Show RESIDENT PRESIDENT GEORGE Q CANNONS CANNON we have had a most interesting discourse this afternoon to the truth of which which I 1 can bear testimony this principle of tithing that has been alluded to is one that should be thoroughly unde stood by the latter day saints it Is is a law of god to his church we vv have proved by personal experience the the truth of the testimony of malachi concerning the prosperity which god bestons bestows upon those who obey that law our experience in this respect is unique uni unique there are no people that I 1 know 0 of pue on th the eface face of the earth who have tested this principle arwe as we have it is a fact that has been demonstrated in our experience that the men med who strictly pay their tithing are the men who are the most prospered among us the experience of many years has proved this so that among those who have had experience there exists no doubt upon this subject therefore I 1 say we have verified the truth of the words of malachi where he says prove me now herewith saith the lord of hosts if I 1 will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it we have proved the lord also in in many other directions for instance I 1 have only to refer to our going out without purse and scrip and preaching the gospel we have tested the promises of god and have proved them to be true thousands of miles have been traveled by the elders ot of this church in pr preaching eachin the gospel without purse and scrip and ang they have proved that he is a god who heareth and answer eth prayer and who watches over his servants and his people and who provides for their wants in this way faith is being developed in the minds of those who obey these laws of god and a people are being raised up in these mountains that have this faith the faith that once existed in ancient days respecting tithing and the priesthood it is true that in the days of moses a single tribe was selected out of the tribes of isra el to bear the priesthood of the son of god but it was the design of god to have made them all a kingdom of priests a holy nation if they had received his laws they did not however and a lesser law was given to them a law which paul characterizes as a law of carnal commandments but in our day we live in a different dispensation the tithing is not for the use of a class or a tribe and the priesthood is not confined to a vibe tibe the lord loas bas promised unto his people in in these days that they should be a kingdom of kings and priests and among the latter day saints almost every man who is considered worthy of a standing in the church has received the priesthood it is not the first Pres presidency tency alone not the twelve not the high gh priests not the seventies and the elders alone who have received the P lest hood but almost every male member of this church who has reached the years of accountability and is faithful bears som 2 portion of the pr priest test hood there is no tribe therefore nor any class among the latter day saints that has been selected to bear the priesthood riest hood and to be sustained out of the ti things it is true that god has designed i that ane re ti things shall be used among other things for the support of the priesthood but I 1 should deplore the day when the priesthood of the son of god would depend upon the ti things of this people for their support it would be something that I 1 should dread I 1 always admired the policy of president young in this respect during his life time he never would allow any man to d aw a fixed amount from the tithing for foe his support but he allowed the ing to be administered under the direction of himself and counselors to r the brethren as they might need so that no thought should enter into the minds of a certain class that because they held official position in the church they would therefore have a right to live upon the ti things of the church it is is incumbent upon all who hold the priesthood or any portion of it to labor freely in the offices to which they are ordained even Deacons Teachers and priests do this in all the wards and branches of the church the priests and th teachers when they magnify their callings consume considerable time in visiting the families of the saints they do this at what many would call much personal sacrifice and without pecuniary compensation A portion of the time of many other officers in the church is devoted without pay in money in the same way for the public benefit the practice has been universal from the organization of the church that these labors should be rendered to the church without money or without price this has been the obligation that every right minded officer in the church has felt to be resting upon him these labors have been works of lave to him and to the credit of those who bear the priesthood it can be said that they have been performed with alacrity and zeal but suppose a portion of the elders of the church were to receive a salary or a fixed amount for their services can you not see the effect this would have upon other officers would they not feel that they too should receive compensation pensa tion in some form for the portion of time which they spend in performing the duties of their offices and thus by degrees a system of things would be introduced into and prevail in the church which would be in opposition to all past practices and teachings and ra reduce us to the level of the man made systems which prevail in the world let any one be with the first presidency in their daily duties and he will notice how chis tendency has to be constantly checked indeed it is is not necessary pey perhaps haps for one to be with us to pre ceide this inclination for if he be a careful observer he is aware of its existence I 1 always have admired the position tion that alma occupied in his labors in in the ministry among the Nep hites I 1 will read what he said upon one occasion when he was charged by a man named kochor with taking advantage ot of his position tion as the high priest and dent of the church of christ in that day and he kochor Ko did rise nse up in great spelling words before alma and did revile against the priests and teachers acau accusing sin them 0 of 1 f leading away the people after the silly traditions tradition s of their lathers fathers for the sake of glutting in in tle the labors of the people now alma said unto him thou that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people for behold I 1 have labored even from the commencement of the reign of the judges until now with hands for my support notwithstanding my many travels round about the land to declare the word of god unto my people and notwithstanding the many labors which I 1 have performed in the church I 1 have never received so much as even one for my labor neither has any of my brethren save it were in in the judgment seat and then we have receive received ed only according to law tor for our time and now if we do not receive anything for our labors in the church what doth it profit us is to labor in the church save it were to declare are the truth that we may have rejoicings rejo icings in the joy of our brethren then why gayest thou that we preach unto this people to get gain when thou of thyself that we receive no gain it was a very general practice in in the church of christ on this hemisphere in those days for those who bore the priesthood to do as alma did and it has been the course taken in these days to a very great extent among the elders of this church those who have labored as presidents and bishops and apostles and others have hav done so for years and have supported themselves by the labor of their hands they have not been a burden to this people and they have not lived upon the tithing of this people it has been the ambition of numbers of men in this church to bestow their labors in the church entirely free and then pay their tithing as well so that they might not be a burden to the lat ter day saints and that they might not be accused of living off the ti things of the people this is a principle that should be cherished among us we should seek to become independent in this respect we should rely upon the promises of god that he will sti sustain stain his people and he will sustain his servants it is better for them to be poor and labor in the ministry as many hundreds have done for the good of the people living by their own industry than lor for any to imagine that they can live entirely off the ti things of the people and a class thereby grow up that will be supported in this manner I 1 know it is not of god that this should be at the same time the principle ot of tithing and offerings that our beloved brother has spoken upon is corred correct but I 1 want a distinction to be created in the minds of the latter day saints upon this principle that while tithing is among other things for the purpose of helping helpin ta su support aport the priesthood it is not for tor the P priesthood riest hood to depend upon the tithing for their support it would be a wrong condition of things if that were to prevail in the church the lord is determined to have a priesthood that will not be a salaried priesthood because a man gets an office in the church for instance one of the seven presidents of seventies or an apostle he should not ima imagine 9 ine that immediately he is ordained to that office he will have a fixed salary or that he can depend upon the tithing tor for his su support or because he is a bishop that ae he will think well this office of bisho bishop has a fixed salary and I 1 will depenti depend upon that to sustain me this would reduce the priesthood to the level of political office it is not the design of god that such a condition should ex in his church when men are ordained to office in the priesthood th they 1 should seek to honor the office rega regardless ry of pay if the idea of the emoluments which might be attached to an office were in their minds they would show themselves unworthy of the office but when men are devoted to the work of the ministry and their whole time is occupied aupied dand and they are likely to need assistance shall they not be helped certainly for the lord has given authority for the tithing to be used in such cases to that extent and no more not for a fixed amount to be attached to an office but for help to be rendered according to the needs of the individual thus if elders are in in want help them but if they can sustain themselves let them do it by their own labor and then pay their tithing just as other folks do that is the true law of the lord in regard to th this ve people eople we are taught differently from other people our training is different in every respect I 1 know men amow among us that can testify that when they lali labored ored continuously in the ministry the lord opened their way in in a marvelous manner and they were able to supply the wants of themselves and cami ies without being dependent upon the church to help them they hav proved the lord in this way just as elders do who go out preaching among the people carrying the gospel of salvation they go 0 without purse and scrip and the t lord ord gives them food and raiment and means with which to do the work assigned to them every man that has ever done this from the beginning guptil the present time has been blessed of god so it is at home in working in the bishops office in the office of president of stake or as counselors or high councilors councillors Counci lors there are men here who devote a large portion of their time to the work of the ministry in this manner and they derive nothing from the church for their support but god opens their way and they live just as their brethren live ive and prosper too in doing it I 1 say again I 1 should deplore exceedingly i to ever see in this church a dispo disposition that because a man holds an office in the church therefore he has some special claim upon the ti things of the church it would be a leeling feeling that I 1 know would result in injury to the people I 1 felt as though I 1 wanted to make these few remarks and give my views upon this point I 1 pray god to bless all of us and to bless the words that have been spoken in our hearing and the testimony that has been borne which I 1 bear testimony to as being true I 1 ask this in the name of jesus amen written for this paper |