--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Shafer, Francis M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 9 number: 3 published: 1906-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Francis M. Shafer, \"Man's Free Agency,\" *Improvement Era* 9, no. 3 (January 1906): 213." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0903unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0903unse start_page: 213 end_page: 213 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1906-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0903unse publication_year: 1906 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1906, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Man's Free Agency MAN'S FREE AGENCY. BY FRANCIS M. SHAFER. Know this, that every soul is free, To choose his life, and what he'll be; For this eternal truth is given. That God will force no man to heaven. Each individual born upon this planet is granted the privilege of working out his own future condition. The agency of man is ever recognized, and God's children are left to choose that which will give them eternal peace and joy, or they may take the opposite course, which will bring them misery and woe. The Lord understood the snares and pitfalls that would beset men on every side, in passing through his probation, fully realizing that these things are necessary for our advancement. Every detail connected with the gospel plan was considered by our eternal Father, and by those who were in council with him. Jewish scripture sustains the statement that the gospel is based upon truths that are eternal, and that every protection necessary for the advancement of the children of men is included in the great plan given for the salvation of the human family. There must be two powers at work in the earth, a negative and an affirmative, otherwise progression would cease, and the purposes of the Almighty (the advancing of his children to a higher plane) would be frustrated. This was fully understood in the beginning, and the Prince of darkness, together with his angels, were permitted to visit this earth, at their own pleasure. It is their mission to influence the souls of men to evil. The scriptures declare that there must needs be offenses, but woe unto them by whom they come. If men did not experience the bitter (either practically,