Show f 1 1 by ing elder GEORGE Q CANNON aan CAN L VON dt livered delivered in the new tabernacle salt sali lake otly oily aprils 1871 1 REPORTED BY DAVID W EVANS I 1 I 1 WILL read a portion of scripture which is found in the chapter of the first book of Chronicle chronicles sr commencing at the sra verse i I 1 t and it came feame to pass the same night that the word of god came ton toX Nathan bonathan to athan saying go and tell david my servant thus saith the lord thou not build mean me an house to dwell in for I 1 have not dwelt in an house since the day that I 1 brought up israel until this day but have gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to another I 1 have walked with all israel I 1 a word to any of the judges of israel whom I 1 commanded to feed my people saying why have ye se not built me an house of cedars now therefore thus shail shall thou say sav unto my servant david thus saith the lord of hosts I 1 took thee from the sheepcote even from following the sheep that thou be ruler over my people israel and I 1 have been with thee whithersoever wither thou hast walked and have havo cut off all thine enemies from before thee and have made thee a name like tho the name of the great men that are in the earth also I 1 will ordain a place for my people israel and will plant them and they shall dwell in their place and shall be moved no more neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more as at the beginning and since the time that I 1 commanded judges to be over my people israel morg more over I 1 will subdue all thine enemies pur par thedmore ther then more I 1 tell thee that the lord will build thee a house and it shall coma to pass when thy days daya be expired that thou must go to to be fie with thy fat fathers he r 5 that thab ha I 1 will raise up thy seed after th thee e e which v shall be of thy sons and I 1 will establish t abl abi ish h his Is kingdom he shall build me au an house and arid I 1 will establish sta blish his throne forever for ever I 1 will be his father and he shall be my son and I 1 will not take my mercy away from him as I 1 took it from him aim that was wag before thee but I 1 will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for forever ever eyer and ills his throne shall be established for evermore according to all these words and according to all this thia vision so did nathan speak unto david there is one point brethren and sisters in the passages I 1 have just read in ing to which I 1 wish to call cail your youn attention namely the pleasure that was evinced by the lord at the disposition which david manifested a disposition which none of his predecessors apparently had exhibited to build unto the lord of hosts a house a temple a place upon and within which his glory could reit so pleased appe appeared bred the lord to be with this disposition of david that lie ile promised him that he would establish his fils dynasty that his son should reig t after him and that this son should bethe be the instrument in his hands bands of building a glorious temple unto his name the reasons are given in other portions of scripture ebythe lord did not accept this offering on an the part of david the lord in one place alludes to bis big life saying that t at he had been a man of war and and blood that he had gone forth and fought his enemies and because of this the lord was not disposed to accept his offer but he promised david davia that he would raise up a son after him who should be a man rasa of peace a man aman free from war and blood and that during his lifetime his temple should be reared and according to the prediction of the lord god through nathan the prophet solomon soloman was raised up and did accomplish the work which his father david had desired to do and he did rear a temple unto the name of the lord upon and within which his glory rested and was manifested and the blessing of god rested upon solomon so loog long as he continued to serve with a israel was also gready greally blessed and prospered la in rearing that thal house bouse and though solomon in his pray prayer or when dedicating it said how was it possible that god could take up nis his residence upon earth when the heavens and ana d the heaven of heavens could not con contain him still god did con descend to manifest his glory in that house to such an extent that the priests could not endure it and the blessings of god rested visibly in the presence or of the people upon that house and they knew know that he had accepted their labors and the dedication of their means for the tho erection of a house to ills his name this labor appeals to ut in a very peculiar manner genere there is no people or community on the face of the earth carth today today to io day except the latter day saints who think of rearing unto the lord of hosts a temple upon the same principle and for the same objects and ends that the temple was reared in jerusalem already we have completed two tem temples les ies and laid the foundation of five the be saints are all familiar with the history of the building of the temple at it kirtland whether they were there personally or not they are also familiar with the blessed results which followed its erection they know arnow that god did manifest himself to his servina servine vuie lne ene inQ an aud and d people irr a very peculiar manner and poured out upon them great and precious blessings many ordinances which had been lost to manor mauor man mau or of which he be scarcely knew anything and forthe for oon the administration of which there had been no authority the earth for generations were restored and men and women received ordinances promises and blessings which comforted their hearts and encouraged them hil hll iatha intha the work of god and not only were thes eJr eln finances din ances administered but dhority was bestowed upon the prophet of god who stood at the head bead of this dispensa tio and so also aiso the completion or orthe the temple at nauvoo brought many blessings that is so far as it was completed for the enemies of or gods kingdom did aid not permit us to complete it entirely but so fan far kii iii as it was completed god accepted the labor of the hands bands of or his servants and people and great and precious blessings were bestow bestowed edw upon the church of jesus christ of latt latter latten day saints for the faithfulness faithful nes and die din lf gence of its members in rearing Z thale that house I 1 have often thought of the shortness of the per pernod period lot loo after the death of joseph which was con continued tinned in building that house he died as you well weil lenow know or was wag murdered on the of june before had passed away the saints were receiving their endowments in that house the walls were completed it was roofed the spire finished and the upper story so far completed thai that the elders could go in and administer in the ordinances of gods house the seal ings wash vash washings ings and anoint ings and in the performance of those ceremonies and ordinances din ances which were necessary for our growth increase and defection as a people eople and when it is recollected that all as this wa wasi done in a very short period over one year it bears testimony to the zeal of the saints and the mighty exertions they made to fulfill fulfil tho the word of god and tho the requirements he made of us as a people that we and our not we were not permitted to enjoy that house we vie were not permitted to continue receiving bless ings there the enemies cf of gods kingdom were upon us and we were compelled toh tor abandon it and our homes and it fell a sacrifice to tho wickedness of the wicked and it was burned with fire probably a better fate than to have it stand and be defiled b by 17 the wicked we have now to commence again a saia sain aln ala the erection of another temple for fo m manya years the foundation of one on this bloc bioc bloch an has been laid and the saints have labor labon laborea upon it to some extent but it has not been wert pushed forward with very great rapidity there have been reasons for this thi good and weighty reasons it is desirable when we build another temple that it should nob fall into the hands of the wicked as those w we a have already built hava done donle but that I 1 it t should stand as an enduring monument of the faith zeal and perseverance of the latter day saints in which the ordinances of gods house and kingdom maybe mayhe may ba administered through all coming time there seems to be a spirit now resting upon the servants of god to push this house forward to its completion and I 1 doubt not that this spirit spirit will be received and cherished ly t the e saints throughout utah territory an and aud throughout the world judging by my own feelings on this subject and by the expressions pres press lons ions of those who have alluded to ip it r confidently believe that a spirit ia is resting upon the people to receive the counsel that is given concerning it and to carry forward the work to a speedy completion there are many reasons why we should do it it is true that god in his mercy has permitted us to build another house which we call the endowment house and in which we have received many ordinances and bies bles blessings ings but there are several which can not be attended to in the endowment house they must be postponed until a temple Is completed in which the elders and men of god who bear the holy prie priesthood can go and administer the things of god and have them thein accepted by him this of itself is sufficient lelent to stir us up as a people to exceeding great diligence in pushing forward this work when david announced his intention t prepare the means for lor the bull buil building burldine dini dinE 0 the tho house that should be erected by his son solomon he accumulated everything that could be prepared before hand so that when solomon should come to the throne after his decease ho he might he be fall handed and have abundance wherewith to commence the labor of building to accomplish dorward forward lish this david called upon israel to come fonward and exert themselves and they did so so we are told and had exceeding great joy in contributing of their means for the erection of that building of course there is no objection to the latter day saints doing the same still eliat requirement is not made ofus of us at the present time all ali that we are required to do is to obey the law that god has given unto us that is to pay our tithing it has hag been said and I 1 do not doubt the correct correctness nesi of the statement in fact I 1 may say I 1 am fully aware and conscious of it that if this peo people VI 9 would pay one tenth of their tithing t this Is temple could be pushed forward torcom to completion very speedily y As a people we have been very neg negligent in paying our ti tithing thino thina there are doubtless many exceptions but as a rule rale we have not complied with that law with the strictness which we should have done now however there is aa an opportunity port unity alty for us to compensate for our short comings in the past and to go to with zeal and energy to rear this house so that t fa there may be a temple of god in our midst in which ordinances can be administered fb for i r the living and for the dead deada I 1 fully rally believe that thab when a that temple is s once finished there will be a power and manifestations 0 of the goodness of god unto this people s such uch as they have never before experienced I 1 every verv work of this kind that we have accomplished c complis mils mlis hed has been attended with increased and wonderful results unto us as a oplean pe eople aru arx increase of power and of gods E blessings blessin les ies sings slugs ps upon us it was so in kirtland abdat and at nauvoo at dt both places the elders had an increase of power and the saints faints since the completion of and the administration tr a tion of ordinances in those buildings have hada had haa a power powen they thes never possessed previously if any proof of this is needed let lot ug reflect upon the wonderful deliver ances that god has wrought out for us since we left illinois up to that period or up to the time that the temple was partly finished and the blessings of god bestowed wit within hin its it swails walls swalls our enemies to a very great extent te had triumphed over us we had be baen been driven from irom place to place compelled to fled flee from one town county and state to another but how great the change since then we started out a poor friendless people with nothing but gods blessing upon us his power overshadowing us and his hii guia gulA guidance ance to lead us in the wilderness and from the day that we crossed the mississippi river until this day the tho esth of april 1871 we have hild had continued success and triumphs god has signally de livered us from the hands hindi of our enemies and when it t has seemed seethed as though we would be overwhelmed as though no earthly power could succor or deliver us from the hands hinos of those who sought our overthrow over agod has done for us as chedid for his ris ancient covenant people when he caused the waters of the red bed sea to separate that they pass escape destruction their enemies threatened so have we been in as remarkable a manner delivered from apparently overwhelming difficulty and danger whence iasu lasu I 1 ask asu my brethren and sisters has this power come whence has it been beem derived I 1 attribute it to the blessings and the power and the authority and the keys heys which god gave unto his saints arid which he commenced to give in the temple at nauvia the elders of israel there received keys endowments and authority which they have not failed to exercise in times of extremity and danger and clouds have been scattered and storms blown over and aud nd peace price and guidance and all the blessings which have been desired have been bestowed upon the people according lo 10 the faith that has been exercised others may mav attribute these things to other causes but buti butt i attribute them to this I 1 and I 1 feel regi to give godsho glory and I 1 trace these deliver andes anees ances to the power that the elders received in that temple and previously X fully believe also as I 1 have said that when this and other temples are completed there will be an au increase of power bestowed upon th the people le of god and that they will there i b by y etite be better fitted to go forth and co cope e with the powers of darkness and with tro tre the evils that exist in the world worl dand dana and ana to establish the zion of god never more to be thrown down that thab thera there i is s a feeling in the breasts of many people that this port of thing is fanaticism this is characteristic of the age of unbelief in a which we live god in the minds of this generation p is removed far from them he dwells at atan an illimitable distance from man and is not supposed to interfere with his affairs man alan they think is left to work out deliverance and salvation according to his bis own wisdom and there are a great many people P an and ana d it may be bd said a gr great greab eat eab many nations not believe that god interferes i es at all with matters on the earth the they think of aud and speak about him but it T is s mere form and tradition with them very few believe that he interferes directly with the affairs of men of course when such buch a belief is prevalent or rather when such unbelief prevails the idea of building buil bull dinga a temple or temple temples j to the most high hirx god od in which ordinances shall be performed for the living and the dead strikes the the people as something strange and fanatical but let lot me ask what was the object of or build lug ing a temple in the days 0 tS solomon what was the ob org j act of rebuilding it all ati arter after Ws ats ita destruction truc tion by why |