Show oiso otso z DISC i s c OT 0 v ans ze s E by y president YOUNG delivered in the salt sal zake lake cey city julg july 1870 REPORTED BY DAVID W EVAS EVANS 1 l I 1 realize that it is quite a atrial thial trial for young men who in thel the ilfe life of the gospel to speak to an audience either large or small in my observation and experience I 1 have noticed that most speakers are timid at the sound of their own voices if it were prudent and wisdom we would nol not ask our young brethren to speak when they return homey home but would let them pass along and gratify their own feelings T 11 without speaking to the congregations of the saints wais tula timidity experienced on rising to address their fellow creatures is in all with very few exceptions I 1 think I 1 have seen a new lew men in my life that I 1 suppose never were troubled or felt that trembling fearfulness tearfulness timidity bashfulness or any hesitancy whatever to get up tip and say what they had a mhd mud to but such persons are very rare I 1 do not know whether I 1 ever saw a female of this character or not but I 1 think 1 I 1 have seen a few far as I 1 am concerned although I 1 have addressed congregations so many times I 1 have scarcely ever felt free from this timidity when rising for that purpose when I 1 view the faces of my fe fellow tyl lyl low creature creatures sI I 1 behold an embodiment of intelligence before which my nature according to this life shrinks and this is the case with most speakers sp eakers dakers still in my experience e e r ien len ce when it has been my duty to de declare ap la re t he the gospel of the son of god to the children of men I 1 haye have found that the lord lora has strengthened me ine he has given me ills his holy spirit and when enjoying it while talking to the people fear or timidity soon disappeared this is the experience of my younger days and this is the case with our young elders when they rise they feel this timidity of which I 1 haye have been speaking but if they enjoy the spirit of the lord their humanity or the weakness of human nature is soon forgotten I 1 know how to feel for and alid sympathize with them I 1 have realized all that they have realized for my experience in my early career as a preacher of the gospel was similar to theirs I 1 was ignorant of letters to a great degree yet I 1 had bad been a bible student from my youth but when the spirit of the lord was upon mo me it was no matter to me who heard my voice when ring the principles of the gospel or who felt disposed to dispute criticise criticism critic lse ise or spiritualize or do away with the scriptures of divine truth to me it was bothin nothing g they were like children and their efforts were no me more than the efforts of babes I 1 do not think I 1 have ever seen or been acquainted with a mormon elder who has enjoyed the spirit of iss las mission but who was able to stand before the learned and wise and before the divines of the day and preach the gospel fearlessly for the simple reason that they have not the gospel they may have a gos gospel 01 1 I do not noh dispute that and they have xo X also aiso o their creeds and forms of worship hut but when they take this book the bible bibie for their guldain gul gui dein their religion faith falt kand yand and ana works they are arg one with us then we have no disputations disputatious no contention sno sHo suo room for arguments but when they do away with the scriptures and turn the truth of god into a falsehood and manifest the same spirit as that manifested by the children of israel na namely niely to transgress every law to change overy every ordnance and the covenants delivered to them why the elder of israel has god to back him up ho he has the word wora of the almighty alright to sustain him he has the bible in his hand to prove that lus lys position is correct and that theirs is false we have labored toiled tolled and traveled without purse or scrip to preach the gospel to all nations and people reever they would hearken wherever they would permit us to enter their cities towns and villages their meeting houses schoolhouses or d dwelling welling houses bouses we have been ready to preach to them bem the words of life and salvation it is our delight to hear the young brethren who have returned from missions say the past three or five year sas the case may be havo have been the happiest of my whole life where is the man or woman now living or that ever did live that was not happy when in possession of the spirit of god it makes its possessors happier than all the pleasures of life can wealth and worldly honor give that complete joy and satisfaction which the spirit it of god dod affords to the humble saint no the possession of everything that we can desire that our eyes could see our ears hear or our hearts conceive would fall at our feet worthless so far as their capability of conferring real genuine joy satisfaction and pleasures pleasure is concerned when compared with the spirit of god aben when it enlightens the midd mind enriches the soul and lifts ats u up p an individual to behold the things of eternity the work of god and his designs concertin con concerning cernin g this earth and the children of men I 1 say sax that all earthly things fall at the feet of an individual who possesses pos gesses the spirit of god for his hig life hopes desires thoughts anticipations and will wiil aro are far above the things of this lifland life and hartfi sinks beneath him this spirit animates our young brethren when faithfully attending to their duties while on missions and it 1 is this which enables them to say that tb the time so spent has been the happiest of their lives this enables our elders many of whom are to a great degree destitute of education to stand before the learn edwise and noble and the divines of the day and declare the principles of the gospel ot of jesus who could do this under such circumstances without the spirit of the lord I 1 do not know the individual and if there be those who could they are such as I 1 referred to at the commencement of my remarks who destitute of a knowledge of their own weakness can stand up anywhere and speak with boldness andea hibit themselves whether it be wisdom or folly to do so none bub bul those who enjoy the spirit of the lord who aro filled with the holy ghost can stand before emperors kings and wise men of the earia and speak the words of truth with all that simplicity li it y and pleasure that children converse f together I 1 I 1 this thesis is my experience when contemplating plating wo we have passed through in traveling and arid preaching it gives joy to many the contemplation of my own experience when I 1 have time to do BO so is a source of the greatest pleasure perhaps this is not quite correct but it is a source of great pleasure to take a retrospective piew ew of the scenes scones I 1 have passed through for I 1 can see where god has favored ana and blessed me eor for instance 1 I recollect the sunday morning mornin on which iwas baptized ilmy own litif latue mill stream I 1 was ordained to the office of an elder before my may clothes were dry upon me I 1 passed the day in meeting and one week from that day I 1 had the pleasure of meeting with thief and reaching preaching to a large congregation I 1 think there wore present on that occasion four experienced elders formerly of the methodist and baptist persuasions who had received the gospel and had been numbered with us I 1 expected to hear bear them address the people on the principles that we had just received through the servants of the tire lord they said that the spirit of the lord was not upon them to speak to tb the e people yet they had been preacher for years I 1 was but a child so far as public speaking and acknowledge of the world was concerned but the spirit of the lord was upon me and ana I 1 felt as though my bones fould would consume within me unless I 1 I 1 spoke to the people and told them what I 1 had seen heard and learned what I 1 had experienced perien 0 cn I 1 encee ced eed and rejoiced in and the first discourse ic ourse I 1 ever delivered I 1 occupied over ian lan an hour I 1 opened my mouth and the lord filled it and from that time wherever we no traveled and preached t the he people heard 1 ea d re received and rejoiced in the gospel and we baptized our thousands upon thousands I 1 I 1 recollect when aen I 1 left to go to england I 1 was unable to walk twenty rods without assistance I 1 was helped to the edge of the river mississippi and carried across when brother kimball and I 1 started on our journey jouriet there was a struggle between us and the powers of earth and hell whether we should accomplish our mission we were in the depths of poverty caused by being driven from missouri where we had haa leffall lef tali lall I 1 recollect that one of my own sisters pitied my condition and situation she iho was sorry for me and said brother brothel brigham what necessity is there for you to 30 P to england while you yon are sick why not tarry hero here until yow yon are well I 1 said to her as I 1 started onn oft one morning sister fanny ranny I 1 never felt better in my life hias hlas sias was a very vern ver wiman add and tonk took 1 ing fig a at lum me w with it t 1 tears in her eyes she said 37 you a lie I 1 s said sald a id nothing dut out I 1 was detar mined england or to die trying my nirm firm restive was VMS that I 1 would do what I 1 was td do in ilip the gospel of life and salia sails salvation tion or I 1 would die trying to do it I 1 am hm so to day we landed upon idron the shores of england and then I 1 felt that the chains were broken that the thie bands that were upon ma me were burst asunder twelve months andla and sixteen days a few of tho twelve and seventies tarried in england in those twelve months and sixteen days under my supervision between elaheh and nine thousand tousant persons were baptized though some bomb apos apos tati zed before we lert left the churches barches were organized the emigration prepared ships were chartered and companies sailed out when I 1 landed in liverpool I 1 had six bit bits with which I 1 purchased seI set A a hat in twelve months and ani sixteen days ona ons of the finest vessels in the harbor tied up eight days to carry myself and brogli brethren ren across the water thong the agents gents of the vessel said such a thing had never been done before but they wore urgent and anxious to oblige us for we 0 had chartered and fitted out several vessels and as our emigration promised to be a large largo ba business siness they wanted U to carry us home in that twelve months we had printed five thousand copies of the book af TI Mormont ormon ahr hr ee de thousand hymnbook sand commenced commenced the millennial star over sixty thousand had been printed and sent by the hands of the elders eiders to many of the houses in the towns they visited or alstrin distributed in their meetings and in this way the word was distributed and an the work carried on for one twelve months our labor was successful success ml god blessed hessed us and when we returned our book took of mormon was paid for the gentleman who bound the first books of mormon in england binds them today to day when any have to be bound we have not owed the first farthing to those thosa who have done this work for us but have paid promptly according to promise for every particle of our printing Bes nes besides ideNo doing what I 1 have already mentioned in a that twelve months I 1 sustained several families while there and preserved them from starvation and death all this was through the blessing of the iho lord being upon us we were strangers and unknown in a strange land bai bat the work prospered under the hands of the servants of god and the means to do the work that was done was procured through our industry nna ana and prudence I 1 have before taken the liberty in a public capacity like this to tell my brethren and sisters that I 1 do not i le collect of spending more than one penny needlessly while in england and that was for a bunch of grapes while passing through smithfield market manchester when I 1 tock them in my land band hand I 1 saw women ameti omeri passing through the market who I 1 knew were summering suffering ering through bunty hunger ger and who probably perished and died I 1 fett felt that I 1 ought to have geyen glyen that penny to the poor whenever I 1 went from my office if ed to take my pocket full of coppers to give to the poor and the mendicants mendlea mendi mendl cants tiVi which are everywhere to bo be met with I 1 would return to the office and take a hand full of df coppers from the drawer and as I 1 walked along would give something to sueh such objects of pity and distress as I 1 met and pass on without being hindered by them we organ organized izod the church we ordained two patriarchs and from frum that time we have been gathering 0 the poor this is the experience esperi ence enco of mandof many of my brethren as well as myself we have toiled and labored together gathering the people preaching the gospel to the nations hunting for the pure in heart those who love the lord our god those who believe the bible where is the minister the deacon where are the people who believe in god the father in our lord jesus christ who believe the new testament who will accept of the salvation that is proffered to the human family throng through gh the labors of jesus and his apostles we are after them Is there an individual on the face of the earth that will receive the truth we want to find him who will receive the truth they who will give all for christ not the proud not the haughty not those who set stakes and say the lord must come to them or they will not have salvation but they who say kletthe giet Ilet iet lei let the tho lord line and mark the path and cewill we will walk to it this must bethe conclusion of every person who ho expects to bo be saved in the kingdom of god wo we preach faith in the lord jesus christ the christian world say they have faith have they if they have they will bow down and receive the ordinances of the new and everlasting covenant and thank god that they have the privilege of receiving ig them can they who reject the new testament stamen and the son of god who refuse 16 I 1 receive the ordinances of the new testa ment that were placed in the church and kingdom Ising dom of god on the earth in the days of jesus and his apostles be saved in the celestial king hing kingdom dom I 1 answer they can not the scriptures make this answer it is the declaration of jesus and the apostles it is the word of the almighty consequently we WO must concur and say the same unless we believe the gospel of christ and obey its ordinances behave we have no promise of the life to come if we ever attain to that it will be only by complying with the terms that jesus has laid down we can not build and plan for ourselves if we do we shall be like the jews of old who as the prophet says have hewn oue one cisterns that will hold no water we must submit to the ordinances of the house of god who is ts there that can say baptism is not necessary for the remission of sins jesus and the apostles said it was necessary can I 1 say it is not hot I 1 can not and it is a fact that all who receive eternal life and salvation will receive it on no other conditions than believing in I 1 n the son of god and ana obeying the principles that he has laid wd down can we devise any other means and plan of salvation we cannot can not will we do away with the bible bibie we will not though the christian world are actually coming to tild the point that they will dismiss the bible from their schools and by and by they will dismiss it from their pulpits and get got one to suit themselves they will hew out for themselves cisterns that will hold no jun water they cannot abide the doctrine contained in the old and new testament and |