Show DISCOURSE by president wilford wood 14 at the ae general conference lle lake aw on sunday after oon april 7 1889 BY ARTHUR WINTER a while the sacrament is being aly ea to this congregation I 1 will to ne make a few remarks but or not I 1 shall be heard by enable en ably i cannot say ator ter the scene we have pissed passed r sh during the last hour any 11 answer his bis mind and sat himself hi oi self before an assembly of I 1 A do kilma oi to occupy the position that WJ d ot ayale 1188 Is he is assisted by the c ael I he is made of differ aha 1 am that thal we behave have had before us this afternoon Is ie a testimony to heaven and earth that what has been presented here could not have been witnessed in the midst of any other people on the face of the earth unless that people were the children of god here we have had ten thousand men and women lift up their hands in a vote to sustain not only the presidency of the church and the twelve Al apostles jostles but other men in their various positions sit ions lons and without a dissenting vote where on the earth can a scene of this kind be seen except among the latter day saints I 1 feel it my privilege right and duty to now make a few remarks with regard to myself and the dealings of god with me but before doing that I 1 will say that the lord has never set his hand in any age of the world to perform a work among the sons of adam but he has prepared an element for that work you will see this in the whole history of his dealings with the human family it is so in the generation in which we live the god of heaven having set his hand to carry out his great purposes and decrees which have been revealed in the records of divine truth has been under the necessity of preparing a people to take hold of and to perform the work he has decreed should come to pus pass ten thousand of that people are before me today with tons of thousands throughout the land with regard to myself I 1 will say that in my early youth while reading the bible the record of judah and the new testament I 1 read of jesus christ of his apostles Apost iee their works and the dealings ot of god with them and of the doctrines which they received and taught to those around them there was something glorious in those principles which the savior of the world and his disciples taught in their i day I 1 had a great desire in my boyhood and youth that I 1 might live to behold a people who were inspired of the almighty and who had power and authority to go forth and teach those principles which I 1 read of within the lids of the bible at that time I 1 could not hear them taught they were not taught by any person within my knowledge but as I 1 have said I 1 had a longing desire that I 1 might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles to me I 1 spent many a midnight hour in my mill and among the rocks in the forests and in the fields in pouring out my soul to god and praying that I 1 might live to behold a people on the earth who would teach these principles in answer to my prayers the god of heaven promised me that I 1 should live to find such a people he promised me that I 1 should have a name and a place within the house of god and among his people a name that should not be cut off I 1 am strongly impressed today in reflecting upon our history and the history of myself and the position which I 1 occupy with the promises of god to me in those early days they have been fulfilled and this day has crowned the pinnacle of the responsibility which is placed upon my head I 1 marvel when I 1 contemplate these things which are in fulfilment fulfillment of the promises of god unto me and when I 1 say this this of myself I 1 speak of hundreds of the elders of israel who have been moved upon in the same manner that I 1 have been those with whom I 1 stood connected in the early period of the church the prophet joseph smith hyrum smith and those men that laid the foundation of this church and kingdom together with other prophets aap patriarchs have pawed passed away they are on the other side of the vell veil I 1 still have the privilege of remaining and I 1 this day have been called to this responsibility in the midst of my brethren a responsibility that no man can fill unless he is inspired 0 god but I 1 will say this to my brethren and sisters in the name of israels god the almighty will never permit me nor any other president who hol hoi is the keys of the kingdom of god to lead you astray if I 1 do not walk in the paths of righteousness and do what is right in the position that I 1 occupy he he will remove me out of my place or any other man who attempts to lead the people astray the position which I 1 occupy and that occupied by my brethren the apostles should not have a tendency if we have the spirit of god to make us lifted up or exalted in our spirits before the lord I 1 know as the god of israel lives that I 1 have no power nor have I 1 had in this church to perform any work pertaining to this kingdom until it has been given unto me by the god of heaven I 1 know joseph smith had not nor brigham young nor john taylor nor any apostle or elder in this church and kingdom and the moment that I 1 attempt to become lifted up in the pride of my heart because of any position that I 1 hold bold that moment I 1 become a very unwise man so with anyone else the higher our position the more our responsibility during the little time I 1 may spend here in the flesh I 1 stand in need of the prayers of the latter day saints of those who have faith in god so do my brethren that surround me so do all the authorities of the church we all stand in need of the holy ghost and the power of god without this we are not qualified to fill the positions which we are called to occupy I 1 know that this to ia the work of god so do all you who have ever had the testimony of the holy ghost with you the god of heaven has set his hand to establish his kingdom in fulfilment fulfillment of the revelations of heaven which he has inspired men to declare and put on record from generation to generation his hand has been manifest from the beginning of the work until the present day it will be until this scene Is ia wound up I 1 have a great desire that as an a people we may be united in heart that we may have faith in the revelations of god and look to those things which have been promised unto us we should be humble before the lord trace the history of jesus christ the savior of the world from the manger to the cross onward through sufferings mingled with blood to the throne of grace and there is an for the elders of israel an for all those who follow the lord jesus christ in meekness and lowliness of heart he labored faithfully while he dwelt in the flesh to carry out the will of his father god has laid upon our shoulders and has sealed upon our heads the holy and eternal priesthood which is from eternity unto eternity without that Priesthood we have no power to administer in the ordinances of the gospel of christ either for the living or the dead but with that priesthood we have power to perform the work that is assigned unto us by that priesthood we have preached the gospel we have administered in the ordinances ordinance of the house of the lord aud and we have gathered together the sons and daughters of zion into these valley vallejo a of the mountains I 1 feel as though I 1 want to bear my testimony to the truth of this good old book the bible for a few minutes the book that all the christian world profess to believe in there is an effort made today by the infidel and unbelieving world to ridicule the bible as not being the word of the lord I 1 will refer to a few things that have been manifested in fulfilment fulfillment of the record to commence with I 1 will touch upon the first dealings of god with man the first son that was begotten by father adam whose name was cain proved to be a murderer he slew his brother abel who held the priesthood and the lord pronounced a curse upon him he showed cain the position he was in and told him what the result of hi his 8 crime would be and cain said add unto the lord my punishment is greater than I 1 can bear behold Be bold thou has driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I 1 be hid and I 1 shall be a fu fugitive etive ll 11 and a va vagabond in the earth and it shall am come to pass that every one that lindeth me shall slay me I 1 buethe but the lord said unto him therefore whosoever cain vengeance shall be taken on him seven told and the lord set a mark upon cain leat eat any finding him should kw kin him what was that mark it was a mark of blackness that mark rested upon cain and descended upon his posterity from that time until the present today therease there ther eare are millions of the descendants of cain through the lineage of ham in the world and that mark of darkness still rests upon them though nearly six shousan I 1 years have passed and gone this mark is visible to the whole human family yet the fool and the infidel say i there is no god and they ridicule the bible the Lama on this continent suffered a similar experience they went to war against the Nep hites they thirsted for blood and they painted themselves red and the lord put a curse of redness upon them hundreds of years have passed since then but wherever you meet the Lama today you see that mark upon them read the history of ancient us nations and the dealings of god with them as contained in the bible and other historical works when those ancient kingdoms and peoples be came wicked and corrupt when they turned away from all that was virtuous and holy the lord raised up prophets to warn them and these prophets though perhaps unpopular in the eyes of those with whom they dwelt warned these nations and cities of the judgments that would overtake them what followed the warnings of these prophets read of the fiall fall of the mighty cities of thebes nineveh memphis tyre and sidon babylon the great and jerusalem itself all these great and mighty cities and nations were warned by the servants of god of the julg judgments ments that would overtake them did the inhabitants of those cities believe the words of the prophets they did not but did those words come to pass they V did and those cities were laid WOW was and their inhabitants destroyed destroy nd thus the words of the prophets prophete 60 inspired men were fulfilled to the very letter not one jot or tittle wr ho ing unfulfilled and yet the infidel says there is no god thew these sanie prophets and patriarchs also saw UY th vision and revelation our day pointed out the generation in ila which tha tb we live and they all declared in the latter days the go god d of hefty would set his hand to gather ga gether his people and establish job ON 0 kingdom the revelator st also declared what should cone waw to pass pam in the latter up days in the i chapter of revelation he SAYD bays and I 1 looked and 10 lo a aa uxa with P stood on the mount zion and wi fatir www and him an hundred forty fathers erv e Fath thousand having his faga name written in their foie foreheads heads these one hundred and thousand were sealed out 0 of f a an the twelve tribes of israel because they were righteous in the latter days following this john says and I 1 saw another angel fly in the e midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto hem cheva that dwell on the earth and to 0 o every nation and kindred and toll bogue gue and people saying with a loud voice fear bod d and give glory to him for the hour our of his judgment misjudgment is come again john says and there followed another in gel saying babylon is fallen is en that at great city because she all I 1 nations drink of the wine of r the W wrath rath of her fornication following this he speaks of the ping down of the earth and of the judgments of god which were to come upon the inhabitants thereof IQ III fulfilment fulfillment of the declaration declara 0 or f st bt john the angel of god has wn through the midst of heaven le e has aali delivered vered the gospel of jesus christ to the inhabitants of the earth eal th and revealed unto them the vord d of the lord the holy estwood est hood has also been restored this is gospel was to be preached to arery ery nation and kindred and ogue and people it has now ua preached almost sixty years m the organization of the church th today and in fulfilment fulfillment of tha he revelations of these inspired peets wid arid apostles a multitude of people are today gathered ther in these valleys of the moun aa in fulfilment fulfillment of those reye reve wyiona I 1 stand today in this taber ue e which the prophet saw was to w be built upon the tops of the asa as a covering from the heat w and ze the storm in this taber ofle accle today also are ten thousand latter emay day saints sain which is 18 a wit t ab to jew and gentile of the ful ant of the promises of god abt e the is infidel says behold there OW 11 the man who says there 14 0 o god is a fool we are here in floya llila of prophecy and cevela vye have received the gospel Q of bl chast st the kingdom of god 8 been organized it is rolling on rd v twill will continue to roll on until tada s scene is wound up hort 0 I 1 want to give a little ex option to my brethren brother beor oa 00 very Q cannon annon touched upon a principle this fore ft 8 principle which has often upon pon my mind that is with to the spirits that surround hosts fie said that one third of the of dm heaven were cast out be eduse of air their rebellion I 1 we suppose may y say that at least one huu hun dred thousand minions millions were cast down from heaven to earth where are they some are in salt lake some in new york some in amsterdam ster dam some in constantinople some in jerusalem in fact they are in every city and hamlet wherein the inhabitants of the earth dwell and especially where there are any latter day saints and whether there are one hundred or not to every man woman and child there are enough of them at least to labor for our overthrow I 1 say to my counselors to the apostles to the seventies the high priests the bishops and all men who bear the holy priesthood do you suppose these devils are around uis without trying to do something are they asleep have they not a work to perform I 1 say to my brethren who bear the priesthood we have got a mighty warfare to wage with these spirits we cannot escape it what will they do to you they will try to make us do anything and everything that is not right these devils would be very glad to make me and my brethren think we are great men smarter than any one else to divide us one against the other and to cause us to seek to confess our brothers sins instead 0 01 our own we should therefore watch ourselves well I 1 should do this my counselors and the apostles should shoula we all should and unless we are united together as has been said before we are not the lord lords Is but today we have certainly manifested a union here that the world is not acquainted with we have however a mighty responsibility resting upon us the eyes of all the heavenly hosts are upon us the eyes of father A lam iam and the patriarchs and prophets both ancient and modern who have gone to the other side of the veil are over us and if our eyes are open to comprehend the things of god we can comprehend our responsibilities we can comprehend the powers of the holy priesthood and the relationship which we sustain to god we certainly should humble ourselves before the lord we should labor with an all our might to build up the kingdom of god in what little time we have to spend here in the flesh our aim is high we aim at eternal life we aim at Immor immortal til glory we aim at a place in the celestial kingdom of our god with god and christ and those who have kept the celestial law in order to get there we have got to keep the same law that has exalted those who have gone before us this is not |