Show DISCOURSE DeA delivered vered by president george Q cannon at the general conference sunday morning tn orning october uh 1889 1 I do not recall a conference which I 1 enjoyed better as far as we have gone than this conference which ommen commenced ced on friday last I 1 have feu felt the spirit of god in our midst and have been exceedingly edified and pleased with the remarks which have been made by the various beakers pe akers it is a cause of thanksgiving to every latter day saint when we meet in conference to know that the lord meets with us aud and that his spirit is poured out upon his servants we have heard mm the elders how much we need this spirit and how impossible it to is for us to please our god and to uc c oom coni the labors devolving upon us without its presence and assistance ance I 1 am thankful every day of my life that I 1 live in an age when god has hag dout his holy spirit upon man that we are not left to tee guidance of our own minds to 11 cope e in uncertainty in doubt in ness concerning god concern the life to come concerning his i towards man and the earth upon which he dwells when I 1 think of the darkness that has been swept away when I 1 think of the uncertainty and doubt that have been dispelled when I 1 think of the flood of light which god has sent forth from his eternal throne to his children upon the earth through the medium of his prophet through the revelation of his Gospel through the bestowal of his holy priesthood and the gift of the holy ghost I 1 feel to thank god with all my heart that my lot has been cast in a day like the present for we are not left to ourselves we are not left a prey to doubt ana and to fear and to anxiety we know that god is with us we know that he guides this great work that everything ever thing connected with it is known to him and that its final destiny has been predicted by him if ever there was a people upon the face of the earth that ought to be filled with the most profound gratitude to our god for all that he has done for them we who are assembled here today as well as all the members of the church who are not here should be that people we are menaced by our enemies we are threatened by dire evils we are told our destruction is right at the threshold that we shall be inevitably evit ably overthrown and our power wrested from us but this is not the first time to is our history that we have heard hard such sub statements along the pathway we have trod similar threats have been made to us this pathway has been environed by difficulties neul ties beset with foes and it has seemed to human vision as though our escape was utterly im impossible possible how often has this been the case those who have had experience well know it has seemed ut at times as though there was an impassable barrier in our pathway impenetrable to human vision impenetrable to human progress but as we have stepped forward the difficulties have vanished the pathway has been made clear every obstruction has been moved out of the way and we have gone joyously forward to accomplish com the work that god has committed to hs bs and commanded us to perform I 1 rejoice exceedingly in this we are very weak ourselves and those of us who bear te responsibility are very conscious when we live as we should do of our incapacity and how very far we are from being what we should be we shrink from the contemplation of the great weight that rests upon us of the character of the labors that we have to perform we would stand appalled at them if it were not for the consciousness ness that god to is with us that god sustains this people that god furnishes the wisdom and gives the strength and that he has provided the victory and it is comforting to know that all we have to do is to do that which is assigned to us to the best of our power and ability putting our trust in him and how strong this makes us not in our own strength but in the strength of our god he who has delivered us ns out of so many trials he who has brought us through so many troubles he who has never deserted or forsaken us but has hs been near aw at t hand when we have called upon him he has heard us when affliction has befallen us extending deliverance to us filling us with hope hoe filling us with peace filling us with joy no matter how threatening the circumstances that have surrounded us can there be found a better people upon the face of the earth than the latter day saints I 1 cannot speak for all but I 1 speak for the bulk the brethren and sisters whom I 1 know I 1 know by their faces so radiant with gladness that there is peace and joy in their hearts I 1 know by my own fe feelings eliDge for ny my life notwithstanding its vicissitudes notwithstanding its sorrows has been to mea complete joy until now I 1 have rejoiced with joy unspeakable my language cannot describe it not in myself but in our god in iii the salvation he has ahsu assured red to us I 1 know that this people are a favored people I 1 know that notwithstanding stand ingall all our trials notwithstanding all that we faveto have to contend with there is no enemy of ours there is no combination of enemies of 0 irs whose happiness compares in the least degree with the joy ind and with the happiness that the latter day saints have in their possession Is not this a cause of great thanksgiving to us ought not our souls to swell with gratitude to god our father for these blessings bestowed upon us ought we not to be a humble and obedient people ought we not to do his will and have our will swallowed u up entirely in his hie holy will if tb this s is not the case then we are the most ungrateful people that ever lived and our condemnation dem nation will be a very heavy one if we are in this condition we have heard remarks fall from our brethren Is lips lipe during the preceding meetings concerning the disunion that exists among the latter day saints their remarks called to mind a conversation which I 1 had some weeks ago with an old acquaintance whom I 1 knew in washington he had attended one of our meetings in company with come lady frien friends dd and they had heard some of the speakers in their public utterances dwell upon the importance of union and he related to me the comments that were made by his lady friends concerning the teaching they had drawn the inference from the remarks that the leading elders were afraid that the church was tumbling to pieces pie that the work of disintegration was going on to such an extent as to cause them great alarm which accounted for the earnest solemn tones in which the speakers addressed the saints concerning union and its importance and their exhortations to uie the people to be more united I 1 suppose those who are not acquainted quain ted with us might draw such conclusions from remarks made during this conference but it must be remembered by us at least whatever other people may think that we as president woodruff has told us are placed as watchmen upon the walls of zion and that we do not speak as hireling bi ministers speak it is not our calling to say pleasant things to the people when they need different aud and counsels besides the spirit of instruction st and counsel is something which every elder should seek lor as there are times in the history of gods people when it is just as necessary that words of reproof and warning should be bo uttered that reproof he administered when iniquity and wrong exist and that notes nobes of warning dg be raised calling upon the people to give heed to their ways and avoid certain things lest destruction come upon them as it is to speak comforting words to them this has been the case always when god has had a people upon the earth it has been the office and calling of all the prophets and apostles to speak as moved upon by the holy ghost it is no sign of disintegration then no sign of alarm bemuse because the elders thus teach the people and warn them and perhaps reprove them and speak in tones of sharpness and perhaps at times severity concerning their condition ins there here it is no DO feature in our polity so desirable as union without it we are an exceedingly weak people with it we are strong strong in the lord because the lord acknowledges us as his people when we are united he places his sea seal upon us and stamps us as his own therefore it is not to be wondered at that the elders are led to talk about the importance of union it is of the first importance that we should be united and it is no sign of al armit is no evidence that the Elders who thus speak are in fear concerning the result of this work or the effects of the attacks of our enemies upon this work because they talk in this manner ner to the saints assembled in conference or to any ot other her public gathering in some respects I 1 think we are an exceedingly united people but owing to circumstances the absence of many of the leading men and the great labors which have devolved upon those that are free and able to go about the peo pie have not been visited for some years as was formerly the case and therefore many things have grown up and sprung into existence which need the attention ioa elders of the presidents of stakes and their counselors the bishops and their counselors and it requires a good deal of exertion at the resent present time to lay these matters 9 before fore the people as they should be but we ought to be a united people and we cannot dwell too much upon the importance of union when we are divided we are very weak when we are united we are very strong for god is with ue ufa god has given to us an organization which if we maintain as we should will preserve union will preserve complete harmony and strength anthe i n the hurch church therefore we should do all in our power to maintain that organization which is complete and perfect although others may decry the priesthood and the influence of the priesthood and may oppose it and censure us because we give heed to the counsels of the priesthood it is for us to listen to the voice of our god to maintain in to integrity the organization he has given unto us to beware of every spirit not 0 of god i that it does not have place within us but that under all circumstances we will be guided by his holy spirit and the counsels of his servants that which we witness today throughout this territory that which we have witnessed wherever the latter day saints have settled the deliver ances that have been wrought out the prosperity that god has given unto us is due to the fact that we have had his servants in our midst and that the people have listened to their counsels shall we turn our backs upon that authority which god has thus blessed which he has sustained and shown his approval of by giving his blessings unto those who have obeyed their counsels we should not do this we should avoid it and we should be humble bumble meek and lowly in our walk and conversation in all our associations with each other other an I A do all in our power to maintain in its entirety the organization which has been given unto us in conversation some years ago with a gentleman by the name of haskell of kansas who was a member of congress and who is since deceased he zd said to me mr cannon I 1 have paid some attention to your organization and I 1 think it the most magnificent organ bation that exists on the earth how did you succeed in getting it I 1 told him I 1 did not suppose if I 1 were to tell him all about it that he would be prepared to accept my statement as true but I 1 told him of course that the organization had come from god and that its perfection was due to divine wisdom I 1 mention this as the testimony of a man of considerable erable experience and observation and extensive rea dingas a high tribute to the strength power and surpassing superiority of our organization it is my brethren and sisters drs strikingly manifest to every one who reflects how god has blessed us in this respect and we should be proud 0 of it that is we should be thankful for it and not be ashamed of it i I 1 have felt for some time that some of the latter day sain s were beginning to manifest a disposition position diB to feel ashamed of the priesthood and ashamed of seeking counsel at the hands of the priesthood as though it were a forbidden thing as though it wt re something that we did wrong in practicing that to come and ask counsel of the servants of god was something so contrary to public opinion that some men shrink from doing it and feel ash ashamed med of asking counsel of gods servants if such feelings as thew these were to prevail among the latter day 8 saints lints it would be a most deplorable plo rable thing T think the result would be disastrous to us if I 1 knew a man who has the counsel cou ansel of god and I 1 wished to obtain counsel I 1 feel as though it would be the greatest blessing I 1 could have given unto me under the circumstances stances to be able to go to him to ask counsel concerning the course I 1 should take this has been my course throughout life and I 1 know it has been attended with blessing suppose the world deride it sup pow the world attack it the world accuse us of on one man power of joining church and a state they will accuse us anyhow no matter what we do no matter ho how correct our lives may be and at shall awe deprive ourselves of the benefit that god has given unto us in the hope that we will conciliate the world and that we will prevent the world from talking about us sf ff that be our idea we delude ourselves most egregiously the man who entertains the view that b by taking a certain course that is not no exactly in accord with the f god he be is going to gain the favor of the world makes a great mistake I 1 do not think we should be unwise in these matters matte wisdom should be ex exercised e rc ased in all ni that we do but do not my brethren and sisters deprive youra yourselves elves i of that light which god has placed within our reach for our guidance and for our safety because of any fear we may entertain concerning public opinion in relation to that method of doing i the cry has gore gone forth that we join church and state A greater libel was never made concerning I 1 any people than that concerning us i owing to our peculiar position au all our eligible men bear the holy priesthood it was not possible for us to obtain suitable men in our territory in bygone by gone days who vh were not members of the priesthood there was no other choice left for us but to select the best beat men we had regardless of their position in abe church because we did this it ought not to be thought to follow that we blended church and state or that we looked upon the church as an 1 aution to be associated with the civil 1 government not at all I 1 do not think it poss possible lule to find another peo pie situated as we were for so malk many 7 years in these valleys who aou would have drawn the lines of distinction so clearly between church aud and state as we did 4 we have always looked upon e civil government as entirely distinct f from rom church government and our views upon this subject ought to be so well known as not to leave room dooin 4 for accusation even it has been a proclaimed by joseph smith it t law has been proclaimed by brigham young it has been proclaimed by john tay lor it has been proclaimed by wilford woodruff and all the lading elders associated with them that god intended to organize a king kingdom on the earth that should not be composed of latter day saints alone abon but that members of that kingdom should belong to other religious denominations as well w m to the church of jesus christ of lat ter day saints this basteen has been a car dinal doctrine in this church that is with the elders elden who have had bad experience peri ence and knowledge con concerning berning that which is to come and that which the prophet joseph believed in and taught in fact he be set the example on one occasion and those familiar with |