RLDS Verse Context

78 Therefore, my son, see that ye are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things, then shall ye receive your reward;

79 Yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again;

80 And ye shall have good rewarded unto you again; for that which ye do send out, shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore the word restoration, more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.

81 And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye can not understand, which is concerning the justice of God, in the punishment of the sinner: for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of misery.

82 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee: for behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground, from whence they were taken; yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life.

83 Now we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit;

84 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man, to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

85 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partook of the tree of life, he would have lived for ever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance;

86 Yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

87 But behold it was appointed unto man to die; therefore as they were cut off from the tree of life, they should be cut off from the face of the earth; and man became lost for ever; yea, they became fallen man.

88 And now we see by this, that our first parents were cut off, both temporally and spiritually, from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.