| Show DISCOURSE sr by pr president arl Brig liam hant young harah S 1857 I 1 BY GEO 3 D WATT I 1 presume there will not any person object to my talking this morning although there may be many who wish to occupy til the time therease Ther there eare are a few items that I 1 wish visit to lay before the brethren breth rep reF the at fust st is cot coi lu ernig ing ung our northern mission A good many ri names r of aperans invited to go north have been read here and I 1 want to say to all those bregg breff brethren gren iren that we do not desire an any Y c of t them to go north with us thi this is spring p ring ur unless I 1 e ss t they ey would ike alke so to do and can make it convenient to take the trip to see the country we will excuse all who vho do not wish to go also all whose circumstances rather f forbid orbid their going and whose other duties of greater importance pre prevent vent tiem clem t iem again I 1 I 1 would like to have all who wish to go journey consider that they have nn an invitation so far tar as they can go cod con consistently with their circumstances I 1 invite all to go who abo wish to 10 and can do so conveniently I 1 think that the brethren understand both those who live in the country and in this city that the invitation to go north is not iven in respect of persons pei sons but any who have laye not been invited invite d and who wish to go may have the privilege and those who have been lutted but cannot go consistently we will excuse the toe brethren who have been called upon foreign forein missions we expect to respond to the call cheerfully r abere where it is a duty uty but where we invite pi esons to accompany ts its in visiting different regions of country for our gratification gratl fi cation catlon health information arid and satisfaction the case cae is gia a little dif feren lat sabbath J was here in the fore forenoon noon nOOD but I 1 did not rot feel able toome in the afternoon however I 1 gave br bi kimball a text with regard to this people to preach upon in the afternoon and 11 I 1 expect hat that lie he did so and presume that it proved V r ON ed salis satisfactory factory to the congregation concerning what lias has been said by br orson H hyde y e since I 1 came in pertaining to light and k knowledge n w ledge it is worth our serious attention atten iloa lioa I 1 understand that this his people do not all live up to 10 their privileges I 1 have told you that I 1 was really mortified to hear near the elders of israel preaching a reformation this anis is a source of mortification to me mei and the reasons are these when life and salvation are put into the possession of individuals or of a community and they their b have ze all the means of obtaining the knowledge of god and the wisdom of god to understand the ways of god and to secure to themselves light life and immortality and when those hose means are in them and round about them and arid in all their communications communication 3 and avoca tons lons of life are present then to think that those individuals or that community should neglect such a great greal opportunity and p ve a pi ize izo beyond all earthly prizes or wealth of this earth which can call bear no comparison to it is exceedingly cee marvelous and to see them neglect this gleat great prize their conduct is like speaking after aften the manner of the that of a mi miser iser who should turn from a mountain of gold which is so valuable aud and go to a sand bank to scratch it over to pick out shot to make himself wealthy when life and salvation are put in irl the possession of individuals or of a people to see them no neglect elect those principles for anything pertaining to US tuis world or to let sorrow or affliction or trials or temptation or buffeting or smiting or driving with the sword fire or anything else in the e shape of persecution that can be beriou pou you red ed on them and to see them turn away flom from the thin things thins s of god and arid be driven from the path of righteousness that would lead them to eternal glory and crown them with crowns of glory immortality and eternal lives is mortifying to my feelings and I 1 feel mortified when we have to say reformation yet such is s of terl tell the case and many many times limes ahem people P 11 op 1 e have received and enjoyed great t neat reat light and I 1 intelligence t i 1 irence the things of th this ig horld vvo rid choke the good word thorns and whistles thistles es spring up arid and they seem to have but little root jn in themselves the sun suit rises and scorches the tender plants that seem to be growing in them and we have to cry to the people ref reform orm REFORM REFORM 1 when in in reality y it is a disgrace that such instruction should mr ever be necessary it t is k a great dis disgrace ra cei cel it is moi tidying to angels and I 1 will win insure that it is s mortifying to our father adam his heart is is pained with such things and the prophets are pained with them and so are all who naho understand and have proved themselves ves yes worthy of eternal life both those who now live on the earth and those who have llave gone behind the vail for us to be repenting and defoi reforming ming is really a disgrace if it is annoying to borrow light from others it is a disgrace to take a course in life to have to repent of the use made of that light it I 1 is salis sails a disgrace to our organization to the design of heaven and to the intelli intelligence ence god has given to mau man for hiis his benent benefit be nent neut T truly ruly wise persons hate to look upon upon such conduct they look upon it with contempt they are more worthy and noble than to jo condescend to take a course in life ife which they have continually to be repenting of As to light a subject ab act that hat br hyde has been speaking peaking upon I 1 will I 1 present a few of my views in in somewhat different terms in the first place to say that we borrow light from one another I 1 do not ilot know that I 1 preci precisely el understand that idea for I 1 have no light to lend perhaps s I 1 am not so well weil ft ell eil endowed with light as some nv who I 1 to ir have haye ay e lived on the earth but I 1 have none to lend I 1 will use another term an I 1 I 1 might say per der perhaps with a good deal of propriety that the poet conveys veys my idea pretty correctly in his lines concerning Z the wise and foolish virgin virgins 3 cro go to them that sell and bu buy Y and get yourselves a full supply another anther arote the richest man I 1 ever saw sair was him that begged I 1 the most his filled with jesus and with the holy ghost I 1 will go to begging instead of borrowing but it is isio po great matter whether light is borrowed or begged for it is not so much the way in in which I 1 obtain knowledge as in the use I 1 make odthe knowledge I 1 have hav ob obtained toned the wrong use of our knowledg knowledge e is what brings default in me or you I 1 say that I 1 have no light to lend if it god has 9 ilven me light if I 1 possess the light of tile the spirit of revelation and old bestow that knowledge upon my brethren that same fountain increases in me 1 whereas if I 1 were to shut it up lip to close 11 up it the vision and keep it from the people it would be like the candle lighted and put under the bushel where of course the uhe want of free air would extinguish it and it if the light in me becomes darkness ilow how great is that darkness this is ii my explanation regald regard to tile the light that is in me if I 1 receive from the fountain the more mota I 1 give the more I 1 receive the freer I 1 am to hand out that which the cord lord bestows bestons oil on me ile the better my uly mind midd is prepared to receive more fj om the fountain that is the experience of every individual here let me say what I 1 do know and ind understand every branch of knowledge of wisdom of ligh of 01 understanding all that I 1 know all that is within my organization mentally or physically spiritually or temporally I 1 have received from some source so it is with you there 1 is no knowledge no light no wisdom that you are re in in pos possession session of but what you have received from irom some source bo do you think this tins is true when dillwo will wo possess knowledge and power and glory and wisdom independently when jesos lias has finished his work when we have proved ourselves worthy to be crowned when we cave bave have passed though all the ordeals of suffering trials and temptations and proven I 1 to our father and our god that we nye are arc his friends that we will live and serve him and not forsake our parents will not forsake our fathers house and liis his pr precepts c when we have bave proven ourselves faithful in the flesh and have gone through the vail into the spirit world have done all that is required of us in preaching to those who are in prison and are faithful until we receive our bodies again azain until these tabernacles which we now occupy are resurrected and brought again to the spirits and the spirits to the tabernacles and jesus calls on us to come up and be ble c crowned crowded amon among the f faithful aitho ul who will receive crowns of 0 glory immortality and eternal life then we will receive that power knowledg knowledge e and arid wisdom and possess it as independently ll as the gods possess their power it will then be bequeathed lo 10 them that they will wiil have light within themselves why my because they have control over the elements and it will neer never be until then we have no light no power at present only what is given to us br hyde calls it borrowing but I 1 call it a free gift or begging the lords giving kioes not diminish his fountain fountain of spirit that our philosopher br orson pratt speaks of that he believes occupies universal space or in other wol woi wolds ds that universal space is filled with and th that at every particle of it is a boly holy spirit and add thatchat that that spirit is all powerful and all wise full bill of intelligence and possessing all the attributes of all the gods in eternity I 1 hardly hard dare say what I 1 think u and nd what I 1 know but that theory though apparently very plausible and beautiful is not true rne rue for it is is or would be contradicted by the prophets by jesus arid and the apostles and by all good men who understand the principles of p eternity both those who have lived and are now living on the earth br hyde was upon this same theory once and in conversation with br joseph smith advanced the idea that eternity or boundless space was filled with the spirit of god or the tile hoty holy ghost after portraying his ins views views upon that VIA theory very carefully and minutely he lie asked br joeph joseph joheph what he thou thought lit of it ile he replied that it appeared very b beautiful ea atif u and that lie he did not know of but one serious objection to it says br hyde what is that joseph replied it is not tot tnie true with all the knowledge and ind wisdom that are combined in the person of br orson pratt still he does not yet know enough to keep his foot out of it but drowns himself in his own philosophy every time that he be to treat upon prin cipley that bilat lie he does not understand when hs he was about to leave here for his present mission be meddie ie made a soleda solem n promise that he would not meddle with principles which he lie did not fully understand but would confine himself to the first principles 0 of the doctrine of salvation such as were preached by brother bi other joseph smith and the apostles but the first that we see in his writings he is dabbling with things that he does not understand his vain philosophy is no criterion or guide for the saints in doctrine according to his philosophy the devils in hell bell are composed of arid and filled with the holy spirit or holy ghost and possess all the knowledge wisdom and power of tile the gods if he believes his own doctrine pertaining to the celestial and other kingdoms kingdom viz that the devils devil suin sain in hell possess tile the same power as the gods they being opposed to jesus and arid his father the whole fabric must fall when men I 1 read some gome of the writings of such phil philosophers they make me think 10 0 dear 9 granny ranny what a long tail our puss has got the influences of tho th almighty by the holy spirit have got to work upon us to revolutionize us we wo must with our organization as we are organized to become independent beings though not yet independent of fhe the influences around us bring into subjection our own wills and eff lorts efforts and subject ourselves to the principle of obedience to the celestial law and when we have overcome the seeds of or sin that are in our mortal tabernacles and brought our gar bodies and spirits in subjection to the celestial law of christ and proven ourselves ourselves worthy to receive that exaltation promised to the faithful then it will be high time ford for us to I 1 receive independent kingdoms thrones principalities and powers we have them not now and if we had we would not nut know what to do with them hem there are but few men that know how to govern in temporal things fewer still who khow how to control the feelings of the people how to guide the power of any kingdom that was eber ever ever organized on the earth nations and kingdoms kingdom of this world ris rii ne up and flourish only for a season what is the t ebe difficulty d they contain the seeds 0 of their own destruction sown theren therein by the framers of humn governments those combus combustive elements are organizer in their construction fr from tiie the first with all the excellency and arid all tile the careful carefulness nes and correct correctness ne ss exhibited in the tile formation of constitutions and laws they have the seeds of destruction within themselves in the laws of t aery government now on this eath baah there are certain principles in their constitutions that will ere long iong ong s sap the foundations foundation sot of their existence and so it will be so long as a men continue io 0 persist in ruling and making laws in regulating and controlling cont roling by human wisdom alone and and in ishuin issuing their mandates and sending their officers to adm made by the wisdom of man I 1 repeat that just so long they will continue to throw into their laws into the constitutions of their governments principles that aie ate calculated to destroy the fabrics why are they thus tho led to sowe sore the fhe seeds of their own destruct destruction lon iOD because the file kingdoms of this world are arc not designed to stand when men are placed at the head bead of government who are actually controlled by the power of god by the Holy Ghost they call can lay plans they can frame constitutions they can form governments I 1 and laws that have not net the seeds of death within them and no other men can do it consequently I 1 say sav that there are but few who know how to control or govern even in temporal affairs on this tilis earth then why should we have kingdoms and thrones commit committed tf ato to our charge when we are not capacitated to rule over them we are now trying to frame our lives in in a way that we may be pre prepared spared to live in a kingdom that is eternal and it will be just about as much aa as we can call do to prepare ourselves to enter into that kingdom which will endure for ever without our ceiri being made kings and priests in that kingdom 0 for some I 1 ime lime yet can eany any man tell the variety of the spirits there are no he be cannot vien even aven tell the variety there is in the portion of his dominions in which god has placed us on this earth upon which we nye live fer we can see i an endless variety oil on this little spot which is n nothing C thing g but a gaiden galden arden spot in comparison to the rest of the kingdoms of our god gool again you may |
