Show REMARKS by lly prest pret paniel haniel II 11 wells eli all tabernacle saturday morning g april 6 leai lre ire REPORTED routed BY j T v LONGI LONG lomg I 1 the text taken by br benson I 1 think is is OL a very good one and he has haa portrayed before us what is is necessary nrc essary to enable us ils to be one in following out those virtues and principles which are godlike and which are calculated to make us one that we also may inay become like god this is our duty and our privilege to be godlike in our ways to imitate the virtuous the true and the good and in as much as it is possible to become ultimately as pure and holy as our father and god this is the privilege of the human race in our day and generation we have the light of revelation to guide the souls sauls of men aright to make ourselves like our father in heaven we have not known these things until with wilh in the last few vears ears since the revelation of the falness of the gospel it is one of the greatest privileges and blessings ever made known to mani madl clothed with the ill lil light bt of truth and knowledge from the heavens h having av in a channel of communication opened up tip through h which we get intelligence from the father rather of light with whom there is is ro do variableness nor the least shadow of turning this light and knowledge hag been imparted to the children of men and by obedience to its directions they can make themselves like gods in the eternal worlds what beauty healt what love what greatness and power arid and what exceeding great glory lie before the true hearted let your 5 our minds open up to behold in vision t the h e greatness thereof for the moment that you can see bee what light I 1 greatness and glory ory cry are strewn in and now I 1 illuminate bour pathway a y to cheer you onward through the shifting and varied scenes of life to the haven haien of bliss and glory hereafter continually inual y enlightening your minds solacing 3 you ou t through r ough life enabling you to overcome every eiery difficulty which you may nay have to encounter in in life s journey As sorrow and distress are rare in the world w or I 1 d we expect that every one will more or less have hav e to drink cf the bitter fu sup cu 0 this light these great gifts this promise of brewart reward of happiness and exaltation the lovely principles which are u unfolded to our view are enough tu to inspire in the human heart every day joy that could not be conceived of by the natural n man mail As was asked by br benson what more could we ask to prove to ourselves that this is the work of the almighty what more could we have to induce us to pursue the right way still how little are these blessings bles bies sings appreciated precia ted by the world at large yes and by the saints of the most high in comparison with what they should bel it seems as tho thol we often forget what our real blessin blessings 3 are and thereby let darkness creep into our minds and cover up the little light that is in us we should remember thit that our religion is designed to redeem a lost world from sin from the bondage of iniquity and also from the rule and thralldom of satan which have eaf loped it for generations and cot coy covered e red I 1 it t es 63 it were witha with a thick pail and well nigh desolated the earth it is designed now to restore aitto it to and place it I 1 in I 1 the light 1 to fill it with intel I 1 and sanctify it through the truth aurl our religion teaches us to draw wisdom frota frosa tha the fountain of wisdom and to extend it to the minds of others it opens up to its adherents I 1 eveir privilege vile e which the heart ol 01 a righteous lan din uin u an ean can ran desire and tind it leads it ads on en the faithful to I 1 g ory and honor hoar in ia vonda or I 1 gut I 1 but what is the reverse what is the ot other her ide de of the picture it is confusion I 1 distress dis treas of communities division in families I 1 distress of nations a fearful looking forward into the future because of the judgments of the almighty which they apprehend are near atI their doors have they any desire to do any better no but the wicked are striving to see how they can get more advantages over their neighbor and thus do worse and serve the devil better and almost with railroad speed speedy Z that they may see wickedness predominate throughout hout bout the length and breadth of the land the conduct of the wicked leads to darkness and misery in the present as well as in the future how thankful then we should be that this gospel and the light of revelation have reached our minds and caused our bosoms to vibrate with the inspirations of the holy spirit the welcome sound and accompanying power has plucked us as brands from the dur Our burning ning then do you not feel thankful that we have this blessed privilege 7 and that we had hakl understanding t enough 1 left with us when this gospel reached our ears to embrace it it has been the privilege t of the world to do the fiame flame our cote co temporaries es in in all nations have the opportunity im tuni of be becoming coming acquainted ted with its blessings bifi rs the light 01 0 this gosnel has been shed forth more or less among all nations of the globe thousands and millions have heard it but many only to reject it because of the pride of life and th lust of the world friends and relatives who ho have dared to differ in opinion with their connections and to join themselves to all an unpopular people have found that it has cost them their name in society their character among their fellows thyr fortune and all they possessed Floss essed this view having been taken of it by many who have examined its principles has caused them to reject it it is the privilege of th the e people of this nation n as much so as it has been ours to receive the benefits of this gospel it is ia also the privilege of our government ao to do good to this people but it is loft laft with them to act according in n to the dictates of their own consciences it is not silly their privilege but it is their duty to foster this kingdom and it was one of the main objects of the government in laying the whole structure thereof that it should afford awford succor and support to the kingdom of god it was the wish of the almighty that the principles of liberty and of righteousness should underlie the had has of the union and the institutions that flow from that government who could dare to question the rights of conscience was a question often asked in revolutionary times how hali hab the government of our country performed that important duty towards this people we only need refer to our past history to a anaver ns this question it ignored the privilege that we claimed and refused to do its duty that neglect neglect on the part of our government caused t thousands ousa lids rids to be ruined to be driven forth into the trackless w wilds ills and for want of ordinary subsistence many weakened and died the wilful neglect of nt our government caused the bot best bi blood 00 d of this generation to be shed it caused hundreds to die through exposure and in every respect it has failed to come out and maintain the rights 11 of conscience towards the saints ot of the most alost ili iii lilb high b it would N ouid have been far better for us it if we had efad had bad no pretensions to government at all than for it thus to have encouraged the hand of the plunderer and of the murderer we shou should d have fared much better than we did to say nothing of their finally concentrating m their power and their influence to wipe us ils out of existence after we had bad coined a foothold foot hold in these dreary deserts then so far as we are concerned we should have been better without a government than with such an one it is a principle in political cal cai economy that no government shall be bound together any longer than it is good for its subjects whenever any government fail falls to prote protect ct and preserve the rights and interests of its people they can no longer be expected to rei render der unto it their allegiance iad abd support hence lence we see the people occasionally shaking off the chains of tyranny that bind binn tiem them through all this abue abuse and neglect on the part of the pre government this people has nas has shown tte tre moat devoted loyalty anti and they never have breathed a word or exhibited a desire debirt to throw it off when administered in its legitimate channel chann elit it isono is one ono of thebert the best governments upon the face of the whole earth and it if it had been used for the purposes for which it nas was originally designed it would have been both stronger and better we find no fault with its institutions neither dowe do we particularly object to its ita formoe form of government but it is its ita administration and the way lis ita and laws have been abi abl abaev sed sed eed aed th tb dav it is cowand has forbears for years past been b mv 1 r reni 4 bab hab founded the cause of complaint it recognizes the principle of I 1 sef self government that the people have the I 1 hialit ri ht to c control v n arol of that principle ciple ve e have long been al a but it has las opy dry ne v r b ban n ex ten deuto to us ua as a ope ape TL tarot not rot the ars ar arg s and plans of politicians they have managed to deprive territories of that which is given to the states this is contrary to the tb genius of the constitution which gives the people the th right to choose their own rulers taxation should only be exacted where representation disallowed is allowed these privileges have been withheld from this thia as well as from other territories and the pattern given for this territory in the organic act is not materially different from any other our offense offence has been that we have asked for those of our own choosing to rule us it has been the case it estrue is true that they have chosen persons from the states to hol hoi hold offices in all the territories and ostensibly they have made no difference but buti this should be considered that the appointing power has given others otherl the opportunity of making known their preference and such wishes have generally been considered with the exception of the people of this thib territory I 1 am now speaking of the past hitherto it has been as I 1 have now menti mentioned oneil this government has been partial in this and in ganv other respects and has no real claim upon our affections but still we seek to preserve those institutions and to keep sacred those these wise provisions which are embodied in the constitution as it was formed by our fathers father and perhaps we are the only people that do seek the salvation of our country at the time and it will finally be shown that we ara aro the only people that will stand by its pies ples les ies and make it what it was intended to be n an ari asylum for the oppressed of all national it is truly a strange crisis to which the country has now arrived it is something like a statement I 1 saw me other dy day very truly depicted depleted though very humiliating to receive to be compared with an old rotten government like that of austria a government naturally crumbling to pieces a government notorious for its ita oppression of its ils subjects for many generations another and arld a new one that has not yet attained its full size presents the same picture to the world it also is crumbling to pieces the same ca cause use corruption fro from n the centre 40 the fhe circumference I 1 do not think there is id a anore amore more moru corrupt government upon the face of the earth it seems that when they commenced their war upon us they commenced to glide the downward road to destruction it is patent everywhere that the government does d oes not look for anything from their public servants but corruption and aila robbery they settle all their accounts with this understanding standing of the subject and the whole machinery has become carru corrupt p t in the sight bight of haaven heaven and end aa akl good men in departing from the principles ot or truth of life ife and merey mercy m erey in in rejecting the message or oc s salvation alvario n that has bee been n sent to them the he instrumentality of joseph smith ane tal prophet ot of the most high god who was chosen to open up the work of this last dispensation pensa tion they paved the way for their own destruction they have rolled up against th a 3 keople people in their wrath arid and in their hatred al arl I 1 ave nave striven to destroy the priesthood arora he earth we now begin to see the results in tho the days of our tribulations they said to the mobs J go on yes they encouraged our olf enemies in the perpetration of all their abom acts the prophet of the lord and told them they should have mobs moba to their hearts satisfaction but it should be aira airna 14 themselves one state against arother c u i the whole land should be deluged with tl blood of its inhabitants when our people applied to the government to compel the state of missouri blis hils to restore us ud to our lands they pretended they could not interfere with a sovereign state and as a reward for their conduct they havo hayo now got state s 11 to their hearts content al allo alio this titis will continue to be poured back them they will vill have to walk in the road which they laid out for us and that which they would have put upon us Is ia now fast coming coining upon their own nead heads ii what more I 1 striking illustration could be broucht to 1 bear bea leas r upon poll the minds of this prope what coul chuisa st could the oid lord loid old pursue e that would seem to 11 satisfy mankind that these are his people abd aid that this this is his work than that N which hieb is b bring daily acted before all the world it is pa 9 W was as said of old this work is as a liht sp s upon a hill bill tills this caupe and king kiri kiil doin a av af f a living perpetual and ard final testimony to tle nations that god is with us though we be b despised by the world the wicked reject this tills gospel and thi 3 mem niek saze sace from the al almighty mig aty oty which is iven in much mercy for t thein their b r salvation i lie he fan fau i roust r st upon their own bad had hev bev bey cy liar lia ila certainly been varned warned time and aga n r th tir y live in the time of final warding warning war ding add arid alipy b gin to re reo fral 4 the he reaction re action wb abc ati 4 is ammy them they have sent fe foth fobb lb ke he thull er cr bolts boits against the lords anointed ore one OB Carid sand earld carld rand lm he rebound is beginning to take efre effect ct upon lipon their ovin oun hears heads it does seem to me that ir if ili iii ii 7 were honet hone t ty v ouid ij fc pov e 9 iii lit lii but we LO not expect U lini leni ala 0 40 i at ule uie p f k ent timy MIless iT the are too far ar steeper eA inthe fol 1 lies and d wickedness of ill lii ahe world rl d confess gonles that God has thwarted their designs I 1 many ins perhaps do see it but the pride of life and their own wicked desires may prevent them from acknowledging the hand of god in the of this people we have been sent forth into the world to preach the gospel and the almighty has been with us to take care of us we need not fear when nations are crumbling to pieces we need only press on in the way of our duty and their will always be sufficient light given in this kingdom to lead had every saint of god in the path of duty and of right it is then lor every boul soul to cleave bogod to god walk inthe in the way of righteousness to be united in doing good to be one in heart and in mind one in purpose and in lin faith to live our holy religion and andlee let iet outside things take their course and let us be true to the cause we have espoused an I 1 be ready at a moments notice to do any tain arthal inay lay be require roq aired dired a of us let |