| Show 0 IS I S 0 O TJ R SE S E leider leiden EO Q dai daj it tabernacle savl al C cecy city ai ty ra april oth 1869 44 reported R PORTED BY DAVID IV I 1 EVANS 1 t sf 4 I 1 look upon this conference as one of the most important in many respects that we have ever had the privilege of participating in for toa tov my view w there are more moro interesting and important deveas connected with the work of god at the tho present time than have ever been developed before in irk our history we are under undergoing goin a great change a great eat revolution is in progress incur in ou r midst a revolution foreshadowed foreshadower fore shadowed by the predictions of both the ancient and modern prophets but which yet have scarcely been prepared for nearly thirty seven years ago the prophet joseph or rather the lord through him gave revelations reye reTe lations upon the Orde ordera of enoch those thosa revelations were taught to the peo people p IQ in plainness so far as they went they were simple simpie and easily understood but they bm embodied bodied within themselves what might have been termed new principles principle si and ada indicated a new course of action and a new organization of society I 1 say new now because they were new neav so far as this gener atlon is concerned the thel principles taught b by t those h 0 se revelations v actions were as old as eternity yd th order onder der bought sought to be introduced by their moe means mears toe ansi was yrea called the order 0 afi ochin anochin En consequence of its having been to and practiced by enoch enochs and through lis its practice ho he and his I 1 prepared translation and as wane I 1 ware we adini IV the scriptures i 1 t W were I 1 en from 1196 the tho earth arth tho Th the eLord 1 lo 10 d ln inspired the prophet phot phet joseph smith to td once abre mord these principles unto the children of men j j dut but ut as I 1 hate bite mih nih asked ked 9 the tiie people were vere not note prepared toy tov carry carcy ah them am out L they to some et extent ent could see land jand i and understand their beauty and consistency but in the practical 4 part they were deficient As a leopla the latter latten day are ilko liko their theli in many respects ve are aro very progressive in theory iut but I 1 our theories are far ahead of our practice tibe the teachings of the eiders eldera ture lare of that character that yeas years of practice on ou the part parti 1 of the people is required before they come come up tp them in their everyday every day life it lt is is lowith so with mankind generally they can comprehend the theory and realize the importance of practically observing I 1 ce certain tam principles long before they are sufficiently advanced fo carry them out in every everyday day life ilfe but we may say without boasting that as a people we excel the world in carrying out in our lives the principles that we teach chose principles to which I 1 have been referring were received and admired by the people but it required faith knowledge an and experience to enable them to carry th them in out vor for years they have tema xema remained ined in iii the book of doctrine Doc tring and covenants to 0 be read idaa by the curious or by those who had i a desire to search aft ei ey thie the principles of life ilfe and salvation but not being a part olour practice in our lives t they 11 ey havo been practically a dead ietter letter it speak now generally orco oreo of course arse thene there thene there have haTo been exceptions in regard to this as there have been with regard to the word of wisdom ll 11 there havo have been men and land women who have endeavored to carry earry out the ahn ahw iatter latter latter iatter strictly and truthful truthfully lyso so far as knowledge extended and apu so with the jhb principles contained in the revelations revelation 5 touching 1 the order of enoche enochs enoch there have hive doubtless been men in the church who have lived in accordance with th them thom i erh so far as it was practicable under the circumstances hut iut the alid entire people have not carried them out but though thirty six aj or thirty seven years have elapsed since these principles were first revealed the they y have n never ever everdeen been neen lost sight of by the president and a dehose those associated with him it has b been en h their aim from the day they given until today to day the ath of pf april iyog 1869 to bring the latter batur day saints to such a condition of union faith and knowledge that they would receive these principles and carry them out in thir their lives the labors of the elders tc toi accomplish this have been incessant they have ever felt to impress them upon tha minds of the tho saints but more more moro particularly within the last iotis four or five years it is ig essentially necessary necessary that we should receive them now for fon u upon on the reception and proper carrying out of bf this order hinges the prosperity development and triumph of the kingdom of god on the earth and unless we as a deop I 1 a arrive at such a standard of faith and berf perfection as to practically carry them out wo are assured on ou the best of authority that we cannot be permitted to go back and build up the centre stake and tully fully accomplish the redemption of zion the consequences involved in iq not being able to accomplish that are f familiar to the minds of those who are members of odthe the church of jesus christ especially if they ney are old members one of orthe the grcia greatest test calamities that could be thought of by us as a congregation or a church today to day would beto be to learn f from rom the lord through his servants that wa w should not be permitted to go back to build up the centre stake of zion the edict pronounced by the prop et moses when he told israel that not one on who hab had had arri arzi arrived v i ed at the age of twenty one sno ene ono years should ever enter the promised land bad not a greater effect apon upon israel israeli than the prohibition I 1 have just re referred to would have upon the latter day sain saints we can realize thene then importance the thes of adopting and carrying n outtie out the principles that will prepare us f for or that great grea t work it is not to be expected that we shall attain to perfection in the carrying carry ing out of such principles sciples at once that is not the way w we 0 nye have havo progressed in the past our progress has been gradual it has been from principle to principle from knowledge to knowledge led 0 ono one no step after another until we have fremed reached the point for which we have aimed and so it w wal be with the principles pertaining to the order of enoch we shall take step after step progressing from one point to another until we have reached the boint that god our heavenly father has i designed resigned us to attain to when we look abroad among the nations of the earth we see a great many evils in ex existence evils that have existed for many centuries in fact they have existed from the earliest ages of which wo have any account until the pres present eilt elit time in every nation and among abong all people our own o wn nation isa is a case in point when the foundations of the government were laid and liberty proclaimed through throughout out the length and breadth b beadth of the land laud it was anticipated that this nation would grow to a pitch of glory and attain to a i greatness and power thatus that nat other nation on 04 the face of the earth i had ever attained everything was favorable to this a free government had been established a continent of almost illimitable c extent s ead itself before the tho people and all that was nece necessary ary to develop its bounteum boun bonn uless resources I 1 was population anu ati arl d in industry on the pant part of on i dut put little irtle over ninety rears years have ela eia elapsed ased rince pince the foundations foundation af 0 mir our government govern m ent were laid and ana nd in afi that k time ilme we wg havea have havo grown to be a great IQ people ople opie but that atiat which has hag been enacted in iri ather tip lip nations has bas eif eil heen been re xe enacted hero here tho the alls tha have flourished so long iong in what is called the tho old world have havo been transplanted if co 0 I 1 ian lan n d I 1 if western Westeri il mei mer travel th through roligh the I 1 rai r ral ai states they aro ara struck with the grait great I 1 dis dia of classes that exist therel theris there othere is an aristo aristocracy crady of wealth fast growing up there and at the sometime same samo time there ii a another 14 1 class in degradation and coverty no vonny verty rau rou ran unable to obtain th the 0 bags blessings ings of life this Ws is 19 owin owing tl to various causes the chief of which ast is corree organization of society it atia 9 so 6 in n earo taro e an and in asiaf asia asla and in fact wherever wealth abounds many men haab arisen from time to tinie tirrie mhd whai hara hava seen and deplored dep lored lorea these evils and they have sought with all ahe wisdom and knowledge they possessed to correct them doubtless 3 many of the latter day sainted recollect an instance of this kind at nauvoo affet tha th saints evacuated that place ace a ca community eunit of socialists s called rians whose was leader leaden eade mr r cabat a t came I 1 to settled t there er there here were the houses gardens farms andor and orchards as of the latter day saints the country ras vas was a healthy one when compared with what it was when first settled by the saints many philanthropic men in france were interest interested in this experiment ap e ram ent and were anxious to live have it succeed e they forwarded their means with considerable liberality to sustain the settlement but taut despite their efforts and exert exertions igns it fell feil to pieces yet the object they had in view was nv 49 a good one and tho the means they thoy used ivere yvere were effective so far as they went but butu there was a lack lck lek of cohesive power in the system thereca there was a backof lack laek of union and a backof lack laek of wis wisdom dorain in the management og othe the affail affair they sought to ameliorate amei amel the condition of mankind and to diffuse the blessings of life equally arang mong the people so that hunger poverty and wretchedness and the dreadful consequences which follow in their train might be removed from the tha midst of mankind and ana a better order of t things established but with all the advantages of which I 1 have spoken their attempt was a the society was waa broken up and todar today tadar to ta day dar has no existence PI s s this is acabo a caso case in point with which many of y u are familiar similar experiments hakin having the saino saine sama same ends in view naro have havo been beell tried at A other othor places at various times but bu like results have havo atte attended them it has been seen see a by thinking men that thai there is something radically wrong in the organization niza tion of society in this respect but th ord orp they thoy have not known how to remedy the e evils vly Is it is so in iii the religious world religionists have to mourn and deplore the divisions that exist amone among amon g t the b e so call cali called ad followers of christ and reformers have risen one after another endeavoring to bring about greater u union alon aion and to develop a greater amount 0 of f love iove but with what success let the history of the various sects of ot christendom answer they thoy are split up into innumerable parties and the effort of every reformer has only resulted in the increase of religious sects ho he has been unable and his inability bas has been confessed by himself P to unite the tho christian world and bring about that oneness which characterized the followers of christ in the early barix days of christianity it required the lord our god to stretch forth his arm hrin to abrl g this to pass it required the revelation of the gospel in its purity from the heavens it required the restoration of the holy priesthood to the earth in the plentitude of its power to bring it about and as soon as the priesthood was restored as soon as the gospel was given again in purity to man and the church ot or christ was d again a in organized then the object 11 nor for or which g these ret rev formers reformers labored in vain rain began to be accomplished ane oneness ness I 1 began to prevail pr evall etall union began b egan to nani nest fest itself love was diff diffused used ased the holy ghost was bestowed its gifts were enjoyed and men an and d women from various nations and froni front the tho midst of various churches were gathered together in one as we are here today to day it required tho the wisdom power and spirit of the almighty to restore this condition of things for which many men had so long iong ion lon labored in vain and so it ia la in relation to the social organization of society it requires the wisdom of almighty god to correct the evils under which mankind groan men may labor and devise schemes expend means and do all that is possible for human be ings not directed by the spirit and power of god to do and after they have done it all they are compelled to confess that they are weak and fallible and incapable of accomplishing com comp lishing that v which ch they have aimed at but with god to aid them with his wisdom to guide and his spirit to direct and his blessings to smile upon them they can in accomplish all that is necessary to redeem and savo save the human family both in a g physical it Y and spiritual point of view god has as chosen his people the latter day saints to solve these knotty problems that have troubled the brains and affected the child children reil rell of men for so many centuries the lord has said sald that if ye are not equal in earthly things ye yo cannot be in obtaining heavenly things ha he has revealed a plan by which this equality can be brought about yet he does doea not design to mak make o us of equal actave hight lit he does not design that i we wa shoula should all ali have havo the sama colored hal hai or eyes pr gr that we should be of th the same samo stature or that iress iriss exactly aika afke this Thia Janot jenot the meanings mhd word wora equall almot i ity asit agit it is used in the revelation but i it means meang to have bave an equal oqual claim on the tho blessings of pur put heavenly rom HoA venly ether Z on the properties per pen ties of the tho lords trea troa ulry tury and the influences fluen ces and gifts of his holy spirit this is je the equality meant 14 in he revelations actions ancl anil a na unil 1 I we attain to this thia q equality a lity kity we can not be equal in spiritual I 1 things tt ing i s an aadne anane ekl ja I 1 J blessings blessing I 1 god goa cannot can not be bestowed up I 1 US until we this as thuy they otherwise L esq would As av d a people we wo are arc expecting thi day jesus will descend ur the clouds of heaven but before this day commer corner we must be prepared to receive him tha organization J ot of that exists in the tha llo lim heavens vens must exist on the earth the sama same condition of society so far fan faras as it as is applicable to mortal beings must exist here and dor for this purpose god goa has repealed reye aled thin order for this thia purpose he is bringing us into our present conditi condition olf oli A great many of the latter day saints sainta scarcely Cunder stand stana th the C pe persistency tency teney with which the presidency of the church hasi basi labored to about the oneness of the veoila in temporal things and this thiv co cot pena operative pera tive movement is an important step in this direction and is designed to prepare them for the ushering in of this order to which I 1 aye ave ayo hben been alluding it has |
