| Show DISCOURSE by john Tay Tayl taylar lwin rr in the tabernacle Tabe made april lieth 1854 10 a m having been called upon by president grant to address you this morning I 1 do so with pleasure I 1 basure how long I 1 shall speak I 1 do not know for I 1 have been quite unwell for some time past arid and whether 10 r my strength will hold out or not I 1 am par luto to say bay I 1 can tell you better when I 1 have tried I 1 have leen been much interested during the conference that is past and although I 1 was not able to take an active part in the business that w was as going on yet my spirit re rejoiced j voiced cod to hear the principles of truth that were advanced and in the things that were cevelo developed ad and fully made manifest by the spirit of the eat most high god 1 associated as we are with the kingdom of god we may inay remon reasonably ably expect so long as we do our duty before the lord to have continual developments of light truth and intelligence that emanates from the great god for the guidance direction salvation and exaltation of this people whether it relates to time or to eternity for everything we have to do with is eternal arid and when we speak of time and eternity eter nily they are only relative terms which we attach to things that are present and d things that are to come and things that are past but in ili relation to ourselves as individuals we are eternal beings although we occupy a certain space of eternity called time lime in relation to the gospel we preach it ie eternal ju in relation to the priesthood it is eternal in relation to our 46 6 covenants and obligations they are eteri eternal lill in relation to eternally our naly promises rom isep prospects arid and hopes they are eter eternal and while we are acting upon I 1 this stage of being we are merely commencing a state of things that will exist while countless ages shall roll roil along and if we have right views and right feelings and entertain correct principles as eternal beings all our thoughts our actions our r 1 1 engaged in laying foundation upon which to build a superstructure i that will lip be permanent lasting and endur enduring ani as the throne of the great Je jehovah hovag and if any tiling thing is short of this it is short of the mark of the high calling whereunto we may or ought to arrive arid and many of the little incidents and occurrences occur rances of life that we have to pass through are transient in comparison to the things that are to come and yet all these little things are so many links in ili the alie great chain of our existence of our ho hopes es and prospects there are ard many things that seem to us trials ti bals and difficulties that perplex por plex anno yand harrass our spirits yot yet these very things bilings as one justly observed are blessings in disguise so many helps to us to develop our qu weaknesses and infirmities and lead us to put our trust in god and rely upon him to give us a knowledge of ourselves of our neighbors and of the work of god they have a tendency to develop principles of worth to our minds and thus abu they serve as school masters lielas and instructors and are to us as as many blessings in disguise in fact all things that we have to do with in the world whether it is aver sity or prosperity eity whether whet lier it relates to ourselves or to others if rightly appreciated and understood may lay teach us a lesson that will be to our joy probably not only in time little but in all eternity we ne must know ourselves learn what is in our na tare turey our weakness our strength our wisdom our folly and the like aings that dwell iu it others that we may learn to appreciate true and correct principles and be governed by them whenever they are developed that we ay may learn to set a just value riall sublunary things that we may not value them above their real value and that we may neither value 0 ourselves a nor others above ours or their worth that we may learn to look upon ourselves as eternal beings acting in everything with a reference to eternity that we may by all and by secure to ourselves eternal exaltations thrones principalities and powers in the eternal worlds these are some of my feelings jn in relation to overy day affairs and occurrences in ill life aud alid the things thin things gawith with which I 1 lain am surrounded andl feel anxious every d ty ly when I 1 feet feel right to make an all improvement today to day in something that will benefit me or others in relation to eternity as well as to time for while we are ster eternal rial beings we are also temporal beings and have to do with temporal tiling things as well as with spiritual or eternal things filings tal tak f jt c 1 tle importance w 3 60 ili adverse or ili m whether we v it are po poor or lay y noyer however be prosperous ci cirvice raice e than we think of I 1 think adversity dVe reily ilk is a blessing in many instances aud and in some prosperity i but nothing is a blessing to us that is not calculated tp enlighten our minds and lead us to god and put us in iti possession of true principles and lid prepare us for an exaltation in the eternal world in regard to god and the things of f god could the world of mankind see aright arid and understand aright could they know what was for their true interests or could they have known it for generations there is not one of them but what would have feared god with all their hearts minds soul and strength that is ia if they had had power to do so that would have been their feelings and more especially so among the saints if the saints could understand things correctly if they could see themselves as god sees them if they could know and understand and appreciate the principles of oe eternal truth as they emanate from god I 1 ana as in if they could know their high call callings ings glorious hope and the future fu lure destiny that awaits them inasmuch as they are faithful there Is not a saint of god there is not one in ili these there valleys of the mountains but would prostrate pr themselves before him they ifould dedicate their hearts and their minds their souls and their strength to god and their bodies and their spirits and property and everything they possess of earth and esteem it ona one of the greatest privileges s that could be conferred upon mortal man mail te if f there are those who do not see eoe these things aright it is because they see i in a part and know in part it is because their hearts are not devoted to god as they ought to be it is because their spirits are not entirely under u the influence of the spirit of the most high it is because they have not so lived up to their privileges as to put themselves in possession of that light and truth that emanates from god to his bs people it i because the god IS of this world has blinded their minds that they cannot fully understand that they cannot be made mude fully fally acquainted with tile the great phen root and glorious principles of eternal truth when we look at ourselves axi aright 9 ht when we understand der stand the principles of truth alight what is there we would not give for salvation when the spirit lias has beamed forth powerfully upon abe hearts ot the saints when the light and intelli the lord has shown upon the souls of tile saints when assembled together what havo have they felt like that they are the blessed of the lord how oft when hey have met together on oil special occasions to receive certain blessings from the hands of god has the spirit of revelation rested upon them and the future been opened to their view in all its beauty glory rich richness nessi and excellency and when their hearts have been warmed up by that spirit how have they felt to rejoice how have tile they y looked upon the things of this world and an tile the pros pact that awaited them upon their privileges e es as saints of f the most high god arid and upon the a glory they will inherit if they are faithful to th the end r you may have experienced enerd the feeling that such thoughts and prospects would naturally create in the human heart why isit is it we feel otherwise at any time it is because we forget to pray and call all upon god and dedicate ourselves to him or because we fall into transgression commit iriqui t and lose the spirit of god arid and forget our eal fallings callin lings gB glorious hope but if we could all the time see and realize and understand our true position before god our oar minds would be continually on an the stretch after the things of god and we should be seeking to know all the day long what I 1 we could do to promote the happiness and salva we to honor our calling to honor the priesthood of the son of god and what to do to honor our god aud and to improve the remaining time we have upon the earth and the energies of our bodies for foe the accomplishment of life his purpose seb s and for the rolling forth of his kingdom for the advancement of his designs that when we stand before him lie he may say to us well anpo thou than good arid and faithful servant enter into the joy ay of thy lord thou hast been faithful over a ke jaw w things bugs I 1 will make thee ruler over many lany bogs ings theo would be A MB feelings lings and no doubt this 1 ie wha we camo into the world for I 1 know of I 1 no other object no other design that god had in 7 view few in sending us here we came forth from our father in heaven having had the privilege of taking bodies in this world what for that our bodies and spirits together might accomplish the die will of our heavenly father and find our way back again into his presence that while we are upon the earth we misfit be governed by his wisdom by the intelligence arid and revelations that flow floi from him that he might be a guide arid and dictator of our steps while we sojourn here and I 1 that we might fill up the neasure measure of our creation in honor to ourselves in honor to our progenitors and in ili honor to our posterity and finally lind find our I 1 way back into the jre presence serice of god having accomplished complis comoli hed shed the object for which mitch wo we came into the world having filled up the measure of our creation I 1 leaving having obtained honor to ourselves honor for our posterity and lor our progenitors arid and become an all honor to god our heavenly father by walking humbly before him fulfilling his laws and accod accomplishing I hing this the object of our creation I 1 say as 1 t S said aid before if we understood ourselves aright this would be our main object but we know in ili part and see in part and comprehend in ili part and many of the things of god are hid from our view both things that are past things that are present a and lid things that are to come hence the world general sit in judgment upon the actions of god that are passing among them they mke make use of the weak judgment that god has given them to scan the designs of god to unravel the mysteries thata that are repast past and things that are still hid forgetting that no man knows the things of god but by tile spirit ol oi god forgetting that tile the wisdom of this world is foolishness with god od forgetting that no man mail in and of himself tent to unravel the designs and know the purposes of jehovah whether in relation to the past present or ati future ture arid and hence forgetting this they fall into all kinds of blunders they blunder over things that are contained in the scriptures some vr 1 ni um u 1 oi 01 me 1110 lonies and ana weaknesses of men and some of them perhaps may be the wisdom and intelligence of god that is as far above their heir wisdom and intelligence as the heavens are above the earth how often have I 1 heard individuals for instance exclaiming against the harshness the cruelty find and byram tyranny 0 of f god in ili destroying the an antediluvians cedil livia its the people opTe of sodom arid and Goi gomorrah norrall and other cities and places and against other judgments and cruelties cruel ties that befell the people how little do such gersoni persons understand about it according to their own systems of philosophy they would act precisely upon the alie same principle if they only understood tile principles lie he acted supoj apoi whereas in ignorance of them they think it cruel 1 indeed for god to destroy the inhabitants of the old world the alie cities of sodom and gomorrah or other places why because it wis was the destruction of so much human life but do they know the whys ghys and the wherefores of that no in the same way they look upon moses joshua and some other eminent men of god who were called forth to execute his I 1 judgments and accomplish his designs root out the wicked aud and destroy the ungodly and establish the principles of righteousness they would look upon their acts as acts of cruelty tyranny arid and oppression why so because they can conceive of no other idea than that which dwells in their own bosoms there dwells the principle of revenge or ambition arid and they know of no other motive that could prompt god to do as ho he lias has in ili the destruction truc tion of the wicked at sundry times in ili the sime same way men judge us in ili relation to our matrimonial relations if a man is associated with more females than one in the world they cannot look upon it in any other way than lascivious aness and adulterous the very principles that predominate in themselves they have no other idea our situation our conduct on duct arid and our proceedings to their feelings and views are outrageous and abominable and this they believe iu in all sincerity why because they know of boother no other principle than that they have not been enlightened they do not understand der stand the end from the beginning the whys ghys and the wherefores if they did they would know that virtue purity and strict integrity dwell in the bosoms of the saints and that they are governed by bv correct virtuous and holy principles and a Cho thousand usand times more so than ever they dreamed of in their lives this is so with regard to their views of the transactions of god with I 1 I 1 I 1 corruption they had forsaken god the father arid and fountain of their existence and the giver of every good and perfect gift yielding submission I 1 to the powers of the adversary in a state of darkness daik arid and ignorance living and propagating their species innumerable in that state of corruption depraving themselves morally and intellectually forsaking god and teaching nothing but principles that are corrupt and abominable look at the world in that state and consider god as their father arid and themselves as eternal beings arid and propagating pa eternal beings in ill a state of the deepest depravity looking at things that awaited the them m tit in the future the position they stood in tile misery they must endure in ili the future after they had lived here tile the trouble and position they have got to be placed in before ever they can get back to the presence of their father think of millions and millions of people living and dying in ili this aud bringing millions of individuals into the alie world that have got to bear their fathers sins cursed with their curse arid and living and dying in ili their borrup more to be damned arid and go to hell to be redeemed before they can be brought back again into the presence of their creater taking this view of tile the matter can you say that god is unjust cruel arid and tyronical tyr anical for destroying such a people as that no for there were millions of unborn spirits to come into this world and inhabit those these depraved bodies and become subject to the corruptions corrupt ions of a depraved par parentage I 1 a e for there was not a righteous generation for the whole earth hid had h id corrupted themselves he had power to put a stop to the propagation of such cr but not to do it would lie have acted righteously righteous lv to those yet unborn would he be |
