| Show by elder janics james mcknight bowery GS 0 S L city may 3 isit 1857 L J I 1 REPORTED BY LEO lea HAWKINS fiatt KINS eins t brethren and sif siders it is a pleasure to me to stand before you this morning mo ieng looking upon you asi io do as saia sala teof tiie tile li god om I 1 hae haic often while hene here together with you and to 0 tie tle tio instinct ions lons 0 of f the tile s servants er s rf bf god inquired what was it that brou brought ht lis together ller tier it asvery seldom in that you see so large larre a of people ps is in one place plue but here we assern assemble ble bie from week lo 10 week ard from flom year to 10 year a great gr eat people for foche ilie llie purpose of leceil ing instinct tiong ons ong I 1 have bave giai e aked f lf what wint was the cause of 0 all this his 1 liy do we assemble what has brought such a people cople together and I 1 have come to the he conclusion I 1 that nochim nothing I 1 bilt ti uth eternal ti tva could ever unite or gather together 1 a I people from nearly every evers nation and arid tongue under heaven beaven ii eaven as wa we are lire gathered here hwe in these mountains it certainly is not that e mav may ma gain pain worldly wealth or worldly in influence quence or worldly powen power or worldly gratification or woi wodley lilly pl pleasure basure or anything else that tha may be termed of a 11 worldly character I 1 do not conceive that such trio motives tives would helna bring such a people top tog together ellier froin arnin from the end of the barill wui what is it brethren bret brel hien hlen and sisters for mv own part and I 1 bl believe eliete that I 1 peak speak the feelings feeling of almost every person it lias li as been to cain gain that true frue riches which god has promised to all them that will obey the gospel and keep lis his its commandment commandments 0 we sometimes forget iii ili chese thins chiri and ani many things bilings that we vve do a y know at one ne time 9 by and arid bye through the conrge course 01 0 ciree circumstances I 1 ns we forget the tile mind is so conati buted that it needs to be continually posted or kept in motion or else the tin ggs that we know today to day imless kinle we are led tomorrow to morrow monrow we will forc fog foe t them we see that men are liable to be forgetful by bv the course seme have taken this spring in going from our mir midst some we have thought were as good saints as we are and have hoi hot boine e as strone strong a testimony as any of us its ever did and have haie seen as much of tile the woric work of god so far as their elpe nence nerce lias has gone pone arid and lave llave had bad powerful manifestations by the spirit of god and by I 1 iia ila lia power of the holy priesthood and have testified of it yet you vou now see them going away it has made me think I 1 would hav have to watch myself iid ild nd lid see that I 1 did not forget the things that were committed to me through obeying the hei gospel arid and that I 1 shoud go go forth more faithfully in the discharge of the duties that were required bt my hands thus far I 1 have been enabled to preserve within me methe I 1 he testimony tl blat lat gat this work s from god I 1 arve never been without it well now I 1 have tho thought tight how shall hall I 1 retain hat that testimony always within me how shall I 1 take i a course that I 1 may not go as I 1 have seen others go Is it my desire to go ryo eyo that way would not I 1 revolt would dot not not every feeling of my rosom revolt at it the idea of apostatizing from this chinch it would and thee the e is not aman a man that hat has embraced the gospel in sincerity with the love of it but would revolt at the idea of leaving bis kingdom every sentiment is we do not want va nt fo to leave this kingdom we feel that we would rather lay down our mortal bode bodei for we leave everything that is good when we leave this kingdom our e existence xi stence on the barth earth is then of little importance I 1 will tell teli you brethren and sisters those who are nol nov leaving our oun mast are an to us its I 1 have asked myself what I 1 would do and the course I 1 would pursue in striving ving to keep within the circle cirel of this kingdom to keel keep myself within this church and I 1 have said in my heart that I 1 would seek to live lit e humble before god and obey the voice of his servants r I 1 do to not know adiv other way if there is any it has never been revealed to me tile if we live humble before god we are in 1 a I condition to receive the manifestations of ilie tile spirit of god continually and we are submissive to its it teachings and willing to be dictated by it but if we are not dictated by that spirit ther then brethren we are just like a ship without a r rudder iid lid der there is is no safely safety for us its without the teachings of the spirit of god we cannot know whether the gos gog gelof the servants of god is 3 true or not we may say weare we are willing to 0 o listen to the counsel of his servants but WP we need the flip spirit of god lo 10 witness to us its that what they counsel coursel us its is the will of god hen then ben we will be secure my alv testimony this morning is that this is tile the church and kingdom of god and ami my feelings are all the time and my prayer to god is that rather than he would suffer me to forsake the covenants I 1 have made and apostatize from his work and from his idin kingdom adom and prove traitorous to his servants that lie he would take tahe me away from the earth I 1 do hone hope that he never will let me see the light of out of this kingdom never and anti I 1 desire to 0 o take such a course continually seeking faithfully lo 10 do tile the will of god and so zo walk in the light of his spirit that I 1 may be enabled to honor lionor file tile priesthood that I 1 may do 1 everything required at my hands with li tl eye eve single to his glory and the building up of his king kinz kingdom dom my aly desires are brethren to see this kingdom roll forth and to put forth every energy and facility faculty that I 1 have whatever it may be in lily rily my humble sphere to advance the he interests of the kingdom of god I 1 have no other feelings fee tee lingg no matter how far astray I 1 may go at times it is through ignorance and not a design to do anything that is evil and every particle of strength or influence I 1 possess I 1 want it to be devoted to the thie building up of this kingdom and all the traditions that hat I 1 have indented anhel iteli e every ery feeling f have cherished from fromm ile the e eaily eally ly instructions of my parents anti and froimy froin my worldly associations association a which are tot rot tot it in acabi dance danee with wilh this gospel r 0 I 1 they may be put away from n me and arid that truth be planted within me and arid actuate me in all iny my con coil I 1 daf d d not of course receive such a vast amount of f tradition as I 1 would if I 1 had find remained lonser amon mong the centle centie nations and arid have had their erroneous 3 principles inore more firmly on my iny ulin and I 1 am dian olan thankful kVil reached me inq when it did I 1 ar riho iiLo to god biere is a generation ris inin nr midst that hat wilt have very little if any of the tile bradl ions lons of tiie the world to contend with wilh these traditions are the very things that keep ils its back in our progress rino ress an and that tillit I 1 make re formations necessary necess arv if it were refit for our tra ira traditions lotions we would walk into tile ille th esnel egnel gospel espel with gitil all the tile might that is within us its antl and the dil davil d il have bave little or no power over u IP but bill our traditions oils oris tiie tire aie lie so opposed jo lo the he order of I 1 the lie kingdom kindom of pod that hat i we e continually have to 0 o strive ani aal it llyl tiles riles all the shen th and faculties that we have to contend against them and then hen they overcome it us sometime but god doe doer not lequire require any more of us than p cando awl and chave come coma lo 10 this tilis conclusion if I 1 do az a well as I 1 can day by bv day incuse every iota of strength streng sirens th I 1 have if I 1 press forward I 1 believe hat that through the stion atlon gih nih nth of god I 1 shall over crne we need not be afraid or discouraged at small trials for we are arc yet only on oil the verge of this tins lie lle jie king kingdom doin dorn truly is lollini lolling forth but the powers of darkness have a great neat reat ii it fluence 0 over oven ver ti ils and i if f we ve lay down our a amor now thinking that the struggle is over we shall diall be un najle abib to endure the day clay bif or darkness and leial it ial lal that will come sooner or later liter to every ove oye rf cf us ill well brethren and sisters may god bless you yon arid and help each of IY us to keep his commandments anabe faithful in tilli all ali thing thins that wenny endure efen even to the erl eli end this is is is my prayer in the name of |
