Show DISCOURSE I 1 ny by prest tabernacle bunday bundar bunday bundar afternoon jan 6 ing 1 1 I 1 DV BY J V L iona rona opo opa I 1 it would woula be very gratifying to me this afternoon lej if I 1 could speak freely of those things that I 1 have been meditating upon for the last s few days it would be a great satisfaction to me and doubt doubtless less lebs instructive to this congre gation it if I 1 could lay before them those things that are revolving rev olvin in my mind but instructions to the saints only appear to be givern a word or two at a time here a little and there a little and I 1 do not understand that the lord will ever manifest his will in any other way this is because of the weakness of humanity and the great variety in the minds of the saint saints j I 1 can say as I 1 have said f for fon or tears years the reli feit blon bion or of jesus christ professed profess eaby edby by the church church of laer latie r day sain saints t 9 which church I 1 have a v entered into and of which I 1 have li ben lien en a mem mcm bey ley ber her twe twenty nty nine years I 1 can truly say that 1 it is is a h undred hundred t fold more precious to me than it was when I 1 first embraced it my mind was contracted at that time and I 1 knew but little of the things or 0 god I 1 will here remark that I 1 do not sot profess profess to know much now still I 1 under understand stan them more perfectly and I 1 take a more comprehensive view of god and godliness than I 1 did or was capable of doing when I 1 first received the light of truth troth instead of becoming dark in my mind and gro growing stereotyped in my ways I 1 have expanded with the increase of my experience I 1 feel more acutely I 1 see more clearly an and I 1 comprehend more perfectly the principles that per pertain tain to life the older I 1 grow in the church the riper I 1 become in my mind and the more I 1 discover of the beauty and excellency of the plan of salvation in regard to treating upon the mysteries of the kingdom and what are commonly called the great things or in other words going in in to the top of the tree or doing as some do who taice tah the tree and cram it down the peoples throats top foremost I 1 do not believe in anything of the kind neither have I 1 been taught so to treat the people I 1 consider that the elders of israel should understand well and thoroughly digest the first principles of the doctrine of christ for obedience to them will prove the power of god unto salvation to every one that believes and practices them you know it is written that the gospel Is the power of god unto salvation to every one that believeth beli eveth I 1 can tell you something in connection with this you may believe what you yon please it will wi do you ou no n 0 good unless you pratie practise it we are required to manifest our faith by our works and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is the lord that in us to will and to do hi his hib s good pleast pleasure fre if we seek him with all our arts hearts and observe those things that pertain to righteousness working diligently in his bis kingdom he be will feel after us and inspire our hearts with his bis holy spirit and the influence thereof will rest upon us continually it will enter into every muscle sinew and fiber of the body in proportion to our fitness to receive it if we render ourselves susceptible of the nourishment that is imparted by the spirit of god to the spirits that dwell within these mortal bodies we shall have sufficient light and power to enable our spirits to dictate our bodied bodies and lead them unto eternal life ind inq and behold bedol l berbatis het bet he that batis Is faithful shall shail over many things and again I 1 will give unto yoa you yoa 3 00 a pattern in all things that ye re may not he be deceived for satan Is abroad in the land aud and he hegseth goeth forth deceiving decel ving vies the nations nation wherefore he that spirit Is lii ion ton contrite trite the bame same Is accepted of me if he be obey mine ordinances din ances lie lib that spirit Iscon if contrite whose language Is 18 meek and edl edi fleth the same Is of god it he be obey mine orlin ordinances ances and again he be that treni tieni bleth bieth under my power rower shall hall be made strone strong and shall bring forth fruit fruits of praise and wl wisdom dorn darn according to the revelation revelations and truths which I 1 have given giyen you youdon Doc k cov COT sec sic 66 par 4 in the great day of accounts all men will be judged according to the works that are wrought in their jaural natural bodies and it is of the highest importance that we should consider the final result of our acts r I 1 am always for the consideration of thee these little minute things that concern us today to day we should always be engaged in doing the things that belong to today to day there is but one course that you and I 1 can pursue and be right and that is be sufficiently humble to look at the most minute fibers the large roots of a tree receive their nourishment through tite the little fineis and they receive it from the fountain and then that i nourishment is sent throy tile the main trunk of the tree into the limbs branches and twigs twig ms it is just juat so with the church of christ A similar figure might C be made use of in regard to p people e ie studying languages there is no man who 01 h has as got a good education in the english french or german lanetia languages but who has got that knowledge by going 0 n I 1 into n to the roots or what the y chose to felim term th the e etymology my of language it is just so with the man who becomes educated in the clence science ci ence of the gospel of christ lie he begins at first principles he learns them thoroughly and practically and by carrying them out in his daily walk and conversa conversation tiou he be becomes educated in the religion of jesus christ which is the only perfect science revealed to man when jesus christ was upon the earth he taught the people heMin sa saying go 1 I am the true vine and my Fat the husbandman every branch in me that bearett not fruit he away and every branch that bearett fruit he purleth it that it may bring forth more fruit now ye are clean through the word which I 1 have spoken unto you abide in me and I 1 in you As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine lioi nomore more can ye except ye abide in me I 1 am thi the v vine e ye are the branches he be that abid eth ju J and I 1 in him the sa bame same me bri ngeth forth much fruit for without me rne ye can co nothing itaman if I feman teman abide ibid e not in in b s cast forth A as a branch anzi andl ia withered anid abid alid men father gather them and cast them into the gire fire and they hey are ru b ined if ye abide ta in file me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you lohn johno john chap 15 verses 17 1 7 ibis is precisely the position we occupy in the church of christ it if we do not abide in in the vine we vye shall be cast out and all the inhabitants of the earth that do not connect themselves to the true vine jebus jesus christ will become as stubble and they will be burnt up arid and become ashes under the soles of the feet of the saints that will come upon the earth to trim it adorn it and make it like the garden of eden that they may dwell upon it forever it we are in the vine of christ we shall bring forth the fruits of righteousness and our works will be performed daily according to the requirements of the law of god except tep t we live daily in the line of our duty and keep beep the platter clean inside as well weli as out we cannot obtain the blessings promised if we take this course we shall live and prosper and bear orf off the e kin kingdom kindom dom independent of those that thai do evil for goz gol god gol will nourish and cherish those biose who do L right supposing we compare this church to a tree and suppose sup ose that one fourth of the limbs are dead what use are they to the tree they are lifeless and consequently the sooner they are taken away the better for the health of the tree Is there anything lost by lopping off those lifeless limbs no for the power and strength b that was formerly in the whole tree will enter into that tha part which is left po do you not go and clip off the small sprouts and sometimes some of the bunches of grapes from your vines in order to make the rest of the vine and the fruit grow lar larger gerand and stronger upon the same principle this church has to golfon be proven roven for the work of god must and will roll roil on and all the opposition in the world can not top stop it it is a kingdom that is established to remain upon the earth until it isab subdues dues every other kingdom and brings them into subjection to the law of god I 1 know this just as well as I 1 know that I 1 stand here today today to td day and my desire is that you may know it also arid and that you may become as the heart of one man jesus says if you are not one you are not mine for instance suppose I 1 come into this stand and offer up a prayer it is the duty of all present to join with me moe not on only Y in the sentiments but to actually allow the th every very U to pass silently through their minds ands in this way we become one our ralth raith is ia united and we answer the requirement of the law of god I 1 have frequently baid sald in your h hearing earing that I 1 would give a good deal if I 1 could unfold untold to you you the secret feelings of my heart I 1 do hot know of any better way to get at this than by comparison I 1 have not lan language gnage to soar above and spread myself like an eagle but I 1 desire to present my sentiments in such away that all will understand there are none of you but what know right and wrong just as well wel as I 1 do and you are obliged 0 to carry out the principles principles of right hab nab as there been any change in the first principles of the doctrine of christ as revealed by jebus jesus himself no that doctrine stands good and will forever remain so some suppose that the ten commandments given through moses have been done away but I 1 ican lean can inform 1 you ou that they the are still in force it will do no melo meio barm harm arin for me to read those commandments as contained in the chap of exodus they are as follows jand aana and god splice all these words wons saying I 1 am the lord thy god which have brought thee out of 0 the land ot of egypt out of the house of bondage thou a halt shail have no other gods before me thou shall not make unto thee any graven image or any lik ilk likeness eness eners of anything that lin heaven heavert above or that is in the earth beneath or that la Is in the water under the earth th ahou 0 a r shail halt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them hem tor for I 1 the lord thy god am a jealous god visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third anti anil fourth generation of them that hate bate me and shoving mercy unto thousands of them that love iiley tries me ray nay com corm thou shail ehalt not take the name narue 0 of the lord thy thi go goi in vain for the lord will not hold hoid him guiltless that his name in vain lue yue remember member the sabbath day to keep kerp it holy six days dass shail shall thou labor and do all thy work bat the seventh day latho litho sabbath of the lord thy god in it thou not do any work thon thou nor cor thy son nor thy dau daughter viter thy manservant berv nty nor thy mald maid ervant nor thy cutie cettie nor thy stranger that Is within thy gates for la in six days toe tae iford made heaven hearen arvi earths earthy earth the beat seat sea and aud all that in them ilem as and rested the seventh shy day say wherefore the lord the sabbath dar dby drand pend nand and hali hail hallowed owed it noner nonon thy father audley mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god the thee thou shall not noua HM Thus hait bait not commit adul tery thou shit shik not steal thou shail shall not bear false witness against thy thou thau shall not covet cavet thy neighbors houses house thon thou shall not covet thy neighbor neighbors wire wile nor his bis manservant nor his nor cor his ox ois non nor his ass nor anything that Is thy neighbors and alithe all ail the people saw baw the rIngs and the light rings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking and when the people saw it they removed and stood afar 01 0 and they sald said unto laer laes speak thou with us ui and we will hear but let not god speak with w u lest we die and moses sald said uto nto the people fear not for gol goi Is come to prove you and that his fear f ear may hi bi before your f facer faces that ye fin tin not and the people peole stood afar oss ont and moses drew near unto the thick darkness where god was and the lord saw skid unto M moses moles oses oser thus thou thon say unto the children of israel ye te havo have seen tb that at shave talked with you yon trow frow heaven yo te shall not ma make kewith with me gods of at silver neither shau shall ye to make unto you godsoe gold an ayr ct erh h hou Ehilt mke unto onto ule ula me and hait halt I 1 S I 1 tn V Mc crance rafice thereon thy thy b burnt 13 at jaffri agra and ind thy pe peace 1 of l terin feri ngi gly gil thy sheep cheep a nil nii I 1 jabine oxen la in all places aher where I 1 record my names name dame 1 I wll 1 11 come unto thees thee aad I 1 wil wll will i bies bless s tae tte thee e and it if thou wiit wilt make me an altar 0 f stones ston thou thon shall not build it of hewn stone for it if thou lift up thy tool upon its it thou has polluted it neither I 1 thou go up by steps unto mine mino altar that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon you will find in the book of noe noc doctrine and covenants that these commandments have been renewed unto us the lord ays bays in one place all old covenants have I 1 caused cc used to be done away and this is a new a and an everlasting covenant it is even that which was in the beginning it is that covenant which wa was s made in the days of jesus it is that same covenant which the almighty revealed to father adamin adam in teegarden the garden of eden but it has been lleen ileen renewed in n these last days and hence it is is a new mew and an everlasting covenant isyou if you would only think of it for a little while you would remember that we imitate many of those things th ings that were done in former dispensations j jesus esus told the people in his day to seek to enter in at the narrow gate or as the new testament calls it the strait gate he also told them to seek not to counsel god but to walk in that path which leads to life for narrow is I 1 the gate that leads to life and few there be that enter in thereat and lie be further says that the wicked will come and say we have prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many mighty works and arld I 1 will add to this that many of them will have to say we have stolen hundreds of cattle from the mormons cormons Mor mons and driven them from their homes because they preached a new religion still the lord wil wll say I 1 know you not those covenants that we have made with god were were also made in the beginning of the creation they are now renewed to us and revelations of this kind aregust are just as binding upon you and 1 I as the words and counsels that come from president young and others we are acting in the same capacity that the apostles and prophets of oe former dispensations have acted and our word will have the same effect upon this generation that theirs had upon the generations in which they lived lye we have the same god to worship the same jesus lives to save and he has spoken and renewed this covenant to us and for us and to remain with us forever and forever brethren reflect look at yourselves and see what you are a bout about |