| Show REMARKS by E eider elder ider lder charles H bassett bowery GS G S L city may alay 10 1557 REPORTED BY LEO HAWKIN 3 I 1 Br ethrell brethren and sisters it is a pleasure to me to have llave the privilege of addressing you flom from this stand it has been a pleasure to me this morning to listen to the interesting and eloquent discourse of br mills it is a pleasure to ma me at all times to hear the principles of bf our holy religion dwelt upon by the elders of israel and although I 1 am but a very indifferent speaker myself yet I 1 believe it to be a fact that the tile elders of israel who live their religion should rhoul dhave have continually sufficient of the holy spirit in their hearts to some few remarks that may be interesting to our brethren and sisters the principles of gur pur holy religion are near and dear dea r u unto 11 to me there are llo ito no other principles under heaven that give me joy and satisfaction but those principle principles which are connected with tile the great plan of salvation as has been revealed in these last cays rays fali falt all ail of my hopes and desire desires are based upon and connected with the principles of the gospel of salvation the joyful anticipation of a glo gio glorious rions rious resurrection and exaltation surely ought to inspire heart and it is constant and constant theme to order my life and direct my energies in such a way that I 1 may secure unto in myself y r the smiles amiles and approbation of my heavenly I 1 father t her it is my continual aiato to carry out the counsels and requirements of the servants of the lord who are placed liere here to carry out his purposes in establishing 11 his bis kingdom I 1 am thankful my brethren and sisters sf that iam lam a latter day saint and that took hold of me before I 1 became thoroughly trained in the traditions of the them world I 1 am thankful that my mind was sed at tile the time I 1 heard the principles of the everlasting gospel and that I 1 had aheart willing to obey its requirements and I 1 am more thankful that I 1 have had the privilege of being gathered with the saints of the most high in these valleys ever since I 1 first obeyed the gospel I 1 have had ad a constant desire to be with tile the body of tile the church and not quartered in the world among the wicked and uri url ungodly odly and this has been my happy privilege yet I 1 lam iam am confident that I 1 do lat not lot today to day fully appreciate the tiie great blessings I 1 ha have ve derived irom being so closely associated with the servants of the most high god I 1 am aware that very many who have embraced this religion been baptised baptized sed for the remission of their sins have faltered in mv iny with the latter day saints I 1 have hav observed that different principles and dimm diff marent different ideas have been in tile the hearts of tile the saints when they have obeyed this gospel I 1 know that very many have obeyed ahe the truth because they feared to do otherwise I 1 have several to jesus christ for fear they would displease god and bring condemnation upon themselves I 1 have known some to be baptised baptized sed for the remission of their sins when wilen they tiley had their doubts as to the truth of 1 and those doubts have remained to the present i day some have embraced I 1 mormonism with the s ecret secret hope that it was not true for my own part I 1 believed it was true and would not have it any other way I 1 saw beauty and order in it and something that would bring mo me substantial enjoyment and I 1 thank my father that I 1 am able abla to bear bar this testimony tony tomy today to day das that mormon is true frue t rue and if it has brought me all the blessings which were promised me when I 1 embraced it I 1 recollect very well when I 1 first embraced the gospel that there was a family in the neighborhood who became very much concerned in relation to mormon ism as it was called which was then being preached in that region they were afraid it was true they were afraid they would went d be convinced of its truth hand and that it would seriously interfere with their long established notions and convictions convictions and perhaps erha it would take them from their homesteads aud and d bi bring upon them reproach and persecution they could not bring their minds to consent to go into the waters of baptism yet they haray hardy dared to reject what seemed to be the vo voce voice ce of truth one time the old gentleman went into the woods ani and asked the lord if dior mormonism was true and after an absence of a few minutes lie ho returned and said wife 9 mormonism isk ish true oh dear said she 1 I was BO so afraid it was some who embraced mormonism under those circumstances I 1 believe are those who are now leaving our midst I 1 cannot for a moment believe my brethren and sisters that individuals balls who have been firmly rooted in the gospel and lived according to tile the requirements of the same will now forsake it and go from the midst of the saints su ants I 1 observed on one occasion before a congregation in this thi city that I 1 believe that the individual that went forth from the sain saints 4 saying unto his brethren and sisters that he believed 1 I mormonism vIor monism was true rue but that he could not live inthe valleys was as deceitful as the devil but those that came out ut frankly and said they had lost their faith in ih 1 mormonism Mor monism I 1 had reason to believe they were less criminal in their intentions and in ill their going forth from among this people there is a great variety of causes that eliat lead to apostasy apo stacy among the saints of the lord cef as I 1 before intimated I 1 do not believe that those who embrace for the love of the truth and because they glory in it and the principles of salvation and eternal happiness which it promises beyond tile the grave will wilf ever apostatize such ind individuals I 1 visuals I 1 do not believe will ever depart from the relt rell i on of the lord I 1 jesus christ it is only those who 0 have embraced mormonism with fears and have cherished those fears from the day of their baptism up to the present time and when the reins of government or justice and are drawn round us they begin to feel that their freedom is curtailed and their heir privileges trampled upon and ana thus they are constrained to go forth to mingle with the beggarly elements of the world where they ought to have mma remained ined I 1 do not intend to 0 o judge my brethren and sisters unkindly by iffy views are not correct they can easily be corrected and I 1 shall be quite satisfied I 1 mean to live the religion of the lord jesus christ better and better than I 1 ever have done and I 1 mean to live nearer and nearer unto my god than I 1 ever have llave done since I 1 have been a aJL latter sitter day saint and in this way I 1 hope to secure enough of the tha power of god to bo be an eternal barrier against apostasy apo stacy my prayer is today to day my brethren and si sisters that the smiles and approbation of our 1 father ther in heaven may gay rest down upon us thaile that we may be kept from frow apostasy apo stacy sin and temptation that we wa may learn to live our out religion and ke keep e p the commandments mand ments of god and be saved in his presence which I 1 ask in the name of jesus christ amen arhon |
