II Nephi VI

9and now my beloved brethren I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he hath covenanted with all the house of Israel 2that he hath spoken unto the Jews by the mouth of his holy prophets even from the beginning down from generation to generation until the time cometh that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance and shall be established in all their lands of promise 3behold my beloved brethren I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice and lift up your heads forever because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children 4for I know that thou hast searched much many of you to know of things to come wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die nevertheless in our bodies we shall see God 5yea and I know that ye know that in the body he shall shew himself unto they at Jerusalem from whence we came for it is expedient that it should be among them for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh and die for all men that all men might become subject unto him 6for as death hath passed upon all men to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator there must needs be a power of resurrection And the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall and the fall came by reason of transgression and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord 7wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption wherefore the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration and if so this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth to rise no more 8O the wisdom of God his mercy and grace for behold if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel which fell from before the presence of the Eternal God and became the devil to rise no more 9and our spirits must have become like unto him and we become devils angels to a devil to be shut out from the presence of our God and to remain with the father of lies in misery like unto himself yea to that being who beguiled our first parents who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness 10O how great the goodness of God who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster yea that monster death and hell which I call the death of the body and also the death of the spirit 11and because of the way of deliverance of our God the Holy One of Israel this death of which I have spoken which is the temporal shall deliver up its dead which death is the grave 12and this death of which I have spoken which is the spiritual death shall deliver up its dead which spiritual death is hell wherefore death and hell must deliver up its dead and hell must deliver up its captive spirits and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel 13O how great the plan of our God for on the other hand the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous and the grave deliver up the bodies of the righteous and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again and all men become incorruptible and immortal and they are living souls having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect 14wherefore we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt and our uncleanness and our nakedness and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and their righteousness being clothed with purity yea even with the robe of righteousness 15and it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life insomuch as they have become immortal they must appear before the judgment seat of the Holy One of Israel and then cometh the judgment and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God 16and assuredly as the Lord liveth for the Lord God hath spoken it and it is his eternal word which cannot pass away that they which are righteous shall be righteous still and they which are filthy shall be filthy still wherefore they which are filthy are the devil and his angels and they shall go away into everlasting fire prepared for them and their torment is a lake of fire and brimstone whose flames ascendeth up forever and ever and hath no end 17O the greatness and the justice of our God for he executeth all his words and they have gone forth out of his mouth and his law must be fulfilled 18but behold the righteous the saints of the Holy One of Israel they which have believed in the Holy One of Israel they which have endured the crosses of the world and despised the shame of it they shall inherit the kingdom of God which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world and their joy shall be full forever 19O the greatness of the mercy of our God the Holy One of Israel for he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil and death and hell and that lake of fire and brimstone which is endless torment 20O how great the holiness of our God for he knoweth all things and there is not any thing save he know it 21and he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice for behold he suffereth the pains of all men yea the pains of every living creature both men women and children which belong to the family of Adam 22and he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day 23and he commandeth all men that they must repent and be baptized in his name having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God 24and if they will not repent and believe in his name and be baptized in his name and endure to the end they must be damned for the Lord God the Holy One of Israel hath spoken it 25wherefore he hath given a law and where there is no law given there is no punishment and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel hath claim upon them because of the atonement for they are delivered by the power of him 26for the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who hath not the law given to them that they are delivered from that awful monster death and hell and the devil and the lake of fire and brimstone which is endless torment and they are restored to that God who gave them breath which is the Holy One of Israel 27but woe unto him that hath the law given yea that hath all the commandments of God like unto us and that transgresseth them and that wasteth the days of his probation for awful is his state 28O that cunning plan of the evil one O the vainness and the frailties and the foolishness of men when they are learned they think they are wise and they hearken not unto the counsel of God for they set it aside supposing they know of themselves wherefore their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not wherefore they shall perish 29but to be learned is good if it so be that they hearken unto the counsels of God 30but woe unto the rich which are rich as to the things of the world for because that they are rich they despise the poor and they persecute the meek and their hearts are upon their treasures wherefore their treasure is their god and behold their treasure shall perish with them also 31and woe unto the deaf that will not hear for they shall perish 32woe unto the blind that will not see for they shall perish also 33woe unto the uncircumcised of heart for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day 34woe unto the liar for he shall be thrust down to hell 35woe unto the murderer who deliberately killeth for he shall die 36woe unto them who commit whoredoms for they shall be thrust down to hell 37yea woe unto they that worship idols for the devil of all devils delighteth in them 38and in fine woe unto all they that die in their sins for they shall return to God and behold his face and remain in their sins 39O my beloved brethren remember the awfulness in transgressing against that holy God and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one remember to be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life eternal 40O my beloved brethren give ear to my words remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel do not say that I have spoken hard things against you for if ye do ye will revile against the truth for I have spoken the words of your Maker I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness but the righteous fear it not for they love the truth and are not shaken 41O then my beloved brethren come unto the Lord the Holy One remember that his paths are righteousness behold the way for man is narrow but it lieth in a straight course before him and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel and he employeth no servant there and there is none other way save it be by the gate for he cannot be deceived for the Lord God is his name 42and whoso knocketh to him will he open and the wise and the learned and they that are rich which are puffed up because of their learning and their wisdom and their riches yea they are they whom he despiseth and save they shall cast these things away and consider themselves fools before God and come down in the depths of humility he will not open unto them 43but the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever yea that happiness which is prepared for the saints 44O my beloved brethren remember my words behold I take off my garments and I shake them before you I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye wherefore ye shall know at the last day when all men shall be judged of their works that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul and that I stand with brightness before him and am rid of your blood 45O my beloved brethren turn away from your sins shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation 46prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous even the day of judgment that ye may not shrink with awful fear that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness and be constrained to exclaim holy holy are thy judgments O Lord God Almighty but I know my guilt I transgressed thy law and my transgressions are mine and the devil hath obtained me that I am a prey to his awful misery 47but behold my brethren is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin 48behold if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness but as ye are not holy and ye look upon me as a teacher it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin 49behold my soul abhorreth sin and my heart delighteth in righteousness and I will praise the holy name of my God 50come my brethren every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price 51wherefore do not spend money for that which is of no worth nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy hearken diligently unto me and remember the words which I have spoken and come unto the Holy One of Israel and feast upon that which perisheth not neither can be corrupted and let your soul delight in fatness 52behold my beloved brethren remember the words of your God pray unto him continually by day and give thanks unto his holy name by night let your hearts rejoice 53and behold how great the covenants of the Lord and how great his condescensions unto the children of men and because of his greatness and his grace and mercy he hath promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed according to the flesh but that he would preserve them and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel 54and now my brethren I would speak unto you more but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words amen