| Show SERI sermon SEEMON JA I 1 4 11 0 by president BRIGHAM TOUNG morning oct ath 1855 ISM it tar C reported by G D watta WATT IB S As we have assembled in tle the capacity of a conference to attend to business w we should earnestly eek seek pek to enjoy the spirit of our balling calling we are called to be saints saint and if it we ba havethe vetrie spirit of saints we shall have the spirit of codr our calling balling otherwise we certainly do not enjoy the privileges that the lord designs we should the lord is ready and willing to give his spirit to those thos i who are honest before him and who seek ca earnestly P eitai io to envy it I 1 1 f t 11 I 1 it f saints assembled to worship tue or in ani and d fra ira transact ns ac t b business u aines S pert pertaining aaning to his kinga 0 i sh ouid i not have the aid of his spirit they would be likely uko to commit errors it would be strange 1 1 indeed in d ee d if I 1 they did id not and to do that which they ought not even in in business transactions they would w ouid fall fail short of accomplishing their own wishes sand and of course far short of fulfilling the designs designe of hili hill heaven we see many led astray because they have not retained the spirit of christ to guide gulde hem when any of this people who believe belleve the gos gospel forsake the duty which they owa owe to bogod god and arid I 1 nis his his cause they are at once surrounded ily lly by ilk an influence which causes them to imbibe a dislike to saints and to the conduct of saints they receive a aise false alse spirit and then the saints cannot do ri night right at in their eyes the ministers of god cannot cannon preach right nor act right and soon they wish vish to leave cifa the society of the saints and that tp too as they su suppose with a heart and life they wish to withdraw from this as they believe wicked people fancying all to be wicked but themselves and wish to separate themselves until the people are as holy as they hey flatter themselves that they are when they calculate to return again others will lose the spirit of their calling and realize that they have lost loit it they are wicked and know 14 it and ans will have more confidence in ot hershan IF in themselves but the self righteous will go go away and wait until we as a people are sanctified amt able to endure their thein pr presence and think that then thea they will perhaps gather gathen among us again jg people are liable in many ways to be led astray by the power of the adversary for they do ml rat fully understand that it is a hard matter for thal thai to always distinguish distl sh the things of god fromi from things of the iel lel devil there is but one way which they can know the difference and ya tha I 1 s by the light of the spirit of revelation even evenso a spirit of our lord jesus christ without it we ve are all liable to be led astray ana and nd forsake ar nr brethren forsake our covenants and the c church arch and end kingdom of god on earth ff 11 t should the whole people neglect their butr aind find come short in P performing the things bequir require ta at their hands lose the light of the spirita Spirit spirl tf Cof the lord the light of the spirit of would not L know now the voice of the good shepherd d from the voice of a stranger they wo would woula not know khow the difference between a false teacher and a true one fon fos there are many spirits egonut into the world and the fal fai false spirits are gi giving revelations elat ions agdel as well weli II 11 as the spirit of the lord oghig this we are acquainted with we know that there att are many delusive spirits and unless the latter dar saints live to their privileges and enjoy ibe lh the e pint spent of the holy gospel they cannot discern between those who wh oserve serve god and those who serve him nol DL consequently it becomes us as saints to char chava to the lord with all our hearts and seek hila until we do enjoy the light of his hig spirit taa ime may discern between the righteous ani and tile tiie alvick ed edana na unde estand the diffie difference ren ce between false spirits and true then when we see a presentation wd we shall shell know whence it is and understand whether it be of the lord or whether it is not of him but if the people are not endowed with the holy hoay ghost they cannot tell fell therefore it becomes is us to have the spirit of the lord not only in preaching and pra praying but to enable us to reflect and judge ge for the thie saints are to judge in these matters they are to judge not only men they are to be judges not only in in the capacity of a conference to decide what shall be done what course shall be pursued to further the kingdom of god what business shall be transacted and how it shall be transacted and abd so on but they will actually judge angels we sit here as judges and suppose that business which would prove injurious to this people should now be presen them to decide upon or suppose that the leaders of this people had forsaken the lord and should introduce through selfishness fishiness fish ness that which would militate against the kingdom of god on the earth that which in the issue actually destroy this people how are you going i ng to detect tha wrong and know it from t the he right t you cannot do it unie unless ss you have the S spirit ii i of the lord do the people enjoy that S spirit impi r it yes many of them do do they enjoy it in n as great a degree as it is their privilege A few of them do still I 1 think that the people in general might enjoy more of the holy spirit more of the nature and essence of the deity delty than they do I 1 know that they have their trials I 1 know they have the world adil to grapple with and are tempted and I 1 know what they have to war a against ainest but let us ask ourselves individually whether we fight this warfare to such a degree that we do overcome in every instance in in every contest do we come off victorious here we have to do with our passions here is fallen nature that we can neve never I 1 get r rid j of until we lay down in the grave it is is sown in the flesh and will remain there but it is our privilege to overcome that and bring it under subjection ili lil in our reflections reflection sI in our meditations and M in all the labor that we perform though we may be tried tempted and buffet ted by satan it is our privilege to have power to rule govern arid and bring under subjection even our momentary passions yes it is our privilege so to live and overcome them that we never would have a temptation to think evil or at least would never speak before we took time to think but all would be in subjection to the law of christ do we live up to this privilege people may asic are we riot not good saints yes I 1 can say that this people are a good people and they wish to be saints and many of them 8 strive tr ve to be saints and many of them are saints I 1 realize the weaknesses of men I 1 am not ignorant of my own weaknesses and this is where I 1 learn every body ise lse lse ise their dispositions and the operations of the spirit upon the inhabitants of the arth earth to learn mankind is to learn myself this is a good people they are a righteous people yet there are some who are filled with folly there are some who are inclined to do wickedly and seem to love wickedness there are some who are filled with idolatry and it seems as though it were impo impossible isible for them to overcome the spirit of the world to keep from loving it and from cleaving to it and to the things of the world I 1 will appeal to the people as judges are you capable bie of judging in matters pertaining to the kingdom of god on earth unless you E have ave the spirit of truth within you some may say brethren you who lead the churchwa chur church chwe we have ave all confidence in you we are not in the least afraid but what everything will go right under your superintendence all the business matters will be transacted right and if bro brigham is satisfied with it I 1 am I 1 do not wish any latter day saint in this world nor in heaven to be satisfied with anything I 1 do unless the spirit of the lord jesus chri christ ti the spirit of revelation makes them satisfied I 1 wish them to know for themselves and understand fo for themselves for this would strengthen the faith that is within them suppose that the people were heedless that they manifested no concern with regard to the thi ihl things s cf f the kingdom of god blit but threw the who whole rile llie burden tron tion upon the leaders of the people saying it if the brethren who take charge of matters are satisfied we are this is not pleasing in the sight of the lord every man and woman in this kingdom ought to be satisfied with what we do but they never should be satisfied without asking the father in the name of jesus christ whether what we do is right when you are inspired by the holy ghost you von can understandingly say that you are satisfied and that is the only power that cause you to exclaim that you are satisfied for without that you do not know whether you should be satisfied or not you may sav say that you are arc satisfied and believe that all is right dight and your confidence may be almost unbounded in the authorities ties of the church of jesus christ but if you yon asked god in the name nama of jesus and received knowledge for yourself through the holy spirit would it not strengthen your faith it would A little faith will perform little works that is good logic jesus says if ye have f aith faith as a grain of mustard seed ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you A grain of mustard seed is very small nevertheless if vou von you had bad had faith as a grain of mustard seed and ad should say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place it would be done or to that sycamore tree be thou planted in the sea or to the sick be ye healed or to devils b be e ye cast out it would be done suppose that I 1 had bad faith like a grain of mustard seed and could do the things which christ has said are possible to be done through that faithana fait hand that another man on the continent of asia had the same faith we could not accomplish much because but two would have all the power of satan to combat do you suppose that jesus christ healed every person that was sick tick or that all th the devils were cast out in the country where he so journea jour ned I 1 do not working miracles healing heal 1 the sick raising the dead and the like were a almost nf as rare in his day as in this our day once in a while the people would have aith faith f in his power and what is called a miracle would be performed but the sick the blind the deaf and dumb the crazy and those possessed with different kinds of devils were around him and only now and then could his bis faith falth have power to take effect on account of the want of faith in the individuals many suppose that in the days of the savior no person was sick in the vicinity of his labors but what was healed this is a mistake for it was only occasionally that a case of healing a sick person or casting out a devil occurred but again suppose that two thirds of the inhabitants of jerusalem and the regions round about had bad actually possessed like faith fait biow in the savior that afew a few did then if asvery is very probable that all ali the sick would have been healed and the devils cast out for there would have been a predominance of a good power over the evil influences let two persons be on the continent of 0 america having faith like a grain of mustard seed and let one or of them be situated situ atea alea on the atlantic and the other on the pacific coast coalt and most of the sick would remain sick arou abou around ld them the dying would die and those possessed of devils would continue to be tormented though once in a while a sick person penson might be healed healed or a blind person be made to see now let each one of those individuals have another person of like faith added to him and they will do as much again work then let there be four persons in the east and f four our in the west all possessing faith like a grain of mustard seed and there will be four times as much done as when there was but one in each place and thus go on increasing their number in this ratio until b by and bye all the latter day saints lle lie ire have faith like ilke a erain grain of mustard seed and where would there be place for devils not in these mountains for they would all be cast cart out do you not perceive that that would be a great help to us if I 1 had power of 0 myself to heal the sick which I 1 do not profess to have or to cast out devils which power I 1 have not got though if the lord sees fit to cast them out through my command it is all right still if I 1 had that power and there was no other person to help me the people would do as they do now they would hunt me almost to death saying wo wont n it you lay lax a Y ha hands n da oa on this sick person wont you go to my house over yonder and so on I 1 am sent for continua continually llyl thought tho only go occasionally because it is the t e privilege of every father wh who is an elder in israel to have faith to heal his family just as much so as it is my privilege to have faith falth to heal my family and if he does not do it he is not living up to his privilege it is just as reasonable for him to ask me to cut his wood I 1 and maintain his family for if he had bad faith I 1 himself he be would save me the trouble of leaving other duties to attend to his request let this faith be distributed and it makes all things easy but put one or two dozen men to hauling a wagon containing a hundred tons weight and the labor is very heavy whereas if I 1 the whole of the latter day saints would put their shoulder to the load it would be moved easily it is with the mental powers ais as it is with the I 1 physical and that is why I 1 wish you to consider the matter and why I 1 nay hay lay those things before you let the lat latter er day saints have faith and works and ane let them forsake their and cleave unto righteousness I 1 have given you a short discourse upon faith and practical religion and now I 1 gay say to the elders of israel to the bishops of the diffie different rent wards and to the presidents of the different branches if there is any business you wish to bring before this conference pertaining to fellowship and the conduct of 0 individuals you can have the privilege we were accustomed some years ago to to such business before our general conference and it is our privilege to do so again r it if we choose or if there is is any occasion occasion in all high councils in in bishops bi courts and in all other departments for transacting our business th the church and kingdom of god with the lord almighty at the hlad head will cause every man to exhibit the feelings of his heart for you recollect it is written that in the last lat days the lord will reveal the secrets of the hearts of the children of men does not the gospel do that it does it causes men and women to reveal that which would have in their dispositions until they the di hopped into their graves the plan by whick which the lord lead leads 4 this people makes them reveal their thoughts and intents and brings out every trait of disposition lurking in their organizations Is this right light it itis is how are you going to correct a mans faults adults hy by hiding them and never speaking of them by covering u up p e very every f ault fault you see in in your brother or by saying fco 0 O do not say a word word about his faults we know that he lies but it will not do to say saya a word about it for it would be awful to reveal such a fact to the people 12 that is the policy of the world and of the devil but is it the way that the lord will do with the people in the latter days it is not this is |
