Show REMARKS by eider elder jomn JOHN TA slon klor kon VOR in the tm tabernacle mabe Tabe macle in 0 L elty olty sunday dee die 11 ISM reported BY G D WATT we meet together as intelligent beings ip gs dei des desirous irous inous of understanding something of our common origin our present existence and omir future destiny we meet to find out something in relation to our heavenly father in relation to his providential dealings with the bulilan human family in relation to his hib policy eolice and designs pertaining to us and in n relation to tile the object of our creation and to know something if possible pertaining to that world that lies beyond our present scene of action these are some things among the many that we are desirous to know to comprehend V to find out if possible we further wish to pursue a course that shall beace be acceptable cep table to our god and father havin having partaken partaker par a taken 6 of amrous a portion of his hol hoi holy spirit rt we are desirous to tabo bo taught more perfectly tike tiko things pertaining to the 1 kingdom of god we are desirous of cultivating tiva ting his holy spirit and to draw from the fountain of light ight and intelligence from the spirit of revelation that flows dwells in us comfort consolation and intelligence that we may feel that we are tile the sons and daughters of god that we are walking countenance that we are doing the things that are pleasing and acceptable in his sight eight that our own consciences are producing satisfactory evidence to our minds that our conduct and acts are acceptable accept ible be ihre ibre the lord and that the holy ghost also bears testimony mony to hs that we are his children doing his will walking in tile the light of his countenance discountenance helping to establish his kingdom on the earth and to fulfill fulfil the varied duties we are placed here upon the earth to attend to these ara are some of the ideas and feelings which I 1 all good men and women entertain in Te lation relation to thelast the past the present and the future notwithstanding we have many weaknesses infirmities folios folles and foibles yet at the same time when we are filled gt with the spirit which flows from tile the lord our heavenly father these are generally the feelings which we entertain we feel a spi gratitude to our heavenly father for the blessings that we have received from ills his hands and when we look upon things as they exist around us in our nation and in other nations we certainly have great cause to cultivate feelings of thankfulness when we reflect upon the pos position 1 d ion lon 0 of f the world and view the darkness ignorance ignorant C e folly superstition wickedness corruption and evil that it is spread abroad and and which prevails over the face of the earth when we reflect that light and intelligence has beamed forth from the heavens that god in ills his mercy has made manifest his ills will to the humah human family that in the plenitude of HIS hia mercy and goodness he lias bas restored the noly holy priesthood and placed us in communication muni cation with himself that ho he lias has tau taught 10 lit us not only how to pray but how to approach unto him for the forgiveness of our sins forthe for the reception of the tile holy ghost for instruction and guidance in relation to alamat ten tem pertaining to our fathers relative to this titis world and to the world that is to come wo we certainly have great cause of gratitude to our heavenly rather father for the many mercies and blessings he lias has cont conf conferred erred upon us wherever we turn our attention we can find muse cause of gratitude to our heavenly ehly father for the blessi blessings nags that we vinjoy and we can truly say as was wa maidby said sald by a certain person of old the lines aro arc fallen unto me in pie pleasant disant places places yea I 1 have a goodly heritage the lord has revealed unto us the principles ples plea of external eternal el truth so that unlike e tile the world we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and anil carried about with every wind ine lne by the sleight of men and cunning 0 craft craftiness irless liless whereby they lie in wait to deceive but our feet are established upon the rock of eter eternal ilal rial truth which has been revealed from the heavens for the benefit blessi blessing and exaltation of the human family in time and in eternity how very different is our position in n relation to this from what it was before we heard tile the gospel then we were surrounded with ten thousand influences notions and ideas which might be right or which might be wrong wrong we had no test no rule no principle whereby to guide our lives or our oun conduct wo could not find any person on the earth that knew anything about the principles of eternity we never heard anything further than opinion beffre we nye embraced this doctrine we llad lidd the opinion of commentators of divines philosophers and politicians tic ians nothing but opinion without certainty to guide our erring feet we were desirous perhaps as much so as we are today to day to do right we were perhaps as zealous then as we are now in pursuing the course that we thought might be satisfactory to our heavenly father but we knew not what would please him the world of mankind today are just in the position that we were then in they have no more certainty evidence or knowledge thanie than we had before we embraced the principles of eternal truth and in fact the truth does not exist in the world or if it we addee R s exist it is unknown to the men df the world they are unable to discern between truth and error light and darkness between the things of god and the man the lord has revealed to us tile the principles of eternal life it is not a matter of mere more thought of mere opinion our principles are not ideal but they are facts not notions they are aue re truths not they jare are certa centa certainties intje tutie 7 things s i that hat we kno know w and comprehend for our selves nothing can bo be more forcible nothing can be a stronger evidence if we want any evidence than the testimony or evidence which the lord has communicated unto us individually paul said sald when lie he was speaking e a kin 1 to the people and my speech a and nd m my preaching was not with enticing wor words s of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and and of power that your faith falth should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of god again if we receive tre tee the witness of men nien the witness of god is greater for this is the witness of god which lie he hath testified of his son he that believeth beli bell eveth on the son of god hath the witness in himself he that believeth beli eveth not god hath made him a liar because beca tise tiso he believeth beli bell eveth not the record that god gave of his son every person who embraced the gospel in that day enjo enjoyed an evident testimony of which the world were ignorant they received an inspiring intelligent assur rance which was imparted by the holy ghost unto all those who receive the gospel both in former and in latter times and hence they that believe have the witness in themselves when the elders were sent to preach the gospel they were told to call calf u upon on the people to repent and be bap baptized tizer in the nameon name of jesus for tho the remission of sins and they should receive the holy ghost this was told to the people in ancient days and no stronger testimony than this could be given to the heart of man urd nothing is greater evidence that the lord is with his elders that go forth bearing the precious seeds of eternal life than this an elder is the minister of god his representative on the earth he acts by his authority in his name and god sanctions his acts and proves to him and to those who receive the gospel that he lie is tile the messenger of god the lord has told him to go and preach baptism for the remission of sins and that when people eople repented landwere and were baptized for tite the remission of sins ills and had hands laid upon them for the reception of the holy ghost that the they should receive the holy dhoest ghost ni I 1 and have evidence for themselves as they received and knew formerly under the administration of the ancient apostles thus every person so baptised baptized sed and administered to has evidence u undoubted 11 within himself and ever every elder has a testimony that god is with wiz him liim and sanctions ills his acts and as an elder could not impart the holy ghost without the authority and power of god so the person receiving the holy ghost coult not partake of it without v the lords administration through the E elder eider ider lder you may use the reasoning of men you may bring into requisition tile the strongest powers and all this will fail to convince any ady man without the spirit of god noumay you may bring the brightest talent to bear an and collect the strongest evidence it is possible for man to produce but in tho the absence of the holy ghost all this will pass away lidean like ilke an idle dreama dream or with passing remarks such asi as that mun man ma 11 is 1 a very eloquent man the prinell principles ies les lie he ad advances are arc evident plain and reasonable but then it dont concern us at all we are not interested in the matter etc but when the spirit of eter eternal I 1 truth emanating emina ting from god operates agon upon our spirits which is a part of 0 deity delty if you please when there is a union and an intercourse opened and intelligence com communicated t then the persons who possess this intelligence this knowledge this com corn forting dorting influence this strong assurance that is imparted and can be imparted only from spirit to spirit when pe persons receive this they then have fort vort for themselves an assurance that no earthly argument or philosophical demonstration can possibly 1 impart in lart we are arc a part of deity that is our spirits are a part as it were of the great jehovah that have been struck from his eternal blaze ebern eternal al intelligence and light C and life I 1 when the light that is in heaven communicates with the light within us when the spirit that dwells in the bosom of the almighty dwells in ours arnd arid an intercourse is opened between heaven and us we are then placed in a position to understand that which it would be impossible to comprehend upon any natural principle known to us and hence it is written for what mail man the bilings of a man save the spirit of man which is is in him even oven so the things of god no man but the spirit of god in order that men may indeed becom beco melie eUie eule children of god he has introduced in the first principles of the gospel the means of tasir becoming possessed possessed of his spirit through baptism and laying on of hands by those having authority being sent and or dalTie d a and authorized 4 e d by him that tha they ma mav may kle re receive c eive elve the holy 4 ghost what can be a stronger evidence to any man than an evidence of this kind it is not something that affects the outward ear alone it is not something that affects simply his judgment but it affects his inner man it affects the spirit that dwells within him it is a part of god imparted unto man if you please ilease giving him an assurance that bod god lives this is a thing of very great importance more so perhaps than many people imagine A man receives an assurance that god lives and not only that god lives but that he he is neon a bon son of god because he feels that he has partaken partaker par taken of his bis spirit the spirit spi of adoption and hence it was said concern concerning 1 ng the faints saints of old for ye yo have not received the spirit ol 01 of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry abba father the spirit itself bearett witness with our spirit that we are arc the children of god the saints of old received a spirit whereby they were enabled to say abba father or my father now reflecting upon illis mis mig what strong confidence is imparted unto the saints of god giving them an assurance that no person has and that no person can have unless they adopt the same means in order to partake of the same blessings or to be administered to in the same way and receive through the tho same medium that same spirit of intelligence which nothing but the holy ghost can impart when persons receive this they aro are enabled to say my idi idt ather father what were they enabled to say before did they know anything about their father or about their god did they know anything about their origin or did they know anything yin relation to the future what can you find among the world like this anywhere among the most pious best the most honorable pure and virtuous what can you find among them only simply gwo iwo wo try to do tile the best that we can and wo hope it will be well with us hereafter we hope our great heavenly father will be merciful to us they can make no fur furtner further thier advances than that without the gift gitt and blessing of the holy ghost they hope certain things they believe in curtain things they pray for certain things they cesiro desire certain things but they thuy have no assurance in relation to them nothing but tile the holy spirit proceeding from the father and the son can cagl impart unto us that intelligence which is is neets sary aary to place tho the church and kingdom of 1 god upon a sure and firm basis the lord loid cordias Lor dias has introduced this among amons us it is no matter what language a man may speak or what country he lives in no matter what his former profession or circumstances alere is tile the gospel of eternal life ad aad truth proclaimed by the weakest stor of gods elders which he hoo has chosen and set apart to preach the words of eternal life in all the world wherever people receive the words of truth that that elder older has preached unto I 1 them and obey them by baptism and have hands laid oil on t them I 1 tem iem for the tile reception dathe af the holy ghost they all feel alike what country they were born in what their religion politics social ideas or anything else whether jew or gentle bond or free they are al one in christ jesus wo we have people gathered together 0 in illis lilis this territory from all parts of the earth they have all been baptised baptized sed into one baptism and all have partaken partaker par taken of one spirit mr i t aua that one spirit proceeds from he 11 fountain 0 of light and truth it would be impossible under any other circumstances to unite people together as our people III in the mountains are united it would be impossible for all the reasoning powers of man to bring about any such result nothing but the power an and spirit of god could accomplish it we all feel alike in regard to the great principles of eternal truth why dowe do we feel alike Because we have all en of one spirit proceeds from our heavenly father it I 1 ay iy the tile holy ghost how does it affect us it affects our spirits and although we do not understand sometimes one others an speech and are ignorant of the ideas entertained by one another and although the habits customs and manners are diverse and various among the different nations from which we have come we still are one in sentiment one in III faith and in confidence and one in assurance I 1 have heard men in the united t sames thank god with their whole heart for the spirit imparted to them and for the ble bie blessings in g S of the everlasting gospel I 1 have heard them do the same in france and in germany and I 1 have heard them do the same among other nations whose language I 1 wu wai not acquainted quain ted with the same spirit inspires spires in the whole it is the spirit of god im parted through obedience to hn his law 5 u r K 1 1 and through the administration of the gospel through the |