| Show V jsn youna youva in the tas 6 c 1 brulc ben hen wac 0 gis ib 18 L chey cley gl v ti it 1 is 14 so alloo uncomfortable ou outside aside today to day viat elat thorer theror th aro are but fa fey acy y hgo with us in iao ino ao acie aclo nap vve ve avo reflections v uit ulu yit regard to tho fal fai kalthof the people ay and ad the fervency of the saints in their faith in the gospel when our meetings are arc thinly attended anthey are are ire today to day somo some 80 may think tho brethren and sis hil tord tera t are baek backsliding backai back sliding iding and gloving cold when do rot not lot attend attana meeting it map mal may max y sometimes aeb acs bo just aa as good and to stay at liine as to come conle to one thing is ceh cef certain rain tain that where people inake inako a practice of attending 7 meetings frequently I 1 ift creates an increased doso boso alid alla many who do not attend to the tho worship of god here liere may P as 3 fervent and hu humble nible iii in their spirits ir t its and hid fid trying trying to toi live we as 0 O uprightly before god at homo as those who wiio attend religious religions meetings 1 do not think the people are forge ciui tiui of god and of their obligations to him because they tarry at home I 1 like to come to in meeting I 1 am din in inthe the habit of doing so I 1 was fond lond of going to m meeting when I 1 cared but little about gating re religion igdon tor lor I 1 was anxious to learn having a thirst foz f know knowledge ledgel I 1 was always gratified in attending meetings to ligten to public addresses to win gan instruction st and add to my stock of information the lord has instructed us to meet together often and hold our sacraments and ofir oner tip up our oblations folis before liw III him lm confess our faults and speak words of comfort to each other viewing it in this light we ye regard itis it is a duty and it should be a pleasing one it is to me ma it gives me great greal pleasure to see the faces of those who wiio delight deligh tto to serve god assembled ta together bether gether to worship him and often my feelings have been heen een eon sueh such that thit I 1 could lia iia have ve enjoyed a meeting after the quaker style without a single word being spoken or even the eol col ceremony bemo lemo in dein of shaking bianas lianas hands for tor I 1 delight dolight dein doin to ook look upon alpon the saints wilo keep the commandments of our father and god I 1 do not believe that eliat those who wilo stay at home are in in many in instances stances my any worse than those who come to meeting nor that those who come coine to meeting are particularly better than those who stay at hoine home but iti it is i s a consolation po lation to me to meet with the saints to gee see them and talk to them in ill a way to comfort and instruct them this is abw always ays nys illy my object jn in speaking to the saints yet I 1 consider the best preaching inz ing is is example for as I 1 have often said it i is s not my privilege to preach and not noi practice what I 1 preach if I 1 preach a truth for others to observe I 1 am under obligation to observe that truth myself I 1 do not believe that it is the privilege ofa of any nyman man to preach and not practice still we see it done by many the tho they thoy preach more than they practice but this tills does not dil diminish ninish the ob obligations ligat ions lons they are under to practice all they preach and anti live the religion they 1 I hear licar my brethren sabbath sabbath after sabbath testify of what t tiley tikey cy believe what joy they have ili in the gospel how firm they dri are in it and that they desire never neven to turn away from it and then tilen they will pray the tile lord to let them be faithful faithfull who hinders them from being faithful there is nothing that is good not a truth 1 in n heaven nor in in hell in iii the c arth earth nor under the earth but what is in our religion what can you get outside of the king hing kingdom doin doln of god death and destruction pan pon anguish and sorrow misery and woe and aud grief olevery of every description some say 1 I hope I 1 will be faithful lord let me be faithfull you the devil will interfere as far as he has lifts power but his liis power is limited while tile the lord possesses unlimited power and if id to uso use a common phrase we would would like to be on the strongest side we would diketo like ilke to night fight on the side of right for that will win we would not knowingly invest capital iii in an insolvent firm then let us invest ili in the firm whose stock consists in the tile richer of eternity for all the light lere lero is in heaven and in d on the carter is 13 1 3 ill lii incorporated orp orated ili in our religion Is joy ili in heaven that is In incorporated corpor abed ili in our religion Is the tho there r ajo joy yon on earth that also is in our religion Is there intelligence cc yehan I 1 eternity of it an au d it is ill in our religion Is there glory yes and that is in ili our religion Is there immortality yes and ind that is in our religion everlasting lives that is ours friends they are ours ouri wealth that eliat is ours peace yes and that is ours every blessing an ang infinitely more than we ean can ill iii im agine is in our religion and for us to enjoy wiilie wilile outride of it there is nothing thin but death and hell liell we ve call can understand a few of the first principles of our religion and enjoy a few of its blessings but can wounder re understand the whole of it no not yet we can call understand some of the tho ordinances of the house of god but do wo we understand them all we ive shall if weare wo we are faithful we have had revealed to us some soine of the tiie ordin ordinances ancis and laws pertaining tain inc to the 1 l 0 celestial celestral kingdom of god but dut are arp are vhey they all no could coul we ander andor understand stand them if they tiley were revealed reve Ve aled we could not nob there is a little given as we vc can rece reee receive ivo it as the prophet of old said eaid ald aid tho the lori lord lord gives a little hore herc and a little there hine bine line fine upon line precept hero here a little and there here a little litile 11 why did he n not ot give lve ive more to his people in past times bec bee because ause they could no not understand it wily does he not civo give more to this people eople now because they are incapable tie ele of understanding it but in the sequel vc we will find there is noth nothing iiii that can bo be desired by us as in ia ou ness thatis that is ld not pot incorporated ili in our religion we wd see glory and honor and nd wealth inthe world they longto be the kingdom of gd god d betit but it may bet asked why does docs the lord permit the world worl 1 I to have them ho he gives every blessing to both saint and sinner just i hs as far lar as they eail can receive his blessings he is bountiful of his mercies and kind ind to lil lii all pit ill his children bestowing blessings upon them abundantly but they often abuse his bounties the lord has uyen wyen iven to all mop every power and blessing ellel possess and he ile would give them more if they could receive it it is a pleasure to me to meet with the saints saint to worship god and to tri fri P t my oblations iong long to if him im and it isa io I 1 we to the saints generally we preach a good deal to the tile latter lay day saints yet they know but little they can receive but little we tea teach cal them the liwe things the first principles of the gospel and we wl talk to them of the goodness of god and df 0 f his kind provi dences and so on but if we wo could understand the truth with regard to the fullness dullness of tho the kingdom n god our hearts would be full of joy unutterable these words are ire tre as idle tales to the i christian portions of thedoria thew the world oria orla a and nd to i those who do not believe in goa god and in i his son jesus christ and also to nuin many odthe of the saints but I 1 know the darkness that is among tiie tile tho people go goto to the christian world to say no nothing about those who do not believe in ga god in jesus nar nor in revealed religion go to those who make long prayers and attend meetings inee tings to thoe those who wilo pay the priests and wear vear long faces and these words are idle tales to them and so 80 they are almost to the tile latter day saints yet there isa is a degree of light and intelli 1 genee gonce that has lias cometo us and has caused us to do what we have done and be what wo are the proof of the virtue of a people i is in the life lile they lead we talk of the tile oneness of the people yet we lack much of that oneness bilone ss we must yet arrive at dt if wo we could seo soo eco goo things as they are arey aroy we ye need never preach this sermon again sa so long as we live but butco we have to talk to the people ai and na keep heep tall tali talking ing to them we havo have to bear with them and teach them wo we can tell them but little for we know but little and they are not prepared to 6 receive more than they get when any man lifts himself up in his philosophy and wonders why we do not talk about this and that and the othen other t tiling that we do not wish to talk about what does ho he know of the results that would follow from communicating principles to this people which they are not pre prepared to recel receive e I 1 do not amow that eliat it would not be as joseph jqseph once rc re markeda he 1 if I 1 1 were to tell the people what I 1 kno know w of the kingdom of udd odd thero there is not a man nor woman woman that would stay with me said salol I 1 do not fiot reveal anything to me nic then thon I 1 do not wish to apostatize if tile the lord were to td rev reveal a many things to thi this s peole peoples now which will beniades be made known in the future hos hes they hoy could not abide them they have not capacity cap heity at the present io 0 o reee rece receive ivo them many people look at tho the wisdom and intelligence there is ili in the world concerning many things and marvel what great knowledge what wonderful skI skill Is there wisdom and meehan ism in the world yes and bolac acome people will say it is wonderful aim alm almost ost beyond the tho knowledge know ledge leAge 0 p fan fau they will talk wk of steam po power ier th the power of the air 1 of electricity and other things and say pay if is almost beyond the knowledge of an angel ail an angel from froin heaven knows more about the sciences and arts of which you and I 1 have havo a 1 little 0 mattering smattering tl 1 an all the tho men ilien on the earth when they tiley have gone to the extent of their knowledge g aud and ab ability 11 and understand ingin science and art they are far behind arangel an angel docs does a i knowledg knowledge 6 of the sciences belong lo 10 our religion too yes thero 13 is nothing only death and hell heli but v what hat belongs belong to it we are aro not sanctified yet to receive many things that the lord will reveal by and bye we are not pro prepared parea paned to receive the falness of the kingdom of god iffe if we were we would stop estop ta preaching leach teach ilig a great now have aveao to preach but we are iidro living and improving and ninny many of the tile people really love and delight in t their heir rele reli religion igdon i I 1 you hear the brethren say at times that they never saw the time they were ashamed of their religion that is true who is there oil on the mee lee of the earth that knows knobs god pr or his son san jesus christ that is n not ot proud of it bot vain 1111 der stand me ine not proud dikea like ilke a frivolous young person vain vain of some fancied superiority but really thankful to god 1 for 0 tho the knowledge and if the term may be 1 er u used e d proud roud of of it who would not be ve proud to know our eider eiden brother and R deemer redeemer 1 who would not be proud the ip plan pian 1 4 revealed by 6 alir our hather father and god odd ta bestow upon on use us eter t or kal lal life ilfe to live not mere merely nexida nd next year bilt but to 0 live iivo for r over ever an and ver ever basking in in the smiles of god and f angels and ind enjoying tile the happiness nd and blessings s of eternal life go to tho the reat it men of the earth and talk to them bout about joseph smith and many of them mould rould tild spurn you brom from from them go to of the religious sects to a i presbyterian resby terian terlan a methodist or abaft a baptist IM nd speak to them about yoseph joseph ana and an ie kingdom of god established oil on the th earth arth itald nd most likely they would ai you out of their houses this caus le Ye elings that are unpleasant yet yett hy should it do BO so what is there thore in ich mch action faction that should prevent us om rejoicing and aud ud feeling thankful that ve e know god 0 gand yand and jesus christ lff ift iff ad all the young elders and mission nie rie shero here I 1 Ini might glit say gay bothem to them when strangers reject your testimony yon you ott bave no cause to fail fall of heart a and id be dow downcast lown cast in your spirits its if all tho kings of tile tiie earth carth were in one man ani and lii ill 11 their thai grandeur and excellency were in his liis person and liao cre ere cro tb reject your te testimony stimon i instead f feeling ashamed bod should be bo full f pity forham fo for him your feelings should ie like ike those of os a father to a C child I 1 ill lii dl my on I 1 am aill sorry for you and my heart 3 moved pity you have no know 10 ime odge edge c of your true position you are in ili possession os session of a certain greatness and knowledge bib vit bl ut your true greatness knowledge and power you kno know w no 10 hing thing of poor child I 1 pity you thesa shoed hould bo be the feelings of every eve ry elder that hat goes forth to preach pr cli cil the gospel to ti the tho he nations put it down in your bour memories let it ife be e written on the tablets of your hearts licarte that hat outside of the religion we havo have embraced mb raced there is nothing but death hell heli Q and the he grave every excellency i comfort happiness and 11 light ht and ind everything that call be enjoyed by in an intelligent being boing is for us livo KIVO for or it may the lord help us to do so amen amer |
