Show attendance GRAND DISCOURSE ON I 1 BY APOSTLE taylor president rudger crawson speaks friday afternoon the second days services of the afif ty eighth annual conference were hogun by tho choir singing the hymn oh jeaba alie giver apostle H J grant offered tho opening prayer and the choir then bang come nil ye saints of zion APOSTLE JOHN W TAYLOR felt thankful for the privilege of mooting with the latter day saints in and rusted that ho might enjoy the spirit of enlightenment and truth cena coition of tho holy ghost eliat his efforts might bo directed through tho prayers and feitli of iho audience ve are blessed ho said with pleasant weather peace and prosperity and everything favorable for a pleasant conference many changes have taken place since the saints last met together some pleasant homo unpleasant for different reasons some of the members of the church have been excommunicated all alie children of men are prone to weakness some to a greater extent than others he desired to say to those who wished to repent of their sins there was a way to do it if wo have been addicted to drunkenness if we have stolen our neighbors property as tho thief steals in the night or as the legal thief steals before the bar jet us repent if wo have been m alic habit of lying we should the habit and adhere to the truth if ft 0 have been in the habit of loving lies after they havo been manufactured let us forsake the habit and the truth talk about it and sustain it wherever it may bo found if wo have been in the habit of giving away to our temper and speaking harshly to our neighbors let us for bako that also if we have been intemperate let us repent of our amb for wo are told that if we do so the lord will bless us if we break a law of nature we must pay tho penalty either hero or in the world to come if we haw neglected our family prayers or our secret prayers let us return again unto the fjord and address him day after day no mattor how simple cho words and fail not to bo for 01 ery blessing wo enjoy if you leavo mado covenants before the lord in your marital relations keep them pure and if you hao not done so repent during the last year men and women hau come to him who biad signed crying lile little children and asking wha course they should talo to begam choir fellowship and stand once more w ith their into brethren and sisters what could anyone sa to this thai so long as there was repentance there was hope W ho is a wicked man and who is an unrighteous mana ho who deals in bin oh saints lift up your heads god is no tyrant he may chide us and kobuke as but he will le us pay the p nalty of our amb ana then will lead us back to life and sal ration some of the speakers jhc had had a dedire to ter ronzo the peo pie against sm had gone so far as to destroy all hope of thib w as very wrong and save in exceptional cases a false doctrine you can gain repentance but ou must pay the penalty for your siona how should all repents repent 1 by going in all humility before tho lord by rending our hearts bufa not oui garments is even hope for iho burner who fails to find forgive 1 ness in this world he may find it in the next if ho lias not committed the unpardonable sin lot him without sin cast alio first tone christ did not say to the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery that she should be eternally damned tho speaker then related the parable of the man who had two sons one of them spent his life in riotous living and soon returned homo reduced t beggary and so humble was he that lie w ent to live with the acme but did ins father lot him stay there no ho killed the batted fatted calf and mado morry over tho return of tho prodigal son over the reclamation of alio who had returned what I 1 havo said to you is not un imagination of my own it the ot jesus although not properly quoted perhaps tho substance ib there I 1 say bo not too bound up in bour feelings let us not discourage any of those who have not sinned unto death As long us there ia repentance and humility boford tho lord ib hope for all kopenec of your sins go down into the waters and I 1 you in the name of jesus christ that the lord will forgive you though alio world is against us let us do is right there may be a cloud now but tho sunshine will como after awhile oar enemies can 10 lo nothing against the truth but which is tor tho truth they might as well ask the sun to stop sending forth its rays upon the earth as to attempt to stop the work of jehovah COUNSELOR D H WELLS rejoiced exceedingly in the principles of the gospel they are true and from god mormonism so called is the gospel of salvation revealed from heaven it is sweet to me there is great reason for thanksgiving for its revelation to man it is the power of god unto unto those who receive and obey it I 1 pray god always that sin and iniquity may be rebuked and the meek and humble saved repentance is a process it is to do evil no more we can repent from sins and receive forgiveness gi veness the more circumspect our coarse is it seems the more our enemies are incensed against us it is not always the case therefore that wo are afflicted because of our evi deeds the best people are often subjected to tho severest trials it IF necessary that the righteous should be tested tho people rejoice under their afflictions it was so in the early persecutions in missouri and illinois and when crossing the alaina to locate in this region the saints rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer for righteousness sake there is more comfort in having charity to those who offend us than in seeking revenge I 1 have experienced this in my own career it makes me feel well when I 1 can take a person who acis wronged mo by the hand and extend forgiveness the lord knew sin would come into the world and provided a remedy he is genuinely the father of our spirits and proposes to redeem ug from the conditions of sin through repentance and obedience the sang the anthem I 1 glory to god in the highest benediction was pronounced by elder Pi obert L campbell Camp boll aitor which an adjournment was taken until 2 p m SESSION the choir sang mortals awake with angels join apostle hn henry smith offered prayer and the choir sang glorious bilings arc sung of zion CLAWSON CLAW SON said there is nothing upon tho earth of so great value as alio gospel and all else should bo of secondary consideration it is beyond price tho richest gem it cannot bo estimated and no can bo placed upon it it is free and for this reason many are prone to undervalue its great worth and especially hero in salt lake city where if a man has a piece of property in a pleasant place he considers that he is very well off and ho seems to prize it and sometimes men lose sight of the things of god in their eagerness to grasp mammon money on one occasion a rich young man addressed ono apostles and after seeing the power of healing desired to buy it with money but it is not gained in so easy a way rich gems like that have to bo worked for and earned no this young man had the same idea as many among us he wanted to speculate upon the gift of the holy chust tho gift of god ho desired to make merchandise of it but tho answer of the apostle was fool thy money perish with thee and it does seem that many are willing now to barter away the blessings and gifts of god and ahinga gud has mt rusted them with for the almighty dollar which will canker the soul chero is no sacrifice wo can make that hlll compensate for the loss of the glorious promises which have been made to this people wo ought to be willing to stand all kinds of persecution scorn and the contumacy of the world it biad fallen to the speakers lot to go to prison in the year 1884 and for three years and one month lie was confined within prison walls for daring to believe in the uruth of heaven and having obeyed jie principle of celestial marriage which is from god and during these cireo years and one month I 1 saw some of my brethren come in hat prison for listening and obeying what they felt would give them the highest exaltation and some served at their term of imprison abent while I 1 was there and were set abc liberty again I 1 feel first rate myself I 1 feel that the laws which god aas given us are true I 1 have greater baith in the work of god today to day ahm I 1 had three years ago and I 1 trust my faith will increase as I 1 increase in years the gospel is worth every ehg to me it is marvelous how patiently those men who were imprisoned for conscience aake stood the imprisonment they did with willingness lin gness rather than renounce the principles of truth and renounce the wives and children which god had blessed them with I 1 know that the loid can meet with his saints in prison as well as outside the walls for ho was there and his holy spirit rested upon the brethren during their incarceration wo have associated with criminals of the blackest dye and been subject to the greatest indignities and have heard the foulest kind of language still through it all we were blessed abundantly and though by a simpler answer to the proposition to live within the could have been released they feel they would rather remain oven unto death alian to deny the blessings and truths god has blessed them with they would rather die than to renounce that which the lord has given them one brollier brot lier especially received a letter which if lie should but sign and say ho would live within the law helas offered his liberty and though he was sentenced to three and one half years ho put tho letter in his pocket and I 1 presume it is thoro yet I 1 feel like honoring tho law of god and by his aid and assistance wo will wo will not make promises we cannot keep ho prayed god to bless the latter day saints and all israel in all things and that the saints would honor god and his priesthood and do nothing that will bring his displeasure upon us which he earnestly prayed for have como to alio conclusion that tho more I 1 study the gostol the more broad and extensive do I 1 find it it is marvelous to contemplate the gospel of life and salvation that has again been revealed in these the last days and the revelations of god as they have been revealed through the prophet joseph smith it requires the spirit of god to help us understand them I 1 realize that it is natural to be and unforgiving that it is natural to revile when wo have been reviled but should cultivate the spirit of humility peace and charity and do to others as wo would have them do to us bo forgiving and do good to those who are conr enemies the world at large look upon us as being exclusive in our religion and therease ther eare manulat tor day saints who entertain the belief that if the people will not do as aliey do and what they believe is right they will not be saved I 1 dont look upon it in this manner I 1 believe that every man will be rewarded for the deeds done in the body tho speaker then bore a powerful testimony to the truth of the gospel and portrayed in glowing terms the power that the testimony of the gospel carries with it the utter impossibility of a acerson ridding him belf of the truth it stamps itself upon the human soul and will ever remain thus until they can destroy the truth the gospel they may fight against the truth after they have apostatized for they know they never will get rid of it until they overthrow the truth I 1 bear my testimony that acho gospel is true that joseph smith is a prophet of almighty god and that this church will grow in power and strength and will never be broken in pieces or given to another people choir sang an anthem Jehova hs praise benediction by president A 0 smoot conference then adjourned until saturday morning at au a m the services of the third day commenced by the choir singing the hymn with al the powers of heart and tongue the opening prayer was offered by president angus M cannon and the choir sang shall I 1 for fear of feeble man ELDER JOHN Nic noLsoN had been particularly interested in the remarks concerning the situation the sainta found themselves in and had noticed that the opposition to the work in which tho saints are engaged had occupied a large portion of attention the righteous in all days of the world always had to face disagreeable matters and in many cases they were worse than those we are compelled to face today to day there is in this community a disposition to set aside the welfare of the community for self ho had hoard an announcement made of an assault that was to bo carried out in reference to this community of saints it does not pear said one of those interested that ive can any more legislation for utah at least during the present session and the only manner to solve the problem is to buy these people out and let them go where they pleased and I 1 hold it as an indisputable fact that many of the elders of israel are aiding in this scheme how does this apply to the higher law it may be that some will take issue with me on this point but I 1 care not I 1 stand as an independent older in israel subject at all times to legitimate authority we aru placed cu the defensive when such declarations as that are made is coming from the other side it is a maxim the world over that the owners of the soil rule the world and yet we are doing the best we can to lose it lose that which we have come here to hold Is such a course consistent with the actions of men clothed with the priesthood if such a question ware answered it must bo in the negative and he who contributes to this wrong is commensurably responsible for the result there is a debt that every man in the church owes to the community the efficient services of a servant 0 god and if he dispose of his property his efficiency is impaired apologies about being in straitened circumstances are sometimes given as an excise for selling but in many cases I 1 look upon such as hypocrisy ELDER WILLIAM M PALMER president of the northwestern states mission said we have como out of babylon and now wo aro coaxing babylon to come and help destroy that which god has established the saints were doing wrong in disposing des posing of their inheritance here the fact that they could pell their possessions for a large amount and then buy a smaller place for a less sum was no reason why aliey should thus aggrandize themselves not longer than last summer ho was coming across the plains and fell in company with a stranger naturally the topic of mormonism came up and the stranger assured the speaker that his antiro fortune would bo spent in an endeavor to crush out this heresy but whore is a man who would spend a forame to help establish it bather do wo find the saints bartering for gold alie inheritance god has given them for god has intended this as a place for his people the place for alio establishment of his kingdom ELDER K G MAESER said his soul was filled with anxiety at the foolishness of some of the brethren who were parting with their inheritances but yet at the same time he had no fears as to the fate of the kingdom of god chich can never go down but which god has said would exist forever self sacrifice was a glorious and divino principle there were too many of those who professed belief in the principles of the gospel who were to overlook this principle and it was ono of those on which tho fu turo of the church was depending he was afraid that many of the saints were building a golden calf to worship it like in the days of old the choir sang guide us 0 thou great jehovah benediction by patriarch john smith in the afternoon session bishop 0 r whitney read the epistle by president wilford woodruff to be found in another column at the conclusion of which ho delivered a grand dis course a synopsis of which would fail to do the least justice to the speaker cp eaker in some future issue of the ENQUIRER wo will publish the discourse in full |