"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." —II Nephi 2:25.

Many of the results of the Gospel with regard to man have been dwelt upon in the discussion up to this point, but there remain some considerations of importance yet to be detailed, particularly the object of his coming to this earth. We turn now, therefore, to a study of the special end in view under the Gospel plan, in clothing the spirit with mortality.

The purpose of man's existence here is two-fold. One object is manifest from a revelation already quoted, as follows:

"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy; and when separated, man cannot receive a fullness of joy."^[44]

The spirit of man, we here learn, must become inseparably connected with element in order to receive the fullness of joy designed for him by the Gospel, therefore, he must take upon him a mortal tabernacle, and, for that reason, after having advanced in intelligence far enough to retain his first estate, he is sent to an earth. Under the Divine plan, a Savior, one who is given power to lay down His life and to take it up again, is provided, to become the first fruits of the resurrection, to open the grave, that the spirit and body may be reunited, nevermore to be separated.

Another object of our coming here is equally important, and relates to our spiritual growth. We may use a comparison.

The teacher in school, acquainted with the order in which the different powers of the mind develop in childhood, adapts his instructions to the growth in progress at any particular period. While not at all neglecting the general training of the child, he will direct his efforts particularly, at different stages of progress, to the development for example of perception, of imagination, of comparison or reason, in his pupil, as the mind under his charge grows in power. This procedure is necessary from the fact, that, as psychologists tell us, unless the powers of the mind are exercised as they develop, they remain dormant or only partially developed, as, for instance, the love of poetry or of music, if these pleasures are not cultivated in childhood.

And just so, we may be assured, is the plan of the Gospel adapted to the development of the powers of the spirit of man in the different stages of his progress through the first and second estates.

At what stage of progress, then, it may here be asked, have we now arrived; and what powers of the soul are the experiences of mortality specially designed to enlarge?

Man finds himself thrust into the world, surrounded by sorrow, injustice and poverty, and, if he contemplates these conditions without knowing the purpose of the Lord in sending him here, he may exclaim with Schopenhauer, "If God made the world, I should not care to be God." But the Gospel testifies to the mercy and wisdom and goodness of the Lord, for in it we learn that the very conditions of which the philosopher complains are designed to develop the attributes for the full growth of which the spirit is given the schooling of mortality.

Let us consider. We are here cut off from any understanding of our pre-existent state or any knowledge of the hereafter, and must perforce accept the providences of the Lord and His designs for our future welfare on trust, and so the attribute of faith is developed.

Furthermore, notwithstanding all the failures and sorrows and trials of life, we are impelled by an innate self-renewing power to press onto the end, thus exercising hope. Dr. Johnson has well said:

"It is necessary to hope, though hope should be always deluded; and its frustrations, however frequent, are yet less dreadful than its extinction."

And, again, all our environments, as children, as husbands or wives, as parents, as brothers or sisters, as rulers, as ruled, as king or shepherd, as neighbors, as citizens, call our our affections; and, so is love developed.

The attributes of faith, hope and love, or, as Wagner has it, in his "Simple Life," confidence, hope and kindness, are, moreover, ever spoken of by inspired writers as those most to be cultivated.

And, too, these qualities and the means for their exercise are universal. They obtain alike with all classes, in all ages of the world.

Man, therefore, is placed upon the earth to develop spiritually, in faith, in hope and in love, but most of all, as is consonant with the part that sentiment played in the inception of the Gospel, in love. Accordingly, Paul exclaims:

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."^[45]

Further and final evidence as to the importance of the cultivation of love is found in the reply of the Savior to the lawyer who asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" for, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."^[46]

That there is a reason, and what the reason is, for the paramount importance of the cultivation of the attributes of faith, hope and love in the present stage of our progress, is disclosed in a remarkable passage in the Book of Mormon. It reads as follows:

"Behold, I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity, bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said, O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith; for the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, remove, and it was removed. And if he had not had faith, it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith, for thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples. For after they had faith, and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power.

"And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man; yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.

"And again I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men, is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity, they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father."^[47]

We may here summarize the last topic:

Why is man thrown into the world without a knowledge of his pre-existence, of the purpose for which he is here, or of his destination?

That faith may be engendered in his bosom.

Why is his life made up of failures, of disappointments, of sorrow?

That he may cultivate hope.

Why is he surrounded by the ties of kinship; why are sickness and sorrow and death all about him; why are care and responsibility the portion of each individual in every station in life?

That the attribute of sympathy, of affection, of love, may be developed within him.

Why does he stand in particular need at this stage of his advancement of faith, hope and love?

He has kept his first estate and is well on the way toward his trial for the keeping of his second estate, where he will require the attributes of a God, and these three, faith, hope and love, are the means by the exercise of which he must acquire the power to reach that exalted destination.

Herein is the justice of God in His dealings with mankind made manifest; for, in the light of eternity, who should care for worldly honors or a seat among the mighty? The poor and humble have within their reach every facility for advancement that is vouchsafed to any, in this state of probation. Indeed, it would seem that even more opportunity to gain eternal riches is afforded the meek of the earth than is given to those most highly favored of the world.

The Gospel is, therefore, at once the true incentive to, and the sufficient justification of, the simple, the courageous, the hopeful and the kindly life.