51. Whether the spirit of Adam or Michael stood next in age to the first born, and by virtue of his age was entitled to the chief command, revelation does not determine. It may be that he attained that exalted station through his good works independent of his age. Whatever may have been the cause that placed him at the head, it is evident that he honored his calling and gained a complete victory and was counted worthy to be the first spirit who was permitted to have a body upon the new world. He thus became the first father of the fleshly bodies which were to be inhabited by the numerous hosts of spirits who were once martialed under his command. In the spiritual world all the spirits were brethren and sisters, springing from the same Father; but in the temporal world Michael became a father to his own brethren, according to the flesh. . . . 57. The Heaven, earth, animals, vegetables, and all things, pertaining to this creation, being finished, the Lord pronounced the whole "very good." Sorrow, misery, sickness, path, and death, were unknown. Immortality was enstamped upon man and the whole animal kingdom. Irony living creature, had been subject to death, or any manner of pain, it would not have been perfect in its organization; it could not have been pronounced good; neither would it have been consistent, as the work of an all-wise and supremely good Being. Perfection characterizes all the works of God, therefore, all the tabernacles which he made from the dust, must have been capable of eternal endurance. There must have been something connected with these fleshly tabernacles which was capable of preserving them in immortality. What was this something? It was doubtless a fluid which circulated through the system in every part thereof preserving it from decay, and frond being impaired by age, renewing, if necessary, any part thereof, that disease, sickness, pain, and death. could have no dominion. The circulating apparatus for the conveyance of this fluid, was, no doubt, the veins and arteries, as they extend forth in innumerable branches, and in minute ramifications to every extremity of the organization. The fluid, now circulating through this apparatus, is the blood: but the blood does not renew our systems and give immortality to our present bodies; blood is our natural life as the Lord said to Noah:-"Flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Gen. 9:4.) Blood, instead of imparting eternal life to the system, only imparts a natural or temporal life, and contains within itself all the ingredients of decay and death or dissolution. It is reasonable to suppose, then, that a fluid of a more refined and life-giving nature, flowed through the bodily organizations of our first Parents, and all the other animal creation—that this fluid was the life-preserving agent, that imparted immortality to all flesh, so long as they retained it in their systems. As this fluid could not have been blood which contains the seeds of death, What kind of substance was it? We reply, that it must have been a spiritual substance or fluid, which is the only kind of substance capable of preserving any organization in immortality. Were there any trees, or fruits, or vegetables of any kind which the Lord had planted, that were calculated, if eaten, to counteract, or subvert the operations of this spiritual fluid, and introduce into the system a fluid of a different nature. There was only one tree which would produce these deleterious effects—only one tree whose fruit, if taken into the system, would change it from immortality to mortality—all other fruits and vegetables were so constructed as to produce no harm; hence they were the only food which God gave to the immortal animals which he placed upon this earth. We may suppose that the vegetable creation, with the exception of this one tree, contained, at that time, no poisons—no ingredients of decay and death—no injurious combinations unadapted to immortal flesh and bones. The bodies of Adam and Eve, and or all the fish, fowls, and beasts which God made directly out of the dust, would have been still living as fresh and as fair as when the fires came From the hand of their Maker, if Adam had not partaken or the forbidden fruit. All other fruits were good for them, and they might have feasted upon them to all eternity without destroying the immortality of their bodies.

58. Let us next inquire, Whether Michael, after taking a tabernacle under the name of Adam, lost or Forgot any of his previous knowledge? It is quite evident that Michael, when he had charge of the armies in Heaven must have known good and evil, to some extent, at least; for if he were ignorant of good and evil, he could not have received any merit for keeping his first estate. If he did not understand the nature of evil, he would not have fought against one-third part of the hosts of Heaven for doing evil. If Michael stood forth as a bold champion for the rights of his brethren and for that which was good, he must have understood the nature of good. If spirits, in their first estate, did not know good from evil, Why were they thrust down and bound with "everlasting chains of darkness" for doing that which they did not know to be evil? Would any parent, here in this world, banish his children everlastingly from his presence, without any hopes of recovery, for doing those things which they did not know to be evil? Our hearts would revolt at the very idea of such injustice in an earthly parent. Shall we then represent God as more unjust than man? Shall we say that he will punish with everlasting punishment the rebellious angels without a sufficient cause? Shall he doom them to endless misery for acts which they did not know to be evil? It is evident, then, that the angels in their first estate knew good and evil; and therefore, were subjects of reward and punishment for their acts. But when Adam was placed in the Garden, he did not know good and evil; therefore, the knowledge which he once was in possession of, in regard to good and evil, was lost and forgotten. To what extent he had lost the knowledge of other subjects, we are not informed. It is very probable that he remembered nothing in relation to the events which transpired in his previous state. Possessing an intelligent spirit capable of being instructed, he, doubtless, received information by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit of God, and from God, Himself, who was personally with him. He had sufficient intelligence imparted to him, to give names to all beasts, and cattle, and the fowls of the air, when the Lord brought them unto him; he had intelligence enough to know that Eve was made from one of his ribs; hence, he said "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man." God imparted to him a language by which to express his ideas. It is not at all likely that Adam acquired the knowledge of the language which he used, in his spiritual state. Though spirits make use of language, it is very probable that their ideas are not conveyed by sounds through the medium of an atmosphere similar to ours. Their communications to one another are through signs and media adapted to a spiritual state and a spiritual world: while our verbal communications are by sounds, conveyed through the air. The language, therefore, which Adam spake must have been given to him by the immediate inspiration of the Almighty, the same as he gave a variety of tongues to the people who were building the tower. The same power that gave him the language, gave to him the ideas expressed by the language. Therefore, we may reasonably believe that when the spirit of Michael entered his tabernacle he was deprived of all his previous knowledge, not only in relation to good and evil, but in relation to all other subjects, and that all the knowledge he acquired previous to his fall, was obtained by observation, reflection, and immediate inspiration: that he had to lay aside his former information and begin at the first principles of knowledge and ascend by degrees from truth to truth until he should regain all the light and intelligence he possessed in the spirit world, and even more, inasmuch as he was placed in a condition to learn things by experience that could not have been learned in the spiritual existence.