Show lr 71 1 br pres president ident ajr I 1 aidun tabernacle an au t 1 PORTED REPORTED nE B S Y V 0 0 WATT on sunday last I 1 took the liberty to invite in vite the elf eif different ferent wards of this city to hold their fat meeting here today to day and I 1 now wish those who possess the spirit of god to occupy the timey by the be utterance of the mouth month thee the tha feelings lings tind find impulses of the heart are made known and I 1 wish to know how the brethren feel let those who enjoy the power of the holy gospel build up rip their brethren and inspire them with a spark of that inward and eternal influence that will kindle luco inco a flame aflame of true devotion when the eternal living principles ef r the gospel of the son of god are implanted in the heart bear of a genuine intelligent being they do not leave him when nhen the wicked present their blandishments blandish ments and the ungodly their enticements to swerve the godly and the righteous from the paths of rectitude I 1 put i it t down for tor or a fact that those who will give way to wickedness do not belong to the elect with me it isa is a fact that persons of sound sense and possessing correct principles and striving f for or eternal life will not exchange those principles for a gill of whisky or a pinch of snuff nor cast them aside for every stranger who meets them and says how hov bow bov I 1 love you such persons when convinced that the sun shines that it was dark last nigh 0 that it ii stormed the river jordan runs from utah lake and empties great salt sait Lake that there are mountains on our right and left do not after sleeping for five minutes wake up and dispute those facts and declare it nonsense to believe that we ae are here and that we might as well at once cease all efforts to do right we must meet periods of trial or how can we prove that we have faith and do actually permit the power of the he sensibility placed us its by b v our creator to have its free untrammeled course and those who can be led away by the enticements of the servants of the ev evil 11 one do not belong to the number of the elect it is a pir ply pity that the latter day saints who live here w who 0 say that they have embraced the gospel of f eternal life and are willing tu to sacrifice alator their salvation or to give up vil pil for christ should be bought over by a gill of whisky after they have traveled thousands of mies for their religion for their faith it is pitiable to bee see some enticed from their integrity through u the he proffering in ill lit by the wicked of a fancied good job of a little tle speculation the lord intends to klow kirow whether we will be led away in this manner and destroy ourselves with such trifles and for this reason temptations are permitted 1 ou remember my expression of my feelings a year ago both ia public and in private I 1 wanted to travel ravel from one end of this ibis territory to the other and cry aloud to the people and ask them whether there was one left ia la utah who had not forgotten his god that work commenced and you then understood and now understand der stand there was a reformation some of the results are plain to us the results of that reformation jn in which excessive care aud and labor and much exposure caused the death of br jedediah algrant AI Grant swished to go through the Teril terri territory tory anil arid ak wh etli etil q there therb was an one left for god gods or whether all had lied gone astray I 1 ask that question now and can answer it A great many the majority of those who profess to be saints are trying to live their religion blow upon thy hi spark of the holy ghost within you and without which we need not anticipate building up the kingdom of Godt God that bat the wicked may be foiled in their efforts to corrupt and destroy they say that it is dangerous for people to believe in the lord god and possess his spirit gro ago 0 O dear it will trouble the magnanimity of the law and the supremacy of the tha law what do they know about the almighty and his purposes and work in the latter days nothing live your religion keep the commandments of god and you will have no occasion for breaking the laws of the land if you can be enticed away it proves that you are aro re not worthy of the salvation which jesus purchased for vou you by his blood live your religion oi or else elbe come out and say 1 I am not willing to live rye my religion I 1 will renounce it 1 fearless arlees fe of big men or little men you must be for god and know that you are his friend friends or lie will disown you fear not him that can only kill the body and then has no more that be he can do but fear him who has power to cast both soul and body into bell which is the first and second death fear no man but fear the lord god and keep his commandments walk righteously before god and before each other and though the enemies of jesus howl bowl though temptations come and the floods of persecution overflow trust in him and strive to stand fast in the liberty wherewith christ has made us free when I 1 learn that some can be overthrown can be enticed to run here and there and forfeit every principle of right of truth virtue honor bonor and honesty it is is soul sickening to r me lie ire and nd discouraging cou raging to angels and all good men it is discouraging cou raging to see persons receive the principles of eternal life practice them for tor a season and then forsake them and follow the principles of death and destruction it if you live your religion you u will bo a saint today to day tomorrow to morrow mei the next Z day and all the time you will walk humbly before your god and deal justly one with another and disregard the condemnation and aspersions of those who are ignorant of the principles of the eternal law of jehovah and of the intent of the laws of the nations of the earth blow upon the spark that is within you yon blow it to a flame and see whether the fire of gods eternal love and the principles of the holy gospel can not be kindled within you some sonia may think that I 1 am sin dis discouraged coura ed I 1 am not I 1 have views of the nations of the earth and of therit the situation of the people and when I 1 reflect upon the faith the feelings and the conduct of those who try ury to live uve their religion and contrast that wali the condition cou con dilion and anel conduct C 0 nd n of 6 1 the mass of the ciril cher ther of men I 1 ican lean can I 1 plainly IF W d the great difference this is the he best people ibe the e I 1 earth true some bome complain because lecaue compan civery a few few are ging going coing astray but I 1 do not feel near nearly y I 1 so discouraged as did an oil ancient pr prophet oribel when he said lord they have down thine altars arld and I 1 alorie alone am left 11 while at the same time the lord informed inform eit eil him that be he had preserved seven thousand who bad not bowed the knee to baal compare this people with the he mass of mankind and what other class clasi wih wilk sacrifice for their thein faith what we have will sell eli ell their buildings farms and other property t subject themselves to poverty and want and arid travel thousands of miles not many who profess the christian rel ret gion glon though some sense of the pagans might the latter day saints sacrifice everything for their rel gion do not be discouraged for the lord 1 is on an israels isra ibra side and arid it behoove behooves us to prove to him that we are on 03 his side some are fearful earful bat that the lord will forsake them A child may begin to cry right here and be distressed with the fear that iho ihn house bouse ii goir g to lave it and its conduct would be as consistent as to fear that god will foisie any person who Is walking in in the path of 0 truth who does he forsake f none save those thoe who first forsake him film arld and be bein begin in to walk in in by and tor forbidden bidden paths where neier neither ile he nor his angels walk and then such persons say the lord has forsaken them they the have forsaken the path of rectitude ald aid ard are upon the grounds of the devil being led captive by his will and arid do not ei bijoy jy the benign influence that flows flaws from the fountain of all intelligence li gence as they aid when they iu in the path ot of truth never be fearful that the tiie lord will first forsake you for you have first to leave him since bince since he never forba forsa keth thoe those who are striving to ao do light abide iii let n the truth and you are sure sare to ejoy more or less the sanctis sanctifying sanctify if ing influence of the huly holy abot G hot bot bo t and if you yon do noi not loiou 3 on have tray stray d from the paths of rectitude and arid truth of love and mercy merc mere on must forsake the ways of the loid lord in in order to get out of the way and then the lord will forsake yon otherwise ile he is with yon more or less by his bis influence with you by hu his adgel argel and his protecting care I 1 want bantou 3 ou to thoroughly understand that you are not to fear any belag ber bei ig in heaven on oil earth or in hell bell superior to fearing hat that being who has created the heavers and the earth by whom we and all thin things 9 are now be bi ethren I 1 wi wili ami li to hear bear you express your feell gs and want you to occupy the time we have all the time allotted to us in a state of probation and then forever and ever worlds without end and if we do not live to enjoy truth it is because we take the road that lea iea leads a to dissolution we must live to be prepared for better or for worse for all time to come so we will not burry hurry the exercises of our meeting god goi bless you alid and fire your hearts to speak and to exercise yourselves in the faith of the gospel that we may know and understand for ourselves amen |