Show TWQ DAYS MEETINGS Previous to tbo Fiftieth Annual Conference two days meetings were held in the Assembly Hal ori Sunday and Monday April 4th and 5tb SUSDAY 10 AM Trayer hy Elder Moses Thatcher PBESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR congratulated congratu-lated the people that we have tbe privilege ot meeting in this new ball which would be dedicated when completed com-pleted On the 6th day of April next the church will have been organized fifty years and we may with propriety call it a year of jubilee We have much reason tj rejoice and feel grateful that our father has preserved pre-served us during the past fifty years and that we have assurance that he will continue to do EO He asked for the faith and prayers of the congregation congrega-tion tbat the twelve and other speakers speak-ers might have power to bring forth valuable and rich principles during theee meetings and tbo approaching conference I EWER V WOODRUFF eaid Soon ill fifty years be past and gone since tbe organization of the church of God Whatever the feelings of the world may be concerning this work it matters not eo far ca tbe work itself is concerned I is tbe work of God the same tnat Isaiah and other prophets foresaw In the worlds history no fifty years have been of greater importance than tbe fifty years through which wo have just passed When I call to mind that fifty years hmo passed sinca the book of revelations was given I ask myaclf the question What id our condition a pertaining t the commandments com-mandments given for the building up of Zion and the establishment of righteousness and the will of God 7 Fifty years ago the Lord said I you believe these revelations go to and prune my vineyard while it is yet today to-day In my view we as Latterday I eainis are approacmng impunaui events a great change in the world The Lord has said be would cut his work shoit in righteousness in the latter days Nearly all of the brethren breth-ren who wero living and working in the early foundation of Ihia church have passed away Joseph Smith remained re-mained only fourteen years aftsr the organization of this church he remained re-mained until he bad received all the keys of the priesthood and of this dispensation and when he had received re-ceived these and had power to confer them upon other the Lord called him away I this is the Z on ol God foreordained before the world word was what manner of men ought we to be In my reflections on these things I feel that no elder should have anything else to do than tu build up this kingdom Sometimes people speak of apoatacy It makes no diflerence with the Lord who keeps his commandments or who does no He has got some valiant spirits who will ttand firm and will be the instruments which Gcd will use to establish firmly his kingdom Many will losa their Jafi privileges aad the hopes of eternal reward but there will be a sufficient number who will be faithful and true and will bear ofl tbe responsibilities of this kingdom Ills nearer we can draw to the Lord here the nearer we shall draw to him after death The kingdom gone onward i never has gone backward since its first organization When I look at our halls and temple schoolhouses school-houses meeting houses faim gardens and otber evidences ot industry and progress I see that the work is onward for all thee things go to tbe building up of tbe Kingdom of red The speaker then stated that he had spent a year last I past in the southern country seven or eight months he had spent at Sunset and in all that time he had not seen man nor boy use any tobacc in any shape neither tea nor coffee nor had be heard an oath nor a quarrel but in each of these camps on the Little Colorado living in the United Order I the greatest of f good feeling had prc I vailed He had visited a number of Indians in their settlements and he could safely say that there never was a greater untruth told by Lucifer the Sou of the Morning than that the Laltsrday Saints had furnished the Indians with powder and arms to kill the whilea The Lord is ki whiea lOd preparing prepar-ing the way with the Laraamtss to fulfil the promises made to their forefathers fore-fathers ELDEK MOSES THATCHER said we were engaged in the work of our heavenly lather we are living in the day of the wold that the prophets of psat times baY looked forward to with joy and rejoicing Whatever may be the feelings of he people of the world towards us one fact ia apparent to us and to them and that is that we are crowing the kingdom ol God is being but up We have been seeking for years to introduce the gospel to the Lamanites but until recently it has been apparent that their beasts wero not ready to receive it We were kindly received and treated Mexico where Br Woodruff and I have lately been and we feel that a good work will be done in the Republic 01 Mexico Nearly ono half oi the inhabitants of that country are pure blooded Indians At the time of the conquest by the Spaniards in 1520 they wero then an enlighlhened people and had many of the arts and sciences in active use especially in architecture and their mode of the computation of time They had a written history and many libraries of books of history and useful informa tion but toe uainouc pie woo ici lowed Coitsz caused their destructor still there have been preserved sufficient suf-ficient history and tradit ona to corroborate the information contained in the Book of Mormon and the Bible They have a tradition of the eight barges crossing the sea te compass and of tbo coming of the Savior on this continent also of a sacred record having been concealed in the earth There is a remarkabla similarity in their physique to the Jews The report that he tbe speaker had been sent to Mexico to purchase land for a colony was copied in the leading papers in the city of Mexico and was the means of introducing to them many persons who apparently were Try anxious that the people should colonize in that country and were disappoint when told that his mission was to preach the gospel and not purchase land Tbe speaker then related the cause of there being missionaries mis-sionaries sent to Mexico also tbe prejudice manifested by the Protestant priding establishment in that city who refused to publish the Voice of Warning which had been translated into Spanish He gave a very in terectiog account of tIm physical con diton of the country and of the people mentioning their genuine hospitality and also of their warm hospitalty prospects and des CJ with regard to tho hearing and obeying the gospel He entertained great hopes for their mental freedom from the religions thraldom which had bound them for 850 years and prayed that God would speedily tand their deliverance Benediction by Eider C C Rich 2 pm Piftjsr by Elder D H W lp The sacrament waa JaiJiitfrcd ELDES ORSON PBJLTI aid be ban ELDE interested been this morning very deeply terested in the remaiks of tbe speak in the allusion to the I ers fact especially that at the threshold ol 1 the fiftieth anniversary of the organ ization pf the church He reoitn bered the firtt conference he had i attended on January 2d 1831 held in a log house thero being some seventy or eighty members He remembered re-membered the trial persecution euflering triumphs and victories of our history since that time In a few months fifty years will have passed over his head since ba was baptized and he felt thankful that ho was yet privileged to administer in the ordinances and principles of Gods work According to new revelation reve-lation the Lord made the garden and planted it and placed man upon the earth on the seventh day The speaker thought that this was typical of the manner of Gods doings at tbe end of the world that the Lord will not quite complete his work in 6000 years but that the resurrection will take place on the morning of the seventh day There was no flesh upon the earth until the morning of the seventh day when man was placed upon the earth All I I i things were made spiritually or in the heavens first and then wero made cc the earth after man was placed thero This is typical of tho resurrection resurrecton first man aud then animals In the beginning of the creations of God they were firstly spiritual secondly temporal in the last firstly temporal secondly spiritual Previous to the resurrection there will be the literal sounding of seven trumpets then trumpets will bo sounded after the seventh thousand years shall have commenced The Doctrine and Covenant Co-venant says that as God finished his work on the seventh day so there ia i certain work to ba performed in the morning of the seventh thousand years Ho then referred to the seventh year of rect for the cultivated land commanded by tbo Lord and also the year jubilee of redemption of lands release of servants etc as practised by the children of Israel Also to their cursing and separation and to their restoration and thought that br the vrnrri nf thn TnrH oivan fr them 0 when they h I remember to do all that I command them this day the year jubilee would again be kept If the Lord gives I us commandment com-mandment to keep the law of Moses pertaining to the keeping of the year I of jubilee this people will keep it just as by direct commandment we now keep the law of plural marriage which was also a law to the children of Israel We have not done anything that wo have done in tbo ettibliabment of this work because it was done informer in-former time but under tho commandment com-mandment of new revelation In reflecting re-flecting upon the year of jubilee the speaker thought of the grand jubilee when the inhabitants of the heavens would come t tho earth and meet with tho inhabitants hereof and when Christ should come and reign over them and although we have no commandement to keep this fiftieth year as a year sf jubilee yet we look forward tJ that time in tho near future whose glories and pleasures pleas-ures will be a jubilee to U ELDEIt C C RICH said he felt desirous de-sirous that we as a people should be able to realize tho blessings that we enjoy I should bo our duty by day and by night to comprehend the duties and responsibilities which have boon placed upon us We have labors to perform of D temporal na turo such as the building of temples etc and he urged the saints t be found always doing their duty I is i certainly very important to us to know the Lords will concerning us i he wants us to build a temple or go on missions or do any other kind of work it certainly is of great moment to us to be mado acquainted with i PRIEr TAYLOR regretted that the house did not accommodate the number of persons who wished to attend the meeting it had been suggested sug-gested to hold tomorrowa meetings in tbe large tabernacle but he thought it would be more comfortable in this house and on the morning of the 6th we will occupy the larger building He ELitea that the Lord required of ell the officers of his kingdom a thorough principle of righteousness and not a nominal religion Anthem Prayer by Elder F D Richards MONDAY April 5 10 am Prayer by Elder C 0 Rich ELDER BRIGHAM YOUNG said I we are improving in spiritual maters as we are in temporal affairs I presume that we are preparing ourselves rapidly for the kingdom of our God But when I question my own heart I cannot but feel that we are not improving im-proving as fast as we should do in those things that are of the greatest importance im-portance to our spiritual salvation We have received revelation and inspiration in-spiration on our spiritual afiaira but in all the affairs of life the cares of the world step in and interfere very materially with uur spiritual comfort Although it is not the privilege of each and every one of us to hwe the visits of angels to dictate to us the minute details of our lives but the foundation is laid and it is our business busi-ness to so lire that we shall become fully absorbed by the spirit of revelation reve-lation l so that our every thought and action shall be dictated and instigated in-stigated by the spirit of God and in the course of time nothing should intervene in-tervene to interrupt or mar the full flaw of the spirit to us I wo place ourselves in a p sition to associate with an influence that is adverse to the interests of the gospel it will inst the of revela militate against spirit reTla tion in us We cannot deny that our progress is slow There arc many of the people who call themselves Latter day Saints who drink with tho druukard and get drunk disgracing themselves and their callings The best way t > draw the line between the good and the evil among us is for the good portion to live their religion and act ostly tj the commandments of God and the wicked will draw the line tbeumlvw for the difference will be very apparent ELDER Jos F SMITH read from the Doctrine and Covenants page 377 new edition also revelation given December 16 1833 I seems to bo necessary for the Lord to continually bear with us for we are human and it is only when under the influence of the spirit of Gcd that we really sense our position and see what necessity the command there is for us to keep ments of God Except your righteousness right-eousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the pharisees ye can in no wise enter into the kingdom oF God Unto him who knoweth the will of God and to do good and does it not it isoeifl Inasmuch as we have covenanted with God to forsake evil and do good that covenant is recorded in the heavens and i we recodfd keep not that covenant God looks breakers and as us as covenant upon twoold more worthy of bis chastisement chastise-ment than those who never made with him Are not promise any we worthy of Gods punishments if we do not keep our covenants with him Men hava got to become acquainted with the laws of the celestial kingdom and then keep them in order that Zion may be built up We have been called and buit arc faithful we are chosen eo far as we to do the worji of God and i we are not faithful we srmU be rejected These remarks are fjr individualsnot cliarch for there ia co wool for the of is a sufficiency doabt ihii there f sufcency I > t in this church I and great people good gre wbo will bear it i 00 and God vUI I r never give his work to any othfci people This is Gods work and it Ii not the work of this people withoul him I H his hand that lends this work and not the band of m nInny n-Inny say that i such a man led this church he would lead it to dettruc Lion I say that if any man leads i he will lead i to destruction for unless un-less God leads the work is a failure We must put away the lusts of the flesh and of the world we must sacrifice sacri-fice in order to obtain tbe great reward We must love God with all our heart minds and strength and our neighbors m ouraelve I is an insult to Vie almighty to think that we should be able to obtain the prizo of cooitial reward unless we lovo God more than ourselves and are trilling to sacrifice all that we hold dear to our hearts The speaker animadverted very strongly on theLitterday Saints who dare not refuse to do wrong but who tawnier with tho evils of the world because they aro in the company of evil doers and are afraid to declare I themselves in favor of richt and made a very earnest argument showing show-ing tnnt it would be unreasonable not I to be radical on the subject of keep ing covenants made with God How can a man excuse himself for drunkenness drunk-enness when ho knows that it is wrong to himself to his family forbidden for-bidden by Gcdacd that he has covenanted coven-anted not to do it What excuse ate can a man render for doing BO when ho stands at the judgment bar of God to bejudged of the deeds done in the body We are commanded to come out from Babylon but what avails it to ua if we bring the ways of Babylon with us The laws of God contained in the Bible have been reenacted re-enacted for the Latterday Saints and ho Biblo has been given to us as a rule of action ELDER D H WELL said It is necessary in order that the work of God may bs accomplished that there should be I people on the earth who will do his wil walk in his maths and keep perfectly big commandments It is voiy plain that tho Lord is working work-ing a reformation among his children on the earth he has made known his law and it comes in conflict with the teachings of the priests and preachers and religious leaders of the world Our hearts have been pierced by tho power of Gods word and this has brought us out from the world and established us here where we can be instructed under tho inspiration of the almighty What other object than this brought us here or keeps us here I is rot for the sake of riches that we have been gathered up here but that we may be taucht ot the Lord that we may do his will and build up his kingdom I we fail in doing this we had better have stayed in the world and not come here at all The practice of the principles prin-ciples of honor purity and virtue will assuredly exalt those who practice them and the doing of the opposite will degrade and lead to death Is it not our duty to try and find out the will of our heavenly father to us and t dolt and thus build np ourselves into usefulness in i his kingdom God has withheld noble good spirits to come forth in the time when be should reveal hi3 purpose and gospel for the salvation of his children that taey may carry out tho commandments command-ments and live the principles that he has revealed for the advancement of the children of men and lay tho foundation for that glory to which we all aspire Anthem Benediction by Elder Ercstus Snow 2 pm Prayer by Eider Joseph E Taylor ELDEU JOSEPH YOUNG spoke of the early hielory of thBchurch Compared Com-pared the email beginning with the present evidences of numerical and financial prosperity and made some other remarks on the duties and future of thor eaint and gave words of encouragement to the saints generally ge-nerally making happy allusions to the graces of the gospel and the saving efficacy of the holy spirit Gave counsel and exhortation to all to prepare pre-pare for the days of happiness and power in the near future ELDER A 0 SMOOT said I would judge from the spirit of the instructions instruc-tions which have been given in tho forenoon that there is much reformation reform-ation needed amongst the people and I conclude that there is n class of persona at fault besides those who wero the subject of counsel this morning I ask myself what aro the officers of the various wards and stakes of the church doing Is i possible pos-sible that we hava in our midst confirmed con-firmed drunkards and sinners of various classes in daily practice of their tins and there ia no teacher who has labored with these people and failing t cause them to reform report them to the bishops that the remedy of disfsllowzhipping might be applied ap-plied and those who will not keep their covenants be dropped from the fellowship of the eaists We have been taught t clean the inside of the platter to suffer not that iniquity should thrive nor the influence of tie evil doer to exist in our midst I wo allow evil to exist in the church it is very probable that some will be demoralized by its influence We are all liable to be overcome by our weaknesses and when we are overcome over-come it should be o lesson to us to resist tho same temptation that we should not be overcome again in the same way In the course of forty five years experience I have seen that some of those holding the priesthood have been asleep at their posts and many brve seriously overstepped the I bounds of purity and righteousness and such things actually exist with sown of the officers tcday Why is it that the inside of the platter is not cleaned and such iniquities a3 have been mentioned are not put away 1 I Whose fault is it I leave the answer to others and to the good seno of this congregation I fear that some who havo responsibilities are Bleeping upon their rights and are not doing their duty else these iniquities would not be rampant amongst the people In the atgregate the work is progressing progres-sing and is becoming observed by the world at large it is making Ua mark God is asserting his rights and by observing the order of the priesthood and the duties of those holding responsibilities being performed per-formed purification from iniquity can bo brought about integrity ur tuo and honor will Bit triumphant on the banners of the kingdom The priesthood that we bear is the great xy to perfection end notwithstanding notwithstand-ing the weakness of its advocates and members this is the kingdom 01 God upon the earth We nro very slack to eschew evil and we nre very merciful to the evil doers many of the elders ure slack in doing their duty but the work in which we aro engaged will ba triumphent and successful for the purpose for which it was ordained I have notuing but blessings for the faithful in the kingdom king-dom and the honest in heart in the whole earth VAsCorr after few ELDER Joux VA1C afer a preliminary remarks eaid he trusted that the people felt a peculiar interest in tho report o introduction of the gospel among the Lamanit In referring to tbe remarks of Brother Orson erring Pratt concerning himself tho speker stated that he alone was the I only stae witness in the church to the baptism of Brother Pratt he then a boy of sixteen six-teen raw Brother Pratt baptized l 0 r fortynme years ago last Septemb r I The speaker then bore testimony that the spirit made manifest to him at I that time that this work was the truth and of God and had it not been for this knowledge he would not be hero today This work has been brought about by the power of God through weak man influenced ty the spirit of God and we have been led to rejoice in the blessings which God the father his been pleased to bestow upon us and the power of God has been made manifest but not to tbe extent that it would have been had we been more fathful and observant to keep the commaudmenta of God He then exhorted the people to prepare pre-pare themselves for the events that Ire about to take place and the second advent of the Son of God the signs of whoso coming are manifest all around us PRESIDENT TAYLOR gave notice that tJie conference will convene in the Large Tabernacle tomorrow morning at 10 oclock and advised tho people to come prepared with additional clothing for their comfort Anthem The Lord shall comfort Zion r Prayer by Elder Orson Pratt |