THE GREAT PLAN.
The plan proposed by God for the government of the spirits who entered
upon their earth careers is revealed only so far as it is necessary
for the guidance of man. We may remain certain that the Great Plan is
based upon eternal laws that always have been and always will be
operative. Matters pertaining to man's earth-life are matters of
eternal interest; and the laws formulated for the guidance of man on
earth must be laws which in some form are fundamental for the guidance
of man in any place and at all times. Nothing is temporary or
transient about the Plan itself, for it rests on eternal foundations.
**Forgetfulness.** A condition of the Plan seems to be that the
spirits, transferred to this earth, shall remain on earth in
forgetfulness of an earlier existence. As in a dream, in moments of
deep spiritual fervor, do we occasionally seem to recall our
preexistent life. A veil has been drawn over the past; and, without
the aid of memory, man fights his battle with the world of gross
matter. This forgetfulness seems reasonable. The spirit of man
accepted the earth-plan in detail, and if he remembered every step
that led to this acceptance, and every detail of the Plan itself,
there would not be much reason for the exercise of will in adhering to
it. Left as he is, with little memory to steady him, he must exercise
all his power, to compel surrounding forces to serve him in searching
out the past and in prophesying for the future. By such vigorous
exercise of his will he develops a more intimate acquaintanceship with
the things of the earth.
**Subject to Earth Conditions.** Intimacy with the conditions of
earth, alone, will give a man final knowledge of them. Such
information can not be obtained second hand nor by casual or
superficial acquaintanceship. For that reason, probably, man has been
brought so completely under the subjection of gross matter, that he
has no power over it beyond that which he gains as he obtains
knowledge of it. Hence, on this earth, stripped of all power, and
left, as it were, helpless in the midst of contending universal
forces, man must search out the nature of the things about him and
determine their laws before he acquires power over nature and thereby
brings himself into a condition of joy. In the face of the impending
change called death, man is possibly more determined to acquire the
power that will lift him from the grave and give him an eternal
association with all the elements of the universe, including his
earthly body.
**Laws to be Obeyed.** To enter into the fullness of progressive joy,
a man must, as has been said, naturally subject himself to the laws of
the universe. In God's Plan for life on earth, is a system of laws,
representing eternal realities, to which man must conform. Such a law,
for instance, is faith, which, in its simple universal meaning, is
man's certainty that in the universe is found everything he may desire
for his upbuilding and advancement, and that the eternal relations of
universal forces will prevail for his good. Another such fundamental
law to which man must conform, is that of repentance, which in its
larger sense, is merely faith made active. Passive faith can do little
for man's advancement. Yet another such law is that of baptism, which
is essentially obedience to existing laws. And still another such law
is that of the gift of the Holy Ghost, which perhaps means that a man
may place himself in touch with the whole of the universe and to draw
knowledge from it, including the beings of superior intelligence that
it contains. These and other laws are given as guides for man. They
sharpen his free agency; develop his habits of obedience to law, and
establish for him communication with God. Moreover, a plan formulated
by an intelligent Being must be composed of laws, for even the
infinite relationships of matter and energy fall naturally into groups
of invariable laws. The laws of the Plan, like those above stated, are
logical necessities, if the earth-plan is at all accepted.
**An Organization.** It follows of necessity that if there is a plan,
there must also be an organization. The plan is not for one alone, but
for many. All must be served and blessed by the Great Plan. Those,
therefore, who subject themselves to the earth-plan with its laws,
must needs group themselves so that the laws may be operative for all.
A person may be able to serve in the advancement of the whole race of
man, only when there is a unity of purpose and effect, which can be
secured only by organization. The question of organization involves
those of priesthood, authority, and others, later to be discussed.
**All to Accept the Plan.** The earth-plan, fully completed, must be
accepted or definitely rejected by all the spirits who have appeared
on earth in conformity with their vote in the Great Council. That is
fundamental. Those who enter upon their earth-careers may accept or
reject the Gospel; but, since the full success of the Plan is based
upon the advancement of all the spirits, it becomes necessary to use
every possible effort to secure for the Plan a recognition of all
those who accepted it in the spirit world, and who, therefore, entered
upon the pilgrimage of earth. God's purpose in the Plan will be
incomplete so long as one soul remains unconverted.
Life on earth deals directly with gross matter and the forces
pertaining to it. The laws formulated for the guidance of man, are
especially devised for earth conditions, and belong to the earth. For
instance, baptism, the symbol of obedience to God and acceptance of
his love, is not necessarily an ordinance that belongs elsewhere than
on earth. More probably, water baptism is essentially an ordinance of
and for this earth. It is unlikely that water baptism is practiced in
a future estate. If it be true, then all who enter upon the
earth-career, and who desire at the years of discretion the perfected
joy derived from the Gospel, must have baptism on this earth. Should
some of the spirits refuse, while on earth, to accept the Gospel, or
fail to hear it, baptism, belonging to the earth, must be done for
them, vicariously, on earth, so that they, having had the work done
for them here, may accept or reject the ordinance in their life beyond
the grave. This is the motive of the work for the dead. The earth
ordinances must be done by or for every soul born upon the earth so
that the earth experience may not be in vain, should the Gospel be
accepted in the remotest day of eternity. This view becomes more
important when it is recalled that ordinances of the earth, belonging
primarily to the earth, stand for vast, eternal realities,
indispensable to man's progress.
When the simple ordinances of the Gospel, as pertaining to the earth,
have been done for the dead, then may the dead be judged as of the
earth, and may receive the blessings of the obedient who conform to
law.
**The Meaning of the Earth Plan.** The earth-plan, plan of salvation,
or Great Plan, for the guidance of the spirits placed on earth, may
perhaps be more clearly understood if it is compared to the great
chart in the captain's cabin by which the vessel is steered. Life on
earth is as the large and angry ocean. The chances of shipwreck and of
being driven out of the set course, are many. If, however, the ocean
is well charted, the mariners can better avoid the sunken reefs, and
the dangerous places, and after the storm can more readily return to
the course so that the destined port may be entered with a good bill
of health. The Gospel is such a chart, on which the journey is
outlined, showing the dangers of the journey, the havens of rest and
the final destination. If a man accept the chart, and use it in his
life's career, he will find the voyage pleasant and his arrival
secure, and his life will be as that of one cast in pleasant places.
earth so that the earth experience may not be in vain, should the
Gospel be accepted in the remotest day of eternity. This view becomes
more important when it is recalled that ordinances of the earth,
belonging primarily to the earth, stand for vast, eternal realities,
indispensable to man's progress.
When the simple ordinances of the Gospel, as pertaining to the earth,
have been done for the dead, then may the dead be judged as of the
earth, and may receive the blessings of the obedient who conform to
law.
**The Meaning of the Earth Plan.** The earth-plan, plan of salvation,
or Great Plan, for the guidance of the spirits placed on earth, may
perhaps be more clearly understood if it is compared to the great
chart in the captain's cabin by which the vessel is steered. Life on
earth is as the large and angry ocean. The chances of shipwreck and of
being driven out of the set course, are many. If, however, the ocean
is well charted, the mariners can better avoid the sunken reefs, and
the dangerous places, and after the storm can more readily return to
the course so that the destined port may be entered with a good bill
of health. The Gospel is such a chart, on which the journey is
outlined, showing the dangers of the journey, the havens of rest and
the final destination. If a man accept the chart, and use it in his
life's career, he will find the voyage pleasant and his arrival
secure, and his life will be as that of one cast in pleasant places.
THE BEGINNING OF THE EARTH WORK