A IMS-COURSE. ofo Br Presr. Joseph Smith delivered 3-15 p. in. Apr. 7, 1844, at Nauvoo, III., before about 20.000 Saints, being the funeral sermon of elder King Follett; reported by Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock and William Wil-liam Clayton; copied from the Millennial Millen-nial Siar Vol. 23 page 245. "Beloved Saints, 1 will call the attention at-tention of this congregation while I address you on'the subject of the dead. Tne decease of 3Ui beloved brother elder King Follett who was crushed in a well by tbe falling of a tub of that subject. I'avebeen requested to speak by his friends and relatives; but inasmuch as there are a great many in this congregation who live, in this city as well as elsewhere, who have lost friends, 'I feel disposed to speak on the subject in general, and offer you my ideas so far as I have ability, and so far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to dwell on this subject. I want your prayers and faith that T mnv have the instruction of Almighty God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so that I may set forth tilings that are true and which can be easily comprehended compre-hended by you, and that the testimony may carry conviction to your hearts and minds of the truth of whatl shall say, Pray that the Lord may strengthen strength-en my lungs, and stay the winds, and let the prayers of the Saints to heaven appear, that they may enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, for thej effectual prayers of the righteous avail much. There is strength here, I and I verily believe that your prayers will be hoard. Before I enter fully into the investigation inves-tigation of the subject which is lying before me, I wish to pave the way and brino-up the subject (rom the beginning! begin-ning! that you may understand it. I will make a few preliminaries, m order or-der that you may understand the subject sub-ject when I come to it. I do not calculate calcu-late or intend to please your ears wuu superfluity of words or oratory, or with much learning; but I calculate to edify ; you with the simple truths from heaven, In the first place, I wish to go hack to the beginning to the morn of ere- ation. There is the starting-point for us to look to, in order to undeistand jB and be fully acquainted with the mind, purposes, and decrees of the Great Eioheim, who sits in yonder heavens - as he did at the creation of this world. . It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in thc beginning. If we start right, it. is easy to go right all the time; but it' we start wrong, we may go wrong, and it be a hard matter to get right. There are but, a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God. The great major- ity of mankind do not comprehend H anything, either that which is past, or H that which is to come, as it respects M their relationship to God. Thetf do not know, neither do they understand H the nature of that relationship; ana K consequently, they know but little a- Hj hove the brute beast, or more than to H atdrink .and ,sleepr man knows about Ood or. his exis?tt: ; MM tence, unless it is given by the inspir- ' fl ation of the Almighty. If a man learns nothing more than' to eat, drink, and sleep, and does not 'M comprehend any of the designs of wKt God, the beast comprehends the same' JM thing It eats, drinks, sleeps, and- x knows nothing more about God; yeQ'it'- flfl knows as much as we, unless we are- fjH able to comprehend by the inspiration H of Almighty God. If men do not comprehend the character or bod, they do not comprehend themselves. I want logo back to the beginning, and ,so 'H lift your minds into a more loftyt sphere and a more exalted understand.-1 ing than what the human mind gener-, ally aspires to, i!- H I want to ask this congregation JH every man, woman, and child, to an- 'H swer the question in their own heart, , what kind of a being God is 1 Ask m yourselves; turn your thoughts into :MM I your hearts, and say if any of you have seen, heard, or communed with 'M him. his is a question that may oc- 1 i cupy your attention for a long time, !l again repeat the question-Wh'at 1 ' kind of a being is God 1 Does any man H or woman know? have any of you seen flj t him, heard him, or communed with H him ? Here is the question that will, ) peradventure, from this time hence-r i forth, occupy your attention. . i