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Show SECOND BOOK OF NEPHTI SECOND acither holiness nor misery ; neither good nor bad. fore, all things must needs be a compound Where. ifit should be one body, it must necedS-remenn of God, and his eternal purposes ; and the mercy, and the justice of God. is no law, ye shall also And say there if ye shall say is no sin,’ there I ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness.— ‘And there if there De ho righteousness, be no happiness, And if there be no righteousness nor happiness, there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not, there is no God. And if there is no God, for there could have been no nor to be acted upon; away. And now, my sons, profit and learning: we are not, neither the earth : creation of things. neither to act wherefore, all things must have vanished | speak unto you for there is a God, these things, for your and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them is ; both things to act, and things to be acted upon; and io bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, afte that he had created our first parents, and the beasts of tly field, and the fowls of the air, and in fine. all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an Opposition ; even the forbidden fruit in Opposition to the tree of life: the one be- ing sweet and the other bitter; wherefore, the Lord God gay unto man, that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself, save it shou'd be that he were enti- ~Ced by the one or the other. | _ 2 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must meeds suppose, that as written, an angel of God, according to that which had fallen from Heaven; wherefore, he became a Devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because that he had fallen from Heaven. and had become mis- erable forever, he sought Wherefore, he sayeth unto also the misery of all mankind.— Eve, yea, even that old serpent, Which is the Devil, which is the father of all lies ; Wherefore nc sayeth, Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, bu! ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And after the! Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were NBEPHY. ba to till the earth. And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth. And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent as dead, having also, the power, and OR driven out from the garden of Eden, in one y W herefore, no life, neither death nor corruption, nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wheretore, it must needs have been created for a thing of nought: wheretore, there would have been no purpose in the end of its creaton. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom BOOK b while im the flesh ; wherefore, probation, their state became and their time was lengthened, a state of according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the childre n of men. For he, gave commandment that all men must repent; for he shewed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents. / And now, behold, if Adam not transgressed, he would not have fallen ; but he would had have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created, must have remained in the same state which they were, after that they were created; and they must have mained forever, and had no end. And they would have rehad no children; wherefore, they would have remained in a State of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery : doing | no good, for they knew no sin. But, behold, all things have; been done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. Ad-* am fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have | joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he , might redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free forever, knowing good from evil: to act for themsel ves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law, at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free acco rding to the flesh; and all things are given them which is exped ient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men, or to choose caplvit y and death, according to the captivity and power of the for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like Nunto himself. Devil: And now, my sons, I would that ye shou ld look to the great mediator, and hearken unto his: great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eterna] life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit, and not choose eternal death, .according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, Which giveth the spirit of the’Devil powe r to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own king2 4d nave Spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the ays of my probation; and Thaye chosen the good part, Na es ; : 5 Ae |