Show DISCOURSE by pres frigham young tabernacle lF february ebru abru i rv reported UY G D WATT through the remarks of ars edward partridge and silas smith who have lately returned from their mission to the sandwich islands we jare pare eie ele tie made acquainted with a new variety of customs and I 1 must wust confess that hearing hear bear ilig a relation of ar the customs and traditions ol 01 the tile natives of those islands lam almost led to believe that they are aie hie a people ery very cry much like ourselves that tiley are entitled to tile llie appellation of human being beings they are prone to wander drone prone lo 10 weaknesses and lind if they have any knowledge of god they are prone tyrone to forget bim him and to turn to their idols they are arg prone to be in ili all their ways very vers much like ourselves we believe that we have been better taught and that we are quite an ail enlightened people christian egroo and amelica america deem themselves the tha roost enlightened people upon the earth and ail an equal self seif confidence among those islanders i ii 3 all that ii Is wanting to make them believe that they know more than th the e europeans and americans eri cans I 1 have bave an idea that the argio anglo saxon race joss possesses esses more confidence in themselves and more worldly wisdom than any other nation upon the earth yet take the people on tile the sandwich and society islands and the natives of these mountains and of north and south america or of any country where there are aro ar natives in their idolatry those whom we call ignorant dark benefited lost possessed of little or no knowledge and let jet a person understanding the priesthood visit them and I 1 will venture to say that he would find more and better traits of the priesthood of god among them than can be found among thy christians and though it may appear surprising and a matter hardly credible yet even we are more moie or less under the power of traditions similar to those of the heathen there is a cause for their traditions customs and present practices they have grown into their present idolatry through a neglect of the tile truth through a pi proneness oneness to wander and forget their god and true religion let this people backslide lose their present faith and knowledge and in ili after generations perhaps a few would chug to the priesthood Priest hoed with all the vigor that we do and would understand that the people were going into darkness and would urge them to have llave some custom some bome form some representation or figure of their former faith and religion what U 14 commonly termed idolatry has arisen from a few sincere men full of faith fath and having a little knowledge le urging upon a hacks backs iding people lo 10 preserve some customs to cling to some fashions or figures to put them in mind of that god their fathers were wele acqua acquainted without desi designing illing or wishing vis hing bing the people to worship an idol to woi ship whip stocks stones beasts boasts and birds binis idols have bave been introduced which are now worshipped wor shipped and have lave been for centuries and thousands of years but they were not introduced at once they were wera introduced to preserve among the people the idea of the true god I 1 have frequently said and say again that there aie are alband and always have been a great many ili in this church that are not saint there are more saints and there are different degrees and grades oe of cormons and of saints there are many that are ars that are not sa ants arid and so it will be tint 1 l jesus co separate the sheep from the goats or in other language ail until the shall bil bu his hia servants 0 to o gather the wheat into the barn and arid the tares into bundles to be burned this must be bei bej this we ie ell eil ell P 11 believe arid and can understand tand if we are not riot all saints the most of his this people jre lre trying to be if we are not as perfect in our sphere ph ere as are the angels we are trying to prepare ourselves pur selves to become so we have not yet received our inheritances bilt but we are trying to prepare p ourselves to be worthy to receive them yet it c can readily be understood that if this people should backslide they would as others have introduce an idolatrous worship all protestants the roman ronlan catholic church of worship ping i idols dols it is the th practice of its it members to carry a cross with them ta to worship the virgin nary they have paintings and arid irna images ea in their i chapels and other places of worship and they are of tho thoe those e paintings and images ard and nd that they are idolatrous wor worshippers s shippers dippers hip pers but those representations were introduced ia ili the sam pame fam way thata that a father would allow li e s children that jesus christ is actually a man ban like their father by showing them a figure representing jesus as extended upon tha the cross and hayim saying this aives gives yoi yol my children an idea that he was a man NOW let those children when spying their prayers have that representation before them and und how ll 11 w ione ions would it be before some of their neighbors children would tell their mothers that those children were wol woi shipping a picture or lma ima insane I 1 e this is the way thit thai idolatry has sprung upla up la the file mirld through a method established to keep the people in remembrance of the god they once worshipped wor shipped arld and were acquainted with do the chris ian world borla know whether god has eyes to see earis earls ear s to hear bear or hands handi or a body riley they fliey are as ignorant of the like true tree god gl od as are those islanders and all whom we call heathen and our traditions are such that ws we ar yet more or less leis in tile dark aara and aro are under tile ilia necessity of assembling assern bling here from sabbath to sabbath and arid in ward coelln sand besides bave have to aall our solemn assemblies to teach thach talk pray sing and exhort whit for foi to kepp hepp us in remembrance of our god ardd arid our holy religion Is this custom nece ory ors baryt yes because bt cause e we are so liable to dorgelo for fo 2810 gelo meiso prone orji to wander that we need used to have ilia gospel bounded sounded in o ir ears as much as once otice twice or thrice ii geek or behold we willbur will tur turn again to alus it ir Is immaterial what the idol i it is what lh e Californi rs call cail calla u slug lug or whether it is 6 a twenty dollar gold piece alece orvan or an eagle eagie or half eaga or whether our affia iiona eions and attention fasten fa eli ell upon our farmos farros houses 10 ses and other worldly goods gools s if we are not constan constantly ly exhorting the people and arid telling tatting before them tile the necessity of gwng their religion calling back their minds that llave hav been wandering and preaching and ana praying with them behold they would turn to their idols were the tile lord to give us peace for a few years so that we should have no sorrow nor bouble tj from without with tle the alid arld land arid producing abundantly wi ill til the he fine flue weather and tho tilo healthy climate how long jong would it be before many of you yon would ahin again want to go to california to get gold and turn away from your holy refugion rel rei glor to worship an idol rather than neglect your holy religion entirely you had better keep your tour images light before your eyes and say your prayers to an er it be cut out of wood or is a dogs skull so you believe there is 13 something behind that whick will actually point your affections to look beyond that which you see with lour nour our natural eyes and awl cause you ylo yio to believe ili in a supreme being jn in an over overruling i ag hand liand in an all wise providence or to 0 o worship even a god without body or parts are we under traditions to the same extent that some others are arm perhaps not we do not think we are and arid yet we a have our traditions upon us and if we are not careful we are liable to become as great idolaters idol aters as there are in ili the tile world br silas smith has just told you that he had not been at home homo four days when lie he heald heard his name called for another mission and he be says that he lie is ready and willing of which I 1 have no doubt for I 1 never neter knew him when lie he was not willing to do anything that he be was told to do we sav say sas that we are willing to do anything required to sustain us in our religious rights to sacrifice our all for our ic i ligion and the tile hope that is before us its br clapp lias has just taught us that hat we are not riot worthy of eternal life unless we are willing to sacrifice all br dr clapp what have bave you to give every thing I 1 have but you have not john what are wil wll to give for eternal life you say everything what have you got consider well what you have says be he 41 1 I live here I 1 have my life no you have not for it is in the lands hands of your creator 11 1 I have a wife she shy is only commit committed ted led to you to enable you to prove whether you ou will wili will treat her in a righteous mariner she is not yet yours 11 1 I have children that are the offspring of my loins joins they are not yours for you cannot produce them of yourself 11 1 I have a farm no that farm firm belongs to another the devil says that it is hig his but we expect jesus will have the whole earth 1 I have horses and possessions reflect well arid and consider whether you really own anything upon reflection you discern at once that your wife may be taken alien from you your farm acid your other possession possessions may be taken and lowr gold and arid silver may take the win wings wins s of or the morning and fly from you if god goa withdraw withdraws his sustaining hand you sink you have no wife cn idren Adren horses houses nor land when men and women adik about giving every thin thing for the sal vaton which they anticipate arid and live for behold I 1 they hey have nothing to give nor have they anything to do only to do their theli cluty duty and what ii that to improve upon that which is committed to their possession to prove themselves worth worthy y to their father and god that ere long they may be worthy to receive crowns of glory immortality and eternal life then we wiil wili be beyond the power of satan we will be where we can control death aad and him that has the power of death and we will reign triumphantly as the gods and as the sons bons kofl of dod god we must theiu that power and glory before we call can say that we realy really own any anything thing even the least thing in this world or in in eternity parson talk about sacrificing but we have nothing to sacrifice all al wo we have to do is to love jove and serve our god arid and do everything we can to bring knowledge to ourselves and to ane people everything we can to 0 o make them happy wealthy strong arid and numerous so that we may overcome the powers of darkness arid and rein reign triumphantly antly oil on the earth jesus christ being our head and king that is all we have to do tell about houses lands and other property being ours oura and arid that we have no traditions and idols I 1 would as soon see a man worship hg ig a little god goj od made of brass or of wood as to worship his property I 1 have a number of such god gods brought lo 10 me elb from the eist indies and irom the if islands lands and I 1 would as soon see sea one of my brethren worship one of those bras idols as to see him worship his property prop eity and lie he would be as much justified in the sight of god does this congregation understand what idolatry is the tile new tes testament lament says that is idolatry therefore a cov coy covetous tous people is an idolatrous i people some of or you yon are just as much idolaters idol aters as are the ilia heathen but you do not riot know it neither do they realize their idolatry were I 1 on the islands and seeing the natives bow before their imael images to be healed I 1 would say says have faith and instead of ing ins a an man for woi wol worshiping an idol I 1 would exhort him ta have exceeding great faith faitt 1 in ina ira idols upon the same principle that I 1 exhort the brethren here to have faith falth in our god goil and cand if your idol will not heal you look beyond to that being who can I 1 am riot not for cutting people off from the church that worship their property instead of their god but for bearing with hem until they shall shail gain gaio li liht ht and arid knowledge so aa as to see their errors and tum to the god of truth I 1 would say to idolaters idol aters if you von have nith gith fa i ull ili ili in an ail idal idol have a little more and it if yov yog yo have filth faith enough the tha lord may work upon your mind so that you can linder understand stand tha iha ble blevings sings he lie has in store for hla hia people arid and I 1 say to tha the ma and women who profess to be latter day saints god and hav hai holde bolde ib lh at ll 11 his bis pleasure he be raises epand up and aud puts down kinos kings kiri h gis fis ejr derors thrones and dominions arid and the he power and wisdom and glory of ghe the the Almi aimi almighty glit y who fills immensity arld and operates upon ail all M gs 4 prevail what good cin our wealth do r were ewe ere it not rot to 7 promote the cause op of gad upon 0 n the earth ea ro it overcome the tb power of satan and be used to bring forth and overcome darkness that is 13 dedicating ourselves and ono all we are made steward over to the bu bunding up of the cruse crune cau e of god on oil the earth ili in so doing we can be juti juliai ned tied we can not riot receive the tile glory the king hing joins the ilia thrones the wisdom ail ali and hp ower that are designed for forus without a close application in ju our studies and jn in our efforts in our whole lives to build up the kingdom of god on ori the earth we need to apply our mind 16 to wisdom as strongly and arid closely as br silas smith had bad to lo apply appi y hi hla hii a mind to learn the language of the native that lie he might be able to teach each them liis his ideas without wi eil ell olit trusting to their passing through the mouth of another no matter how bow ineck of the spirit a teacher has if his word have to be interpreted bv oile one who has lias n not ot the spirit the tha people are not bene fitted for tile the letter ki eilieth kil lieth leth letb but the spirit life 1 no matter mailer liow how much a man preaches nor how much of ahe ilia holy noly ghost he lie has the spirit may be edified but tile tho understanding will remain uil uti fruitful unfruitful and if we trust to some souie other person to bring forth the hidden bidder things or of nie hie kingdom if we are all the time dependent oil on an interpreter who lias has not riot the holy ghost we can not grow rapidly in the knowledge of the lruth truth we must live jive so that our knowledge and fa fath th shall reach beyond the ideal no matter what that asand is and we must have knowledge of the living god for ourselves the people wish to know whether they can not find out lile the living god yes just as quickly as you are prepared but you must ceas ceasr worshiping idols then when persons say ay thoy thay are willing g to sacrifice their thein all for the kingdom of god they will do it without whining then thell if ir a ward is required lo 10 perform a certain work the hey will not ejot complain about it then they will be apt to cast their idos idols behind them oem and arid will mill nut not so worship and covet covel a beautiful span of horses that they will not let them go to save the whole house of israel but in the first firs place they have nothing to sacrifice in the so second ad place plage gl god od has liaa given them enough with which to benefit |