Show K y rey rye Efi MARKS i BY ORSON tabernacle tabei tabel nacle nacie F rl 2 soo 1660 rii nil I 1 bygd bogn axtt t I 1 did not anticipate speaking to you this morning brethren and sisters but expected to be a hearer only since my return to the city ibave been so go busily engaged that I 1 have not had time humorously to prepare a sermon zif for this morning I 1 and if anad I 1 ta had bad ever so much time for that that purpose I 1 should probably be no better prepared to all ali a diess you than I 1 am at this moment I 1 jesus said to his disciples take no thought beforehand what ye shall say shall ashall speak for it shall be given you in tie tte the same hour what ye ought to say sa in this doctrine I 1 repose implicit con confidence d dence and being requested to speak to you at this time I 1 readily comply and proceed at once to the work before me the current of life is made tip up of small springs streams and rivulets or rather of little incidents which in the aggregate constitute the character of man here on oli earth so small smail a thing as a kind word timely spoken to the sorrowful and afflicted often results in great good and secures the esteem and gratitude of those to whom it may be addressed while an ill word may do much harm hairn ily lly discourse this morning may be pe made up of small items or incidents I 1 want to say a little about the tiie Govern government of god of the manner and spirit of its administration when infinite wisdom guides its policy I 1 know no better way ivay to illustrate the them administration of this thiis Gover government lim rim ent than to refer you xou to the ff government overn ment of parents over their children ana aha an to the manner manner of their teaching and character of their instruction to them when your child first begins to talk do yoa you attempt to teach it grammar algebra astronomy or any ny thing else ik wholly holly beyond its comprehension or understanding no I 1 but tie tle you ou chilt adapt ada t your our teachings to the capacity of the child using words nords and phrases of the very simplest kind to teach and amuse it il by and by when Nhen he runs about pretty dexterously and begins to handle things he attempts for instance to take up a bucket of water vater you TOU say to it dont do that it is too heavy for you but take the ole hammer the doll the rattlebox or the toy your words w are thus adapted to the ability of the child and to his ins ap preci afton cs of the things things that ife lie handles As is mental powers lecome become developed de eloped you combine a little intelligence in in your sayings to him and then when his age and strength will allow him you tell him to bring a bucket of water from the spring or brook thus you require him to do the very thin thing which you once forbade him to attempt now if any one should charge you with falsehood because your instructions to your child were not uni Y yon you on consider the charge very very ill iii founded I 1 speak thus to show you that what is suitable to the child at one time lime may not at all suit icat it at 41 another nother many persons who have joined the latter day saints have tun run dunwell well weli fora season but lin standing iier iler not that the gospel is a progressive work with those who honor it they have turned away from the th faith falth charged the saints with inconsistency but hut yet claim to believe in what they ehe the garment that is made for a child just born must be worn by a man when thirty years roars of age is the doctrine of the those stereotyped mormons cormons Mor mons the church isnor bisnov is nov nearly thirty years old yet this kind of mormons cormons want us now to wear our bibs and diapers and to be fed tin milk and pap as in the days of joseph paul however tells us that when i n he wasa was a child he as a child he lie understood as a child but when he became a man ihan he put away childish things pere were were I 1 to invite you into my ga garden aden at a proper season and show a plant just jurt sprung sprang up out of the grou ground iid ild you might ask me it its s name if you were unacquainted with it I 1 teli teu you it is corny corn in the course of two months times you see bee it again when the silk and 4 tassel appear bod then ask me what habit it is IS I 1 tell you that thatis it la is I 1 corn dorn you may gay say that I 1 was mistaken in the first or last instance as the two are by no means alike some two months later you come along and see a basket full of golden ears you YO ask me what it is I 1 tell you that it is corn but say you 1 I do not believe it for it is unlike either the others that you told me was corn yon you have now contradicted yourself three times and I 1 will not believe that any of them is corni corn I 1 will liot riot diot riot believe belleve you at all 71 5 to such conclusions ions lons many pe persons esons arrive in relation to mor mormonism m from very similar premises necessary n v 6 increase in intelligence in in a ratio equal to the growth or increase indrea se of the iiii kingdom dom of god if we do not we fall in the rear and our eyes become blinded by the god of thi this thia world abrl wb when n we become stereotyped tie idour n our feelings there is an end to corrections enlargements alid and improvements to what shall stall we look as our guide in this our earthly pilgrimage shall we look to the bible the book of mormon or to the book of covenants ans to none of them these sacred sired and holy records conta contain in the history and results in part of the travels pf af the tre ancient and modern people of god they are ate true but are not designed to lead the people pil R remember bemb er that the loie letter ietter tir kelleth kIl kill leth eth but t rh e espirit life we do not want tobe to be klile killed kille but we want life god has set in his church first apostles apo sties s secondly condly prophets thirdly teachers ac to ulde aide 6 fidellis his people the oracles or in other words the holy I 1 ghost not on pa paper bound in calf sheep or any other manufactured irti articie article oti but in the we hearte heard dof his chosen t ff servants arts k paul ia say says rive five live we have this treasure 1 not in ili a book shook but in earthen vestis that the excellency of thi power powen may be and not ot us tas I 1 will produce an example where the spirit gave pave life when the letter would have killed there was in the days of christ a woman taken in the very act of adultery the self righteous jews by the letter of the law arrested her and brought her before the savior and they say unto him master emaster moses in the jaw commanded us that such should be stoned but what gayest thou jesus said unto them he that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her but they being convicted in theiron their wn conscience went out leaving the woman alone with jesus lle lie ile he asked her efto it no man had condemned her she said no man roan lord said lie he to her neither do I 1 condemn thee go gb and sin ho ild adre idre more ll 11 the letter of the law would have havil killed lulled that woman then aid ald there but the spirit of god in the person peyson of h hs a son the livili living oracle oracie 1 opened lier her way unto life ilfe it is the tee the civill living oracles that lead the people of god in them there is life but in the letter of the law there is death the early comma commandments noi nol ments of god to his big church and the manner in irl which we were led at that time will not fit our oue case in iii all respects now we must have teachings and ri revelations ve adapted to our present en circumstances stanc and condition were pwe we never to levance advance but remain stationary eternally then the same code of laws and commandments might with more propriety answer answel but in this world of change where we ive are require required ato to make advancement van cement we must have pave an increase of intelligence telli gence to satisfy the craving ravle developement dev elopement of our own own mental powers there here is no stopping place for a man of god I 1 do ilo hot know but that I 1 will now naw take my text my sermon bermon how however e ver willbe short jesus says the light of the body as the eye if therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be bea full fuli ull uil of light you know that when we want to examine examine anything ang very closely particularly you marksmen and hunters who are in the habit of using arms when you want to take doi deliberate liberate aim and make sure of the object you desire to hit you close one eye and band with the other look along the barrel of the gun until the lead rests upon the object now says the savior if thine eye b be single thy whole body shall shail be full of light this had reference not only tinly to the natural eye but to the whole moral powers of man aswell as well weli set it down as granted that if thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light now let me ask do we not mot indulge the hope if faithful inthis life of being rulers over kingdoms and peoples pi bples and nations and tongues jesus says he that is faithful over orbr it A f few ew things shall be made ruler over many mank things let me arkyou hov it is with you when you go to prayer mave have you that control and dominion over your own minds that they can an not be caught away by anything thatis that is foreign 11 to the purpose or object that engages your attention eor for instance while we w e call upon the lord for llis his blessings bles bies singsi is it 1 not nut sometimes the case that we think ta the 01 ol oid old a ox may be in the do we not sometimes thinkie thin think kwe we shall be cheated here herd a and nd lose that amount of money athrel if you have b ave never been aware of this when you go home and pray again see if you have power to control your mind and ind keep it from wandering on I 1 so something methin g else ese until we discipline our minds and ha have ve the complete control of them we cannot make that advancement that we ought if we cannot discipline and control our own minds how can we discipline and control kingdoms nations tongues and people suppose any of you mechanics erect antill a mila and the stream is a small one jhb if properly and economically applied would be quite sufficient to drive the machinery you wish it to but instead of the water being properly con elined to exert the greatest amount of power it is spread all over the face of the land has it that alno ayno amount of force to drive the machinery that it otherwise would have no but conduct the ther water through a narrow channel and ag apply it prope the wheel then your m machinery av e anery rolls it is just so with our minds they are scattered oil on different objects ob letts jetts when we are callin calling upon the name of the lord there is no powen power in that mind why WAY because the eye bye ignot is not single siegle if it thine eye be single ae thy whole body shall shail be full fuli f laii of light lin li ilu N 11 tj again a in the agent steam possesses great power when confined and ind properly perly applied to shafts and wheels but let the boiler e explode alla and the pas pass into we the atmosphere what power is there then thorns ar ir that agent none Co confine it and it is js as s it were all an almighty power br tor it is a portion of al might power drawn out of 0 the elements that surround us so it is with we mind let iet it je lie be concentrated and applied to any subject and it has great power ower if thine eye be single thy whole body shall shail be full of light 1 I 1 have gave have wonder wondered e d a great many times what our savior could mean when he lie said if ye had bad faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say sy unto this 1 sycamore tree be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea and it should obey you again he sais sacs says bays for verily I 1 s say a y unto you if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible to you 11 what does als lis this mean I 1 haye baye exercised all the faith seemingly that is is in my power and could hardly heal keal the tha e sick let alone remove a mountain motin tain or pluck up a sycamore tree or any hily other tree what does it mean I 1 begin bebin lo 10 discover that the devil comes tomes along when I 1 get my mind set et and throws some object in view to divert it from I 1 e thing thin before me I 1 if thine eye e be single thy whole who le blody shall bhail kt all ail be full bf tuf light 1 have ain an idea th that a the devil coad comes s and catches away the word that thit is oali iii in 0 our u r hearts to de atthe designs the tiie lord has in sowing it whereas if we nye could control our minds and not allow them to be i caught away then our eye would be single sigle and the whole body would be full of light again when moses was leading the chil drell of israel out gut of egypt they murmured because they had no water to drink he was grieved with them but be he had power to con cen his mind and what power was there i in f n that mind he smote tit teo the rock and out gushed the water did his bis rod have power to split the rock no but the concentration of his mind on that rock did there was a power in it to split the rock and bring brings out water to the thirsty thousands the mind is armed 1 wit with ll 11 almighty power and if we could concen its powers and overcome the power of the devil we could remove that mountain as j easily as to heal beal a sick person it requires only faith as a grain of mustard seed or a concentrated effort of mind solomon was ode once applied to by two women claiming claiman one child for tor his decision in the case says solomon inon anon bring me a sword and they brought a sword before the king and the ibe icing king said alvide the living child in two and give half to the the one and half to the other then the woman whose the living chil chii child d was unto the king for her bowels yearned upon hei her soil kofi and she said 0 my loidl give gi har the living livin g child and in nowise e slay it but the thee other thir said let ik be neit neith lier iier er mine nor thine but divide it then the king answered and said give her the living child and in slay it she is the mother thereof i to divide that chia child aou would I 1 have dhave destroyed dis troyed it just like dividing the it destroys its power and efficacy let the mind be concentrated anait possesses almighty power it is the agent of of the almighty clothed with mortal tabernacles and we must learn to discipline it and bring it to bear on one point and not allow the devil to interfere and confuse it nor divert it from the great object we have in view it is is a good deal of work to preside oyer over our pur own families and keep all thinks right side up there but set a man alone and ard it is just as much as he can do to govern his own mind he has great need to watch and pray and while he is wat watching cAng he must mind and not see any other object but thab that tie lie is is praying for what could we not do if our minds were properly disciplined for if thine eye be single thy whole bedy body shall be full of light if thine eye were single thou lightest might est sometimes see through the vail we read something about the vail vall of the covering that is cast over all people being removed sometimes you see the sun covered with a thin fleecy cloud yet you can see that luminary all the time through that vail then than again comes up a dark I 1 thunder cloudland cloudia nd overcasts over casts the whole sky so that we nye cannot see yee see where the sun is s so if our eye be not single we do notsie no see clearly but the vall vail va if becomes thick and we are in darl darc darkness ness we qan can cannode canno note tsee |