Lord, and it has been so from the
creation of the world all the way
down. Children are taken away in
their infancy, and they go to the spirit
world. They come here and fulfill
the object of their coming, that is,
they tabernacle in the flesh. They
come to receive a probation and an
inheritance on the earth; they obtain
a body or tabernacle, and that taber-
nacle will be preserved for them, and
in the morning of the resurrection
the spirits and bodies will be reunited,
and as here we find children of vari-
ous ages in a family, from the infant
at the mother's breast to manhood, so
will it be in the family organization
in the celestial world. Our children
will be restored to us as they are laid
down if we, their parents, keep the
faith and prove ourselves worthy to
obtain eternal life; and if we do not
so prove ourselves our children will
still be preserved, and will inherit
celestial glory. This is my view in
regard to all infants who die, whether
they are born to Jew or Gentile,
righteous or wicked. They come
from their eternal Father and their
eternal Mother unto whom they were
born in the eternal world, and they
will be restored to their eternal pa-
rentage; and all parents who have
received children here according to
the order of God and the holy priest-
hood, no matter in what age they
may have lived, will claim those chil-
dren in the morning of the resurrec-
tion, and they will be given unto them
and they will grace their family orga-
nizations in the celestial world.

With regard to the future state of
those who die in infancy I do not feel
authorized to say much. There has
been a great deal of theory, and many
views have been expressed on this
subject, but there are many things
connected with it which the Lord has
probably never revealed to any of the
Prophets or patriarchs who ever ap
peared on the earth. There are
some things which have not been
revealed to man, but are held in the
bosom of God our Father, and it may
be that the condition after death of
those who die in infancy is among
the things which God has never
revealed; but it is sufficient for me
to know that our children are saved,
and that if we ourselves keep the faith
and do our duty before the Lord, if
we keep the celestial law, we shall be
preserved by that law, and our child-
ren will be given unto us there, as
they have been given here in this
world of sorrow, affliction, pain and
distress. It has no doubt been a
marvel many times, in the minds of
men and women, why God ever
placed men and women in such a
world as this, why he causes his
children to pass through sorrow and
affliction here in the body. The
Lord has revealed something to us
concerning this matter, and we have
learned enough about it to know that
this thing is necessary. We know
that we are created in the image of
God, both male and female; and
whoever goes back into the presence
of God our eternal Father, will find
that he is a noble man, a noble God,
tabernacled in a form similar to ours,
for we are created after his own im-
age; they will also learn that he has
placed us here that we may pass
through a state of probation and ex-
perience, the same as he himself did
in his day of mortality. And time
and again it has been revealed in
the revelations of God given in our
day, as well as in the Bible and Book
of Mormon, that these things are
necessary in order to enable us to
comprehend good and evil, and to
be prepared for glory and blessings
when we receive them. As the
Apostle argues very strongly in the
Book of Mormon—“If we never
taste the bitter how will we know

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

Lord, and it has been so from the creation of the world all the way down. Children are taken away in their infancy, and they go to the spirit world. They come here and fulfill the object of their coming, that is, they tabernacle in the flesh. They come to receive a probation and an inheritance on the earth; they obtain a body or tabernacle, and that tabernacle will be preserved for them, and in the morning of the resurrection the spirits and bodies will be reunited, and as here we find children of various ages in a family, from the infant at the mother's breast to manhood, so will it be in the family organization in the celestial world. Our children will be restored to us, as they are laid down if we, their parents, keep the faith and prove ourselves worthy to obtain eternal life; and if we do not so prove ourselves our children will still be preserved, and will inherit celestial glory. This is my view in regard to all infants who die, whether they are born to Jew or Gentile, righteous or wicked. They come from our eternal Father and their eternal Mother unto whom they were born in the eternal world, and they will be restored to their eternal parentage; and all parents who have received children here according to the order of God and the holy priesthood, no matter in what age they may have lived, will claim those children in the morning of the resurrection, and they will be given unto them and they will grace their family organizations in the celestial world.

With regard to the future state of those who die in infancy I do not feel authorized to say much. There has been a great deal of theory, and many views have been expressed on this subject, but there are many things connected with it which the Lord has probably never revealed to any of the Prophets or patriarchs who ever ap peared on the earth. There are some things which have not been revealed to man, but are held in the bosom of God our Father, and it may be that the condition after death of those who die in infancy is among the things which God has never revealed; but it is sufficient for me to know that our children are saved, and that if we ourselves keep the faith and do our duty before the Lord, if we keep the celestial law, we shall be preserved by that law, and our children will be given unto us there, as they have been given here in this world of sorrow, affliction, pain and distress. It has no doubt been a marvel many times, in the minds of men and women, why God ever placed men and women in such a world as is, why he causes his children to pass through sorrow and affliction here in the body. The Lord has revealed something to us concerning this matter, and we have learned enough about it to know that this thing is necessary. We know that we are created in the image of God, both male and female; and whoever goes back into the presence of God our eternal Father, will find that he is a noble man, a noble God, tabernacled in a form similar to ours, for we are created after his own image; they will also learned that he has placed us here that we may pass through a state of probation and experience, the same as he himself did in his day of mortality. And time and again it has been revealed in the revelations of God given in our day, as well as in the Bible and Book of Mormon, that these things are necessary in order to enable us to comprehend good and evil, and to be prepared for glory and blessings when we receive them. As the Apostle argues very strongly in the Book of Mormon—“If we never taste the bitter how will we know