instilled into the mind in early youth, and has grown with their growth; yet still it is not an evidence that will satisfy a child of God.