Show DISCOURSE bj president neder C Mer len tabernacle nacie nacle p va m of t march 23 1856 ait 1 reported REPORTED BY 1 I V through my labors in giving riving the brethren and sisters their endowments and superintending super intending the laborers from the different wards in addition to seeing to those e aigars more directly personal my body is considerably wearied and that is the reason why I 1 have requested the bishops to come with wilh the brethren of their respective wards and to 0 o bring the necess necessary arv tools and ana labor with the men thus setting an example xi mple and not place that burden upon my back L bless biess those bishops who came and labored with their brethren during the past week I 1 should be relieved from such duties but I compelled to attend to them or the they would fall upon br brigham I 1 am always willing 11 I 1 g to 0 do all in my power to relieve him but such cares and labors do not all belong to him I 1 nor to me nor to br grant but it belongs to bishops and ind to those who are appointed to take the immediate oversight of the labors pertaining to public improvements molook to look after such matters under the directions of the first presidency of this church As br grant hag has lust just remarked and aid as others have often taught or brigham has understanding through the power and influence of the spirit sufficient for te teaching acting the saints their duty and if they do not perform it if this people do not save themselves by obeying his counsels they are bound togo to go to hell hali I 1 know this perfectly well andio ani and so does every one who has the spirit of the lord dwelling within them with the hosts upon the earth only now and then one will receive the gospel and after that only now and then one of those who do receive the truth lruth will be saved by it and obtain glory it all the saints would obey counsel doing as they are directed is there any difficulty in their being saved no no more than there is raising a crop of grain we have bare only to take a wise judicious course listen to counsel and obey thoe those tho e instructions which we receive from this stand from day to today day from fram sabbath to sabbath and fi om year to year can I 1 save you 9 no I 1 can only advise a righteous course aud encourage and aid in walking therein it then remains for tip tir them ern era to take the course which I 1 adde and I 1 always advise people to adopt that which joseph taught and advocated and bind which br br brigham i 19 now lays lys before us from day to day tills this is what wil wilf save sare you and you cannot be saved upon any other principle phabe power to save myself and if I 1 do not save myself who will save me all have that privilege and naught can save ns us but obedience to the comma of god you say that you have bare repented and been bap used for forthe the remission of sins that you have received the gift of the holy ghost by the laying on of bands that you pray pay your tithing and day by day fulfill all the duties required at your hands 1 such uch a course is saving in its nature the most of f those present have received their endowments their washings and anointing and have made covenants to their god and their brethren before witnesses that the they would be faithful that they would be true that they ahey would listen to the counsels of the lords servants and cease to do evil all who have done this have bebin been p pronounced clean and will they then go and po pollute hit themselves with the wicked I 1 am sorry to say that a few are unwise enouf enough h to do so both men and women have also covenanted that they will have no unlawful intercourse with each other after all this do any of you malea make a practice of u s speaking eak ing evil one of another of cheating one another another of lying and deceit deceiving ng yes some who W ho are under the covenants just named actually in indulge age in in those evil practices and I 1 sav say to all such that if bey hey they do not repent of their heir follies and sins their wash nas and ana anoint ings will prove a curse instead of a blessing and will expedite their condemnation if a man sins to that degree that lie he ii iq cut from the church lie forfeits the he biess bless blessings ings promised on condi condl condition tich of keeping his covenants when a man loses his membership in this church he aiso also loses his priesthood and of course the blessings of his endowments do not dot flatter yourselves that you can retain the blessings of the gospel and at the same time pursue a wicked course for cannot do it I 1 feel tile the importance of these truth fruth and my mind is often exer exercised exercise cis d and profited by contemplating upon them the other nights nigh ras tas I 1 lay in my bed so weary that I 1 could not sleep I 1 reflected much upon the principle of obedience and the government of god in church I 1 then in in my reflections applied the principle to families in in every way shape and manner which I 1 could think of and said in my heart r wish I 1 had he the skill of a ready writer and power to write what passes through my mind in the morning I 1 called upon br carr CarT carlington ington and mentioned mention edthe the cirene to him and I 1 toli told him that I 1 wished he would write upon the subject of obedience which he promised to do aishe earliest opportunity I 1 feet the importance of this for I 1 know that this people eople cannot continue to prosper as chev have bare me done unless they do ia they are counseled all must be obedient to the powers that be orda ned i of god if it is necessary amr for me to be subject to my file ve leaders I 1 wish to know whether it is not equally for you and for evel eveia y high priest elder severity seventy apostle and all others to be obedient to the priesthood of those who are appointed to di them Is it not right for all men to be obedient to their heir superiors and arid it if so is it not right for women and children to abide the same principle my spirit my tny body my family and all I 1 posse possess s in this world are devoted to this king corn torn and so I 1 may say in in regard to br brigham tilee these are mv feel ners upon this sub suh subject acet and I 1 have inre had bad no different feelings d the last awen ty t y nive five vears years Is there any difference in the wickedness 9 of he the world row ard thirty or forty years ago I 1 hir hu k there is I 1 do not now recollect of having then heard of a divorce in all gei tei q on w where ere I 1 lived lre lve ire and as for a whore or a whoremonger the there e sv were ere few if any known in that thae local locality ityl and ifsich were found they were considered unfit for civilized A society but bubnow now look down and see what the world is I 1 have traveled over some somme of it I 1 have ve drave Arave traveled led through most of the enli enil portions of the states and ami much in england and I 1 have generally found that those who are called the most enlightened are the most corrupt does poes the sad condition of the world hurt my feelings not particularly for that is their own affair but when the saints transgress iveel sorrowful when br brigham Brig liam itam comes here and chastises us through th the e spirit of revelation or is is moved upon to instruct the saints to their profit if any portion applies to me I 1 treasure it up and humble bumble myself before my god I 1 I 1 will give you a key which br joseph smith used to 10 give in nauvoo he raid hid aid that the very step of apostasy apo stacy commenced with losing confidence in the thie leaders of this church and kingdom and that whenever you discerned that spirit you might know that it would lead the possessor of it on the road to apostasy apo stacy if then you have got this spirit in your hearts or in in your families and if brethren and sisters husbands and wives are contending and quarrelling one with another 1 say there is the spirit of apostasy apo stacy there is a place where the spirit of god dees does not abide abided 1 in its f fullness do you suppose that god ili lil his son the holy photo ghost or angels will dwell in a house where there is is quarrelling and loss of confidence in the he I 1 leaders aders a of appointing disappointing his appoint ing would you sta stay y in in i such a habitation then let us banish all strife and contention let not children contend against their parents nor wives against their husbands nor any one against established this should be the course in every family am 1 and in din in every quorum and let all be actuated fuated I an and d boveri governed led by the patre pure spirit arid and principles of eternal truth let lei my family take my counsel as I 1 take the counsel of my president and they will go into celestial glory where I 1 am bound to go by walking in that path say to all the legions of devils between this and hell bell walk in in your own course and they will mill not have much power over us nor over our children why because we should live above their allurements allure ments and they would be obliged to go a bout about more congenial business and god would defend us so long as we did not dot give way it is for us to learn to be obedient in our callings and to the priesthood in our sever fever several al quorums and families and in all circles where we associate together this is a lesson which must be learned and when you learn the doctrine of obedience you will have power to control the weaknesses of your nature to control tour your yourselves elves in every respect but you never will learn this lesson and gain this knowledge until you ou are willing willingto to be co controlled nt rolled by those who lealiou lead you in this king kingdom d om I 1 desire to stand in my place to be beneficial to the saints to go in and out ont before the house of israel pure and holy this ia my character and these are my wishes notwithstanding my my weaknesses which 1 adm t and this is the checha chaa a berof b brigham and I 1 know it god bless his soul for e ever ver and he be shall live for ever and go into the i courts of glory and enjoy enjoy the society of the father of jesus and all the Apost apostles apostle leF les and I 1 will be along with him there and so will my brethren who are faithful we will stand so near each other that the devil cannot get between us and let allour all ail our brethren do the same every family should do so and if it they all did what trouble would there be what could the wicked do if all the saints stood faithful in their own places do you suppose that they could commit whoredom s if no woman would bow to wickedness where would be the whore doms would there be any no there could not be any after you have received your endowments a wicked course will more seriously affect yoli you it will ill lil therefore be requisite for you to be much m more ore careful how you trifle wilh wa holy principles and trAns transgress aress aTeSS your covenant covenants for this reason I 1 aish wish mish he the bishops to take heed who they recommend as worthy to receive endowments for we ab shall shail a rf quire ir e a strict account from them we have e placed bishops in the he dlf dif derent different wards throughout this his territory and they should be filled with the ghost and know man and ind woman in heir their wards that they may be able to discern who are worthy of receiving an endowment I 1 have heard beard of some individual saying that if lle ile lie bishops come into their houses bouses an and d opened their heir cup tup cupboards boards they would split their heads beads 0 open en that thai would not hot be a wise nor safe operation for there are some hard head heads appointed to counsel and ind direct you in he the path of righteousness righteous ies les br brigham 11 and idere I 1 were raised in the midst ol 01 mountain and we have never yet seen the time when threats would swerve us from the line of dufy duly I 1 would like to bless all mankind if it thov they would take a course that would justl justi justify fyme me in in doing so and I 1 have extended my hand t to p tip tiro lap lav lawyers ryers judges military and civil officers of the U S and desire to treat them hem as I 1 would my own children but how have some of them treated us thy thay th y have endeavored with a few honorable exceptions to corrupt the mor morals als of tins this I 1 am appo opposed ed to those who strive to 0 v corruption for we ft vi i h b to be pure and th ill i ci c urse leads to death rell yell an I 1 the devil while while we desire to rise in the acae of life and ha happ paines nes amen |