It is my intention this forenoon, if the Lord will assist me by his Spirit, to say a few words upon the principles of the Gospel; or, in other words, the first principles of that great plan of salvation which was devised before the, foundation of the world, for the benefit of the inhabitants of this earth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is of great antiquity. It was ordained in the councils of heaven before the world was, and all its principles, ordinances, promises, and blessings were instituted in the beginning, before man was placed upon the earth. These principles have been revealed to the human family in various ages of the world,—not only revealed in the meridian of time by Jesus and the Apostles, but to generations and ages before the Apostles lived on the earth.
Before I commence investigating these principles, to know precisely what they are, I will read from some new revelations which were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the month of December, 1830. They are revelations concerning Adam, Enoch, Noah, and the Gospel of salvation, as it was made manifest to them. That which I am about to read is an extract from the prophecy of Enoch—a book revealed by inspiration to the Prophet Joseph Smith, some twenty-nine years ago:—
"And Enoch spake the words of God, and said, Hath God made known unto my fathers that all men must repent? And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the world and men before they were. And he also said unto him, Turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even by water, in the name of mine only begotten Son, which is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ,—the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men. Ye shall ask all things in his name; and whenever ye shall ask, it shall be given. And our father Adam spake unto the Lord and said, Why is it that men must repent and be baptized by water? And the Lord said unto Adam, Behold, I have forgiven thee thy transgressions in the garden of Eden. Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that Christ hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
"And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying, Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so, when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves. And I have given unto you another law and commandment; wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men everywhere must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of holiness is his name; and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge which shall come.
"I give unto you a commandment to teach these things freely unto your children, saying that inasmuch as they were born into the world by the fall, which bringeth death, by water, and blood, and the spirit which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again of water and the Spirit, and cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten, unto the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, that ye may be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory. For by the water ye keep the commandment, by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; that in you is given the record of heaven, the Comforter, the peaceable things of immortal glory, the truth of all things, that which quickeneth all things—which maketh alive all things, that which knoweth all things, and hath all power, according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.
"And now, behold, I say unto you, This is the plan of salvation unto all men—the blood of mine Only Begotten, which shall come in the meridian of time. And, behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal and things which are spiritual, things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.