| Show by elder john chislett bowery sunday morning mornin in june as 1857 BY J V Y LOG LONG beloved brethren and sisters I 1 have been called upon this morning to tomake make a few remarks and I 1 can assure you that I 1 feet and incompetency to do so to your edification and belle belie benefit fht fit when I 1 have been abroad in the world preaching the gospel to strangers I 1 have felt much better than I 1 do today to day in attempting to address this con coh congregation r cg gation wheal look upon this congregation I 1 see individuals who are much better calculated to instruct me than I 1 am to instruct them A great portion oti oil of this congregation have been in these valleys of the mountains a longer louger period than I 1 haveard ha have vend and are consequently much better informed upon the princia principles i i I 1 es 0 of f eternal lite live than I 1 am but I 1 know one thing that however weak ign ma may be the instrument yet if led by the spirit of god he lie may be able to make such remarks that wil wiil be edifying edif edifying ting to the people I 1 trust therefore that tha t I 1 shall be e able to make remarks as shall be applicable to our circumstances I 1 rea red realize lize ilze brethren and sisters that we live in a great and momentous day a lay day gr greater ater than ever dawned upon this earth earth a day when 1 prophets and apostles are sent forth to many nations to preach the everlasting godgel gospel we live in a day when we have the light of heaven eaven ed with when we receive the word of the lord from the priesthood in our midst which blessings are far greater than anything else that can be upon the earth yes the greatest blessin blessing that a man can enjoy is to have the word of tie the i lord fresh from the fountain for himself it is had the bible bibie and we have had hai be the sectarian priest to teach us and we have had bad j sabbath schools for our children and by these means we have all been drawn to believe some kind of doctrine but the lord through his servant j joseph said that there was not an individual upon this earth that knew how to come aright before the lord they had bad all gone out of the way I 1 can say for myself that from the days of my childhood when wyen I 1 read the scriptures and contemplated tem plated the blessings which the lord gave to his bis people I 1 felt thai that I 1 wished I 1 lived in these days or in in other words that prophets were upon the earth now when I 1 came cam to years of discretion I 1 heard beard the servants ot of god proclaim that the prophets voice had been heard and that he bad revealed the will of god and that we could now low receive the same blessings as those ia in ancient times after exa examining minim for a short time I 1 came to the conclusion that it could be eo so and then by obedience I 1 learned that it was a reality now I 1 know that we have prophets and apostle apostles ap ostlee who can lead and guide us ia in the way of life aa as prophets did in ancient times for this belief we have left our various nations where we were born and have come to these valleys of the mountains where we can receive from god 7 through his bis servants the word of inspiration and instruction well I 1 am thankful extremely thankful for my position in ir these valleys valley of the mountain mountains j ever since I 1 became acquainted with mormon ism it has been my hearts desire to come to this place and I 1 looked season after season emigration after ei e emigration i r atlon for tor my turn to come and at length I 1 have hav e been blest with the opportunity and I 1 can truly say that my most sanguine expectations have been more than realized I 1 can also algo say that I 1 was surprised sur ed to sea the many temporal comforts with which ill lil I 1 was surrounded on my arrival and when I 1 was amongst them thee add and likewise to witness the improvements and the rapid progress that have been made in so short a time iwas I 1 was truly happy to find that the people were wert serving the lord loid when I 1 came here and that inasmuch as they had done things that were wron aror the lord had bad put his spirit luto his servants to to stir the people up to do tight right I 1 feel thankful that I 1 came heie here when the people af pf ople opie were putting their sins away from them the few anoni that chave been here I 1 have rejoiced in the society of he the saints and I 1 do know khow by the spirit of the lord that is ia in me that is the only place when the people can serve tile the lord as it pleases him there is 13 no place upon this earth where we ive could hae have the privilege of worshipping wor shipping god ai as we have here we may go to countries where this liberty exists hi in name lame laid for instance we may go to tie the tb united states and to england two of the most liberal governments upon the face of the earth parth it is true that in those countries we may be baptized and we may do many things that pertain to our religion but we run the risk of our liberty and cannot annot c serve the lord without fear we lve have to please our neighbors because we are depending upon them in some respects and therefore do not enjoy the liberty that we do here in la other nations the liberty is much more limited you may go on to he be continent of europe aci and if you undertake to baptize people you are chased by the gens geils darmes darmas and if you try tny to get a passport to go to any place you are liable to ie it chased if you are seen with several other persons you aou ou are taken into custody and tried for a suspicious character there is no liberty then but in this place but let here we call can worship god according to the dictates of our own consciences how thankful we ought to be that we have the privilege c of gathering to these peaceful vales to receive the word of the lord through the medium of his inspired servants servant I 1 do not make these remadia remaria because I 1 have formed a supposition in my jovn orn mind that there are some who do not appreciate these blessings blessing but tile the fact of our being here is u proof sufficient that we once wanted to come for the tha purpose of do dog mg the will of god without molestation these are the reflections of ny my mind and in view of these blessed privileges I 1 therefore render praises to the almighty for fon farhat bar har ing given me the opportunity of coming to these them mountains many of us have come here bere after longing for many years to have haire the pet et us then try to prove to the lord and to his bis servants that we hav have not come in vain but that we have come cathie to keep the commandments of gos goj aa as they are made known tinto milo 1 us flora aiom time ta to time tim e how hhall shail we do this tho thae buat best wt we ean can da do is is to use br kimballs Kim balls expression to be like clay in the hands odthe of the potter to throw ourselves into the he hands odthe servants of god and to do as they direct us for his will is made known through them for the salvation of his people we will do well then to attend to the mind of the servants odthe lord and not to mix therewith our own will and desires but render implicit obedience to the will of the lord as made known unto us 03 I 1 know this is more or less difficult for us to do and I 1 will here say that the greatest difficulty and obstacle that I 1 have found in my way has been my own unwillingness to obey the commandments mand ments of the lord VA but I 1 feel a desire and a disposition when operated upon by the spirit of the lord to keep the commandments of god but there is a disposition in man to have hig his own way in in Pr preference derence to carrying out the tiie dictations of other and we have all more or less rss of these f feelings beelin M 9 we W e want to mark out a course for ourselves this seems to be natural lateral to us pest H C kimbau kimball bat but it is an unnatural feeling br kim kirn ball says this is an unnatural disposition and nd I 1 suppose it is but if it it could be proven to us that it is wise for us to pursue a certain course that would be best for us then it is probable able abie that we hould should bould be more ready to do da than we aie but the mind of man is so controlled by influences that hat sur eur surround round him that it seems hard bard for him to do anything until he is convinced of its utility we waal wi ll 11 however find that it is the best course for us to pursue to adopt the ways of god for his ways are as high above our ways as the heavens are above the earth we lye should not mix our own notions with the mind and will of god but ever be ready to comply with his requirements if we take a cursory view of the progress of this kingdom cannot we see eee that whenever men have disobeyed the words and 1 counsels of the prophet joseph or the prophet brigham cannot we see that destruction has been the result we ctr car it is very easy to prove that ahat this has been invariably the case bof only does the history of this people prove it but the history of the people who lived in former day days and whose acts are recorded in the bible and the book of mormon also prove that when they did not yield obedience to the mandates of heaven to the instructions given by the lords anointed they were cursed and finally destroyed but when they yielded 5 fielded to the counsels of heaven they were invariably blest they grew in in intelli intelligence I 1 ence increased in righteousness and in every thing that was godlike god like and good for the soul of man let us endeavor to leam learn by the past for til ill there e re are two ways of learning one by experience and another by observation if we can be so fortunate aa as to learn by observation it will be much better for us it will save us from the lashes of that bitter schoolmaster experience we should seek eek to keep within us a good measure of the holy spirit and then there would be no difficulty in in rendering implicit obedience to the words or of the ser servants of godit oil is necessary for us to have the spirit of god with us always and if things do not go very smoothly we should learn to bear thein them patiently and know 1 that these are for our profit and learning it is written by the apostle that no man can understand the things of gd ged but by the spirit of god and hence if we do not have that spirit within us things do not ap appear ear to us in in limity and beauty if we piave kave have the he spirit of god we ve shall understand the he things of god they come before us for it is by that spirit alone things are made plain and clear to the human understanding any person destitute of this spirit is altogether in incapable capable of obeying the commandments of god which is an indispensable requisite to the obtaining of a sufficiency of that spirit by which to discern he the thinas of god brom from the fhe doctrines of men we should have that spirit in our bosoms continually we should obey the commandments hearken to the teachings of the holy spirit not only when given to us directly but also 1 when given through he the lord lords s anointed we ve should beloved brethren and sisters attend to our prayers live humbly before our god and before our brethren and not do anything of which we would be ashamed before the lord or his servants it we fully observe this we should all do well and continually have the approbation of the holy hols holy y spirit we have been baptised baptized sed and confirmed into in 0 the church by the servants of god and it is our privilege now to have hava that spirit within us at all i times to have it to lead us in the he way of life to assist us to be faithful in the discharge of our several duties by living in this way we secure the privilege of having it as an abiding witness within us and then it becomes easy for us its to obey the commandments jesus christ ha has said my aly yoke is easy and my burden is light but some soine think it is not so light how is this it is because they do not take theyone upon them and hence it comes mighty hard to those who have it forced upon them but the tiie yoke of christ comes easy to those who wiio take it upon them when they do this there is no difficulty about it and it is far easier to 0 o observe the laws of the lord than it is to live in wickedness I 1 know it is some persons only make a profession of godliness and never in reality y take it into their thair hearts nor ancor incorporate it with their live lives they are ashamed of 1 the name bi of christana Chri christ stand and hence bence to them his yoke sobe is is not easy nor his burden light ane lord has said in a revelation given to joseph the seer take upon you the name of christ and speak ahe the truth in in soberness and as many a as s repent and are baptised baptized sed in my name which is iq jesus christ j and endure to the end the same shall be saved I 1 i behold jesus christ is the name given of the father and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved wherefore all men must take lupori them the name which is given of the father vather for in that name shall they be called ati the toe last day wherefore if they know not the name by which th eyare called they cannot bave have place in the kingdom of my father book of doctrine and covenants sec see 43 par 4 1 when we look abroad in the world we see that it is the destitution or absence of this spirit that causes the confusion which exists amongst them for they have diot alot not the spirit of the lord they do not under understand staid anything about the kingdom of god goj god and when they try to write or speak of it they always make a great baak of it why is this it is because they tiley know nothing about it i the inferior cannot understand the superior but it is all the superior that understand the inferior if itis therefore impossible for them to understand our doctrines as they are I 1 thought we had some fine specimens of their ignorance ignorance read from the papers the other sabbath when they have anything to say they commit themselves most vron wonderfully derf ulily tilly if i they attempt to speak of their powers and resources they make us much greater than we e are and they represent our military tactics to be better than we think thin k they chef are if they take the other course they go as much ont out of the way in lowering us as they do when they speak of 0 our greatness in short if they do anything or say anything about mor it is always an exaggeration of the case I 1 vis gis was much amused with this when in switzerland I 1 was taking a walk on the evening of one hot day and sat down in the shade shae to rest y and while sitting there two young gentlemen came along and one of them asked for a match to light his cigar I 1 had botone not one to give him but it was all the same but it was evident that it was more a desire to get into conversation with me than to get a light that he thus accosted me I 1 found they were two american gentlemen who were traveling in switzerland land for pleasure and to view the country they were the soils sons of two statesmen 8 ta and they took me to be an american I 1 conversed with willi them about the states and about heir re respective p active politics and finding that I 1 was pretty well weil el I 1 posted about matters they wanted to know how I 1 got so much information in relation to the politics and state of affairs in america I 1 told them hem I 1 read the papers they enquired what wha paper papers I 1 ansbe answered ed the mormon the lu luminary min ry the deseret news and sometimes t the e new york papers they then enquired if I 1 had friends in america I 1 replied that I 1 had but did not tell them that I 1 was a mormon they talked freely of the expulsion of the saints from missouri and from nauvoo and about abou t br brigham and many other things the they y informed inform pd me that the Mor mormon mony |
