| Show DISCOURSE y eia elder r ORSON PRATT d delivered livered fifthe nem new tabernacle salt lake inui bad oi oi april ath isu mooted BY DAVID W EVANS tran uran SCRIBED BY MASTERS FERAMORZ 4 JOHN Q CANNON f sisters and strangers I 1 wish to address you for a few moments this forenoon and to speak upon those things thing a that may be put pot into my mind we all of us believe that our god ia is a god of order that all things conducted by him are conducted in the most perfect order according to law hence it is writ written terl tell somewhere in the new testament I 1 think in the chapter of pauls panis epistle to the corinthians that my house is a house and not a house of con confusion fusion fasion what we mean by this is that everything pertaining to the salvation of men which is 13 acceptable in the sight of or heaven must be in accordance with strict law in other words that the lord designed a work among the human family according to those laws that were ordained by him from before the foundation of the world if ha Ho desires them to be baptized with nire fire and with the holy ghost he has ordained a law through and by which mankind may be made par takers of the blessing if he is willing to extend mercy and pardon to the children of men he has ordained a law namely ya faith in his son jesus christ in the atonement that he wrought out in the ordinances and institutions of the gospel that he established requiring the human family to xe repent ent and reform their lives to put away their sins break off from every manner of evil and enter into a covenant with him to serve nim him faithfully and to manifest their repentance by obeying a certain ordinance then comes forgiveness that ordinance is baptism which must be performed according in to the pattern and law of heaven it must not be varied from sprinkling will not do pouring water on the head will noldo not do baptism administered by a man baving baying no ino authority from heaven will not be accepted it must be do administered according to law la worder worden order and authority by one who chols is commissioned to whom the lord has spoken and to whom he has given revelation and called to perform that work then it irwill will be acceptable and will be acknowledged in heaven and be recorded in the archives of eternity and when the books are opened it will be tee found in those books that that naan or that woman has complied with the order of gods house I 1 given heed to the institutions and ordinances of nia hia kingdom and having continued to do so to the end he or she can be saved god has also ordained that when he bes tows upon the children of men spiritual gifts that they must be received in order mey they must be given according to the laws and institutions of the church through the administration of and power that he has 1 established here on the tho earth hence paul in writing to the in his day said to them then 1 04 oc occasion caslon that he greatly desired to visit ilsie certain branches of the church in order ordez tha iha that he might impart to them some sni jaik itts why not receive these gifts gi ts in some ather way waya why not receive these theia great an and c choice oice olce heavenly bess besa ings inga according cord to pur guc own will because bebau e god goa A jis a god of and his house is not a housa of confusion if he H e desires desire to besth bestow any great choice heavenly gift upon his servants land hand hand maidens he has ordained an authority and set that authority in liis his churchia nd through the administration of rhe the ordinances that pertain to that heavenly gift they lna ina may be made partakers par pan takers thereof ther eori god has promised in the sermon on the mount a very great blessing to the pure in heart bless biess blessed bd are the pure in heart heir for they shall see god How great is tha the blessing that is here pronounced d I 1 they e shall see god gri GOA god goa is a be berng being g who Q is 18 willing III ili tore toro to roveal reveal vea ioa himself f even to his children chi 1 ren rea herein herb herk u the earth if they will abide by law la gye gibb heed to the ordinances that he has OrAil ordained ned and walk in consistency with the principles that are revealed they may como up to that high privilege here in time timo ahat that hat the vail Tall will bo be taken away and their eyes can ban look on the face of 43 f the lord for vor tuey they aro are pure in heart I 1 know it is written in iii other ower places that no man hath seen god at any tinie time in the book of ex is written that no man shall see lyace my aee ace and ana then thea again the same book saya that jacob saw god face to face and mm him again it is whitten written that moms moses talked talkea with the lord nace face to face as as a mantalas man talus talks with bis friend how gow shall we a reconcile mese oese f rhesa mesa passages e of scripture e if W ad ainther in ther tru trub I 1 import bar tar and uda according to the genena genera tenure of their they ther are ane easily T I 1 re ed io no natural mau man hath seen GO god goa at any time X idith a rihn lihn could coula not be behold 0 te face of til tit y r r ki 14 his hig glory for coc ap h could not andr endure I 1 it iut put int when a mortal marl mail or woma herlog on the earth lw put away awny the carnal a he bisho 0 has put aay apy all ail sin and f has complied with and aud commandments of god theia jacab rold roid told heoc baor or she may bee see God goa WA nato fato ro nace face and dik jik ike e mos closes ea talk with the lord as one man talks with another it is written here in this book which you and I 1 have received aa a a part and portion of our rule of faith and practice ethe the book of covenants as follows verily thus saith the lord it shall come to pass that every soul that forsa keth his sins and cometh unto me and galleth on OU my name and obey eth my voice and keep eth my commandments shall see mylace my face and ind know that I 1 am and that I 1 am the true light that ligh teth every man matt that cometh into the world and that I 1 am the father and the father IH in me and the father and I 1 are one again it is written in another revelation and in as much as my people shall hall build a house unto me in the name of the lord and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it that it be not defiled my g glory ory shall rest upon it yea m my y presence shall be there for I 1 will come into it and all the pure in heart that shall como come into it shall see god but if it it be defiled I 1 will not come into it and my glory shall not be there for I 1 will not come into unholy temples etc I 1 have read these sayings in order that the latter day saints may perceive that god is willing that you and I 1 and the least of those that are called latter day saints if they will purify themselves before him and call upon his name keep his commandments mand ments obey ills his institutions comply with the order of his house regulating their lives and conduct by every word that proceeds forth out of his hia mouth may rend the veil voel and be permitted to gaze upon the face of our Redeemer He deemer and creator this was the privilege of the saints of god in times of old oid paulin paul raul in addressing the saints who lived in his day writes thu ye are come unto mount zion unto the city of the living god to the heave heavenly i jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels unto god the judge of all and jesus the mediator of the new covenant what high privileges and great blessings were conferred upon those former day saints I 1 they had been enabled by their faith to come up before god and claim not only those common spiritual gifts that are imparted to the church for the mutual edification fi of its members but they were also permitted to rise still higher by virtue of their faith and gaza upon the heavenly jerusalem to come unto mount zion to the city ol 01 the living god they could behold the nace face of god the face of the lord jesus christ and the faces of an innumerable In company of angels the church of the first born and mingle mingie themselves as it were in their society all these things were obtained through obedience to the laws and institutions that god had bad made manifest in the midst of his house when the lord commanded this people th to 0 build a house in the land laud of Kirt Kl kirtland laDd rlland in the e early rise of this chul chui chuich cb he gave them the m the pattern by vision from heaven and commanded them to build that house according cordin to that pattern and order to have the architecture not in accordance with architecture devised by men but to have eveny every thing constructed in that house according to the heavenly pattern that he by his voice had imparted to his servants when this was complied with did the lord accept that house fesl they having complied with the thel or built the house accord according lug log to the pattern the lord condes to grace that house with his presence in that house houge the veil was taken away hrom from born the eyes of luany of the servants of god ahad they beheld his glory enthat in that house the lory lord jesus christ was seen by some odthe of the elders eiders of the church in heavenly vision standing the thresh hold of the pulpit himself to be alpha ana ang an omega thoi thol first and the last the great groat I 1 1 am ac and keys of instruction and coursel counsel and authority to hig hi servants declaring junto them that he accepted that house at their bands and inasmuch as they had been behn faithful in the performance ot of their duty in building a temple too ift his name ile he blessed them therein he also proclaimed unto them hat that from thab that house hia hla servants should ga g forth armed with the power of hwi his priesthood priest hoody aud proclaim the gospel among ghe the nations and that many people should come from the uttermost parts of the she earth and praise the name of the lord a zion Z I 1 on and in the midst of his house thus did the lord when we fulfilled on cin our part fulfill his promises on ou his part so in the latter days when the lord our god shall permit us ns to build that house of which he has spoken in the paragraph just J quoted from the bookoff book icat doctrine ind and ana covenants it shall edme to pass in that day brein inure in heart that tha enter tenter into that house shall see god thus we rouse perceive perceive that the lord lard chases to havea house built unto his holy name wherein he shall shail manifest his glory and power when moses reared a tabernacle IQ in the wilder wilderness ness of the land of E egypt according to the pattern that god gave unto him did the lord acknowledge it he hadid did did he khow show forth his bis power ani and glory in that hat houe he did did a cloud clon nest rest upon tipon it by day and a pillar of tf flaming nire fire hover over it by night yosl etwas according to the pattern and according to the heavenly order and commandment of the great jehovah so when the servants of in tha last dayh daya shall build a house in the tops of the mountains he will acknowledge it if they build it according to the pattern which shall be revealed from heaven on the spot that the lord shall designate by his own voice and in the time and arid in the season proclaimed by the almighty it shall come to pass in fix that day also that the lord lora will wiil show forth his bis glory in that house and the fame thereof shall go I 1 forth to tho the uttermost parts of the earth all people keople nations languages and tongues kings ings upon their thrones and malyna many nations will say come let us go up to the mountain of the tho lord to the house of the god of jacob that he may teach us of his ways that is that he may inform our minds concerning the order and laws that pertain to his house and kingdom that every deverr thing may be done by law and antho authority tho rity that what is done here on the earth may be acknowledged and recorded in the heavens for the benefit of those who believe I 1 1 have about five minutes more we read in the scriptures of divine truth that the lord our god is to come to his ilia temple in the last days as was quoted yesterday by elder penrose it is recorded in the ard 3rd chapter of malachi that I 1 I 1 tb eLord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple this had no reference to the first comin coming of the messiah to the day when he appeared phoe ared in the flesh but it has reference to that ga glorious 0 rr US period d termed the last days when wh e n the OL lord bord orre orge w will rIl rii lagal again have a house or a temple reared up on the earth to his ilia holy name the lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple but who shall abide the day of his coming coining who shall stand when ile he appears ears for he is like the re finers fire and like ilke like ilke fullers soap he shall bhail sit as asa a refiner and purifier ot of silver upon the sops of levi that they may offer an offering unto the lord in ri righteousness then stall tle the of offering dering of judah and jerusalem bf nef pl pleasant e a unto the lord as in days of old ant and 1 w f iks iss in former years theford intends to have a temple ilot not only in zion but according accordia to this in old jerusalem and he intends that the sons of levi shall receive their blessings the blessings of their priesthood that were conferred upon them in that tempie temple and he is determined that the ministers in that temple shall be purified as gold and silver is purified and he is determined ter mined to sit as a refiner re finers s fire in the midst of that temple so it will be in the temple in zion for behold in the last days daya the lord will rear vear up zion upon the american continent and he will also rear up jerusalem on the eastern hemisphere zion on the western continent will be the place where the lord will also purify and cleanse these two priest hoods the priesthood of levi and the priesthood of mel chia chiz edeo the lower and the higher priesthood and they will be filled with the glory of god upon mount blount zion in the lords house let me read a few passages in the book of or covenants thirty nine years ago a revelation was given a passage or two of w which aich I 1 will now read A revelation of jesus christ unto his servant joseph smith and six elders as they united their minds and lifted up their voices on high hib hi bib bih b yea the word of the lord concerti con concerning cerni his ilia church established in the last day days corthe fr the restoration of his people as he has again by the mouth of his prophets for the gathering of nis his saints to stand on mount zion which shall be the city of the new jerusalem which city shall be d built beginning at the temple lot which Is appointed by the finger of the lord in the western boundaries of the state of mis uis and dedicated by bv the hand of joseph Josep smith hSmith and others with whom the lord was well pleased I 1 now notice another prediction verily this I 1 is the word of the lord that the city of the new jerusalem shall be built up uly by the ga gathering of the saints begin beginning nil nio at this place even the place of the to tempi which temple tempie shall be reared in lit this gener verily veny this gener generation atiQ ghou not all pass away until an house shai bhai shaia shall be built unto the lord and a cloud shall rest test upon it which cloud gloud shall be even the glory of the lord which shall fill the house we will now read an item from the sixth paragraph the sons of moses that those that pertain to the two priest hoods abe othe sons tons ot 01 moses and me the sons of aaron aanon boball hail ball offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice iee lee in the house of th eLord which house shall be established in this generation upon the consecrated spot as I 1 have appointed and ana the sons of moses and of aaron |
