Show yem kem iem JR EM all dil ait A tji S I 1 11 sl 1 A A 1 SMITH deev the old tabernacle 2 dee da 29 f j s v ate port ED BY D W EVANS vars vans r in tile the doad dead dealings ingson of god with the tho children of men in almost every age of widen which we have any account we find thata that a certain weakness of theli the tho human uman heart haseker has ever manifested itself that isi its 18 proneness to kostray stray from the lord on almost ever every evory occasion don fon when the children of israel began to get prosperous rous and wealthy they forgot their duty and strayed from tho the lord after joshua had led them across the jordan subdued their enemies and placed them in possession of canaan canann he no called the people together en masso masse m asse and exacted of them a covenant that they would serve the lord who had brought them out of egypt and had wrought so many nil nii miracles rades in the their favor and it is recorded of that generation tion that they served the lord all tho days of joshua and all the days of the liters who outlived joshua this is about as long longa a time as israel ever did slid abide by the lav law of the lord in reading the book of mormon this same sawo trait character of is ery very cry noticeable in the tho history of tho as and Jared ites when the elders were stirred up to preach and prophecy to the people or wa when en through the scourging of tile al at they thoy were vere brought to repentance an dothe andoche iff the tho knowledge of their thein fathers it but an incredibly short time a few years of peace and industry with their attendant blessings before they would again go astray from god follow new doctrines and forms of worship designed 1 duj dui by men and wicked wickedness nm would soon again overspread the land this was waa wah was re repeated bated time and again by the ke we nhi P phifer phi lilies fes from froni the tile time tiley they separated from the uniel until their final finai destruction strut st lon ion it is rc remarkable howe however year ii tho tha history givon bivon ia in of mormon normon mefi that after the th emission d odthe the savior ewt inthis Ls continent and the reception of tle gospel by the whole of the Lama and Nep hites that for several genera 1 eions they remained fed faithful to its pre copts coats and principles and walked before the lord with such a degree of humility and thank thanks thanksgiving 4 h iving that they led aed and blessed in all th ti lings bilings ings this ia the longest period veriod of if peace and tiro most dikea like ilke a millen millennium nitin that we have linte any account of in any aily of our records where time ia is given to us it is estrue true that enoch and his followers wera were more faithful than this for it is said that he walked with god three hundred and sixty nive five years but as wa we have no de dei i tailed account ol 01 the transactions in his cities or of the r regulations em in zion under bl his bis direction wo we aro arc not prepared to use uso the chort shor ehor account we have of him and his people by way of comparison all these lessons taught in the thes bible the book of mormon and by obrown experience are to warn us of the tile danger and to show us how prone wo we aro are to lust after the leeks and onions of egypt or to gaeri nica fica principle to gain some temporary advantage or to answer some mercenary purpose and they should bo be so firmly fixed upon our minds and so applied in that nothing could induce us to do so for hoaern great the seeming advantage from such a course I 1 it t would in tiie tile the end prove a serious disadvantage for in following it we sacrifice our integrity violate vialate our faith wehl weaken km our out confidence jn in god and alid with him and addlay I 1 ay purse gurse ourselves ives liable to fall into snares fr from OM which it is i 3 impossible for us to extricate ourselves I 1 att AS 1 have already said when I 1 first read the book of mormon this trait of character astonished me and I 1 have been squally equally uail astonished at seeing it manifested e by this people during the thirty seven years I 1 conversant with their in relation to the word of wisdom see what i a variety of opinions and feelings have arisen amongst us it is ig no no WT j about thirty six years since that was N en by the lord bouis people not commandment Jo or constraint but a 1 principle with promise and yet yetto today to joday day maii mall many af pf f us find it difficult to leave leav eoff onn off alletea grato do without our tobacco had we V 69 as a people pursued an even straightforward course in obedience to the tile counsels of the almighty idin inin jnnny of us iia who today to day are in bondage tot to these lese iese 1 and other pernicious practices would neven never have indulged in them thew I 1 moved hoyed into kirtland with five families I 1 the question immediately arose 49 where shall we settle why tight right 1 here in kirtland the lord designs to make this a stronghold for a few years and here liere we are to settle which was the counsel of the prophet tile the very first thing that occurred after te r this thia advice adylee was stat that two out 0 tit of the five came to the conclusion that they had better go to the neighboring town because thoy they thought they rould could gain some t temporary emp advantage to cha eha charin chagrin rin they went ih in opposition to the advie of the prophet and in a fow few weeks they were in darkness and not long after they tiler were numbered avith tile tiie enemies of zion and were soon using all their power for the destruction of the saints he that at hereth not with us scatter eth abroad joseph the prophet Prop hety told us to go to work and build ild iid the cities of zion and not to build up strange cities kirland Kir kirtland band dand of course contained but few saints and ani they were poor and many of the brethren who were mechanics would go 90 fo to cleveland painesville gainesville Paines ville and other places while the residue were willing to take t the der ler advice of the prophet and stay in kirtland and get what worx wora wor won they could conid among th brethren bretha en and make improvements prove provo ments fird at the tho end of the tho year it lily 1117 invariably turned out that those who had obeyed d counsel had glad blad ethe diho the fhe most means anh and what was more moro they had the best jest spirit and na a general thing tue the ther tuey ar are still in fi the midst of the saints ulle ulie while those who went abroad contrary to and instructions of af the servants of the ther lord became darkened in their mind and eventually acosta sized the fact is in relation to this that we e are ara to seek first tiie this kingdom of god and its righteousness and to use all ail our efler t sustain alfh alft hi hl kingdom and cach each ct to sustain and uphold thosa the kingdom df lodi jodi and when we neglect to do this and suf for temporary interests to drag us to the right or the left we lay a foundation for darkness s and destruction destruct ion iop however many objection we may feel to abiding the counsels and instructions which are giren given to fa the saints we will find under all circumstance circumstances 5 aliat that the they are invariably ton tor 6 the ther best bet and tha that when they h unfavorable it seems to mo me that most of us can look back the last four or five years and see the course that has been pursued by some tome in their eager cager eagerness niss and determination to disobey counsel by these lessons and examples in the school of experience we ought to make ourselves acquainted with the prine princ principles les ies of progress and profit by them W if we ne will do so god 01 will strengthen our hands and laen soil en enlighten our onn minds winds and enable ug to I 1 pull puli boget together I 1 ar a and nd when we are united as a a solid mass all the powers of earth cannot prevail against us our weakness consists in division among ourselves in not living up to our callin calling in not abiding by tile the counsels which gilie the lord inspires his servants to impart unto us and not abiding bythe by the covenants which which we make whence when we lift up ilp our hands to heaven and aud vote voto to sus sua eus tain our president or prophet as a aseer seer and revelator unto us this tilis failure ori on our part weakens both his hands fiands and ours urs ro woolley said this morning two iwo we are progressing and alli tw tid js h no doubt we are arc but it is slowly may the lord ord bless ud us unite unito our ur hearts and quicken our progress is my prayer in the name of jesus amera |