Show SERMON by fly orgon orion pratt tabernacle july loth 1559 REPORTED BY 0 D WATT I 1 it is truly joyful to my feelings to assemble sabbath atter sabbath with the latter day Stint sti sih ints 3 to hear hoar the testimonies of the servants servant of the iho living god and to hear the words worda 0 of eternal life preached by the power of the holy ghost it is now nearly twenty nine years that I 1 have enjoyed this privilege in this church and I 1 esteelle este eili eLLI it as one of the greatest privileges to be till alive and in your mid stand I 1 edgetha edg ethe hand of god in preserving me for go so anany years in this kingdom I 1 believe most firmly that if it had not been for the mercy power and goodness of god I 1 should not riot be nuin among when I 1 cast my elections back upon the past history of my life and contemplate the numerous scenes through which I 1 have passed in connection with hundreds of others that tb at have traveled trivel ed to and fro among the nations I 1 feel that thit it has been the hand of the lord that has delivered me from the bands of enemies and lawless mobs which have often beset my path it has been the band of the lord that has delivered this people through all the dreadful persecutions cautions that we have lave endured and it will be the band of the lord that will deliver us in all future time I 1 often times reflect back upon the early period of my experience in this church having been baptized into the same only about five months after its first organization when there were but a very few individuals divi duals number numbered edwith with the saints I 1 presume that all who belonged to the church at that time might occupy a small room about the size of 15 feet by 20 1 I then became intimately acquainted with the prophet joseph smith and continued intimately acquainted with him film until the day of big bis death I 1 had the great privilege when I 1 waa wait in from my missions mis giona aiona of boarding beardin m the most of the time at his house so that I 1 not only knew him as a public teacher but as a private citizen as a hiis hits husband barid and father I 1 witnessed his bis earnest and humble bumble devotions both morning and even ing in his family I 1 heard beard the words of eternal life flowing from his mouth nourishing soo soothing thIm and comforting his fai fat family ully nily neighbors and friends frie ads I 1 saw big bis countenance lighted up as the inspiration of the holy ghost rested upon him dictating the great and most precious revelations Teve lations now printed our guide I 1 saw him tran translating 11 lating by inspiration the old and arid new testaments and the inspired book bool of abraham from egyptian papyrus ns and anh what now is n my testimony concerning that thai man founded upon mv own personal pera pero onal ob it is the same game today to today daf day as it was when he received the testimony that be wab wag a prophet I 1 knew that he was a mait man of god it was has not riot a matter of opinion with ith me for I 1 received a tib testimony from the heavens concerning that bat na matter atter and without such a testimony it is 13 difficult for ua us always to judge for io mau man can know the things of god but by the spirit of god I 1 do not care how much education a a man may have how learned he may mav br he has studied theology under zab zal as t the eyes of teachers that are uninspired I 1 know there is no man livin living that can know the things of god for himself only by revelation I 1 could form some kind of an opinion about joseph smith as a natural man without receiving ingaby any communication or revelation for myself I 1 could believe him to be a man of god from his conversation from his acts from his bis dealings dea lins I 1 could believe him to be a prophet by seeing many manye things take place that he prophesied of but all this would not give me that certain knowledge which is necessary for an individual to have in order to bear testimony to the nations if it I 1 bear testimony to others that I 1 know this church and this kingdom to be the church and kingdom of god and that joseph smith was really raised up as a prophet and as a seer and as a revelator must bear that testimony from some certain information and knowledge I 1 have derived independent of what can be learned naturally by the natural man the testimony I 1 have borne for twenty nine years past upon this point is that the lord revealed to me the truth of this work and because the lord revealed this fact to me I 1 have the utmost confidence in beating testimony ajit to liin itin in all the world it is trie I 1 was then hen but a youth I 1 was ignorant and am still ignorant in many points and in miny momy respects but I 1 was then very ignorant so far as the religion of heaven is concerned until the lord lodl made manifest his truth and taught informed and instructed my mind for about one year before e I 1 heard beard of this church I 1 had nad begun seriously seriously y in in my in y own mind to inquire after the lord I 1 had bought sought 0 lit him aili diligently gently perhaps more so than many others that professed to seek him I 1 was so earnest and intent upon the subject of seeking the lord when I 1 was about eighteen years of age agey and from that until I 1 was nineteen when I 1 beard this gopel and received it that I 1 did not give myself the necessary time to rest engaged in farming and labori laboring tic tig too by the month I 1 took the privilege while others had retired to rest to go out into the fields and wilderness and there plead with the lord hour after hour that be he would show me what to do that he would teach me the way of life and inform and instruct my understanding it is true I 1 had atten dedas many others have bave done various meetings of religious societies I 1 had attended the Methodist sI had been to the bap had visited the presbyterian meetings I 1 had bad heard beard their doctrines and had bad been earnestly urged by many to unite myself with them as a member of their churches but something whispered to not do so I 1 remained therefore apart from all of them praying continually in my heart that the lori lort would show me the right way I 1 continued this for about one year after which two elders of this church came into the neighborhood I 1 heard their doctrine and believed it to be the ancient gospel and as soon as the sound penetrated my ears I 1 knew that if it the bible was true their doctrine was true not but the gifts gi ats and blessings promised the believers and the authority necessary in the church in order to administer the ordinances all these things I 1 received with gladness instead of fee lingas many do a hatred against the principles hoping they were not true fearing and trembling lest they were I 1 rejoiced with great joy believing that the ancient principles of the gospel goepel were to the he earth that the authority to preach it was also restored I 1 rejoiced that rny iny ears were saluted with these good tidings while I 1 was yet a youth and in the day too of the early rise of the kingdom of god I 1 went forward and arid was baptized baptised sed I 1 was the only individual baptised baptized sed it that country for many years afterward lim I 1 immediately mediately arranged my business and started coffon off on a journey aljourney of two hundred and thirty miles to see the prophet et I 1 found him in the house bouse of old father whitmer whitmen V in fayette payette seneca county state of new york the house bouso where this church was first organized consisting of only six members I 1 also found david Wb whitmer whilmer llmer ilmer then one of the three witnesses who saw the angel and ami the plates I 1 soon became acquainted with all the witnesses of the book of mormon with the exception of oliver cowdery and peter pater whitmer who had bad started westward and whose acquaintance uain tance I 1 formed a few months afterward 1 heard beard their teachings saw their course of conduct saw their earnestness their humility and diligence in in prayer and their faithfulness i in warning one another and in warning their neighbors I 1 called upon the lord with more faith than before for I 1 had ilien then received the first principles of the gosp elthe gift of the holy ghost was given to me and when it gas as shed forth upon me it gave me a testimony concerning the truth of this work ork that no man can ever take from me it is impossible for me so long as I 1 have my reasoning faculties and powers of mind to doubt the testimony I 1 then received as among the first evidences that were given and that too by the gift and power of the holy ghost and while hile bile I 1 am speaking upon the subject let me say fay that the gift and power ower of the holy ghost given to in individual ruall ruail is the greatest evidence that he ran receive concerning gid gul godliness and the rhe he kingdom of heaven set up upon the earth abere is no evidence equal to it A natural man may see bee all the signs biens that jesus ba bai I 1 promised should follow the believer he may maj see them in exercise by the faithful f aitho ul saints oi 01 god he may see them speak in tongues and languages and then be he may hav his doubts in regard to it if be has not received the testimony of the holy ghost himself he may hear bear the sound sounds of these tongues but bul how is he to judge or know whether they dc speak in another tongue or not it is true he hears bears sounds put together which resemble languages he bas baa heard foreigners speak bul it is not a testimony that imparts a knowledge to his mind be wants something greater this again be hears bears others who are ignorant and unlearned by the gift and power ol 01 the holy ghost interpret these tongues and unfold the things spoken by the power of the spirit of god in another language but how does he know that they give the true interpretation hla hia own understanding will not testify that they have ile he must therefore have a testimony indea independent en dent of this a higher a greater testimony even that of the holy spirit again he might see individuals professing jesus to ne be followers of our lord and savior jesus jesua christ go forth and lay their hands upon the sick and pray to the father in the name of jesus that they may be healed he may see them raised up and apparently restored lo 10 health and soundness but then how bow does he know that these persons were really as sick and as much afflicted as they pretended to be seeing these things as a natural man bow is he tornow to know that the administration by the laying on of hands has imparted power or virtue to heal them or is it the work of imagination here would be left room for doubt this testimony alone is not sufficient to rest upon ha he should have the gift and power of the holy ghost resting upon himself to convince him that they were the servants of god and that the gifts they exercise were from heaven he might hear them prophesy many things that are to take place years in the future but he would not wish to wait for their fulfillment to know whether they were of god or while he was waiting he might be laid in the dust he therefore needs som something eibing to convince him beyond all doubt that the individuals prophesying were filled with ith the holy ghost and that their predictions were true arid and could be depended upon and then whether they come to pass or not in his day he be knows th ey will be fulfilled in their times and in it their seasons and so with all other gifts ile he might see a miracle of any kind be might see the laws of nature apparently overcome by a person calling ing himself a servant of god how does be know he is the servant of god or that he performs that miracle by the power of god have not devils and fallen angels power did they not hav have mighty power in ancient la days yes could they not riot smite the earth w with pi plagues agues and turn water into blood anciently as moses tle the servant of god did yes could not the wicked magicians of egypt perform great 11 igns signs by casting down their staves and tb them em to appear like serpents performing great and marvelous things similar to those the prophet moses performed how is the natural man to ludge judge there is god on the one hand and the devil on the other and if one is to judge jiji c e naturally of these things he would not be sure eure that the person performing a miracle before him was really inspired of god the gift and power of the holy ghost as I 1 have already observed is the greatest evidence any man or woman can have concerning the kingdom of god it is given expressly to impart io to mankind a knowledge of the things of god it is given to purify the heart of man that he may by its power not only be able to understand its operation upon himself but be able to understand its operations upon others also and indeed if I 1 could by any possible means independent of the holy ghost ascertain that a miracle iracle ut was wrought of god what particular benefit would it be to me scores of miracles were wrought in ancient times but how did they benefit the children of israel when they paw raw the waters of the red sea divided and the egyptians overthrown in its depths when they were brought tip lip before mount sinai and beard the voice of the trumpet out of the midst of the cloud and from the flaming mountain proclaiming the ten commandments mand ments in their ears and SAW baw aw moses 1 e go up in the midst of the fire when they beheld all this display of the power of god what effect did it have on the great majority who saw did it effect their conduct NI nn miracles had become a little common w th thai them and said they what has become of this moses perhaps they thought he had perished in the mountain they might have imagined a volcano anthe on the mountain belching out its fires accompanied compa nied by thunder and lightning and that some person had bad artfully concealed himself having laving a great trumpet and through nh it ity itt pretending re to give laws to israel they might might have said we will not be cheated by this pretended miracle but while this thi thunder inder and storm is lasting on the mount and while it is in this terrible convulsion we will have a rod god that we can see we will cast crit our oun gold into the fire and make one that will just suit usand so they did and fell down and worshipped wor shipped it andraid and baid said these be thy gods 0 israel etc here liere then we perceive what effect miracles dave nave upon a people without the power and gift of the holy ghost to bear testimony test 1 I mony that rhese these miracles are of god the holy ghost bears testimony to the man who receives it and not to somebody else eise and if he is pure enough to receive e this is gift be he bag baa power enough 11 in his bis heart to regulate hig bis actions according to the law of god instead of building golden calves I 1 have deviated from my experience and perhaps it will net be necessary to say any more on that subject for it is about the same in many respects as the experience of all the rest of the saints of god it is true I 1 have traveled perhaps more by far than any other man in the church who is now living but what of this I 1 expect to travel a great deal more if I 1 am called upon for my ray mission is to travel that is the command I 1 received in connection with the twelve and the seventies we have been called upon to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature as they were in ancient days and inasmuch aa as we cannot go personally and preach to every creature we have the responsibility upon ua us to see that it is preached to every creature to every nation tongue and people and aa as much as we do not fulfill this responsibility placed upon us we shall have to suffer in connection with others I 1 have gone forth and endeavored to fulfill in some little |