Show I 1 REMARKS by E elder eider ider lder ERASTUS snow sept 19 1 isao fa f REPORTED BV BY 0 G 1 D WATT I 1 while brother liljenquist has his been addressing the congregation I 1 thought of the saying Z in the se scriptures rii ril with men of other ton tongues aes ues and other lips will 16 I 1 speak peak unto this people and yet for all that will they not hear me saith the lord this thia wag ivas spoken in reference to ancient israel it would seem that anciently as well as in modern times the word of df the lord dord that went out from israel to the rounding surrounding urr nations came back to them and eve even h israel themselves refused to hear the testimony of men of other tongues and other lips the lord sent to them in the da days y s of jesus christ and ani his apostles I 1 remt remember aber having read in the book of mormon instances of a similar kind among the ancient Nep hites when the spirit of 0 apostasy apo stacy was cre creeping over them the lord raised up prophets and ti righteous libeous men from among the kamani hes res ando and a sent bent ent them to reprove the ne philes to prophecy unto them and to warn them of impending destruction if they did not mt repent alma says for I 1 an am persuaded that the lord deals out his h s word unto all the orations of the earth according as he will and raises kiltinen up men to bear witness of him and to carry his big word unto all ail people as they are ci capable able abie a of receiving tr in t the way and M manner anner the lord has sent forth laborers laborera with his bis gospel among the nations in the ther latter days has made me often think of these words of alma even among the remnal remnants its of israel who are moarnin roaming ithrom the continent c of america the indians indian the lord manifests himself in ways aa an they are capable of receiving those impressions he wishes to impart to them it has haa pleased our heavenly father that the great work of the latter day which has been spoken cx by all the holy prophets the establishing of af hig his kingdom upon the he earth setting to his hand hadd the time to restore the house 0 isra israel el should commence on the land of america add dd under tinder the auspices of the government of the united states this work he has commenced by the hand of his servant nt joseph josep smith and those whom he called calle to be his associates and fellow laborers the land of america was a promised land to the pil pilgrim rim fathers and an asylum for the oppressed of all nations to this land people irom from from all nations flocked and the lord inspired them to establish a free government preparatory to the establishment of his kingdom in the tatter latter days it was in this land he sought out and raised up his servants in their weakness to be the messengers of eternal life to the children of men that it might go from this land to other nations I 1 believe it fell to my lot to be among the first who went to nations of other tongues elder heber C kimball orson llyde and others who accompanied them opened the door of tile the gospel of salvation first to the nation of great britain but if my memory serves me at the time elder taylor went to france prance elder L snow to italy myself and elder hanson to denmark and and divers elders to dif dlf different derent nations it was the first mission of elders to people of other tongues this ia is about ten years a ago 0 it was after we fo located bated in the valleys of these mountains and this city had become a resting place for the saints who had been scattered from nauvoo on our journey from this place in the fall of 1839 to visit the natio nations ns of europe we met large emigrating companies of sour tour our brethren and sisters who had been scattered and driven from their possessions in the east easl it ia is marvelous to see the working of our god amon among the nations of the earth earth in gath gathering ering out llis ibis his elect from time to time from those nations it is marvelous in the eyes of those who understand not the gospel they have striven all the day long in their blind zeal to ed ede edge e up the way of tile the servants of god andlinger and vinder linder hinder hinden the spread of his gospel still they perceive it steadily progressing and the saints gath gathering ering home like doves to their windows every effort they make to destroy the people of god to scatter divide and weaken them seems only to advance their progress and consolidate them in one we have explained to them why it is they cannot hinder it but they cannot comprehend they think it is all accomplished by the talent ability abili ability tl in ingenuity and wisdom alone of those who direct the affairs of this church they speak of brigham young and his counselors and other leadin leading 0 elders of mormonism as being smart cunning shrewd men who deceive cajole blind and lead the people astray so far from this being the truth it is in reality the reverse to all intents and purposes let any man roan undertake to dictate govern control lead and gather together this people by his own wisdom alone and the result will be like ilke what we have seen within the last two years in this territory in regard to the endeavors of our enemies to break us up and scatter us to the four tour winds their union is like a rope of sand and every plan they devise comes to naught until they are discouraged and say damn darrin it let us quit and go home judge black says in in his ex explanation Ia nation in reference to the officials sent to to this territory that the government sought the whole country over and sent the best men they could find to administer the principles of equity justice and truth to this people but in addition to these let them send special missionaries the most gifted and talented there is on the earth to draw off and lead this people by their own cunning shrewdness and wisdom and would they produce the result swe sIve now see every day would they see a people that move and act in almost perfect harmony and oneness let them try it let the smartest elder that can be found in this church try it in bygone days elders have imagined in their hearts that their wisdom talent and ability had bad something something to do with it that the kingdom of god could not move unless their shoulder was at the wheel that if they held back in the breeching they would stop the tile onward motion of the car but the lord left themselves covered with their own shame and folly after he had suffered them to try the experiment peri ment and the great car of or truth stall rolled steadily forward some are inclined to find fault with the i latter day saints because of tile the murder rapine theft adultery and abomination that are practised practiced in salt lake city and in utah territory are the latter day saints to blame for this no the latter day saints have better business to engage themselves in which is serving the lord working r righteousness ous ness doing good to themselves and to all people keople who will receive good at their hands nobody has anything to do with this shooting and killing one another stealing breakie breaking into houses whoredom running off horses livorse s and mules and cattle and all ruch guch sort of abominations getting ettin drunk and screaming flit in the streets but just such 33 as as 33 love it they are arc not latter letter day saints who do such things things but on the contrary they are those who are striving to destroy mormonism and they thoy are destroying themselves in answer to the prayers of all the faithful latter day saints the ile litter latter day saints pray if the wicked must kill 1111 somebody they may kill those that ought to be killed you may perhaps think it is wrong to pray that they may kill anybody 1 we would rather pray that they may be save saved there are various ways of saving men simply because they will not all be saved in the same way as there are various ways of making men happy there ig is a class of men who are always miserable only when they are making very every body else so and their happiness consists in doing all the mischief they can and injuring 0 everybody around them we teach them the principles of the gospel can they hear it they hear with tile the ear j but they hear not they have eyes but they ther see not hearts have they but they understand not and they go backward and fall and perish when the truth is told to them they will not believe it but hand them out a pack of infernal lies and they will gulp them down as a thirst thirsty ox drinks water how can such persons T learn arn and understand the truth As jesus said to the scribes and pharisee Ph arises anciently how can ye believe which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh from god only how can your judges judge in righteousness and shut their ears to the voice of 0 truth and to the testimony of innocence and look around in all directions to find some mean scoundrel to come up and testify lies how hour can any people be instructed in the things of god and receive light while they are laboring diligently I 1 t to shut h t out lt every particle of 0 light from their sabrna tabernacles lle lie cle s I 1 if you wish to know why the simple testimony 0 of f th the e humble servants of god gathers together this people from the nations of the earth it is because there was place found in their hearts for the word when I 1 went to denmark I 1 could not speak the first word of their language or know the first letter of their alphabet I 1 was to all intents and purposes a barbarian to them and they were barbarians tome to me I 1 went there because I 1 was sent with an intention to do the best I 1 knew how as the spirit of the lord might direct me you may ask if I 1 received the gift of 0 tongues that I 1 could begin and speak to them in their own laii iari language g ilage by the power of the holy ghost without studying I 1 answers answer yes when it pleased the lord to give it to me and when it did not I 1 remained silent I 1 did not have any special anxiety to preach to them in their own tongue any more than the lord wanted to have me do I 1 did not do a great deal of preaching in that country but I 1 did whatever the lord put into my ray heart to do as near as I 1 knew how and I 1 learned the language as fast as the S spirit 0 of f the lord enabled me do so that I 1 might bear my testimony to them in their own tongue and that I 1 might understand what they said to me when they asked me questions and required explanations and when they wished to correspond with me that I 1 might be able to write an answer I 1 had to learn to read handwrite and write and talk to them in their own language did the spirit of the lord assist me yes I 1 learned their language Z 6 and became so familiar with it as to write alid and speak with them in six months month s time the ilo iio holy ghost was with me to assist me in 21 months montis I 1 published the book of mormon the book of doctrine and covenants and the hymn book and eight or ten pamphlets A gentleman upon the vessel on my return home having been informed in how short a time I 1 had le learned arned the language declared it was impossible for any mortal man to become acquainted with the danish language and use it as I 1 did in so short a time and pronounced me an impostor to some of the saints on board who were traveling in company with me to this place for palming upon adem some miraculous thing and expressed himself as having no doubt that I 1 familiarized myself with the language in college in some other country by years of study I 1 was there comparatively alone and t the h e harvest great and the laborers few and the spirit bore testimony that the lord had much people there I 1 saw if they were all to be sought out and gathered I 1 home by the labors of men sent sebit from america and after traveling so long iong ion lon a journey to learn their language that it was wa s a great work and the words of alma came forcibly to my mind that the lord raises up men among all the nations of the earth to give them that portion of his word which they are capable of receiving ll 11 and I 1 cried unto the lord saying 0 dord rord lord raise up laborers and send them into this harvest men of their own tongues tongue who have been raised among them and are familiar with the 11 spirits ir its of the people ile he has done it before I 1 cipf left cherem there was as quite a little army of elders and Prie priests sfa teachers and deacons labored laboring F in the vineyard and thousands have rejoiced in the testimony of the gospel borne to them by their fellow countrymen do any of you ask how this came to pass pas that BO so many thousands thou ganda sanda have ga gathered therod from that land and are now in thebe these valleys of the mountains and why thousands more are longing to come here w who 0 are rejoicing cinc in the testimony of the gospel in denmark sweden norway ireland etc I 1 answer it was not done by the wisdom and learning of man roan or by any influence that man himself could exert over that distant people if any person thinks I 1 so for a moment he thinks so because he knows no better it ig is a mystery to them and they would biot riot believe I 1 if it were unfolded to them I 1 we testify and bear witness that it is not of man but of god that it is the power of the gospel of jesus christ that it is the gift and influence of the holy ghost that bears witness to the hearts of this people when in tha the th sim simplicity lacity of my heart I 1 could speak but little litte unto them with stammering lips I 1 isaid said more with my eyes and fingers than with my tongue the power of the holy ghost rested upon the people and when I 1 asked them if t they h understood me yes said they live we un understood leler ieler stood it all it was not because I 1 it fully with my tongue but god made them understand me it if I 1 I 1 asked them if they believed it yes 12 would be the reply lwe ws have the testimony of the holy ghost bearing witness within us that it is true I 1 laid my hands upon the men that wera were raised up around about me and sent them to preach the gospel and they were just such men as the lord sent me no matter if they were shoemakers carpenters chimney sweepers or any other kind of trade I 1 told them to go forth and bear witness of what they had heard and of what they knew and every time they opened their mouth a stream of I 1 light would flow from them to the people who were melted before them this is the experience of every man of god upon all the earth you ask the people who are in these valleys who profess to be latter day saints why the they y are here and they will tell you they could not keep away and many will say if hey they could have ha v e kept away they would say they mo monism is is true I 1 know it they feel like almon babbitt he said he would give ten thousand dollars if he could only know moy moi monism to be untrue it troubles those who do not exactly love it because it interferes with some of their favorite desires it will not exactly allow them to gratify every wish and desire of their hearts it curtails them in some of their wickedness pride selfishness and idolatry and because of this they do not like it and they thay wish ither it were s not true that they might escape an awful condemnation dem nation because they know it is true they cannot get off the hook book and must be drawn in ask them if they were so influenced by the wisdom learning shrewdness or cunning of I 1 those who taught them the principles of uta ufa and salvation and they wiil wilt answer you that they know better there are but few religions you can name or preachers of any denomination that davs ha 9 not been heard by the chief bulk of the latter day saints but did their eloquence learning cunning intelligence and experience govern and control them or influence them in any uncommon way no but when |