| Show by president orson llyde hyde delivered in the new tabernacle salt lake city may ath 1870 reported REPORTED BY DAVID W EVANS brethren and sisters my heart almost falters atthe at the idea of attempting to make you air distinctly hear me but by the aid of the spirit of the lord in answer to your good wishes and prayers I 1 will do my best to make you hear such things as it may suggest to me I 1 am thankful for this opportunity port unity of meeting the saints from different parts of the territory of beholding their friendly faces and of greeting them with a cordial how do you au do and god bless you yon it really filis fills nills fills me with joy and gladness and I 1 am thankful that I 1 have the privilege leFe of meeting with my brethren who bear the priesthood and of mingling my testimony with theirs to establish the truths of heaven long since revealed by the lord to his people the latter day saints brethren and sisters I 1 know that the cause in which we are engaged is the cause of god I 1 know that joseph smith was a true and faithful prophet of the most high god I 1 know that he sealed his testimony with his blood and though he is invisible to our natural eyes at the present time he is moving the cause of zion by an influence which we can better feel than see I 1 feel thankful that I 1 have the privilege of bearing beaning this testimony and not only do I 1 bear it in behalf of the martyred marty red prophet but I 1 bear the same testimony in behalf of him whom god has placed to lead 1 gulde guide guide gulde and govern the affairs of his kingdom om on the earth namely president brigham young you can all behold the twin peaks down here when ghen you are out in the open air towering aloft towards heaven you have seen the clouds gather around their brow you have heard the thunders roll and seen the flash as if they would demolish those proud monuments of nature and the elements have expended upon them their fury yet after all the clouds retired the thunders ceased to roll the tol toi bollash to lash hash and tae sky became clearer and there stands today to day those proud monuments unscathed and unmoved why because hod pod habad reared them and placed them there and the elements by which we are more or less surrounded may gather around our president brigham until his name is almost obscured for the time being the thunders may roll over his bis head the may flash or the clouds gather is he affected la 19 he not the same identical pillar leading loading guiding and sustaining the cause ot god most assuredly he is s and remember that although the elements are lively and they play around the twin peaks with a great deal of force and fury lury they can have but very little effect upon them and so it is with the man whom god has ordained and placed to guide his saints apostates may cause the clouds to gather and they may thunder and they they may do this that and the other but at last they must yield and give place to the monument that god has erected and he will stand forth in bold re lief towering to heaven and pointing the way to eternal life this ia Is my testimony this is the wa way my heart feels today to day and it is 14 the way K it has ever over felt towards that individual it is the way that I 1 am inclined to think that it ever will feel it is Js my determination why because I 1 have had bad evidence that is unmistakable that I 1 am occupying grounds that are correct that are true ond faithful and I 1 cannot forget it I 1 pray the lora lord that he may always lead me to keep the truth iu in mind vivid and clear as the sun at noonday brethren and sisters if we will be uni united ted in keeping the commandments of god in observing and cleaving to the word of wisdom not for the time being only but always while life shall last if we will remember our prayers and be faithful in the discharge of our duties I 1 will tell you that any measure inimical to our welfare and interests it may seem that may be sought to be carried against us will utterly fail fall wo have bave the means within ourselves to defeat almost anything that is intended for our destruction and overthrow however I 1 want to talk but little about this I 1 have endeavored to instruct the brethren and sisters bisters where I 1 have labored in relation to this matter and if I 1 shall repeat here today some things that I 1 have said heretofore do not think that it is because brother hyde lacks a subject but ho he is happy to hava have the opportunity of declaring the truth and truth never becomes stale because of being often repeated we are a commercial and trading people alth aith although gugh bugh far inland and hence we buy and sell now the question is are we always punctual to pay according to promise and agreement I 1 am sorry to say that in too many instances we are careless and indifferent with regard to fulfilling our word and agreement we are told in the good book that we should owe no man anything but love and good will and if every man that hears the sound of my voice today to day could stand out like an angel of god and say 1 I owe ewe no man anything but love and good will what efrom the enemies ranks could be suo sue successfully ess fully hurled against us I 1 say not one we have paid that which we owe and no man can say ought in complaint against us because we are delinquents and every one ope that knows us will be ready to say goa god bless you yeu you are punctual and faithful do wo we all desire brethren and sisters to maintain this character and stand upon this ground I 1 know that cases will arise and almost unavoidably in which wo we may be indebted to our brethren but how is it with some ofus orus of us when those to whom wo we are indebted apply for payment I 1 am afraid that such creditors instead of receiving that which is their due are sometimes turned away with an excuse when if the debtor would exert himself he might pay about as well then as at any other time but bat though we ma may y turn away a brother with an excuse does that turn away the demands of justice and I 1 tell you no I 1 have seen in livid bals who would contract a debt apparent 4 i I 1 ly regardless whether they paid or not I 1 71 do not know that there are any here but if there are I 1 hope they will heed the words which I 1 speak let me say that I 1 very veryl much question whether if we have contracted debts and do not pay them nor manifest any desire to do so we shall go into the celestial kingdom I 1 cannot can not tell how this will be but I 1 should rather fear that instead of going into the celestial kingdom we should go down to that prison erison that is spoken of in the scriptures hence we are arp exhorted to agree with thine adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way with him lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge and the judge deliver thee to the officer and the officer cast thee into prison verily verily I 1 say unto thee that thou not come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing 11 whether this scripture legitimately applies in this case I 1 will not say but to my mind it has a strong beginning in that direction well if I 1 have to go to prison and there work to pay the uttermost farthing heaven nerve my arm so feo that I 1 may meet and pay my obligations while I 1 am in the flesh 1 I know that in re lation to these matters some of us have been in the habit of considering well it Is a brother to whom I 1 owe this thia debt and I 1 can cati put him off he will bear with me and ana if he be begins to make any particular demonstration towards collecting it awill I 1 will twine around him and say bear with me a little and I 1 will pay you I 1 when perhaps we have no mo real firm anh and and ana fixed tion to pay that debt at all ail i will tho aho the lord hear and answer our otin prayers if this be our condition I 1 cannot say but I 1 will awill tell you I 1 would rather be bd dean dear of any obligation except those of iove love and dood good will I 1 would rather risk prayer offered under these circumstances than when cheh offered while the suppliant is involved in debts and obligations he has hag has failed to discharge now brethren and sisters if we wll will train ourselves never to ta contract a debt unless we feel sure and not only feel sure but determined to pay according to promise we shall not have the tho burdens on our shoulders that we otherwise shall have times are changing sometimes we are tempted by the allurements allure ments orthe othe world by the flow of money and by the abundance lf f everything to go beyond the mark and we contract debts then perhaps there is a shutdown shut down on the sources ot of prosperity and a dark dull time financially may set in and everything we have got is la at stake which then is the better way the better way in whelk m my opinion is to keep clear of debt whether er times are prosperous or tight keep clear of debt if possible some will run into debt to gratify pride and they will really rob themselves and their creditors just to keep up with this fanciful thing called fashion brother or sister so and so says 1 I must have this or that because somebody else has it or somebody has got such a thing and I 1 feel that I 1 am as much entitled to it as he or she I 1 say lot somebody else have as many fashions as they like but let b by what god has given us and be content therewith and if we really want more let us make a little extra exertion and before we wo spend money let us earn it I 1 know men who will actually go to work and sell the crop that they are perhaps planting now to merchants and when t they ey irrigate those crops it is not for themselves but for them to whom they have sold it the same is true when the grain is harvested and when it is threshed there is no ho liberty independence or nobility in this but they who take this course are bound down and are slaves to somebody else I 1 feal feel that a little economy and self denial dental would relieve us very much from this embarrassment and incumbrance I 1 believe the good book says except a man deny himself take up his bis cross and follow me he can not be my disciple do we seek to deny ourselves or to gratify ourselves which is the greater labor to gratify or to deny ourselves I 1 will tell you that if we would bestow asi much labor in denying ourselves as wa we do in gratifying ourselves wal we should feel better and should be happier and the sh heavens eavens would plead our cause more effectually how comfortable a man feels when he be can say to himself though I 1 have but little thank god I 1 do not owe anybody anything I 1 have paid up tip my tithing my emigration indebtedness I 1 have paid for my newspaper and ana done the best I 1 could to keep the hearts ofay of myn brethren whole by paying promptly according to promise so that the great machine of progress may move without obstruction and hindrance I 1 believe that lowe if we will all turn in from this time and bo be honest and really pay our debts and obligations we have no great reason to fear anything injurious proceeding from any quarter suppose now brethren and sisters that we should be united in this one thing and should actually go to and pay our debts and obligations let mo me suggest to you one ono thing says one neally neaily really eally JR I 1 would like teri veri very much it I 1 had the assurance that god heard hoard my prayers now when you go home just thin k of them to whom you are indebted and who is in most need among your creditors and then go right to that individual and biess bless biess him with an in stal ment of what you owe him and I 1 tell teli te I 1 you that will aid very much the acceptance of your offering unto god it will induce him to hear your our prayer and to answer it if you dont believe elleve it try it and instead of putting off your brother brotherto to whom you are indebted and making a thousand excuses and apologies and trying to get out of his road go right to him be honest lay your heart open to him and and say I 1 my krother brother brother I 1 will do all ail I 1 can for you I 1 will bless biess you by paying vou you ou what I 1 owe or a portion of it and I 1 will will pay you the remainder remain er as fast aa as I 1 possibly can let this course be taken throughout israel and see if the tables will not turn in favor of zion I 1 feel that they will let us all take this course and see I 1 intend if the lord will let me livland live and I 1 believe he will to work just as hard bard as I 1 can to pay every just obligation that I 1 I 1 believe I 1 shall accomplish it I 1 pray the lord to let me livo live until I 1 can say boldly and honestly and anil truly that I 1 owe no man anything but love and good willand wl lland iland then as much lon ion longer longeran geras gecas as he pleases that is what I 1 desire and intend and I 1 believe that if we as a people do this remember our prayers and keep the words of wisdom the lord will not suffer the enemy to tor prevail against us now I 1 look around this congregation and contemplate that there are perhaps some ten or 0 twelve thousand pier persons sons song and ana and if it may be more I 1 do not know there is a very veny jarge large number then when I 1 think that numerous aa as we are here we are but the representatives not mor ethan a tithing of th choso oso left behind of the same stripe it reminds remind me ine of the words of joseph the prophet when he saidy said sald brethren remember that the majority oli olo of this people will never go astray and as 1 long iong ng as yon you keep with the majority you ad are saroto sure suro to enter enten the celestial kingdom I 1 am anu sati satisfied sEed brethren that if we will go to with our might and strength and pay our debts and llanil liabilities the blessing of god will attend usand that too in the eyes of all the world I 1 will tell you what I 1 expect I 1 expect tolve i to see the day when those in our midst who have havo sought our injury and ruin wilt will stand the same as ag men do when dincov eren that I 1 read of in the papers who rob henro or steal sheep you know how they feel they feel cheap they would feel very mean in the presence of honorable men I 1 expect to live to see ther day brethren when those who have sought our injury will quail in our presence well this is no time for long sermons there are my brethren of the twelve here besides many others who want to speak and I 1 presume to say that I 1 have occupied my share of the time one thing more however I 1 will say you who have money owing to you do not from my remarks go to him who owes you and take him by the throat and say pay me that which thou 1 do not do that no let your debtor remain undisturbed by you zou you be silent and see whether that mans maup conscience will operate upon him so as to td induce him to come and make reasonable and proper satisfaction to you your and if he be will not when this subject is fully laid before him you maybe begin gm to think that he is not as honest mal as he e should be and by and by he will work himself out of the kingdom I 1 feel brethren and sisters that I 1 am in the right company if I 1 can only manage to keep right myself if I 1 can only manage to be true and faithful faith laith ful fui to my god and myself while I 1 am in the midst of this assembly the representatives of a host of latter day saints their hearts beating in unison with mv words and my words with their bean bear hearts tsi t feel that I 1 am not following the few who break off but that I 1 am with the M majority a jod aya and nd we are bound for the celestial king kingdom am god delina defend defend derena his people and their rights Is my prayer in the name of jesus amen A notion seller was offering a yankee clock finely varnished and colored with a lookingglass looking glass in front to a lady not remarkable for her beauty why it is beautiful said sid the vender 4 neau beautiful indeed A look |
