| Show DISCOURSE euarse Di r by kiden filler wily DRUM taber lacier na april sa rat 1800 IF REP REPORTED BY J V LONG I 1 always feel much pleasure in addressing a congregation of the saints when I 1 am inspired by the he holy ghost for then I 1 can be of benefit to those who hear I 1 realize tint trat urit urn uri e priesthood hestwood Hest nest hood aa wavrek to earth we had no wa way of knowin knowing the truth in relation to the gospel gospe lof of jesus hist christ cg it is true there were a great many anxiously peeking to know the lord but there were alone that were were able to give them the comfort and consolation they desired if a person goes without food four hours we all know that that individual willi become veri verk very hungry and it is precisely so with those w who 0 hunger for the principles of eternal life while we enjoy the spirit of the lord we shall find that there is enough and an abundance to feed every human boul soul I 1 have never seen the day nor the hour houf that I 1 was waa not susceptible of being taught by my brethren neither have I 1 ever seen the time that I 1 thought I 1 knew all the principles of the gospel and I 1 can truly say that I feel as much edified today to day in contemplating the things of god as ever 1 I did in any hour of my life we are ire all dependent upon the lord upon his holy spirit and upon the testimony of the lord jems jesus christ for instruction jor dor for light and knowledge b such asis asas calculated to edify encourage sustain and aid us in magnifying our callings in this life lve we need not enter particularly into the great mysteries of the kingdom ot of god in order orter to be edified A man may preach upon i lle lie ile he first principles of the gospel and he will jand enough in them to instruct the people and edify himself in the things of god those principles are plain they can easily be comprehended easily ended when presented to the c children ildren lidren of men as us they are revealed from heaven but as plain plain and simple as they are for eighteen b undred hundred years the world was almost destitute of a knowledge of the truth and of the holy ghost which is poured out to lead mankind in the way of truth from the time of the great falling away which took place in the early part of the christian era up to the present time tile the world have been ignorant with regard to the tho birtt principles of the gospel of jesus christ it is true that professed sied saed christians the examples of the prophets lind tyng an apostles from their childhood up as laid down in the new Testament and yet they have been far from the hand did not know the correct way of worshipping wor shipping god it has been a loys toys mystery tery to you and to me that we have never been able to unravel or to find out by b our own wisdom the true knowledge L of got goz god but the very fact that generation atter generation 0 have risen up and established systems arid and organizations all ail professing prof essing easing to be according plan of salvation and yet opposed one to another lother al until they have raised up scores of churches all dlf dif firing on point points of doctrine proves that there has his been something out of 0 tb th themay eway we know that behave the gospel of christ that has baa been revealed from heavelin he iii lil this generation wherein is taught faith falth repent ance and baptism for the remission of sins ad that obedience to those doctrines will wilf bring all ail things to our remembrance and thereby enable us the more perfectly to do the will ot of god while we dwell here jn in the flesh As the scriptures have informed us there is a spir itin llin in man and the inspiration of the almighty it understanding 1 I 1 idonat do not know now that I 1 can explain to you the reasons for the great difference we see fee in mankind relative to the principles of truth but it hag been BO in every age of the world and when the gospel has been preached the them honest in heart and meek of the earth have obeyed and been sustained by it and they have been enabled to pass pats through many scenes of trial and to endure the abe persecutions that wicked men have devised le to afflict the people of god the th faithful have hate always had a positive knowledg knowledge e that what they were doing was right ans and accept acceptable abla able to the Almighty and that they have been sustained in passing through h scenes of trial by the gift and power ower of G god d they have realized that it was tetter better to sacrifice their lives for his kingdom than to live and enjoy the riches and honors of this thil world for PL a season this principle sustained the ancient saints in all their affliction it sustained them in the den of lions and in ia the fiery furnace and although they frequently sealed their testimony with their blood they were comforted and consoled in looking forward to the he time when the earth would enjoy her sab baths and the saints enter into their jests the jews marveled and wondered at the savior I 1 for they saw that he was filled with light and truth they had eyes to bee sec but they saw not ap the savior laid before them the principles of truth he came to them and ind un dercook to convert them bruthe but he wept over them when hs he saw what would be the conse conge iuen luen ces of their hard bard hearte heartedness aness duess and how lle ile lie jewish nation would be over Dver overthrown thrown and the people scattered among all nations if they rejected the doctrines be he presented to them lie informed ahem what would be the result of their disobedience and told them that th tho judgments judg mens of god would fall heavily upon hem he portrayed to them the oppressions oppress ions and tortu rings with which they would bo be afflicted foretold the destruction of the temple that it be thrown down and that there would pot be e left one stone upon another the majority of them mocked hiesl hib his say pay sayings ings and filially succeeded yin lin putting him to death mth nth but ye ail all 11 t that at ile lie foretold fp retold the jews jeas s has come to rab nab a a fihs i c ci 5 9 apa also concern son Fon cern icv lve f 9 0 14 tt 14 ita H 14 uy at G ing ahat that that nation natio M ve V been literally feam and that too in such a tin ten a plain p I 1 a 1 n pointer pai pal n t e 4 add all a fa u unmistakable D al al I 1 e m anner mauner that ahat iti seems almost laa lua possible for a man to be a disbeliever in the dealings of god with the jewish nation peter james john phiip philp philip phlip bartholomew and the apostles generally warned that people but hey they spurned the servants of god and turned unto their idols the apostles were in kirea by the spirit of god they enjoyed the 9 gifts ats of the holy ghost but the great ireat mass of the jewish nation hardened their hearts and hovd not list eito ue words of eife I 1 rr might right atlon say bay ea the same in relation to the present generation the church of christ is organized precisely as it was in the days daya of the Apostles and we are living in the day and age of the world when the righteous blood that haa has been shed upon the earth will be avenger agn on the disobedient because they reject act that gospel which would save them and nabee f them to assist in I 1 n the great work vori of the redemption of the dead the gospel has been again restored by the administration of an angel I 1 from heaven whom the cevela tor john saw in vision when on the isle of Pat when describing g it lie he says and I 1 saw another angel ay fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel gospel fo toy preach reach unto thern thein that dwell on the ear earth b an and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people saying sayin with a joud voice fear god and give glory to him for far the hour tour of his judgment is come and worship him that made mad heaven and earth eaith and the sea and the fountains of waters revelations chap verses 67 I 1 did you ever know the nord lord to bring his judgments apola any nation from the days of adam in in the garden p af pf eden until the present time before he had warned their sins no the lord has always warned the people before he lie has for their wickedness Ile he warned and Gornor gomorrah rah rab before I 1 he sent destruction upon them anel and be he I 1 has done so in every age of the world in this generation the almighty has raised up a prophet who has organized the kingdom of godf god goi and thousands of the lords have been inspired by the same spirit to pro claim the words of live to the people and and aDd who canerot cannot foresee the e judgments of god that await this generation after the testimony of the servants of god the judgments that i 1 have been spoken of 0 will ba poured out upon I 1 the wicked every man roan and woman who lives up to principles of the gospel can see by the same spirit they can understand by the things that are written in the scriptures and by jay the revelations of god that have been imi parted tinto us and that are before the rid ald world that these things are hanging hanling over the nations we have bave before u us the example of the ante delu gian iian an world they were hard hearted and up believing P and would not believe until it was wab toolate too late the th inhabitants of jerusalem did not believe that they would be gut suT surrounded rounded with those dire calamities that afterwards befell them thein in looking at the judgments of ty that we v e have witnessed been rai cai r called al to pass jials through wesee desce wei wel we see see plenty to arouse us ald aid and canse cause us s to tobe bi dili diligent goit guit in the discharge of our duties the heavens beavens are full af judgments that are ready to be poured pourer out upon this generation and the lord bas baa as many man v ways of punishing the wicked aa as be ever had in any previous dispensation we witness yit ness the power of god made manifest by day and by vy night and arid we ap ought ht to necessity of being obedient tp all ail the require ments of heaven the elders of israel have gone pone forth and borne torne a true and faithful testimony of the gospel of jesus christ and they have been assisted B sted by the gift and power of the holy ghost our prophets and elders eiders have been filled with good desires for the people and ha have I 1 gone abr abroad 0 ad and triad bring mankind to a knowledge le dg e of the truth our president has cast his mind abroad met wet the world and in his meditations he has planned for the wel fare of the human famil yand yet the wicked wic have desired his life and tho thousands sanda have dei dej I 1 spiced him because lie he has reproved them for their wickedness and arid advocated righteous principles and called upon apon them to repent of their sins and he baptized according order of god j tho the prophet joseph was inspired to lay the foundation of the church and kingdom OL of i god before that time the ma masses ases of mankind were in darkness dar knes the professors of religion were deceived in reg arAto god and the thi things of his hia king kingdom dam ti if the tho lord had not sent forth his servant josephihe Joseph the devil would never slave bavo wrought upon the hearts of the children of men as he has done but because the prophet was laying the foundation of that great work wark which the lord had determined to perform sn in the last days bhe uhe hearts of t the hi c children of men were stirred up to roar a against ainest the lords anointed buethe bul but the truth was bound sound to top prevail revall and for the accomplishment of this object the prophet labored day and night I 1 know that joseph smith was a good man a prophet a seer beer and a revelator and that he sealed his testimony with his blood that the nation that thit was worthy might receive their reward there is no principle revealed in this g generation enervation ene ration but those which arti known I 1 by ae almighty to ta be for the salvation of his creatures the spirit of warfare that is manifested jn in these days bas baa existed in all ages when he the priesthood was upon the earth there thele was always a war between I 1 light ight and darkness god and the devil d evil saint and sinner correct principles and false faise doctrines feour selves have a warfare with the evil p of our nature we have already had to meeta warfare instances the there rebas has haa been a physical con contest contestant cont test estand estani and our enemies have havi t f t stif S sough bough 1 l k t ouri d e a t 1477 p I 1 fro from ill ril ts e egbe elge eghi ginning w g T that h w warfare a fare wp till until sat bat sata iq i ia bound ana iniquity cy swept anu dept from tha the et earth we need not suppose that we shall have peace for there will be no peace to the righteous 1 until he reigns whose right it is to reign it Is in this generation precisely as one of the prophets foretold it should be surely our fathers ethers have inherited lies lieb Iles lies vanity and things t wherein theres th there ereis is no profit 21 jy tw 1 j thousands arid and millions nil nii lions of the sectarian world are arc ar in this condition and will ivill bo be led to use us ethis this or similar language the honest among them will get their reward and it will be far superior to any thing r they have anticipated it is true they entertain many false doctrines but let iet letus ictus us remember that we believed false doctrin doctrine band erand sand epand were surrounded with the traditions of if our fathers before we beard heard the fullness of the gospel when we heard beard its aripe principles i iea lea taught we admired and received them for the truth sake bake and rejoiced in the bies bles blessing sing slag that followed our obedience I 1 1 we have now got a warfare to endure we must war against every evi evl evil 1 I principle until we i ve can cap learn to do right in all things this thia is the spirit we must mus t learn to cultivate day by day the knowledge we have of 0 the gospel will assist us in doing this I 1 there ia is one peculiar pecullar feature connected with the preaching of the gospel you may send out a thousand Elder elders sand and they will all teach the samo same doctrines they will all labor for the building up of the same church they will be uin tin tinita ltd for their faith falth their doctrines doctrine sand band an d the organization of the church have all been made known unto them by the revelations of god hence they will see eye to eye in regard to thi the principles of the gospel supposing a thou sand ministers of different denominations were to be sent out into the world it would be very different with them from what it is with the elders of the church of christ they would not be so united nor so harmonious in their sentiments fenti ments our union and oneness of sentiment constitutes one of the prominent beauties of the organization tin of the kingdom of god there was never any other gospel taught to the old prophets excepting that which is now dow taught to you and generation neither was there ever any of the children of men saved lipon any other principle ithan estban that which is now presented to the people the church of christ always had in it prophets apostles ties and patri patriarchs archa it was always blest wit with the gills gifts of inspiration power to heal beal the sick and to perform such miracles as were necessary for the salvation of the saints if you were to meet with father adam with seth moses toses aaron christ or the apostles they would all teach the same principles that we have been beau taught they would not vary one particle this gospel is ingin its nature nat pre and arid unchangeable in its character it might be urged that the house of israel had the law of carnal commandments but that only served as a schoolmaster to bring them to christ because they would not receive |
