Show DISCOURSE ey BY elder josepn joseph f smith delivered in ac the vhf nacle great satt salt lake city cuy fcc 17 1867 ise 1 I very V ery unexpectedly to me I 1 have been asked to stand before you for a short time this afternoon and although to me it is a great task to attempt to speak to so zo many yet it is a pleasure to be able to express my feelings in relation to the truth I 1 do not know why it should be embarrassing or a task for me to rise before the saints for I 1 feel when I 1 am in their midst that I 1 am in the midst of the people of god and my friends whose faith is in common with and whose desires to a great extent are the tho same as my own I 1 feel reel that I 1 am in the midst of those who are praying tf to the same god desiring the accomplishment of the same purposes and oba objects j ets and who are ever willing to lend their faith and prayers for the assistance of those who are called upon to officiate in the ministry and who are not looking for a fault nor seek ng to make for a word but whose feelings are drawn out after anteri the truth truthy and who welo desire to hear words Kords that will be comforting instructing ting and beneficial to u us g all why under these circumstances one should feel embair embarrassed assed to rise up here is a lit tie tle singular to me and always has been but it is so unless he who speaks is filled with the spirit odthe of the lord to such an extent that he cares for nothing but god and his approval I 1 suppose that this embarrassment is to some eften extent eiten tj owing to false notions to pride perhaps and to feelings that are more or less common to us all though not founded tipon upon any correct pr principle in ciple why should we fear one another ot h er why should we fear to discharge the duties devolving upon us as the ser and ands peg people pip pig of under any circumstances oum cum emst stances a nees ar ar in I 1 anny ariy place why should shoud we fear fean to standau and speak the truth although aware awara of our ur weakness ess and feeling our dependence dependences on god have we not the promise that god will give us strength according to our day and that lie will help those who desire it to accomplish all the good that is in their hearts god has made this promise and it is our duty to go forward and engage ini ins the requires of us fearlessly and with a determination to carry it out regardless of man god being our helper iny I 1 have felt this way when traveling i in the tile world perhaps more so than thank it would be possible for me to feel here 1 i for when one is thrown upon disown j resources or I 1 may say upon god for assistance he realizes that he has but few friends he lives nearer to god exercises more faith is more diligent in prayer and is therefore more alive to the duties devolving upon him than when associating in the midst of his friends I 1 have often reflected why I 1 should tremble and fear to stand before the saints the prophet or the apostles and let them hear heat my voice or to give expression to my thoughts again I 1 have thought was there anything in ibe me any secret feelings that were not right or that I 1 feared were not right aright and for expressing expression which I 1 would be censured and even were vere this the c ease case how foundationless dati onless is such a fear for were there any thoughts and reflections within me not of god or not true why should I 1 be fearful to express them where they might be corrected would it not be better to express them and have them corrected than to harbor cling to and reason upon them until I 1 convinced myself that they were right when to have them corrected would perhaps prove a V very ery great trial to me if not my overthrow when I 1 look at and think of myself I 1 do not know that I 1 now entertain or have ever entertained a thought which I 1 would be ashamed of my friends or the servants of god knowing I 1 desire so to live continually that my thoughts and feelings may way be right before god that my heart may be pure and open to the influences and dictations of the holy spirit that I 1 may be led wholly by the truth and lil id the path that leads to eternal life these should be the feelings of bevery every saint inthey if they are not mine the they hinl hink should houi be and when I 1 look at and t think Y of myself J feel that this is the case yet we are all fallible all liable to err susceptible of prejudices and assailed salley sailed by good and bad influences in every condition of life we are more or less liable to be influenced and controlled in our thoughts and actions by the circumstances by which we are surrounded the result is we are sometimes alive to the truth and faithful before the lord full fall of kindness friendship and love towards our brethren the servants of god and towards the work in which we are edgag engaged ed and sometimes we are lukewarm luke warm and indifferent about these things I 1 would love to see the time when we could so live in the daj enjoyment cyment of the elie holy spirit every moment of our lives that no circumstance nor influence fl bence could be brought to bear against us that would change c that even tenor which is inspired a and nd called forth by the influences of the good spirit will this lime ever be while surrounded by so many imperfections clothed in mortality and subject to the weaknesses and failings of the flesh will the time ever be when we as apao a peo pie with such glorious promises privileges il and rights and with such inestimable m a bie ble blessings shall enjoy the spirit of god to the exclusion of every other influence that exists will we ever be able to enjoy the spirit odthe of the lord while in mortality to such a degree that we can govern ourselves and not give way one moment to an evil thought or passion paa sion I 1 do not know but this I 1 do know that we now have all that is necessary to enable us to attain to this perfection in the truth and the knowledge of god if we have it not now I 1 do not believe we ever will why 71 inquires one what have we now we have the promise of almighty god that he will give his spirit to guide strengthen anda and assist every individual to accomplish all the good in his heart if he will only come up to the standard he has established besides this promise which the lord has made we have the holy priesthood a powerful auxiliary in our hands if used properly to en able us to overcome the evils that surround us in the world but when engaged in our dally avocations or tried by poverty sl sickness kness enemies false friends friend si j or when we arb are spoken evil opi of we too often forget that we hold tild the priesthood that we are elders in israel the servants berv ants of god chosen to accomplish his great work in the last days the result is we regard ourselves simply as men mixed up with and surrounded by sin sini and we are apt to drink anto the spirit around us forget forge t god our callings and the responsibilities resting upon us and become becomer like others through giving way to evils which they practice I 1 have seen individuals of whom we might expect better things give ive lve way to evils of this kind uni until I 1 uve eve have heard them say jray what is religion I 1 in what is is one religion better than another mormon jew catholic protestant cormona 0 or r any an and all religious denominations in the world are all after the same thing and there are good and bad in all and there is about as much evil among the latter day saints as among any other religious denomination why my say they look at the methodists some of them are as pious good and faithful and are as good citizens neighbors and friends as any you will find among the latter day saints or any other denomination or go among the catholics and you will find some as honest virtuous upright and charitable as any you will find among the latter day saints this being their opinion they decide that one is just as good as another now it is true that so far as moral worth is concerned we may find hundreds of thousands in the world who are honest moral and upright to the best of their knowledge I 1 believe that among the inhabitants of the earth today to day notwithstanding the vast amount of corruption and sin and the almost universal moral degradation there are thousands of good honest well meaning people so far as they have light and knowledge and understand tand fand the principles of truth so far do thousands of the inhabit tants of the earth today to day honor them in their lives but that does not constitute them the people of iod jod god neither does it argue that they have iane lave the the holy priesthood nor that the gospel in its purity and falness has been revealed to them nothing of the kind klud then I 1 say that they are wanting although I 1 feel liberal in my heart towards mankind and willing to accord this truth to the benefit of the honest in heart yet I 1 am compelled to acknowledge that they are lacking and because there are good people out of this church as well as in that does not argue that we have not the priesthood that god is not in com munion with us that we are not in fellowship with him nor that we are not has knosen osen through whom to accomplish his great work in the i latter days it simply proves what the prophets and the servants of god have often said that there are honest people in the world not in this church and for that reason reason the gospel is preached to the nations that the honest may be gathered into the fold and family of joi god that they may take a part in the building up of his kingdom in the last days when you compare the systems creeds and governing principles among the sects and religious denominations in the world where will you find one that is perfect or that is calculated to lead men back to a unity of the faith and to god where will you find a system or a denomination of religious peo people p 1 6 in the world who have such prin principles e 1 ples pies embodied in their faith you cannot find such a system if you go 0 o beyond the pale of the church of jesus jesus christ of latter day saints well inquires one ara are those principles embodied in our faith Is that principle of government here that is calculated to unite ote not only this church but the whole human family in one faith are we not to some extent divided one against another and have we not selfish thoughts and feelings and do we not have strife in our midst and dowe do we love ope ome one another with a brotherly love and act under the influence of the good S spirit 1 r it all the time pi if f we did act under its influence and followed its dictation continually we would be one and bickering bie ble kering strife and selfishness would be laid aside and we would look after and be as zealous for our neighbors as for our own good but we still see in our midst controversies differ differenced enee ened of thought and opinion one up and another down and the sam same e N thing hin r regarded added in a different light by different iffa persons ac iphy is this because the gospel net has gathe redin of every kind and because we are only children in the school because we have learned only the first letters as it were in the great gospel plan and that bu but bue il imperfectly and one bause cause of the diversity diversify in our thoughts and reflections is that some have had greater experience and comprehend the truth more perfectly than others but does this prove that the gospel el we have embraced does not contain those ose oso principles necessary to unite all mankind inthe truth no it does not what are these great princ principles ples pies that are calculated to unite the whole human family and to cause them to worship the same god adhere to the same counsel and be governed by the same voice they are the principle of revelation the power of god revealed to his people the belief in the hearts of the people that it Is gods right to ru rule ruie ae and dictate and that it is not the right of any man to say it shall be thus and so nor are the people required to obey these principles blindly without knowledge when we learn the truth and understand what is for our greatest good we will feel in our hearts that it is gods right to rule and reign and to say to us what shall be and that it is our privilege to obey and there will not be a feeling in our hearts contrary to his dictation we will then feel that whatever is is right and in this we cannot then rightly be called superstitious blind or deluded for that would be impossible m because we will then be lie governed by higher light and intelligence 4 by that intelligence which convinces us that god lives reigns made the earth and all things it contains is the father of all that we are his JEW children and arid that all ail things are in his hands we fe will then comprehend this and consequently will feel that it is I 1 his right to bay say and ours to do but how is it today to day we do not practically comprehend these facts to their full extent our own selfish interests more or I 1 less blind us we measurably stand in our wn light and choke the channel of blessings Iss sings from heaven and canno eanno cannot fully sully receive from the giver of f all good that blessing exalta exaltation tion tiou and glory that he is ever willing to bestow upon all who will acknowledge and love him and I 1 worship him in spirit and in truth I 1 this is a great and important work one that we do not fully comprehend when the spirit of the lord rests power fully upon us we realize it to some extent but we do not always have that spirit in sueh such copious measure and when we are left lofb to ourselves we are weak frail and liable ta err this shows I 1 to us that we should be more faithful than we have ever been and that day and night wherever we are and under whatever er circumstances we may be placed in order to enjoy the spirit of the gospel we must live to god cod ayob I 1 serving erving truth honoring his law and ever manifest a vigorous determination to accomplish the work he has assigned us I 1 thank the lord that I 1 have the privilege of being atso associated elated with this people and whatever men may say or do I 1 desire that the testimony of tile the truth may continue with me that I 1 may ever realize for myself that the gospel has again been revealed to man on thel earth it seems to ma bie that today to day or ja I 1 may say this present moment is a s moment of trial for this people 11 I 1 have often heard the president say in relation to our having been drives from our homes hated and mistreated by our enemies and the enemies of truth that we ware were vere not then particularly tried 10 I 1 believe it I 1 believe that then we were more happy and better batter alive to the work we are engaged in ltd than many are today to day I 1 believe belleve of the tved two take the period when the saints were driven from the state of Missour missouri or of subsequently when we were drive drive from the state of illinois and compart compari it with the present day that today to day D the day of trial for this people when I 1 you go along the street and meet a mat or a woman do you know whether lit or she is a latter day saint or not there theae was a time when we could wall wali a up and down the streets and tell by t th very countenances of men whether thel th were latter day saints or br not but cat you do it now you can not unless yd yol have greater discernment and more dlf the spirit and power of god than I 1 have why because many are trying as hard as they can to transform thed them i selves in to the very ery shape cha character charac td and spirit of the world elders is israel young soung men mothers and du daugh lugh in israel are conform conforming Dg to the world s until their very coun tenancies ten anees ances indicate its spirit and charac i i ter tei this coursel course is to th the tho shame and disgrace g of those |