(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN RELATION TO MAN.

NOTES.

1. The purpose of God in His Creations: "And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me I pray thee why these things [the creations of God upon which Moses had looked] are so, and by what Thou madest them. * * * And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. * * * * * And by the Word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created; and I also create them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only begotten. And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. * * * And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content. And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."—(Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses, ch. i:30-39.)

2. The Purpose of Man's Earth-Existence: "Q. For What purpose are the spirits of men sent to take bodies upon the earth?

"A. That they may be educated, developed, and perfected; that they may enjoy a fulness of knowledge, power, and glory forever, and thus increase the dominion and glory of God. (Jacques' Catechism, ch. 6.)

"We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine's body to having none."—Joseph Smith, Richards & Little's Compendium—"Gems", p. 288.

3. "Man is Spirit: The elements an eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected receive a fulness of joy; and when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples." (Doc. & Cov. sec. xciii, 33-35.)

4. All Present at the Pre-creation Council: "The first step in the salvation of man is the laws of eternal and self-existent principles. Spirits are eternal. At the first organization in heaven we were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it."—Joseph Smith, Richard and Little's Compendium, "Gems," p. 288.

5. Council of the Gods:

In Solemn council sat the Gods;
From Kolob's height supreme,
Celestial light blazed forth afar
O'er countless kokaubeam;
And faintest tinge, the fiery fringe
Of that resplendent day,
'Lumined the dark abysmal realm
Where earth in chaos lay.

Silence self-spelled; the hour was one
When thought doth most avail;
Of worlds unborn the destiny
Hung trembling in the scale.
Silence o'er all, and there arose,
Those kings and priests among,
A Power sublime, than whom appeared
None nobler 'mid the throng.

A stature mingling strength with grace.
Of meek though God-like mien,
The love-revealing countenance
Lustrous as lightning sheen;
Whiter his hair than ocean spray.
Or frost of alpine hill.
He spake;—attention grew more grave,
The stillness e'en more still.

"Father!"—the voice like music fell,
Clear as the murmuring flow
Of mountain streamlet trickling down
From heights of virgin snow.
"Father," it said, "since one must die,
Thy children to redeem.
Whilst earth, as yet unformed and void,
With pulsing life shall teem;

"And thou, great Michael, foremost fall,
That mortal man may be,
And chosen Saviour yet must send,
Lo, here am I—send me!
I ask, I seek no recompense.
Save that which then were mine;
Mine be the willing sacrifice,
The endless glory, Thine!

"Give me to lead to this lorn world,
When wandered from the fold,
Twelve legions of the noble ones
That now thy face behold;
Tried souls, mid untried spirits found;
That captained these may be,
And crowned the dispensations ail
With powers of Deity.

"A love that hath redeemed all worlds.
All worlds must still redeem;
But mercy cannot justice rob—
Or where were Elohim?
Freedom—man's faith, man's work, God's grace—
Must span the great gulf o'er;
Life, death, the guerdon or the doom.
Rejoice we or deplore."

Silence once more. Then sudden rose
Aloft a towering form.
Proudly erect as towering peak
'Lumed by the gathering storm;
A presence bright and beautiful,
With eye of flashing fire,
A lip whose haughty curl bespoke
A sense of inward ire.

"Give me to go!" thus boldly cried.
With scarce concealed disdain;
"And hence shall none, from heaven to earth,
That shall not rise again.
My saving plan exception scorns;
Man's agency unknown;
As recompense, I claim the right
To sit on yonder throne!"

Ceased Lucifer. The breathless hush
Resumed and denser grew.
All eyes were turned; the general gaze
One common magnet drew.
A moment there was solemn pause;
Then, like the thunder-burst,
Rolled forth from lips omnipotent—
From Him both last and first:

"Immanuel! thou my Messenger,
Till time's probation end.
And one shall go thy face before,
While twelve thy steps attend.
And many more, on that far shore,
The pathway shall prepare.
That I, the First, the last may come,
And earth my glory share.

"Go forth, thou chosen of the Gods,
Whose strength shall in thee dwell!
Go down betime and rescue earth,
Dethroning death and hell.
On thee alone man's fate depends,
The fate of beings all.
Thou shalt not fail, though thou art free—
Free, but too great, to fall."

—Whitney's "Elias," Canto III.

[Note: A careful study of all the scriptural references should be made of all lessons, but particularly of this lesson.]