The Mystery and Purpose of Life

My brethren and sisters, I have been thrilled with the proceedings of this conference. The Lord bless President Grant and those brethren who have already spoken, for the good things they have said to us; and the Lord bless those who will follow for the good things that they will speak to us, because we know if they do speak it will be the truth. ¶

The Lord bless the Manti choir for the very fine singing they have contributed to this general conference. It is praiseworthy and most fitting. ¶

The Lord bless the small group of Hawaiians who have come a long distance to meet with us, who are listening attentively to what is being said. The Lord bless them also for their sweet singing. ¶

The Lord bless the Singing Mothers who have sung so beautifully for us. At times they might easily be mistaken for the Tabernacle Choir. The Lord bless them because they are not only good singers but they are "singing mothers." The Lord bless other mothers, if only they are mothers. And may the Lord bless! the "singing fathers," if they can be found. I am sure there are many of them among the Latter-day Saints. ¶

THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTHERHOOD AND FATHERHOOD ¶

The women of our faith are doing a wonderful work in the Relief Society and in the Young Ladies' organization. It is marvelous, the things that they are accomplishing, but let me tell you the greatest achievement, one of the greatest, at least, if not the greatest achievement that ever comes to a woman in this life is to become a mother in Israel. Thatis a noble, a most sacred and great achievement. And no greater work ever comes to a father than to become a father in Israel. It is said that one mother rather disparaged her husband before their son Willie. Willie said to his mother. "Mother, if you will give me ten cents I will be good," and the mother said: "Now, Willie, why can't you be like your father. He isn't good for ten cents. He is good for nothing." As to the fathers, well, they had better hang around, because if there were no fathers there wouldn't be any mothers, and if there were no mothers there wouldn't be any fathers. The Lord in heaven arranged it so. ¶

THE MYSTERY AND PURPOSE OF LIFE ¶

We have heard some significant references at this conference to the mystery of life, and certainly there is a mystery and a purpose in life. But let me tell you, the great scientists of the world, the great philosophers of the world and the greatest teachers of the world have not as yet discovered the mystery of life. They are reaching out for it but they haven't yet found it. ¶

Now, it might be thought that I am a little presumptuous if I should say the Latter-day Saints have actually discovered the very purpose of life but I do say it and my assertion is true. "Well," says one, "how imay that have been possible? What is the purpose of life?" Let me point it out to you briefly, but before I do so I would like to read to you a few words by a writer who is reputed to be something of a philosopher. His name is Anatole France and this excerpt is taken from a work entitled: "Conversations with Anatole France," a French writer. ¶

OPINIONS OF A FRENCH WRITER ¶

"And what of the joys of the intellect?" said I "Ah, the intellect again, always the intellect. But it is just that — the intellect, the mind — that gives us the measure of the nullity of others, and of ourselves. What joy have you in mind? The comf orting thought that we know not whence we come nor whither we are going, that life, which is a state of 'slavery, an insoluble enigma, is also the most pitiable, the most unstable and the most transient of all the things whereof we have cognizance? The bewildering thought that we inhabit aitiny drop in the great stream of the Milky Way which is certainly but an insignificant rivulet of the Cosmos, that we shall disappear in a moment and the whole human race with us, to be followed by the other planetary and stellar processions which, if they linger a little longer, will inevitably perish in their turn ?" ¶

WHEN THE ALMIGHTY SPEAKS ¶

My brethren and sisters, you cannot get one word of comfort from these words. It is a most discouraging and gloomy picture of life. But then on the other hand we know something of the purpose of life; especially is it so when the Almighty Father speaks through the scriptures and by revelation and gives us the word. The great men of the earth, if only they would turn to the scriptures and open their hearts and exercise faith in a spirit of humility and ask the Lord about the purpose of life, he would tell them, as he has told the Latter-day Saints. ¶

We have learned that in the life of man there are three estates, and that the first was our preexistent estate which was wholly spiritual; that the second estate is the spiritual and temporal, or mortal, combined; and that'the third estate is the glorification of the spiritual and the temporal through the resurrection. There you have it briefly. A careful inquiry into these three estates will discover the secret of life which has baffled humanity during long centuries of the past. ¶

THE FIRST ESTATE ¶

In the preexistent estate we lived and learned much, no doubt, and were therefore endowed with great intelligence, but it appears there was something lacking and that something was a mortal body. The body could be secured only by those who passed into the second estate, which is quite clearly described in general terms in the scriptures and revelations of God to men. In the Pearl of Great Price these significant words will be found: , (Book' of Abraham, Chapter 3, verses 24 to 26 inclusive.) ¶

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; ¶

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; ¶

And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with these who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. ¶

IN THE SECOND ESTATE A LIVING SOUL ¶

That man might properly be introduced into this second estate of his wonderful experience "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and' let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over al, e??h' and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 26.) ¶

In the first estate man was a living spirit; in the second estate he became a living soul for there was added to his spirit a mortal body. By the combination of spirit and body, or in other words -spirit and element, man may attain to a fulness of joy The exact language of the revelation is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 93, verses 33, 34 and 35, as follows: ¶

For man is spirit The elements are eternal, and spirit and element insenarablv connected, receive a fulness of joy; cicmcm, inseparaDly ¶

And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea man is tfip t,hPrm,i0 „t rv, i temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, <g t^t^^t^**™ ¶

It is evident that the second estate is a time for the testing of the souls of men wherein those who live righteous lives, obeying the commandments of God, will receive a fulness of joy that will come to them in the resurrection from the grave. ¶

THOSE WHO KEPT NOT THEIR FIRST ESTATE ¶

"And they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate" or shall not have mortal bodies. ¶

There was, a large number of that class of spirits who followed Lucifer in the great war of rebellion in heaven described in the scriptures, Book of Revelation, Chapter 12, verses 7 to 9 inclusive: ¶

And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, ¶

And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. ¶

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ¶

These wicked rebellious spirits were cast out of heaven into the earth and became the devil and his angels. Their punishment, we learn from the writings of Joseph Smith the Prophet, was that they were denied the privilege of having bodies, or in other words, they failed to keep their first estate and missed the great and important blessing of being added upon. Their punishment is great; their disappointment must have been keen. ¶

MORTALITY A BLESSED PRIVILEGE ¶

In what I have already said we begin to see the purpose of life. Were it not for mortality on the earth in this second estate we would have continued in spirit form as we were in our first estate. But now, we are told in the Book of Genesis, that man is in the image of God, is made like him with this difference, that God is a glorified being, a glorified man. I know there are some people in the world at large who might regard this statement as blasphemy, but it is the truth, nevertheless, and is published in the Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses, Chapter 6, Verse 57: ¶

Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere.^ must repent, or they can in nowise 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, who shall come in the meridian of time. ¶

By reason of these estates the human family is passing through, they may attain by righteousness, to exaltation and glory in the kingdom of God. ¶

THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE ¶

In connection with the experience gained upon the earth in mortality comes the glorious principle of marriage, which is of the utmost importance to our present and future welfare. It is highly essential that every young man and every young woman in the Church should look carefully into this matter with a prayerful spirit before taking upon himself or upon herself the responsibility of marriage. ¶

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE ¶

There are two kinds of marriage, the civil marriage and the Temple marriage. Is the civil marriage a good marriage ? Yes, it is a good marriage, a legal marriage. It is good as far as it goes. It is a bond however that has no force or virtue after death. ¶

The Temple marriage is different. When a couple is united by the ordinance of God's house they are married for time and all eternity, and thus is perpetuated the great principle of fatherhood and motherhood, as already mentioned. Oh, how, very important is this matter ! Young men in Israel be careful, young women be careful. In seeking this blessing be sure to get the best there is. The best is what God offers, and not what is given by man. ¶

I testify to you, in all humility, that this is the Church of the Redeemer, and that Joseph Smith was his prophet; that Christ died for the sins of the world, that we might arise from this fallen condition that we are in; that we might be redeemed and brought back into the presence of God, in which event we will have solved the problem of life. ¶

God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ¶