Show DISCOURSE I i c Of the Coriforertca of the Utah Stake of Zlot Sunday II April 17 1898 by PRESIDENT GEORGE Q CANNON I I rf read a portion of the 12th chap the Book of Ether tIt at > rthtr was a prophet of hU 4w hireforc Ether came forth In Ied YJntunir and began to at Corlantumir the days unto ho people for he could Pairt bsjy restrained < because of the Spirit Pat e srnoI Jrd which I wus lit him I of Par he did cry from the morning o rnr Of tile l until the golrar down Bull We the VIopl to 111 eve In God Posting tlh1 t Ib i r yepentance lost they should be to stroed FILYM9 I unto them that by all I things are fulfilled litth AAlierefore whoso belcveth In god WheeOr surety hope for A better night 1 rt VarIl lt yes ever piece at the right I of led hAth hope cometh of hofoe filth ho Puliketil an anchor to the souls of hh Would mike Jhetn sure and steadfast In a ln5s abounding In good ks being Id to glory God And it cione 10 Ias flint Ether did iliy I Sat and marvellous thlnga rSth < people which they dill not boa bo-a realise they raw them not teve Ihn l d Poll I Moroni would speak Innebst concerning these things I would how unto the world that faith I things hoh tire hoped for arid not n bPtor dispute not because re ve nol for ye receive no witness until after O IM trial of your faith al Ferlt was by faith thnt Christ iffti hlmflf unto our fathers after lie hart risen from the dead and lie rtnte d not Himself unto them until Sine had faith In Him wherefore JfmuBt needs be that some hath faith t Him fu He hoe Himself not unto The old rtut beeftirle of the faith at men Ile In hon ImBelf unto lie world and floI1 tile name of the Father and wsrVa a way that thereby others iltht be rnrtakirs of the heavenly eft tbt tlr 1ihOf for those ilrpi uhlcn they have not Been tl Wherefore ye may alo have hope ad be partakers of the gift If ye will brt t hive faith Tthold It wns by faith thnt they of old A were called after the holy order of Whore hy faith n the law of yoem given I nt In the gift of lan la-n bth 001 prepared a more excl 1t wY ard It Is I by faith that I hath tn fulfilled Fr If I hero be no faith among flit bnn o men nod nn do no mlrnre Imon thrt wherefore Ie hewed tot llmflf until After their faith BthnM It was the faith of Alma jil Amuljk that caused the prison to tjmbl li I > the earth BttKiM It WBB the faith of Nephl nod Ih the wrought the change upon the ttnulti Ihlt they were bnpdzed Hthrf ard with the Holy Ghost BrtwU It was the faith of Ammon art krithron which wrought BO trtitantracift rimAng the Lamaniton Til nit nn all they who wrought 1 irtarf wrought them by faith even HJVrto r before Christ and also 01 rh were A Bee M It I wns by faIth that the three fljdnes 1 obtained n promise that they 00914 not Viste ot dnth And they oh Writ e1h not the rrml nt after their mArl neither n1 nnv Pne hath nny 1114ht miracle I until after their faith Iny fn1 krfore they first believed In the Son And ther were many whose faith Ill so exceeding stronl even before Cert np Who could not bn kept Imm r within the vnll but truly nl Itt Illv Paw lh their eyes the things which thev hd > Md with no eye of faith and thy were Kind faih And IOhol We hOe Peen In this roorl flint one of theme the wns broth tot fr In of Jared far An > rrent was him fnlth 1 I God that when i Gad put forth Ills faces iV Ile call it not hide it from the h of the I brother nf Jnred became iII 0 r Ills jord which He had spoken hcnu unto hm nnlch word he had obtained folth obtolnd by folthArd Ard After Ihe brother tIell nUe Iothe ot Jared find the freer of the Lord because r Ile roml which the brother 1 IMI ot I cId hd not ht1nAd hy filth thV Lord withhold lhht Anything from his Wbppfnr he tAws ti shewed him nil fo he lould n longer be kept itlioct the Vail And it I Val i fnlth that 1 tnlh my father Jke fathe fv ob I d the oboln1 Promise thll that the thmh i hld came unto thlr brethren I rd hb the nentlle thptre the commdeJ Iu Cbrl t mo yea even lime h I much of similar Import to tbl t 11 In the nth Iml chapter Ilh of Hebrews chJple Iehrw Itttn by Paul In 1 which he sets forth lily clearly the power o God that was ranifelitd from line to time I amo tmo amonc tit Urcn ot men through the If I faith power 11II a good thing to have our minds nhellad 1 by reading the Word of God > this principle because If there i V people upon the face of the earth I I that have need of faith or any people that have seen the fruits of faith wear we-ar that people for Ood has shown His I lower to us through the exercise of our faith In Him i We have met together this afternoon and I have no doubt that In the hearts of all present there Is a deilre that that which shall be said shall b of pront to them People do not gathei I together as you have 8me omlng from afar without a purpose and without I w1ut T purpom7 out a desire to be Instructed I trust I therefore that In alt our hearts there will be an exercise of faith In the lArd to this end that we may be Instructed and bnnted Like my brethren I have been greatly great-ly gratified at this Conference I have felt that this ought to be the dawning of a new era In this Blake of Zion I believe that the union of the people has boon greatly promoted by their effort to complete this Tabernacle I feel that the faith which has been manifested manifest-ed by the people In contributing of their substance and ot their labor to the rmplshmont of thin rent work w lit hOe 1 wldesra1 and henpleln wi feet upon the people It his been ly experience nld observation that whenever when-ever the Lntterday Saints arc called upon to perform a work and they gtt to with their energy their might nnd < with the spirit of union to accomplish that work the effects upon their char later tire ahays ot a benen111 nature I results In great good to tho Individ unit still to the people In thinking about this my mind has hen led to contemplate the effect that It will have and also the principle of wi which his been exemplified by the Kalntu In this great work for I suppose It has been a r great work to you In this Stake I Is by faith that you have done this And what you hnve done Illustrates 10 n very great extent the principle of fnlth faih Our people have been urged from the b 1 ginning to have fnlth In Ood nnd in His power And as I have aid the 10onA that we hv been taught have hen nt a hnrater to leave on undy Ing Impress upon us that should not be obliterated by Plaything that may occur If I had power I would like to make a still deeper Impression upon our minds concerning this principle and to show to the Jutt rdny Saints thnt nod Intend that wo shall be I people of great fattha people of such fnlth that we shall carry to 1 success flit termination Inbor tcrlnaton any r nr duty that He mny require at our hands I would like If I can to draw the Attention of this congregation to that which ham bn accomplished I bv this people throiiBh the exercise of faith I need not bring this down to Individual cases because everyone here who has had any experience In this Church has sn crrerfsoffaith the elel of faith In life or her own life I think there are very few In this whole audience who could not If called upon benr a testimony to Illustrate the principle upon which I am speaking This Church ban been built up by faith Through this principle we have Performed most extraordinary works The history of the people from the beginning be-ginning furnishes a continued exempli nc1lon Of what mon And women can do when they have faith In Clod and In Ills power Jesus said All things are possible to him that belleveth We wore told Yesterday by Brother Oran concernInts Nephl going to Jeruffalem At the commad at the Lord through his father to obtain possession of the biass plates Nephll brothers o foled n want of fath In the mission their father had assigned tn t them and Nephl uttered this remarkable expression The Lord glveth n commandments com-mandments uttto the children of man chldrn no lave He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He commandrth them That Illustrates mot beautifully the prlncl pie of faih I seemed an Impossible thing to Laman and Lemuel because Lmuel they knew the character of Laban that he was utterly unscrupulous and would not hesitate to do anything anYlhlnl slid therefore thy bad no faith that faih tha they could accomplish what their father desired On the contrary Nephl believed I that whatever God required ogann at the hands of men He would prepare I the way If I they but had filth and ex rled themselves for It t be accom pushed The history of thnt mission Is full of encouragement and conveys a lesson of great Importance to all who I will read It and niter Into the spirit of that which was done Nephl was de termined to accomplish that which his father and the Lord had required at hd rquird his hands Though the flrat attempt via to a certain extent a failure that talure tht did not dourog him he did not may It Is Impossible we cannot Cnnot accom plish It He did not yield to that feel Ing but he continued his effort until 1 he accomplished untl accomplse the business that was entrusted to him WA The history of the Latterday Saints contains numerous Illustrations of this principle In the grut works that hv work teen aocompllthd by the servants of God The Prophet Oo Te JOh Smiths whole life 119 l full of these He was full of faith Ho hellovul that whatever I the Lord rqulre at him hands he could Ito nn tit h nor hesitated I was 0 A Ith mny otht rs In tho Church rij 1 has been so with th 0 en tire people 1 need only J refer lots to the coming of the people to this land A great many said It was Impossible that the people would perish In the wilderness lust thy must have many things they did n trkhHot In Older to accomplh that work Hot there wee those isho dill not hove that fear Thy did not stop t ak themselves whether they hd the moan with ublell to make the journey but they started out believing that God would help them and would Open the wa be for them And In every Instance where they had this faith they neom pllshcd that which 1 they were aiming for for10w often has It been In the history of the people that those who had faith after receiving the Gospel In fih Ue land And who believed that God would open their way and were wit ling to trust Him to the very utter most W1r able In thismanner tocrill g rrate to the land which nod had dcslg tinted as 0 place of giilhering for life I people Many of this congregation nt doubt If they were cal upon could relate how wonderfully Ood had opened their way In tills respect < The Elders who are sent out as mls elonarles also have the Opportunity of proving the correctness of this princi ple and they can testify to the power of God manifested 111 their behalf Innnlttd II be cause of their determination bhal that which God called them to do I could relate Instance are Instaneo rom my own experience whore I bay ben told that I w whaeTJav for me to attempt to do alemrt t n cer tain thing because heeue It could not be done and jet by being deter die mined and having unyielding faith In God I have been able to accom plish It I suppose the lives of all of us who have had 01 hav experience In this < Church pedaJly In mls lonary work abound with Illustration of this kind I One little Incident 11t0 occurs to my mind I had translated the Hook of Mormon Into the Hawnllan language Inwnlon We had purchased a press type and paper to be sent to the Sandwich Islands and they arrived the after I had returned home Brother Parley 1 Pratt who was laboring in San Francisco hnd these sent up to San Francisco with there the expectation of publishing a pal I He thee Ie quested the First Presi dency that I might return and old In I tho publication of this paper and u1no to publish the translation which I had mode of the Book of Moron I was called limit sent After my arrival wa In Ban Francisco I found that Brother Pratt had started home I followed him lie had made his arrangements however to go and he told me that I must take hold of the work and he set me apart to preside In California Well I was but young and Cn1nla younger than I really was and the Saints In San Francisco said It Is no ue One of the leading men said to me I yoU have got a thousand dol lars You can open no office hero They said everj thing almost to discourage me I sold The Lord has sent me here I am going to publish n Paper here I am going to publish the Plpr look of Mormon here I ned not rehearse to you the particulars of how the Lord opened the way for many weeks we lived al brad > and water Shortly of Shorty tword I h Mmm n having opened u an office anti the officers < of the uuemlon brnnch or Le confer book ence asked me If I would not attend a meeting that they were going to hold I supposed that they seeing how des tllute we were myself and the two riders who were with me and my wife were going to do something to assist us but Instead of that they thlt notified me that they would not be reo eponslble for any debt of my can tracting They saw I was going ahead but they did not long ty nt want me to deceive myself with the Idea that I could fall back on them and expect them to pay any debts that I might contract You call imagine what effect tat would have on any of you It stirred me I sUred up a good deal And I prol wled to them for I had the spirit of prophesy and told them to get out at my vaY and not Impede my work They told me to shut up the allies I saM to them i am sent here to do a work tem with Gods help I will do It and If you do not nnnt to help In this the Ior Will raise up others that will And He did In Ul I very short time I was able to send to President Young nearly two thousand dollars In cash tithing Money was offered me by the thouanda to saint me In nssls my work I did not avail myself of the offer be orer I cause I knew Jf I did I would not be able to return It for a while Jut I published the Hook of 1 ormon and sent 2GOO copies to the Sandwich Islands and Sandwlr Ilands I published a lublhe paper and did ao till the Buchanan tI war broke us up No doubt many of tho Elders have experienced similar Instances to this where when hey made up their minds that It won th will of God mins tain tiling should bo done and they cr went to with their might to do It the Lord lien opened the way before them and given them success This principle as I have wild Js 1 II lustratid In the completion of this Dtah Stake Tabernacle There Is Uah ftnke TcbmnI Thee I deter satiation adopted by the presidency of this Stake that they are going to Hn IshUils tabernacle nnd the determina deerlna tion and faith which they manifest cause the results that we witness I today So uii Is el In everything connected with L the Church Men pay their thing I and wlun they do It In faith OIK blesses that tithing when they con tribute to the work of Uou lit blesses their contributions I and 11o bring means to them In ways that arc imparceptible to them but they Pee the results rosul God wants us i to bee people that will 1frl IWen Og thatnIll l have t faith In 1111m and not be lay erned by the feelings that nctuaJttd our fathers who judgld by the Bight ot I the eye and did not think anything citlild be accomplished except In a na I tural wnj such Jill tlcy hid bee rile customs to The lr Intends to uoncllte thin p pIc I from Ihoeo ideas I Ihy 11 lst to Iturn and be lve In 1 lo Irumlsr 3B10has nil power In heaven and on cui I I and as Nhl once fatd if he should command me f U that I I should Pay unto this water be 1 thou plrth It should l > e earth There Is I nothing Impossible I kvlth 01 I we will rise lo the coml c bouillon at this principle He will open our way before us continually He vflll make things plain before us and glfc unto us means lh which we cnn accomplish evety thing that He commands n matter how Impossibl It mily Olm mater naturally I wu like JVU to soe and un dcrstund this prlncJpli that the Lord lor ndor to teach us ill all His word Moroni ays Palthfls I things which ar hoped fo nnd not en heroe dispute not because je jwi not It reo quires faith to do thin a which n I not seen Our fathers did not have this faith because It wan not In the earth In their days Our fathers Judged by the u a u mo eye XVi 10aChlnl hi on nw Ie tcung u to hope for things we 0 not hut which AT know by the principle of faith exist o faih plnclp and nr rolbl Mu nl also says Anti Christ hath Paid I Ve will have falth In Ills wi fath m ye hl hnve power to do whatsovr Ihlng I OXI Int In me This Is I a glorloun promise I made Unto all those who will have faith and we as a people should rise to 1 com Prehension of this Moroni mays In another place I AndJafter thit he came men also were ra40 by faith In I fin name and by faith they bvome the Penn at Gad And as sur u Christ ore IIoth le rake thpe vds unto our fathers saying Whatlovor thing yo hal ask the Father In my name Whlh is I god In faith believing that ye shnil YOU revelve behold I bali be don unto It Is re trr lo fI flint Mighty lgt tl Pinks are pstfarmet It Is by 1 flit principle that this land ha been Pettl T and the dUncUltcs that enlron otte Ieople of God have bon overom nvlronc Tlhee men that led the people had faith flh President Brigham Young had un bounded faith when he led he iieople UI g here for God had given him knowledge concerning these things He asked the people to do things that appeared to be ltglo tt aprigred IT Nfh Impossible but he knew that I If they had faith they could do them But I must say that at limes It seems there are some who do not have the faith they had formerly They are not so willing to listen Thel 1lng ltn to the servants of God and to believe In them and their words as they were formerly I have hn Impressed < In this way at tinner I Still spanking generally the Pee to have grown In faith and II knowldg 1110 The ne Instances however when thee IB n reluctance to beleve that the things lot seen by the natural eye tire Plble Many look about for natural agencies for natural power for natural I alls If they mnnot peo them they do I uo 1 0 can be accomplished Ttltly must tnlS see the very thing that we r mUR faith does not do Faith Is I a principle that can be ueed to the accomplishment of I ends that are not seen by the natural eye and very frequently appear nntum possible Brethren and slatera It Is I time with the experience we have had now o a Church that we should be a people of unbounded faith willing to believe that ill things are possible with God and that when Ie commands Us to do anything we should go to with our might and with unyielding determination to oeeom plIsh l that end according to the mind and will of God This Is I the kind of people God expects us to be If wo are going to bttld u Zion In power w and In great glory upon the earth It will bo by this principle of ea by putting our trust In God listening to Ills word receiving It In the proper manner from that aUllorty which I has placed on the earth to give Ills word unto His people Zion cannot Ils built up In any oilier way And the Lord will give us means and pour wealth Into our laps I have heard this promise from my boyhood up I heard the Prophet Joseph say that If this people got so that the would Uiten to counsel arid be obedient and un scinch I the Lord would 1 pour the wealth I of the world Into our laps I know It myself now I could not testify to It then for I was but a youth but I know It o myself now by the revela tons of God t me I our people will only do what they ought to do as they have done m building this tabernacle I and as they are doing from time to time In the various labors that are assigned them If they continue to do It God win continue to bless them I we pay our tithing and are liberal with the Lord He will be liberal with us D not think for a moment that when you give a dollar thnt you Impoverish Im-poverish yourself that much I Is al mistaken Idea I know that Is the old I I way of looking at It but It 13 a fal lacy Men will try TvraZ10yN0tnyon I but I say it Is I all wrong No man Impoverishes Im-poverishes himself that obeys the I commandments of God What he gives I I God will restore to him and sun e ouo 10re J abundantlj Ho wants us to I ho a I people that will put our trust In IBM and believe that t He has the 1 we 1m fulfill Ills words unit to give us inure than we can possibly give to 1m I am telling jou the truth of heaven I know this people ought to be I obedl nt to the things that God ban rents v led and to the re-nts He has given It they wi cOlmandmcnl do so lie A ivlll t rwnrd them abundantly I Wn radlnl Vic other day nn ae count of n nlanby the name at George Mueller Ie wag al extraordinary man lie lived to be le lve ninetythree Years at a age and cited I little hle ago lie was an Independent In lilit religious be lief I do not know that he Joined on I church or associated With any par llcula denomination yet he w ns fam Illar ivlth almost nil the dentinflun lions Solne ton Ie fifty or sixty years ago the thought took possession nf Jilin that he would try and alClate i the sufferings and the Tongs Uilch ex Islcd In society in 1849 he succeeded In I building an orpin home Mt tAr from Bristol England At the time or his death he hud uc < ceded In build ing live of these homfn old hlo IHld wards of two 11 ar thousand children that I he cared for and oducald lie had 1 corps of assistant and his outlay for this work was about 110000 a year Th I enellls of that which he did Were very ivldesptead He distributed ul > UI a million and I half of NoO Testaments Testa-ments Ibout half n miion Bibles and lag qutt of other llttrnlu Aogohe tram the Umo he cons Merced until his death he expender expend-er six millions ot dollars In tills work Of course the mere recital of this as far as I have gone does not carry with It anything at all remark tile because other mn hove spent large sumo of money In alleviating the dss of their fellow cAro But this la the remarkable thing about tills cue and It Illustrates I this principle upon which I am speak Ing thIs man never asked any human being for hell he nor hggel a do lar ho never entreated anybody to give him monoyl to particular us hn In relatJon to that which he no do 1 Ingrethatnfor severoY Ing tnt for several years he would wt even publish that which ho was accomplIshing for the reason thnt It nlcht stir up somebody to take hold o It Now Bow did be accomplish this lie Was a poor mol himself andoometlmes when he hall finished one meal he did not know where he would get the next He had no hank stocks he had no personal Income in-come from any source t and yet ns I have said he accumulated and expended expend-ed over six millions of dollars He did this by I the power of priyerl Even to us who tire so familiar with the results ot prayer jilit seems Incredible that this work could Ie done by a single man through the Influence of pmyer but It pryr IB declated to be the truth that he accomplIshed ac-complished all this without asking human hu-man aid but Imploring God In prayer to give I him the means to carry on bin wok In answer to his pray Pee pIe woule come and give him money He with those who were with him would beseech the Lord to open the way and supply his dally wants and he never went short He was jealous about tills lest anyone should have the glory of It and so anxious was he that God should have the glory that as I have slid he would not make bin vants o to mail A short time < 0 oU moun ii anyone to prove thnt he hid ever asked a human hu-man being for aid To me the story ot this mans life I was a most Impressive one mans sld to myself Here Is an Illustration of what God will do even t a man who does not hold the Priesthood of the Son of Ooda man who bas such prayerful confidence And uh supreme faith In God that he can trust Him to the very uttermost I I believe this story vcr WJlh all my heart I believe It Is I Possible 4 this My own life Is I an Illustration iutrAton of It In a r small way I have preached a great deal with out purse and scrip and I never jet asked a human would have been a great trio t me to being for anything that I wanted It I have had to ask my fellow mn for aid The first money ever given to me while al a mission I was so shnmed to take It that I returned It to the widow who gave I to me for I could not bring myself to accept It I repented re-pented o f It however because I knew I was wrong 1 deprived that woman oJon a blessing bha not taking that money Hut I had this lnh of I shrinking maybe It was pride and I could not bring myself to ask men for mnns But I could go to the Lord nn I did go to Htm and He supplied me In most extraordinary ways I was on the Sandwich Islands where I picayune six and a quarter cents was a much to them as fifty dollars dalo almost would be to us now and I remember re-member being asked by Brother arid Sister A Hammond where I expected expect-ed to get some new clothing as my clothes were getting very shabby I could not tell them I said The Lord will bring It about because I knew He hoard and answered prayer kew lie did do so And Is I not that the experience ex-perience of hundreds of rlder + shall I not say thousands Perhaps thre tire hundreds In this congregation whose experience Is I similar to min In thlq respect And If the Lord con hear the players of humble riders and fumlst them with mean cnn le not hear the Pray era pnnra of 11 is servants concerning greater ente rpisos which grate enteprls require more means and more faith 1 Certain ly He can nod Is I na limited In Ills power to the furnishing of some article of clothing As I have said the nholr earth Is I Ills The han ot heaven Is I the Lord The cattle on a thousand hills the fish that swim In the Ma and everything there Is I upon the race of the narlh all are Ills And He has Ie Hlrf agents by the Ihousands ready to do His bidding and to Interpose In be half of His children Iterose hnl 118 chidren They are Invis ible to us perhaps though occasionally g on re i ri P In i but they cI never 1 theles I Around till a till we eon feel their heavenly presence Nw how iajy It Is for them to overrule and can trol and she things tu suit i tlwLord th and Ills purposes lie has done this All tile time In connection with tills weak lit Ilia turned nhln our ene I mies when it has seemed as though rj We should I perish I Ile ham made the wra th of man to pralso Jilin Ile has defeated 1m 1 dentel their mochlna I tons a n1 their welllaid Plane wIlol 1111 lie has brought to naught And He Is I able to do this always and will doj It If I we will only have fnlth 01 In < him nnd b love fnlh that He I hIOe le can do thl and put unfaltering trust In Him UnfnlOlng All that Is 1 necessjirj Is I to know what Al tho right thing to del How shell we know 10w < hnl U7 We can know It by receiving It thugh the constituted authority that Cod has I cnsttutNI eaftli to e tnt Petit Hlu When tho word of the Lord come through that authority and a command Is I given autholy 0rmnn1 vn to on to do a cer tOln thing lot file tell You In the le rinin tel 01 ot theLrd nme Jesus that Lo cnn Ile done It we 10 I 1i I 1 dOI mn wi 00 I 1 n M sible Its the CQl oTiie Bodkaee l was to the JPt Israeli When they got tn the Bed Sea there Ic1 mile tile sea In front of them the mountains on either 1 Bide and their enemies behind them But the Lord all equal to the occasion He uu1 his Pirvnnt Mass to smite the led Sea and a way of deliverance was opened up to Ills I people So It Is now and It e will be when Ills HO pie put their trust In Him and go and do In faith that which 11m requires at hh Ie Iulr their Is hinds I they will do this there nothing that can pievent the accom plishment of the work that fs entrusted to them Do Yon not belitvo this my brethren and sisters I know you do I know that In every heart In this congregation In which there Is faith there Is I n ready response that this Is tile truth of Invn and that possible to God Is I everything that Ho requires It Gd our hand I nin glad therefore that title Tabernacle Into been built I am glad that the faith 6f the Latlerdny Saint has been drawn forth Latdny sufficiently to do thla Now continue joUr good work my brethren and sisters Continue to Contnu exercise fallh Continue to cultivate cultvte the principle of union and love In jour midst Com jour wromrdolng Coutiol jour children Honor the Priesthood of the Bon of Ood Let no word be spoken In jour streets or In jour dwellings or In your asioclitlons dero gatory to the work and the servants of God or thit would In any manner ernt grieve the Spirit of Ood I Is true Ills servants are fallible men No one knows their fallibility letter than they do themselves speaking generally They know how much they shrunk from bearing the responsibility which God han placed upon them Joseph F Smith and George Q Cannon who are here to dan ner m tinted the office that they bold We bh would hve avoIded It If I we could We did not seek for power hit hit endOvorvd tn nr n pr roh Ing It Nothing but the command it God would have Induced us to have taken It But God did command He did make this < cOlnmlnd 11 requirement of us and we are hero today standing In the position we do unsought for by us Sot Is I with all of us All you who know Wllford Woodruff know that thnt man never had any nsplrallon to preside over this Church He presides today because God required It at Ills hands Therefore should You not uphold there men Should jou not pray for them 1 Should you b envious of them 7 Should you speak evil of them and be jealous I of them I say No for If you do God will be angry with you I have spoken al > out the Klrst Presidency of the Church but I need not confine these remarks to them they apply with wih equal force to the Twelve Apostles and to the presidents of Apt d wn Partridge did not get tho office of president of the Utah Stake of Zion because he sought for It David John I doM not stand where ho does because he desired I neither does lee Smoot The came thing applies no doubt to the High Council and to tile Ulshops and to all the servants of God Men do not obtain Place In tills Church because the y seek for It If It were known that a man WI ambitious to hold a certain cerln office In the Church that tact Itself would lead to his defeat because his desire de-sire would not 0 granted unto him This Is I the case with tho omcrs ot this Church But we are treated and talked about some times as though we wee civil oCersren who sought to obtain place through the suffrages of their fellow citizens We have not done this and the rule that It I applied to civil officers offi-cers In that regard does not apply to us We lire not responsible appy was it going to say to the people yes we are o we are responsible to God God close tin and nomlnl1 us and It U I for Him to straighten us out when we do wrong He submitted us t the people and the people accepted us hl Bland In that th pole I and re lationplifli I mention this ImicaluIts On know w hat has occurred from time to time and you know the spirit that some men Indulge In concerning the matters We ar doIng the very best we can and We are striving to set al example unto the people In every 111111111111111111 respea t We are tIJng ourselves to cultivate faith and wc are doing many 1 thing thnt naturally we would not do but which God puts In our heats to do We are trying to the very best of our ability to be a benefit to this people The Idea of our standing In these responsible stations and not tak I ing upon us the responsibility that belongs to themthe very thought of such I thing makes my soul almost shrink within me To think that Ood would give mo a responsibility that rlonslblly I did not magnify that He had placed me In a position und I would stand as all III In man A blind watchman a speechless Bhepherd rind do nothing to j take care of the flock Is something so abhorrent to every feeling of my bh Ir i eollin I heart that I cannot bear It When I t inert the Lord I want to meet Him I wlthoul being censurable or being 11m t i demned by Him I want to be ener rI jt tic I want to do everything In I my I 1 i Power I want to work night and day I with all the ability and strength God I lima given me In Iny office and calling il J Irenldent Woodruff and President I i Smith limoI feel the same PiMt ient Woodruff Is a marvel Hi this redo f spect Notllltandln Ills advanced I l ago lip doca everything that a man trill JI do of his strength and far more ar fro 1 quentty think than he ought to at tempt This l Is the spirit that remote il upon the First Presidency We are anx I Ions to save the people We are anx 1 I IQu tR 1laveratt Ourselves and to R I In 11 11 1 Inn i li i Plots that memair all t cattle UI to the standard necessary to enter Into the presence of the Lord Jesus that you cannot say to ui that Iwo I-wo have not been true to you that wee we-e not watched over you and that e have not guarded you Interests un I selfishly arid with al eye single to the glory tit God find that we on our pat I trust will be able to say that ran have obeyed the counsel which God i linn given to us that you have listened < I lis-tened to Ills voice Q It has been revealed re-vealed t us and have obeyed that i counsel out murmuring without hesitation and faultfinding and with We hope that this will be the case for some day we are going to stand before the judgment seat of our Lord Iore and Redeemer to be judged by Him I The deeds we have done In the body I the woo we have used the Influence I 11 we have exercised we shall be judged for thom all Not one of us can CIe the judgment of the Lord our loll I let Therefore mo union my to you brethren this afternoon and ulslers In I this solemn assembly for It Is a I notation assembly to toke heed to 1 your wnys You have been taught the n ZT word of God The servants of g have Ji been II Your midst and have labored i wih you You till know flint this Is the mork of nod The power of God I I has attended the administration of the Uldera The sick have been healed and many mighty works have been k done In your midst You know there I I fore for Yourselves that the Lord Is I with I Ills people dt Aht us Now Itn I listen to the voice of Ills Spirit Cut r I tivate that Pplrlt I and seek for It by j night and by day If you lfo oltI I I say to you that God will reveal lllm self unto you as Ho has never done 1 I before the visions of eternity will be i 1 open 1o you angels wit mlnlbler unto IOU j I-OU and the power of God will descend i I upon you as Individuals and as a Pee I I I P L11 you S I Ine nom < Ue rd and A II servant ThIs will mot asurel Ila the Rase lh UJa i People It they will do as the Lord requires re-quires at their hands and fltercJ I Qer faith and put away evil from them Let us labor to maintain our second I estate Oh this Is the great desire of my heart for my brethren and sisters 11 and for myeelf We were faithful In our first estate We would not listen I to Satan Consequently we are here today clothed with mortality Now wo are in our second estate and Satan Is I again seeking to lead us astray He 11 wants ua to listen to him He would like to destroy us and would nil our minds with the polivm dinth On the i other hand I led entreating c by i His Holy Hplrlt not to listen to Satan I In said of Cain that he loved Satan more thin ah loved God That Is are I I unfortunate condition for any human I being to 10 In Let us love God mar I than we do Satan Let us not listen to r that nrehtempter and dMlroyer who rebelled against God nnd His Chosen I One and led astray onethird of 6ur brethren and sisters led them down to 14 hell to be his angels his agents to do 1 his bidding and they are striving now q to destroy the rest of the children ot 11 I God and to defeat the purposes of Ood Let us be faithful to our second estate scnd No matr how poor we may be n f matter what our circ It instances may b let us maintain our Integrity and keep l 11 the commandments of God that In tho I end we mny come back Into the presence pres-ence of Ood having kept our second I itate and filled the mlpslon Ho has I given us on the earth that He may If welcome tin back as me welcome our Rolls when they return after having filled faithful missions only with for greater joy that when we meet OUr 11 Father In heaven and our Elder Brother I Jesus they may oy t us You have 11 kept jour second estate you have been faithful and true In the mldt of temp tnton sIn and darkness you have maintained your valor now there In I I I before you a nevrcndlng career of glory anti hon and evrytln that is embodied In all the promises of God God help Uo all to do this with all our households our children and our posterity This Is I my humble prayer this afternoon In behalf alcmoon your In the name of Jesus Christ Amen |