1
AND now I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning this holy ordinance and covenant which was decreed by God that men must enter into; for behold, do ye suppose that God will receive unto Himself by some other means than that which He has ordained? Or can the pot that is being molded and formed say to the potter, form me some other way?
2
Behold I say unto you, nay, for the potter retains control over that which he is forming and if it forms up imperfectly, he throws it back unto the lump from whence it came to be formed again. And thus did the council of the Gods decree all things unto man on the earth by a holy ordinance, and those who came not unto the ordinances are being formed imperfectly and will be cast off at the last day.
3
Behold I say unto you, council not your God, but be meek and humble and lowly of heart, even as the brother of Jared was; for behold he did talk to God face to face, and did behold all the workings of God from the beginning to the end and did remain in his humility, and did follow in strict conformity all things as he was commanded and, thus, he was blessed and did become a blessing unto his family.
4
For behold he did organize his family after an heavenly ordinance; and they did thereby connect themselves to the heavenly family so that all things were the same both in heaven and on the earth, and thus were they gathered together into one; and thus did they obtain heaven, even as many as would follow the heavenly ordinance, and those who would not did not partake of the heavenly gifts or have communion with the heavenly family.
5a
And behold it was very grievous to Jared and his brother when their people did want a political king, for there is no place in the heavenly order for such a king, for all kings are anointed priests unto the Most High God and are appointed by God Himself and not by man; and being appointed by God there can be no unrighteousness in their rule to bring the people down unto destruction.
5b
But behold, God giveth to the people whatsoever thing they want, even if it be unto destruction; therefore, they did choose a king and the Holy Order was done away.
6
And now I would not have you believe that the Holy Order was done away immediately, for behold there were many who did keep the ordinances and as many as did keep the ordinances with a firm mind in every form of Godliness did wash their garments in the Blood of the Lamb and were sanctified and did obtain heaven.
7
And it is written of them that they died, but even so it is written that Adam also died, and Seth, and Enos and it is written that Moses died also; but behold, that record is for those who are subject onto death that it might be suitable to their understanding. But unto others it is given that they might know that the priesthood has the power over death until Cain did covenant with Satan to introduce death; for behold the Priesthood of the Father is the Priesthood of eternal life.
8a
And He who is the author and source of life cannot also be the source of death; and those who were born under the protection of that priesthood were not subject to the death that came by Satan until the murderous power was introduced by the will and choice and covenant of one of the Sons of God.
8b
For until that time, Satan was bound, for he had no hold on the hearts of the children of God only as they began to choose against the priesthood of their father; and as they did, they did willing subject themselves and their children to be bound by the chords of death.
9
For the justice of God could give them no protection from the powers of Satan contrary to their choice and it was by this means that the Holy Order did begin to crumble away and Satan's dominion and power did begin to reign in its place.
10
Behold the free agency of man will always remain inviolate even if he chooses that which will bind Him unto death; and, thus, did the heavens weep over Him as he did bring himself and his children down to be subject to the God which they choose, which God is death and hell and the grave.
11
And these were the things which the brother of Jared saw and, seeing this, he did have power to order his family to bring them into harmony with the true God of Heaven and, thus, by strict obedience to these laws of heaven, which laws are the Priesthood of the Fathers, those who were obedient thereunto, did, through the atonement of Christ, escape the consequences of death, and, by overpowering death, did arise without tasting death unto that same Eternal Life which is in the Fathers.
12
And behold, it is also stated in my father's record that there were exceeding many who did obtain this condition of heaven and they are all one, even a part of the One God.
13
And behold it is also stated that that same Priesthood which was in the beginning of the earth will be in the end of the earth also; for it is by this means, and this means only, that the people can be preserved from the jaws of death which Satan did introduce into the Holy Order of God in the beginning, and thus did begin his reign of blood and horror and death in the world.