At 10 Prest. J. preached on 2nd Peter Ch 1. He shewed that knowledge is power & the man who has the most knowledge has the greatest power. Also that salvation means a mans being placed beyond the powers of all his enemies. He said the more sure word of prophecy meant a mans knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life by revelation & the spirit of prophecy through the power of the Holy priesthood.1 He also showed that it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance. Paul had seen the third heavens and I more. Peter penned the most sublime language of any of the apostles.
1. The theme here follows those earlier sermons on the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. The temple ordinances had progressed to offering the sealing of husband and wife. It would not be until the fall of 1843 that Emma and Joseph would be sufficiently reconciled over polygamy that he would initiate the ordinance hinted at here.
2. The verse reads:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.The Book of Abraham reads:
And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man's spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
3. This repeats the pronouncement from the April 1, 1842 Times and Seasons ariticle (see 1Apr42). What does "matter" mean here? "More fine" probably refers to Joseph's personal observations. But it is possible that in terms of physics, "spirit" matter is something quite different than run of the mill "crude" atomic matter with electron shells and nuclei, etc. Indeed, the blurring of matter and energy suggested by physical theory and experiment makes such statements far from simple. The knowledge of how things fit together waits for further enlightenment.