Show 1 I 1 I 1 1 ANIN I 1 U I 1 4 1 14 of the church of jesus christ of v atar day saints I 1 I 1 FIRST 1 I 1 YS I 1 1 t lute resting speeches by a number of elders A 11 I 1 A M OF confidence I 1 I 1 i expressed by the speakers in the progress of the work of J 0 truth I 1 I 1 aho fifty eighth annual confer I 1 ence of the church of jesus christ of latter day jallits convened in the tabernacle salt lake city at 10 a in on april ath apostle lorenzo 11 snow presiding there were on the stand of the twelve lorenzo bitow cleber J grant and john W taylar of the counselors Coune elors to daniel IT patriarch john sith of the presiding council of tile seventies henry horace S eldredge jacob gates abram 11 cannon seymour 11 boung of the presiding bishopric john R winder there 11 1 also a large number of president a of takes and other leading brethren tito choir sang the hymn on page ag beginning oar go a wo raise to thee 11 0 n ing apostle john IV elior ginging by the choir I 1 1 I know that tny redeemer lives ELDER F A D president of san anan stake was the firt fir t speaker ile said in substance with tile of the lord I 1 ill do tile best I 1 can to comfort the saints and concerning thole things will c it interest them today in at tile many aged peo le present with X of an inquiry mado by a in relation to the future life w hall ite know eich ocher there I 1 am assured that wo will and thia gives rejoice ill though it I 1 looks a lettla CIO u dy but tile ship zion has not lost lier licad way it giai never done so wo are meeting milli opposition as we ex metod and make our way inch bv birb been smooth t ailina and then the crew ere in tile most danger as they then became dellop the ener of all bands I 1 re jace in me have fumed through that wo are now injecting The liand atall It teaches us is not mith us we are ili a sorry plight its mo have no hope fr mu tiny coffier source I 1 have no fear but that who have the 1 it of tile lord v ith them i ill go through every ordeal unscathed it will boother v k ith it hoso N ito are unfaithful it is my desire to knowl tile igind of the lord in reference to y s elf and tile people toul loin I 1 min alte r this is the 1 privilege lege of each and of the church ELD HENRY IIER RIMAr of the ark prk aing council of tile seven lis li s se I 1 W was the next speaker ile said I 1 am tankful to my father aliat ile has our bodies i I 1 tell it given u the privilege leze of a dembling in the fifty el ath confer enam of the church of fesui christ of latter day saints I 1 think god that I 1 have lived to behold this lay I 1 have bee n in the church fifty flye years aad thanks be unto our eternal fattier that lie has f billed my soul m I 1 ili joy and Acing and opened tile ea es of almy understanding to understand ilis and to dwell here upon the e tia in the fullness full of times I 1 know by the gift and of tile ghost and by awer lat my eyes liae peen slid my ike art has felt that god has raised uj a prophet to lay tile foundations of ills church and kingdom and has re healed tile principles of eternal lite and redemption to prepare a people for tile great adly that Is to come when jesus our redeemer u ill come upon tile earth tao reign a th years mit lithe saints allen n athing shall hurt or destroy upon the face of the earth ind when ills kingdom will be built up 8 14 lien 14 bee eye to eye an tile become of one one mind and when all shall behold tile eternal purposes of god know I 1 say through tile grace of god if there are any persons within the sound of oi t vi ho do not know that god int a from the heavens humble elves as little children th ildren and call upon his nol ly name and ile i ill pour out ills spirit upon you in such a way that ill be calculated to raife you u p and fill your souls ith truth and boll will get tho tile fullness of latti tig gospel of christ at id you will make your calling and sure chanke be unto god for ilia kindness and lend r mercies aill 0 w thanks for opening our understanding to comprehend though the manifest ma a eions of holy spirit t hat ili h has been mada wila antous in y ears past and all ilia unto ui I 1 feel in wy hiitt h to exhort every person u it lit a i I 1 it a vind oi laiq VA I 1 e to lit teni ten I ulpin tile lori icus ic us christ to do ilk baill to 10 thor 8 milich are slid juat before mill and they A ill ho built up in liste lillig to tle ai I 1 small inive it ill open the eyes of their understanding and prepare them for the to coine and ak aich the god of heaven mill bring upon the face of theearta the earth until the ear h becomes a place for the doi ing of tho will of god as in heaven the saints are looking forward wit the e 0 o of falth to oata in the blessina bles sIns chic i jesus prepared from before t tile world for all tit t overcome and t endure unto tile end IV lien our boales bodles A ill become cleansed and purified whence shall see aa me are known it nd hen a shall become heirs of mith god I 1 and immortal blay we obtain these is my desire in the name of jesus christ aanen ELDER azy Motz V next addressed tho a spoke as follows I 1 desire to he inspired to fay some dortho purpose of being and to treasure up what we bear when vie go hence anay we feel tit at we have been blessel bleB sel the goo consists of ordinances blessings and coven ants and embraces hammond mated that his 1 brig 1 iter by ex Pe in t le church brother Vience riman also bore a similar ithem I 1 have kaloa 11 these bre tj iren a long time and rejoice to hear them speak as they do tito latter is tile senior of tho seventies pull a liand cartin acorn pany m ilcia lie traveled lie be ing tile ildrem cut of the company I 1 have nev been him commit a rong act congratulate myself at tile opp t u anity of associating with such yuen we have into the waters of to our 8 ns I 1 V 0 lid till had become convinced by this act of obedience the debt of tile crea lure to the creator was cancelled we were thus forgiven of all einfel acts up to that then we desired tile testimony of jesus gh the imposition of hands through which ordinance the apostles assembled boether to ether ai jerusalem as related in the second chapter of tile acts ajo be induced with power so that the people who on the occasion mar belled peter preached to them christ and him crucified and they ivere convinced of the truth of what lie said when atred by them flat they should do peter replied that I 1 hey must repent I 1 be baptized for abe remission of sing and they should receive the tile scriptures throughout declare the necessity of baptism tile savior himself selling an example by rendering obedience to that ordinance notwithstanding that it is believers only m lie should receive it it Is cusi tomary in the world to in flints who are incapable of belief and have no sin of which they could re pent even if they could comprehend an athing about these things these things are a reversal of the doctrine of christ as taught by himself the lord is not the author of confusion bit of order the principles of truth are laid down in plainness and there is a proper authority for the administration of the gospel in tile ordinances blein s and covenants ie have received the lo 10 rd has manifested lite plan of m not only for the living but also tile dead he hae not had th goepel privileges in thi i life tile jews were familiar with this doctrine of preaching tile gospel to departed spirits and obeying ordin f by proxy ili their behalf paul exhibited thia fac tie ankud the corinthians in ilia argument in avor of the resurrection of the dead rho rh o what chev do that ate baptized for the dead if tile dead rise ilot at all why then are they at I 1 zed for the dea 17 when was crucified and ilia body lay I 1 i n the tomb his spirit entered the world of spirits and lie preached in abern as declared by peter tills glorious phase of the gospel was revealed anew through joeph smith tho prophet and lie together mith all the faithful elders who have laid their bodies down in this are now engaged lit a similar bahor among ahe spirits of the dead they are tile hearts of tile fath rs to file children as exemplified by the conduct hil that regard of tile latter lay saint in being turned to the fatress inspire il with thit dispose lien chev build temples in aich 0 ili behalf of those mile have died without tile full benefits of file gopel in this life are adain admin littered itt ered the of this work the lord revealed tile law of tithing that houses of may be erected eret ted the poor gathered fed and clothed and other similar objects attained we should tile privilege of complying vi ith this feces revelation is another feature of tile church of christ the necessity of divine communication was as clearly a fact now as it ever was in any dispensation or age it wag through this principle that joseph smith m ito was raised up for tile s e was enabled to organize the gi h give the design of temples co cate the nature and character of tile ordinances of the gospel tile gathering of I 1 lie ailts an a ot ter principles in m well me so greatly re joie tebesa things a through J se it the prophet and no an take tit a honor un himself except lie C called of god as was aaron joseph was told by the lord that lie should be the instrument in ilia hands of bringing about the divine es mission tinder the most formidable seles and martyred marty red sealing his testimony mith big blood and lie how is working in the same great cause of redemption I 1 bear testimony that the gospel of jesus christ as revealed throng gli jo seph smith Is true including 11 the principles enunciated bir him without exception ELDER ANDREW JENSEN I 1 have had the opportunity of at tending a great many conferences of the church during the last twell t Y 0 n e years and since my first arri v al in these mountains but this is the first time avat I 1 have been called upon to sp aln any of these conferences in arising before this urge congregation thil morning I 1 feel iny inability to say anything that could edify this congre unless the spirit of go d shall auf I 1 me I 1 need hardly fay the call gasun exsted in this for an elder in this church ought to be prepared prepare 1 for anything and any ind of surprises as it vere and I 1 old position in the priesthood I 1 consider in 3 self in duty bound to re pond to SPY Z 11 that is audo mudo upon me I 1 feel this morning that I 1 have a testimony to bear in connection ith brethren have aboken before toe I 1 have ollia but in times pt t ili lis wiling to our gray haired mell A ho have been for years ana in tills church ali kinblom kin glom and lie have etheln 9 faithful and true to proven tsie cana of R 1 in I 1 ile of gilb anti per r when I 1 see sue inen as brother Iler riman all d others alio are pres ent with us today to day and hear their it dinv inv lie at t re there are a many A have joice been blessed by the spirit of god with tile of christ ith that they know and ean bear ti I 1 at of tile living smith waa a G ck 1 I 1 look 11 pon this as of great importance indeed anti every man midst of tile and every won I 1 anja the latter dv sain is should know for a surety at tile pres we are very ent time in reading tile 1181 y of be have reason to tile church we thankful to G od for all tile stakes of zion wo consider that are tile now small or anning an god when that took place in tile year 1830 when the organized in tile lit church ivan A if at tie vill 1 ot fayet 0 seneca county new I and that me have 34 stakes of zion organ zed a in 0 buntain regions we are to day its a people we bindi however that there are in the midst of tills multitude of people coiled latter day saints a gnat duany perhaps that do not lave tho testimony that has been borne by our brethren hero this morning ili ere aro a great many young men and women in the midat of this up to the present time have felt at case i and have relied upon tile of their fathers and in others instead ot praying for and receiving a testimony of the truth of this awl for themselves they have lone this for years I 1 bustead of K eking fur tile voice of tito apostles and have borne their lit regard to tile divine mist slon of sinith and have exhorted others to acquire a this fortham for them selves but they have thought per hu is I 1 hat it was not necessary I 1 bedol od and know that we as a people are passing t brough severe and trying scenes milich are absolutely nece fib a I 1 to make us Atron lOr in ilia ery ii a at d aery woman should hano a teti molly within them selves should seek for the spirit of revelation and obtain it direct from heaven and know for tie lord has revealed ills mind and will to tile children of wen ili these the last days that lie has restored tile full rois of ills gospel and that joseph smith wai his prophet and commanded of min to brit about the great plan of salvation I 1 have found in considering the situation we aria in today to day that we are in the hand of god we malook upon the of the differ religious sects as being sincere and boneta in their belief a 4 no doubt thousands and millions of them are butco claim in regard to the fatter day saints that it is nece sary for them today to day to know of tile mission of joseph smith oliver cowdery david whitmer and others to know whether smith was a true t of god or not and is hether or not lie did receive the manifesta bious and power to know if lie did see the father and tile son when lie went to the woodi to pray that lie did find tile pla the hill cumorah or did translate tile by the aid of the arim and Thum mim did lie receive tile priesthood through the administration of the Al poter james and john did moses confer upon him the icrael of mhd latter das or did elijah to him in tile kirtland appear an reveal to him the keys n loreba the baarts of the bathen to be turned to their children and tile hearts of tile children turned to their fathers it is made necessary for us as a pee ale today to day to be diligent ili building temples in the gions are either true or fabe it they are true the great of the children of men have not the tr u tit and if t I 1 ley are not true the laon y sa I 1 ants are in a deplorable c t od o d ay joaeph smith did not rd as men have done to spread his vie a joseph smith clain ted nothing but hat was revealed to high when lie made the declaration that all ere gottig astray that none of tile seca of tile aty wert right and that the lord atino at kno leagea none of thein lie only repeated A iiii wai fol I 1 him it as very pre 1 lj for a boy of iiii blandin i n I bo cieto to make such sweeping detrant as these especially m hen that boy lived in the wilderness of NOW yolk ile had never crossed the of the united states was withal in tile things of this horld a incao youth and yet lie made h 0 acl a ration that all the christian world had gone abaray allt none of the sects ere right and that lie had heard tile voice of jehovah that lie received ills authority front jesus christ and all that lie had to do was to repeat what lie had heard from jesus and that Is what lie did do now in following lite of joseph smith to june 27 1844 lien shed ago jil me see that lie was a great man ive tind in him a man that is to be looked upon and should be booked living creature sas above ordinary oid inary importance ile spoke the truth and ilia testimony is before the world today to day I 1 see here in tills con gre gation to day that there is u 0 possibility lity of the latter day saints being deceived these gray haired men m e have among us testify that there is tie possibility of us being deceived they are liorest ill beart for they have lived long fit tile church and have found joy in living up to what the prophet came forward and had to face a scornful and unbelieving world who did not believe in apostles kroph C to gifts and the blessings of lite 00 4 pel for say they these things are all done away ith and no longer need ed joseph smith did not profess to be learned he |