Show MINUTES OF THE GENERAL conference of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints convened in in the bowery adjoining the sota mora north pora end of the tabernacle great salt lake city commencing saturday oct 6 1855 1655 at 10 am a in B young presiding on the stand gland presidents B young it C kemball J M grant of the twelve A postles P 11 pratt 0 pratt IV 17 woodruff G A smithy K E T benson L I 1 snow E snow seventies joseph young youngs 11 II herriman Z ral Pal A P ro rockwood ck wood i high nigh priests quorum david presiding presiding bishop edward edw ard hunter presidency or of the stake david fullmer T rhoads P H 11 young gerk cleric of conference Conre rence thomas bullock reporter Be porter G D watt called to order by prest B young choir sunry sung athe tho the morning breaks v the shadows olee flee prayer by prest B young as follows I 1 thou god who dwells in in eternity even our god the god and father of or our lord jesus christ christy and the father of our spirits it Is thee whom we desire to worship and to whom we look for we feel leel ourselves under obligations to thee and owe to thee tilee our ou being upon this thine earth we look to thee tl this is morning in the name of thy son jesus christ w whom born thou thuu hat ha t given to be a ransom for our sins and for the sin sin of the whole world and through whose name and atonement we expect life everlasting As thou hast rd deemed redeemed the earth and all things thereupon awe we thy creatures who are endowed with intelligence desire to borshi worship ap thee in in spirit and in in truth praying thee our father in in the name of jesus christ for the light of thy spirit to know how to worship thee to know bow to build up thy kingdom king dorfi to know how to approach thee acceptably and in a manner tha liall be acceptable to all holy beings it is is our god whom we worship and we are as this morning in in thy name to transact business pertaining to the building up of thy kingdom on the tile earth we feel thankful unto thee our father that thou hast bast revealed thy will in in this our day that thou hast spoken from the llie heavens and bestowed the holy priesthood upon men and again opened up the way of life ana salvation and that we are the happy partakers par takers thereof help us to appreciate the blessings that we enjoy we have the privilege of assembling here to worship thee with none to molest or make mike us afraid thou hast bast removed us far from our pursuers from those that have sought to oppress asp us and from those who have killed our prophet and dei del destroyed troyed many of thy saints we thank thee that thou hast bast removed us to these mountains help us to realise nealise that our blessings are far above those of many of our fellow fellows s while millions are sitting in in darkness in in the regions and shadow of death suffering for fon ot food suffering buffering through the oppression of kings an and d rulers bowed down in in their iron fetters having not the liberty of speaking or acting or scarcely of thinking for them themselves silves help us to realise nealise the blessing of having our birth and education in more genial climes and among more hospitable people where the laws lams and government under which we were born have tolerated us I 1 in n freedom of thought and speech and on this happy soil even america where thou hast baet brought forth the falness of the gospel and the tile eternal priesthood of thy son where thou hast bast guaranteed to all the right to worship thee according to the dictates of their consciences we chuk thack thee that we now enjoy that privilege herp help us to realise nealise and appreciate these things I 1 while we look unto thee our father and contemplate our circumstances and contrast them with the circumstances of the inhabitants of other oilier climes we can say that we approach thee with shame fac edness when we look at thy saints and those who profess to know thee anu and ut lit the same time behold that the little frivolous frivola fri volo trifling affidi affairs rs pertaining to this probation cause thy people to sin bin sin bin 0 lord we feel to beg and plead with thee to have hive mercy upon our weaknesses be compassionate unto us and as we hive have assembled this morning for the p purpose of transacting business in in the capacity of a general conference we do pray thee in in the name of the lord jesus that thy spirit pay may influence each heart that we may be en abid abad to worship thee in in spirit and in in truth to forsake all our sins sins and vanities and to leave off thoe those thines things that mar mtr our peace and grieve greve the holy spirit of the lord jesus for we desire sire to be thy faithful children we pray thee that each heart may be suitably full suil ably affected by the light of eternal truth that we ire may understand thy will concerning us that we may have a disposition to do thy will voli to love the lord our god with all our desits to love our neighbors especially thy saints as our selves to cleave unto righteousness and to hate iniquity and to do good even to our enemies we pray that the tile influences of thy spirit may attend us through our conference that the hea vens ven s may be propitious over our hads h hads ads and th that at the veil of darkness even thirk thick darkness that covers rovers the nations of the earth may be taken from us that we may see s e and know things as they are and understand the mind and end will of the lord concerning us that we aire may understand thy ways and thy goings forth amono among among the inhabitants of the earth that we may read the destiny of mans mant man a d the future destiny pertaining to us thy people and to thy kingdom and know and understand things past present and i to come 0 lord lordie we ask thee to let thy spirit so rest upon us that each one who has a assembled s here to worship thee may have their spiritual strength renewed that each one who shall before this people may be filled with the power of god that the holy ghost may inspire each heart to speak to hear to sing to pray ti to write and to do those thin things pertaining to the business transactions of thy kingdom acceptably unto thee that thy kingdom may advance upon the earth zion be redeemed and thine israel be gathered that we may be prepared for the coming of the son of man be the happy partakers par takers of thy grace from day to day and be counted worthy to be numbered with the tile sanctified who shall enjoy th presence of the lord jesus with dalight delight and be caught up to meet him in the air father in heaven we ask for thy blessings upon those of thy saints not now assembled here who inhabit these mountains wilt thou comfort their hearts inspire them encircle tham in the arms of thy love and mercy and hedge them about by thy power and be thou a of rocks round about us towering between us and our enemies that they may have no power over us inasmuch as the wicked mingle with thy people here we pray that thy spirit may teach them the right way and convince them of the truth of the everlasting Gospel though it is despised by men nien in high places and set at naught by the nations and aud though thy people and thy doctrine are held field in derision let those who are honest in heart have the light of thy spirit that they may be influenced to acknowledge that thou art god and be inclined to seek after I 1 thy righteousness that they may know and understand der stand for themselves the influences that are of god and the influences not of god we pray pr a y I 1 hee bee our father in heaven to bess vess all thy m missionaries in the midst of these mountains on this continent continents on the islands of the sea arid and upon other continents may aray thy angels be with them may they go before them and be around about them that they may be preserved from the power of the enemy and be inspired from on high by the power of the holy ghost that they may have power to do good and brin bria bring souls to the knowledge of the truth and build u up P thy kingdom and aid in preparing the way for the coming of tha the son of man we ask for thy blessing upon all those who believe in their testimony 1 we realize our father that the earth is thine and the falness thereof that the gold and the silver are thine that the wheat and the tho fine flour are thine that the cattle upon a thousand hills are thine and that it is for thee to give and for thy pe people 0 1 to receive we ask thee that thou I d t so give that thy people may be gathered together from the islands of the sea and from distant lands let thy spirit rest upon thy saints that the rich may feel that liberality and that charity towards the poor which they should and that the poor may feel a heartfelt gratitude to the rich who bestow means upon them insomuch that they will render to each and every man that which is due and not be coye tous neither be filled with clary IJ ciary glary and may both both poor and rich concentrate cen their efforts and means to the building up of thy kingdom to the gathering of thine israel in the latter days to the redemption of zion the re establishment of ieru jeru jerusalem salem and the ban brn bringing ng forth salvation to the inhabits inh inhabitants abita ants of the whole earth we ask thee our father fattier to inspire us all to be of or one heart and one mind that our affections faith and efforts may all be united and engaged in building up thy kingdom and in the establishment thereof on the face oace of the earh wilt thou bless aud and heal up the sick among thy people and comfort their hearts we would remember before thee those who are now upon theli theil ains journeying to this place and ask th thee ee to 0 b ring bring them safely to us may the elements be favorable and propitious to them and permit them to come to us without suffering and let their heir hearts be inspired inasmuch as they suffer toil and labor to assemble with thy saints may they have thy holy spirit with them and may thine angels be roundabout round about them bless and preserve their teams and all they have with them we pray thee 0 lord to regard the interests of thy kingdom among the nations of the earth ha hasten ten the gathering of israel and the r redemption ed emption of zion and may the remnants of the Lam aniles feel the power of thy spirit that they may cease their wickedness and be divested of their blood thirsty disposition and receive hearts of flesh that hat they may see and understand the ways of the lord we dedicate ourselves unto thee our wives and our ch children idren oun our houses and our lands our flocks and our herds with ril pil that thou hast bast committed to our charge we dedicate this con ference ferenee to thiard thi and pray for wisdom to transact the tha business 8 that should be done and that all things that are not right and that are contrary to thy counsel and will may ba be taken from our minds may all hearts be concentrated in that which will please thee and advance thy king hing ki L egdom kingdom dom and cause and make the hearts of thy saints to rejoice exceedingly that they live to be saints in the latter days hear us 0 lord ala aia avd answer these our supply cat ions ba be with us through our meeting and through our future life guide us to thy praise aud and prepare us for thy kingdom and glory and with the tha sanctified bring us to thyself in thy kingdom these with all needful favors and mes wes blessings sings we ask in hi the name of jesus christ amen REPORTED BY sy G D WATT warra choir sung a hymn prest 2 young addressed addre addres qed ced red the congregation on the gny suy eject of faith the holy spirit the dealings of the lord with this people acy and was followed by prest kimball who ho spoke nan uan uron upon the principle of the saints living their religion or th ord would he of BO benefit to them the choir chanted behold a king shall reiga relea in right housde isaiah benediction by prest joseph tout your go 2 p in called to order orai b by y prest prest Kirn kimbail sali tall singing by the choir choir prayer by prest grant singing f elder nathaniel V jones returned missionary late from the presidency of the hindostan hindustan nind Hind and barman empire mission related his travels in those lands and stated that the elder elders of the church of jesus christ bad traveled from the himalaya mountains to nar near the southern limits of the peninsula and said gald that a mr wilson episcopalian bishop balthop of Calcut calcutta tay wrote to the clergy in all the military cantonments canton ments to forbid the mormon elders preaching there and the clergy faithfully obeyed the bishop elder john young bore testimony to the truth of the gospel and spoke upon good works agency and revelation prest J M grant briefly discussed the text eveny every man shall be rewarded according to his bis works choir sung the anthem anthems lio llo IIo sannah in the highest benediction by elder E T benson in the evening the seventies met in their council ball and the high priests in the social hall oct ay aw 10 a am in called to order by prest B young singing by the choir prayer by prest kimball choir Chol ang romy 0 my father thou that dewelles dw elles tiles elder parley P pratt addressed the assembly on a part of the chapter of luke lukey and stated that what prophecies had been fulfilled were literally fulfilled and the remaining predictions will be in like manner fulfilled sung bung fg worthy Is the lamb that was slain benediction by elder geo A smith 2 rpm p in called to order by prest kimball kemball choir sung come come ye saints no toll toil or labor fear tear f prayer by elder lorenzo snow singing elder orson pratt addressed the immense congregation on th the e divine authenticity of this latter day work the inspiration of 0 i joseph smith and the divine authenticity of the book of mormon during elder pratts discourse discourses a blessing was asked on the bread by i bishop edward hunter and on the water by bishop L D young choir sung judge me 0 lord benediction by prest grant oct 9 am called to order by prest 11 young t choir sung a hymn prayer by elder woodruff Woo druiT choir chanted a psalm elder elam luddington late from the siamese mission narrated the prominent incidents in his hib prest B young remarked that he had bad been highly pleased with br Ludding tons tong narration and that all the brethren who have returned have manifested the spirit of the gospel a fact comforting c to the saints and more joyful I 1 ul to them thal thai than all the gold of india ile he then took up the business of the conf cont conference erencen when the authorities wi were are severally called and unanimously sustained a as follows brigham young toung president of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints prophet prophets seer and revel bevel revelator ator lieber C kimball first counselors counselor prophet prophets seer and revelator rev Kev elator Jed jedediah edlah M H grant second counselor orson hyde president of the quorum of the twelve Apost apostles lesy and parley P r pratt orson pratt wilford woodruff john taylor george A smith amasa lyman layman ezra T benson charles C bich rich lorenzo snow erastus snow snows and franklin D richards members of eaid eald quorum john smith eldest son of hyrum presiding patriarch arh david president of the high nigh priests quorum r um reynolds cahoon and george B wallace his counselors lorg joseph young leyl levi W hancock II ancock henry Herr nerr herriman lma ima zera albert P rockwood benjamin L clapp and 11 S eldredge Eldred gey presiding presidents over all the seventies john Xe beker president of the elders quorum james ir smith aud and aaron sceva his counselors edward hunter presiding bishop of the whole church lewis wight president of the priest quorum george dockstader and william whiting bis his counselors mcgee harris president of ahe the quorum adam |