<center><br/><h2 id=Chap12>Chapter XII.</h2>
<p>The Effects of the Establishment of Christ's Kingdom, or the Reign of
God upon the Earth.</p>
</center>
<p>Having said so much pertaining to the Kingdom, we come to our last
proposition, and enquire, What will be the effects of the establishment
of Christ's kingdom, or the reign of God on the earth?</p>
<p>This is, indeed, a grand and important question, and requires our
most serious and calm deliberation. If, after all this distress,
tribulation, war, bloodshed, and sacrifice of human life, the condition
of the world is no better, man is certainly in a most unhappy, hopeless
situation. If it is nothing more than some of the changes contemplated
by man, from one species of government to another, and we must still
have war, bloodshed, and disorder, and be subject to the caprices of
tyrants, or the anarchy of mobs, our prospects are indeed gloomy, and
our hopes vain; we may as well "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die;"
for, as we have already proven, under the most improved state of human
governments we should still be subject to all the ills which flesh
is heir to, without any redeeming hope. But this is not a transient,
short-lived change; it is something decreed by God in relation to
the earth and man, from before the commencement of the world; even
the dispossessing of Satan, the destruction of the ungodly, and the
reign of God; or in other words, putting the moral world in the same
position in which the physical world is—under the direction of the
Almighty. It is the doing away with war, bloodshed, misery, disease,
and sin, and the ushering in of a kingdom of peace, righteousness,
justice, happiness, and prosperity. It is the restoration of the earth
and man to their primeval glory, and pristine excellence; in fact, the
"restitution of all things spoken of by all the prophets since the
world began."</p>
<p>Now, restoration signifies a bringing back, and must refer to something
which existed before; for if it did not exist before, it could not
be restored. I cannot describe this better than Parley P. Pratt has
done in his "Voice of Warning," and shall therefore make the following
extract:—</p>
<p>"This is one of the most important subjects upon which the human mind
can contemplate; and one perhaps as little understood, in the present
age, as any other now lying over the face of prophecy. But however
neglected at the present time, it was once the ground-work of the
faith, hope, and joy of the Saints. It was a correct understanding
of this subject, and firm belief in it, that influenced all their
movements. Their minds once fastening upon it, they could not be shaken
from their purposes; their faith was firm, their joy constant, and
their hope like an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast, reaching
to that within the veil. It was this that enabled them to rejoice in
the midst of tribulation, persecution, sword, and flame; and in view
of this, they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and gladly
wandered as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they sought a
country, a city, and an inheritance, that none but a Saint ever thought
of, understood, or even hoped for.</p>
<p>"Now, we can never understand precisely what is meant by restoration,
unless we understand what is lost or taken away; for instance, when we
offer to restore any thing to a man, it is as much as to say he once
possessed it, but had lost it, and we propose to replace or put him
in possession of that which he once had; therefore, when a prophet
speaks of the restoration of all things, he means that all things have
undergone a change, and are to be again restored to their primitive
order, even as they first existed.</p>
<p>"First, then, it becomes necessary for us to take a view of creation,
as it rolled in purity from the hand of its Creator; and if we can
discover the true state in which it then existed, and understand
the changes that have taken place since, then we shall be able to
understand what is to be restored; and thus our minds being prepared,
we shall be looking for the very things which will come, and shall
be in no danger of lifting our puny arm, in ignorance, to oppose the
things of God.</p>
<p>"First, then, we will take a view of the earth, as to its surface,
local situation, and productions.</p>
<p>"When God had created the heavens and the earth, and separated the
light from the darkness, his next great command was to the waters,
Gen. i. 9,—'And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together into <em>one place</em>, and let the dry land appear: and it was
so.' From this we learn a marvellous fact, which very few have ever
realized or believed in this benighted age; we learn that the waters,
which are now divided into oceans, seas, and lakes, were then all
gathered together, into <em>one</em> vast ocean; and, consequently, that
the land, which is now torn asunder, and divided into continents and
islands, almost innumerable, was then <em>one</em> vast continent or body, not
separated as it is now.</p>
<p>"Second, we hear the Lord God pronounce the earth, as well as every
thing else, very good. From this we learn that there were neither
deserts, barren places, stagnant swamps, rough, broken, rugged hills,
nor vast mountains covered with eternal snow; and no part of it was
located in the frigid zone, so as to render its climate dreary and
unproductive, subject to eternal frost, or everlasting chains of ice,—</p>
<blockquote><p>
Where no sweet flowers the dreary landscape cheer,
<br/>Nor plenteous harvests crown the passing year;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>but the whole earth was probably one vast plain, or interspersed
with gently rising hills, and sloping vales, well calculated for
cultivation; while its climate was delightfully varied, with the
moderate changes of heat and cold, of wet and dry, which only tended
to crown the varied year, with the greater variety of productions,
all for the good of man, animal, fowl, or creeping thing; while from
the flowery plain, or spicy grove, sweet odours were wafted on every
breeze; and all the vast creation of animated being breathed nought but
health, and peace, and joy.</p>
<p>"Next, we learn from Gen. i. 29, 30,—'And God said, Behold, I have
given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the
earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree, yielding seed;
to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to
every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it
was so.' From these verses we learn, that the earth yielded neither
nauseous weeds nor poisonous plants, nor useless thorns and thistles;
indeed, every thing that grew was just calculated for the food of man,
beast, fowl, and creeping thing; and their food was all vegetable;
flesh and blood were never sacrificed to glut their souls, or gratify
their appetites; the beasts of the earth were all in perfect harmony
with each other; the lion ate straw like the ox—the wolf dwelt with
the lamb—the leopard lay down with the kid—the cow and bear fed
together, in the same pasture, while their young ones reposed, in
perfect security, under the shade of the same trees; all was peace and
harmony, and nothing to hurt nor disturb, in all the holy mountain.</p>
<p>"And to crown the whole, we behold man created in the image of God,
and exalted in dignity and power, having dominion over all the vast
creation of animated beings, which swarmed through the earth, while,
at the same time, he inhabits a beautiful and well-watered garden, in
the midst of which stood the tree of life, to which he had free access;
while he stood in the presence of his Maker, conversed with him face
to face, and gazed upon his glory, without a dimming veil between. O
reader, contemplate, for a moment, this beautiful creation, clothed
with peace and plenty; the earth teeming, with harmless animals,
rejoicing over all the plain; the air swarming with delightful birds,
whose never ceasing notes filled the air with varied melody; and all in
subjection to their rightful sovereign who rejoiced over them; while,
in a delightful garden—the capitol of creation,—man was seated on the
throne of his vast empire, swaying his sceptre over all the earth, with
undisputed right; while legions of angels encamped round about him, and
joined their glad voices, in grateful songs of praise, and shouts of
joy; neither a sigh nor groan was heard, throughout the vast expanse;
neither was there sorrow, tears, pain, weeping, sickness, nor death;
neither contentions, wars, nor bloodshed; but peace crowned the seasons
as they rolled, and life, joy, and love, reigned over all his works.
But, O! how changed the scene.</p>
<p>"It now becomes my painful duty, to trace some of the important
changes, which have taken place, and the causes which have conspired to
reduce the earth and its inhabitants to their present state.</p>
<p>"First, man fell from his standing before God, by giving heed to
temptation; and this fall affected the whole creation, as well as
man, and caused various changes to take place; he was banished from
the presence of his Creator, and a veil was drawn between them, and
he was driven from the garden of Eden, to till the earth, which was
then cursed for man's sake, and should begin to bring forth thorns and
thistles: and with the sweat of his face he should earn his bread, and
in sorrow eat of it, all the days of his life, and finally return to
dust. But as to Eve, her curse was a great multiplicity of sorrow and
conception; and between her seed, and the seed of the serpent, there
was to be a constant enmity; it should bruise the serpent's head, and
the serpent should bruise his heel.</p>
<p>"Now, reader, contemplate the change. This scene, which was so
beautiful a little before, had now become the abode of sorrow and
toil, of death and mourning: the earth groaning with its production
of accursed thorns and thistles; man and beast at enmity; the serpent
slily creeping away, fearing lest his head should got the deadly
bruise; and man startling amid the thorny path, in fear, lest the
serpent's fangs should pierce his heel; while the lamb yields his blood
upon the smoking altar. Soon man begins to persecute, hate, and murder
his fellow; until at length the earth is filled with violence; all
flesh becomes corrupt, the powers of darkness prevail; and it repented
Noah that God had made man, and it grieved him at his heart, because
the Lord should come out in vengeance, and cleanse the earth by water.</p>
<p>"How far the flood may have contributed, to produce the various
changes, as to the division of the earth into broken fragments, islands
and continents, mountains and valleys, we have not been informed; the
change must have been considerable. But after the flood, in the days of
Peleg, the earth was divided.—See Gen. x. 25,—a short history, to be
sure, of so great an event; but still it will account for the mighty
revolution, which rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and
brought it to interpose between different portions of the earth, which
were thus parted asunder, and moved into something near their present
form; this, together with the earthquakes, revolutions, and commotions
which have since taken place, have all contributed to reduce the face
of the earth to its present state; while the great curses which have
fallen upon different portions, because of the wickedness of men, will
account for the stagnant swamps, the sunken lakes, the dead seas, and
great deserts.</p>
<p>"Witness, for instance, the denunciations of the prophets upon
Babylon, how it was to become perpetual desolations, a den of wild
beasts, a dwelling of unclean and hateful birds, a place for owls; and
should never be inhabited, but should lie desolate from generation
to generation. Witness also the plains of Sodom, filled with towns,
cities, and flourishing gardens, well watered: but O, how changed! a
vast sea of stagnant water alone marks the place. Witness the land
of Palestine; in the days of Solomon it was capable of sustaining
millions of people, besides a surplus of wheat, and other productions,
which were exchanged with the neighbouring nations; whereas, now it is
desolate, and hardly capable of sustaining a few miserable inhabitants.
And when I cast mine eyes over our own land, and see the numerous
swamps, lakes, and ponds of stagnant waters, together with the vast
mountains and innumerable rough places; rocks having been rent, and
torn asunder, from centre to circumference; I exclaim, Whence all this?</p>
<p>"When I read the Book of Mormon, it informs me, that while Christ was
crucified among the Jews, this whole American continent was shaken
to its foundation, that many cities were sunk, and waters came up in
their places; that the rocks were all rent in twain; that mountains
were thrown up to an exceeding height; and other mountains became
vallies: the level roads spoiled; and the whole face of the land
changed.—I then exclaim, These things are no longer a mystery; I have
now learned to account for the many wonders, which I everywhere behold,
throughout our whole country; when I am passing a ledge of rocks, and
see they have all been rent and torn asunder, while some huge fragments
are found deeply imbedded in the earth, some rods from whence they
were torn, I exclaim, with astonishment, These were the groans! the
convulsive throes of agonizing nature! while the Son of God suffered
upon the cross!</p>
<p>"But men have degenerated, and greatly changed, as well as the earth.
The sins, the abominations, and the many evil habits of the latter
ages, have added to the miseries, toils, and sufferings of human life.
The idleness, extravagance, pride, covetousness, drunkenness, and other
abominations, which are characteristics of the latter times, have
all combined to sink mankind to the lowest state of wretchedness and
degradation; while priestcraft and false doctrines, have greatly tended
to lull mankind to sleep, and caused them to rest, infinitely short of
the powers and attainments which the ancients did enjoy, and which are
alone calculated to exalt the intellectual powers of the human mind,
to establish noble and generous sentiments, to enlarge the heart, and
to expand the soul to the utmost extent of its capacity. Witness the
ancients, conversing with the Great Jehovah, learning lessons from
the angels, and receiving instruction by the Holy Ghost, in dreams by
night, and visions by day, until at length the veil is taken off, and
they permitted to gaze, with wonder and admiration, upon all things
past and future; yea, even to soar aloft amid unnumbered worlds;
while the vast expanse of eternity stands open before them, and they
contemplate the mighty works of the Great I AM, until they know as they
are known, and see as they are seen.</p>
<p>"Compare this intelligence, with the low smatterings of education
and worldly wisdom, which seem to satisfy the narrow mind of man in
our generation; yea, behold the narrow-minded, calculating, trading,
overreaching, penurious sycophant, of the nineteenth century, who
dreams of nothing here, but how to increase his goods, or take
advantage of his neighbour; and whose only religious exercises or
duties consist of going to meeting, paying the priest his hire,
or praying to his God, without expecting to be heard or answered,
supposing that God has been deaf and dumb for many centuries, or
altogether stupid and indifferent like himself. And having seen the two
contrasted, you will be able to form some idea of the vast elevation
from which man has fallen; you will also learn, how infinitely beneath
his former glory and dignity, he is now living, and your heart will
mourn, and be exceedingly sorrowful, when you contemplate him in his
low estate—and then think he is your brother; and you will be ready
to exclaim, with wonder and astonishment, O man! how art thou fallen!
once thou wast the favourite of Heaven; thy Maker delighted to converse
with thee, and angels and the spirits of just men made perfect were
thy companions; but now thou art degraded, and brought down on a level
with the beasts; yea, far beneath them, for they look with horror and
affright at your vain amusements, your sports and your drunkenness,
and thus often set an example worthy of your imitation. Well did the
apostle Peter say of you, that you know nothing, only what you know
naturally as brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed. And thus you
perish, from generation to generation. While all creation groans under
its pollution; and sorrow and death, mourning and weeping, fill up the
measure of the days of man. But O my soul, dwell no longer on this
awful scene: let it suffice, to have discovered in some degree, what is
lost. Let us turn our attention to what the Prophets have said should
be restored.</p>
<p>"The Apostle Peter, while preaching to the Jews, says, 'And he shall
send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the
heavens must receive, until the times of restitution (restoration)
of all things which God hath spoken, by the mouth of all the holy
prophets, since the world began.' It appears from the above, that all
the holy prophets from Adam, and those that follow after, have had
their eyes upon a certain time, when all things should be restored to
their primitive beauty and excellence. We also learn, that the time of
restitution was to be at or near the time of Christ's second coming;
for the heavens are to receive him, until the times of restitution, and
then the Father shall send him again to the earth.</p>
<p>"We will now proceed to notice Isaiah xl. 1-5. 'Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and
cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand, double for all her
sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be
made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'</p>
<p>"From these verses we learn, first, that the voice of one shall be
heard in the wilderness, to prepare the way of the Lord, just at the
time when Jerusalem has been trodden down of the Gentiles long enough
to have received, at the Lord's hand, double for all her sins, yea,
when the warfare of Jerusalem is accomplished, and her iniquities
pardoned; then shall this proclamation be made as it was before by
John, yea, a second proclamation, to prepare the way of the Lord, for
his second coming; and about that time every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be
made straight, and rough places plain, and then the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it.</p>
<p>"Thus you see, every mountain being laid low, and every valley exalted,
and the rough places being made plain, and the crooked places straight,
that these mighty revolutions will begin to restore the face of the
earth to its former beauty. But all this done, we have not yet gone
through our restoration; there are many more great things to be done,
in order to restore all things.</p>
<p>"Our next is Isaiah 35th chapter, where we again read of the Lord's
second coming, and of the mighty works which attend it. The barren
desert should abound with pools and springs of living water, and should
produce grass, with flowers blooming and blossoming as the rose, and
that, too, about the time of the coming of their God, with vengeance
and recompense, which must allude to his second coming; and Israel is
to come at the same time to Zion, with songs of everlasting joy, and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Here, then, we have the curse taken
off from the deserts, and they become a fruitful, well-watered country.</p>
<p>"We will now inquire whether the islands return again to the
continents, from which they were once separated. For this subject
we refer you to Revelation vi. 14,—'And every mountain and island
were moved out of their places.' From this we learn that they moved
somewhere; and as it is the time of restoring what had been lost, they
accordingly return and join themselves to the land whence they came.</p>
<p>"Our next is Isaiah xiii. 13, 14, where 'The earth shall move out of
her place, and be like a chased roe which no man taketh up.' Also,
Isaiah lxii. 4, 'Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken; neither
shall thy land any more be termed desolate; but thou shalt be called
Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and
thy land shall be married.'</p>
<p>"In the first instance, we have the earth on a move like a chased roe;
and in the second place, we have it married. And from the whole, and
various Scriptures, we learn, that the continents and islands shall be
united in one, as they were on the morn of creation, and the sea shall
retire and assemble in its own place, where it was before; and all
these scenes shall take place during the mighty convulsion of nature,
about the time of the coming of the Lord.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Behold! the Mount of Olives rend in twain;
<br/>While on its top he sets his feet again,
<br/>The islands at his word, obedient, flee;
<br/>While to the north, he rolls the mighty sea;
<br/>Restores the earth in one, as at the first,
<br/>With all its blessings, and removes the curse.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>"Having restored the earth to the same glorious state in which it first
existed; levelling the mountains, exalting the valleys, smoothing
the rough places, making the deserts fruitful, and bringing all
the continents and islands together, causing the curse to be taken
off, that it shall no longer produce noxious weeds, and thorns, and
thistles; the next thing is to regulate and restore the brute creation
to their former state of peace and glory, causing all enmity to cease
from off the earth. But this will never be done until there is a
general destruction poured out upon man, which will entirely cleanse
the earth, and sweep all wickedness from its face. This will be done
by the rod of his mouth, and by the breath of his lips; or, in other
words, by fire as universal as the flood. Isaiah xi. 4, 6-9, 'But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for
the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the
bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the
lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on
the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as
the waters cover the sea.'</p>
<p>"Thus, having cleansed the earth, and glorified it with the knowledge
of God, as the waters cover the sea, and having poured out his Spirit
upon all flesh, both man and beast becoming perfectly harmless, as
they were in the beginning, and feeding on vegetable food only, while
nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the vast creation, the
prophets then proceed to give us many glorious descriptions of the
enjoyments of its inhabitants. 'They shall build houses and inhabit
them; they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; they
shall plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; they shall not build
and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the
days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long
enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring
forth in trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and
their offspring with them; and it shall come to pass, that before they
call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear.' In
this happy state of existence it seems that all people will live to the
full age of a tree, and this too without pain or sorrow, and whatsoever
they ask will be immediately answered, and even all their wants will be
anticipated. Of course, then, none of them will sleep in the dust, for
they will prefer to be translated; that is, changed in the twinkling
of an eye, from mortal to immortal; after which they will continue to
reign with Jesus on the earth." Pp. 110-122.</p>
<p>A great council will then be held to adjust the affairs of the world,
from the commencement, over which Father Adam will preside as head
and representative of the human family. There have been, in different
ages of the world, communications opened between the heavens and the
earth. Those powers have been separated, and have acted in different
spheres, until the present. The kingdom of God on the earth has been
small, weak, unpopular, trampled under foot of men, and none but men
of noble minds, firm hopes, and daring resolution, have advocated its
principles. These men, being possessed of intelligence from the heavens
by the ministering of angels, the communications of the spirits of the
just, and the manifestation of eternal things, knew of the approaching
day of glory, the reign of God on the earth; they understood their
destiny, and lived, and died, in the hopes of inheriting these things.
Those communications from the heavens developd the purposes of God to
them; and in all their moves, they were regulated by the prospect of
the future. In the Mosaic Dispensation they had to make earthly things
according to the pattern of heavenly. Hence it was said to Moses, "See
that thou make all things according to the pattern shewn thee in the
Mount." The ark was made, therefore, after a heavenly pattern, and so
was the Temple of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a figure of the heavenly.
The sacrifices of the Aaronic Priesthood referred to the expiation of
Christ, who appears as the earthly High Priest of the Jews, and as our
eternal High Priest and Intercessor in the heavens. His Priesthood
was an eternal one, and is after the order of Melchisedek, and
Melchisedek's was after his order, and they both were after the order
that exists in the heavens. This priesthood with the Gospel, brought
life and immortality to light, put men in possession of certainty, and
unveiled the future; they knew the divine laws and ordinances, and
acted with a reference to them; and being commissioned of God, they had
power to bind and loose, etc.</p>
<p>Then they will assemble to regulate all these affairs, and all that
held keys of authority to administer, will then represent their earthly
course. And, as this authority has been handed down from one to another
in different ages, and in different dispensations, a full reckoning
will have to be made by all. All who have held keys of Priesthood,
will then have to give an account to those from whom they received
them. Those that were in the heavens, have been assisting those that
were upon the earth; but then, they will unite together in a general
council to give an account of their stewardships, and as in the
various ages men have received their power to administer, from those
who had previously held the keys thereof, there will be a general
account. Those, under the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, have to give an account of their transactions
to those who direct them in the Priesthood; hence the Elders give an
account to Presidents of Conferences; and Presidents of Conferences
to Presidents of Nations. Those Presidents and the Seventies give an
account to the Twelve Apostles; the Twelve to the First Presidency;
and they to Joseph, from whom they, and the Twelve, received
their Priesthood. This will include the arrangements of the last
dispensation. Joseph delivers his authority to Peter, who held the keys
before him, and delivered them to him; and Peter to Moses and Elias,
who endued him with this authority on the Mount; and they to those from
whom they received them. And thus the world's affairs will be regulated
and put right, the restitution of all things be accomplished, and the
Kingdom of God be ushered in. The earth will be delivered from under
the curse, resume its paradisiacal glory, and all things pertaining to
its restoration be fulfilled.</p>
<p>Not only will the earth be restored, but also man; and those promises
which, long ago, were the hope of the saints, will be realised. The
faithful servants of God who have lived in every age, will then come
forth and experience the full fruition of that joy, for which they
lived, and hoped, and suffered, and died. The tombs will deliver up
their captives, and re-united with the spirits which once animated,
vivified, cheered, and sustained them while in this vale of tears,
these bodies will be like unto Christ's glorious body. They will then
rejoice in that resurrection for which they lived, while they sojourned
below. Adam, Seth, Enoch, and the faithful who lived before the flood,
will possess their proper inheritance. Noah and Melchisedek will stand
in their proper places. Abraham, with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him
of the same promise, will come forward at the head of innumerable
multitudes, and possess that land which God gave unto them for an
everlasting inheritance. The faithful, on the continent of America,
will also stand in their proper place; but, as this will be the time
of the restitution of all things, and all things will not be fully
restored at once; there will be a distinction between the resurrected
bodies, and those that have not been resurrected; and as the Scriptures
say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither
doth corruption inherit incorruption; and although the world will
enjoy just laws—an equitable administration, and universal peace and
happiness prevail as the result of this righteousness; yet, there will
be a peculiar habitation for the resurrected bodies. This habitation
may be compared to Paradise, from whence man, in the beginning, was
driven.</p>
<p>When Adam was driven from the Garden, an angel was placed with a
naming sword to guard the way of the tree of life, lest man should
eat of it, and become immortal in his degenerate state, and thus be
incapable of obtaining that exaltation, which he would be capable of
enjoying through the redemption of Jesus Christ, and the power of the
resurrection, with his renewed and glorified body. Having tasted of the
nature of the fall, and having grappled with sin and misery, knowing
like the gods both good and evil, having like Jesus overcome the evil,
and through the power of the atonement, having conquered death, hell,
and the grave, he regains that Paradise, from which he was banished,
not in the capacity of ignorant man, unacquinted with evil, but like
unto a god. He can now stretch forth, and partake of the tree of life,
and eat of its fruits, and live and flourish eternally in possession of
that immortality which Jesus long ago promised to the faithful: "To him
that overcomes, will I grant to sit with me in my throne; and eat of
the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."</p>
<center><br/><h2>Production Credits</h2></center>
<p>This electronic edition was produced by the Mormon Texts Project.
Volunteers who helped with this book include: Tanya Ross, Meridith
Crowder, Tod Robbins, Ben Crowder, Bryce Beattie, Stephen Cranney,
Tyler Thorsted, Eric Heaps, Jason Barron, Jean-Michel Carter, David
Willde, and Tom Nysetvold. Special thanks to Trevor Nysetvold for his
complete proof of the final version.</p>
<p>It was produced using scans generously made available by Archive.org.</p>
<p>Email Tom Nysetvold (tomnysetvold@gmail.com) to report errors or to
participate in proofreading similar early books of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints.</p>
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