Editor’s Table

EDITOR^S TABLE.

REDEMPTION BEYOND THE GRAVE.

A missionary^writing to the editor of the Era is troubled up- on this subject, and asks to have the matter explained. He refers to n Nephi 9: 27-38, and Alma 11: 40, 41, which passages appear to give him the impression that there is no redemption beyond the grave. Let me say in explanation that Alma is evidently speaking to those who have received a knowledge of the gospel or the plan of salvation, as would appear by the 27th verse of the 9th chapter of Second Nephi: "But wo unto him that has the law given; yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that trans- gresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for aw- ful is his state!" Now, it is evident that such as these have no chance for re- demption, no matter what may be done for them in hope or by faith, for they will have sinned against light and knowledge, and are, therefore, worthy of damnation. It is nowhere revealed that such as these will ever be forgiven, although we are informed that all of God's judgments are not given unto men. As in Alma, the prophet is speaking of the world as it should be found at the com- ing of Christ; the people at that time were all without a knowl- edge of Christ, and the plan of redemption, and Christ is to take

upon him the transgressions only of those who believe on his name, and believing, of course, repent and do the works that he com- mands. "And these are they that shall have eternal life, and salva- tion cometh to none else." Now, this means that there is no other means of salvation revealed or given to the children of men, ex- cept that offered by the Son of God, and those who reject this, whether before or after they have received it in part, can not be .saved, because they rejected the means of their redemption and

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salvation. Not so with those to whom Christ went to preach, when his body lay in the tomb; they were disobedient to the mes- sage of Noah, which was a warning to them to repent or they should be destroyed by a flood. We are not told to what extent the gospel of Christ, in its fullness, was proclaimed to them, but are left to suppose that the message of Noah was not the fullness of the gospel, but a cry of repentance from sin, that they might escape destruction by the flood. They hardened their hearts against Noah's message, and would not receive it and were pun- ished for this disobedience in their destruction by the flood; thus, in part, paying the penalty for their disobedience; but, not having received the light, they could not be condemned as those spoken of in 9th Nephi, who had all the commandments of God given unto them. Therefore, Jesus went to preach to their spirits in prison, and proclaimed liberty and deliverance to them through their obedi- ence, in the spirit world, that the work might be done for them in the flesh, and they be judged according to men in the flesh, and live according to God in the spirit. So that there is no conflict in these scriptures. Of course, there is a difference between those who receive the light of the Gospel and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and afterwards rebel against that light and reject it, thereby put- ting Christ to an open shame, and crucifying him again, and those who are referred to by Alma: 'Therefore, the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made." These are not under as great a condemnation as those who have received it and rejected it; but so long as they remain unrepentant and wicked, there is no redemption for them, any more than for the others; but it is possible that these may repent in the spirit world. In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison house, of course, we believe that can only be done after the Gos- pel has been preached to them in the spirit, and they have accepted the same, and the work necessary to their redemption, by the liv- ing, be done for them. That this work may be hastened so that all who believe in the spirit world may receive- the benefit of de- liverance, it is revealed that the great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the temples for the redemption of the dead; and then, we hope to enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and Thummim, or by such means as the Lord may reveal

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concerning those for whom the work shall be done, so that we may not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowledge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us. It stands to reason that, while the Gospel may be preached unto all, the good and the bad, or rather those who would repent and those who would not repent in the spirit world, thesame as 'it is here, redemption will only come to those who repent and obey. There is, no doubt, great leniency given to people who are anxious to do the work for their dead; and, in some instances, very unworthy people may have the work done for them; it does not follow, however, that they will receive any benefit therefrom, and the correct thing is to do the work only for those of whom we have the testimony that they will receive it. However, we are disposed to give the benefit of the doubt to the dead, as it is better to do the work for many who are unworthy than to neglect one who is worthy. Now, we know in part, and see in part, but we steadfastly look forward to the time when that which is perfect will come. We are left largely to our own agency here, to exercise our own intelligence, and to receive all the light that is revealed, so far as we are capable of re- ceiving it; and only those who seek the light, and desire itj are likely to find it. With reference to John 5: 25, the word "hear" implies more than the simple meaning of the word; "and they who hear shall live," that evidently means, they who hear and obey, and not those who simply hear; this, of course, stands to reason. JOSEPH F. Smith.

EVILS OF MORTGAGING.

What a blessed condition would result in Zion if the evil of going into debt, of mortgaging the home, could be made very clear to every Latter-day Saint, young and old! Well, indeed, would it

be if some of the burdens of the mortgage and its accompanying sorrows, could be felt and understood by every man who has in contemplation the pav/ning of his home and land for money —that he might comprehend its slavery and terror —as thoroughly prior

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to the deed as he is sure to feel it after. In that event, he might be warned in time to avoid the fatal step, and awake as from a horrid dream to rejoice in his deliverance. With few exceptions, mortgages on private property end in disaster to the giver. Among the many reasons for this is the fact that the money received is

generally used for frivolous or speculative purposes, and disappears with little trace of good or comfort behind. The drain of interest, the hopelessness of not being able to meet the principal, and the knowledge that all one's earnings go to pay for "only a debt", tend to discourage both the human brain and muscle. So worry sets in; for, he who discounts his future by signing a mortgage, hitches himself to the twin companions of debt, worry and anxiety. No amount of good advice can hinder him from worrying —he loses the refreshing power of sleep, while his waking hours are divided between his regular work and his cause of worry. Thus a mort- gage is not only placed upon his property, but upon his life as well. The pleasure, so called, of having a few extra dollars to spend for luxuries, or to use in a speculative trade, is no adequate com- pensation for such a waste of life and energy. Then consider another point. Property is generally mortgaged for half its value, and if it is brought to a forced sale, such action is likely to occur

in a time of financial depression; hence, the mortgagor is lucky if barely enough is secured to lift the mortgage without leaving a deficiency judgment. In other words, one is glad to sell the roof over the heads of one's wife and children for half its value in money, which money in most cases has been used to no good pur- pose at all. And yet we rail at Esau for selling his birthright for a mess of pottage ! It is quite likely that he stood in greater need

of that pottage than most men need the money for which they mortgage home, strength, ability, future and happiness. It doubt-

less did him more good, too. There are other reasons than these personal ones why the Latter-day Saints should not mortgage their homes and inherit- ances. What should we think of men who would jeopardise the position and place of the people of Zion! The land of Zion is an inheritance, and every man who mortgages his part of that inherit- ance places in jeopardy the land. Thus not only disinheriting himself, but committing a crime against the whole community and

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the intelligence and wisdom that should characterize every true Latter-day Saint. The result of such action is appalling, and its contemplation something fearful to every lover of the people of God, the more so when one possesses a knowledge of how wide- spread is the evil. Mortgaging, then, looked upon in its true light, is not only a private burden and detriment, in which a man's family is thrown out of house and home, and his own abilities, happiness and talents are destroyed or sadly diminished, but it is positively a public crime, in a community like ours. Disposing of inheritances in Zion par- takes of the nature of such action as individuals pulling up and selling for money, the gold bricks from the streets of the Celestial City. It is intolerable, when looked upon in the right light! The old proverbs: "Who goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing," and "Lying rides on debt's back," should appeal directly to every man who contemplates mortgaging. But if personal appeal is not strong enough, let him remember that his home or farm is likely to go for half its value to satisfy his debt, and that his family who depend upon him will be left without adequate shelter and support. But if neither reason is strong enough to hold him back, let him re-

member Zion and his inheritance therein, and let her cause cry aloud to him to bring him to a realizing sense of the triple crime that he is about to commit, in order that his hand may be stayed, and he saved the humiliation, worry, anxiety and sorrow that must inevitably overtake him, unless he repent. Now what has been said of the individual, may likewise be said of the whole people, for many are guilty, and the mortgaging mania is well-nigh universal. The community is no better than the individuals of which it is composed. Mortgaging and going into debt are great evils in Zion, of which the saints need sincerely to repent. Joseph F. Smith.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

Preaching Without Putse or Scrip. A presiding missionary laboring in Denver, Colorado, writes the

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Era stating that some of the elders who go out into the world have the impression that missionary work can be done only in the coun- try districts in the way designated in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 84: 86, viz., to "Proclaim the Gospel without purse or scrip." They seem to think that in the large towns and cities it is

necessary for them to have money to pay their way, believing that it gives them more prestige among the people, and in some in- stances looking upon it as lowering them in the estimation of the people by 'asking for entertainment. Some, we are told by this missionary, state the matter in this way: "The Lord has blessed me with means at home, why should I not use it to pay my way while preaching his gospel?" The Era is asked to give a few words of explanation upon this subject. In reply, there can be no other answer given than that which is found in the Doctrine and Covenants referred to, namely: "Therefore let no man among you,

(for this commandment is unto all the faithful who are called of God in the Church unto the ministry,) from this hour take purse or scrip, that goeth forth to proclaim this gospel of the kingdom." This view of the subject was also taken by Christ when he sent forth his apostles, as recorded in the 10th chapter of Matthew: "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neithertwo coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat." There are no other absolute instructions by the authorities of the Church, upon this subject. In fact, there can be none, for it

would be to revoke the commandment of the Lord; but we are ad- vised to use wisdom in all things, and wherever it would injure their health or expose them to unusual and unnecessary hardships, it would not be wisdom to avoid spending means to provide com- forts, if money were in the hands of the missionaries. The question is largely one of advisability, according to the conditions which may confront the elders. However, much more success, we think, might be achieved by missionaries, providing they were more determined to labor in com- pliance with the word of the Lord, instead of rel3dng so much upon their means. The success of the late David H. Cannon in Ger-

many, in this determination, led him to accomplish a wonderful

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work. Friends were raised up to him in great numbers, and he never lacked for the necessaries of life, for shelter, friends or money. But so determined was he that he should be without means, that he ordered his family at home to dispose in other ways of his small income than sending it to him, so that he should indeed be without purse and scrip in the missionary field. The Lord great- ly blessed him, as He will all who comply with His requirements.

Christ's Ascension. Did Christ ascend to the Father immediately afther his resurrec- tion?

This question arose in discussing the review questions of Les- son 3, question 20, 1901-2 Manual. In giving a review of his labors, some of the members conveyed the idea that Christ did not ascend until after the forty days (Acts 1: 3-9), and others that he ascended, reported to the Father and returned. This is not a vital question, nor is it one that can be answered definitely, and it is not profitable to spend much time on it. However, ref- .erence is made to Manual No, 1, "Life of Christ," Lesson xxi, Note 1, for reply as far as it can be given:

"Mary Magdalene may be spoken of as the first mortal who had ocular demonstration of the reality of the resurrection. Jesus had given instructions, both direct and indirect, regarding his resurrection; but these had necessarily been vague and indistinct. It was not to be won-

dered at, therefore, that Mary was unprepared to recognize him at once upon hearing his voice and casually glancing at him. It required the

calling of her name in the old, familiar, tender voice, to attract her at- tention to him, and insure full recognition. His words to her, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father," would seem not to have reference to his final ascension, for later in the same day and es- pecially in the evening, he permitted himself to be handled by a number of his disciples. (Matt. 28: 9, 10. John 20: 19-25.) It is therefore

safe to assume that his report to his Father may have been briefly made between his appearance to Mary Magdalene and to the other women, as he did not prohibit them from touching him. His spiritual whereabouts, during the time his body lay in the tomb, is fully accounted for by Peter, in his first Epistle 3: 18-20, and 4-6."