Show s n DISCOURSE by ByHre widest B YOUNG YO 0 delivered w h the tabernacle ogden city june ath aa 1871 REPORTED BY DVID divid W EVANS 1 1 IT is a great work to instruct ourselves and each other and to bring ouk ourselves selves into perfect subjection and to an understanding of principle we we know what it is ia to meet with obstructions difficulties and contradictions of or various kinds and this people know pretty well what it is to have to contend with the influences of the wicked world but tout we have reason to rejoice and be exceeding giad glad that we are not in the same circumstances now that we have been heretofore we have peace here in these mountains and since we arrived in these valleys we have been free from irom those obstruct obstructions ions lons with which our pathway path wiLy was constan constantly aly strewn before it is frequently asked llie ilie me whyde left the states and the society ot of our christian brethren my reply has invariably been we stayed with you just as long as you would let us and when whon you would let us stay no longer we had to hunt huntur up some other place and aud we came to the valleys not out of choice but out of necessity it is true that we have had some little things to contend with here but it amounts to no more than a ayar ag of words our religion will bear investigation ana we invite the christian Chri stfan atlan world to investigate and ana ta exchange ideas concerning e ernek I 1 falth faith and principles brother wells wolfs has been telling you about some of the influences that we had to contend with in illinois this gentleman was not a mormon when we went from missouri to illinois neither was he when we left that state and he was in a position to know what the feelings of the people were his neighbors composed the band that slew joseph and hyrum in the jail at carth carthage age adis he is acquainted with the circumstances he says he has put them from his mind mini mind aa as much as possible and does not think of them I 1 am happy to hear it I 1 wish we may never be under the necessity necessity of again referring to what we have passed through but we shall be there is no question and if we have to meet with influences of another character now all that we have to do is to be prepared for them and if the lord brings us into circumstances in which we shall be as willing to live our religion and pray as some areto fight it will be much better for ua us we have many elders in israel who would much rather fight for their religion than pray As for a person bein being saved in the celestial kingdom of qed without being prepared to d dwell well in a pure and holy place it is all nonsense and ridiculous and ana nd if there be any who think th thay they can gain the presence of the father and the son by fighting for instead of living their religion they will be mistaken consequently the quicker we make up pur our minds to live our religion the better it will be for fon us if we live so sa as to enjoy the spirit of the faith that we have lave embraced there is no danger olour of our being deceived to td those of our christian brethren who have come here not to join a mob to kill or persecute the saints but to see he hov hog many of those who have obeyed the gospel they can induce tt forsake tb the holy commandments mand mana ments of the lord jesus and to folla after phantoms I 1 say the quicker this war of words commences and the fiercer fierce it is isi carried on the better it will be for the saints so we say come brethren conle with your big tents your meeting houses your arguments and all the philosophy you are in possession of forwe for we have a religion that wo we would like the inhabitants of bf the earth eaith to understand we have nothing iu in the dark nothing but what id good for milu miln man and we would say to all try our religion reli rell glou we have tried and we understand the reli rell gions of the world and in some remarks I 1 made yesterday I 1 ventured to say that our youth know more of heavenly things than old men mon do la in the christian world if any ariy doubt this j just ast take bur children chilcU erl and question them ana it if they have the courage and ana d bold boid boldness nes see how quickly athey will lead members of the sectarian w world orld orid into hito waters so deep that they caa can not see the shore but if a war of argument is desired ot or intended I 1 do not mean contention but an exchange of ideas we lire are willing to give to wll all who wha want them the principles of the mhd gospel of lifa and salvation and they can diveto us all they the gospel as they have embraced it which bisno more nor less than a system of morals metals ov or ethics and is excellent as far a asi it goes but bat tn the gospel that we have embraced includes every principle of morality and aud virtue that is taught by any person on the earth oarth whether rhe he does doe or koe doe does snot not know or to ter know chrls christ t if we are aref brought into circumstances weerd we have the privilege of telling strangers what we believe in we are ver ven very veny willing to do so but the arst thing with them is Oh jour strange doctrine your pecolar doc doe trinell Ho how woften often this is said to me in my tny office I 1 bay say say to them thena what peculiar doctrine will you yon please to name il it the reply I 1 is well you know lenow you haye have pecullar peculiar doctrine and the ladles ladies stana stand anxiously waiting walting for flar somebody or other to give it a name namer I 1 sometimes sometime sf sa say y sik Js sit it plurality of wives you r yes yes yes that is tho doctrine 11 jf I 1 were weye to answer my own nie fie feelings elings to such par Var partle partie tle tie I 1 would answer answer them and say that is no thing so far as a plurality of women goes you men ayou will wll allow me this vulgar expression expressly ri knoek knock the hind blind sights off the mormons cormons Mor mons but that thit Is vulgar and addao so let it pass but say they what of or your peculiar doctrine what did you the mountains for what did you youe eoe eue aeu u for fur we suppose it was on oil account n bof of your peculiar doctrine I 1 reply wait a moment gentl when wolent we heft left the confines of what is called civilization the of plurality of wives was not known by the world and was not taught by us and was known only to a very kery pew few members of or ofir our oin church but since we have declared this revelation we have dwelt in peace and sa safety flety so we were werd not persecuted for th that at surg sure we did not leave ohio missouri illinois i or any other state or neighborhood within the confines ot civilization for believing in the doctrine of a plurality of wives I 1 say this to all who hear me I 1 want our young folks to understand this orthey or they may perhaps grow up with the idea that we were driven from our homes in consequence of our belief in celestial marriage I 1 want all our young and all who believe the gospel and idl all who do not believe it to know that we were driven for believing in the old and new testament not for believing in the book of mormon but in the bible and then practicing it in our lives this and this only is what we were driven for it is now called the one manpower man power then it was the mormons cormons Mor mons clan together and this was the rock of defence offence or seemingly so but blat in reality it was as th the e same then as now and inoway now as then we as ackt 1 a people believe inthe in the scripture of c divine truth and we are united in endeavoring to live according to the precepts thereof when brother wells was speaking he said the christain religion had failed I 1 will say bay just what he meant to say namely that professing the christian religion has professing falle failed to bring the die world into subjection fo to that christianity has failed the v religion of christ has not failed but those professing this religion have failed to bring the world into subjection to good and wholesome lawse you may take up politic sr for instance and in iq our ur own country there are a great threat many parties who differ in their views and opinions with regard to governing a nation and on every hand they are contending against each other this division exists even among the professing g christians the catholics and quakers afo aio are probably less divided than others but they are far from being one in politics and the same is true to a greater extent of the episcopalians Episcopal ians presbyterians rians congregationalists baptists methodi its and so on when we see a religion and one which is claimed to be the religion of christ and it will not I 1 govern men in their politics it is a very poor religion it is very feeble very faint in its bilee effects ts hardly perceptible in the life of a person the religion that the lord has ha revealed from heaven unites the hearts of the people and when they gather together no matter where they are from they are of nife orve heart hearl and one mind those who have no po idea of the effects of the gospel attribute the oneness it produces to the influence DC of individuals now living on the earth instead of giving god the glory praise and honor tho the religion of heavert heaven unite unites the hearts joath oft V people and makes them one you rna anay gather heir a people tod together ther and no matter t irh abw widely they diffor in politics the ea of jesus christ will make them one lev ev even oven if af among them ere were vre found an members embers of aalthe political parties in the country I 1 know how many mapy different political parties now exist in la the country ther there died eged to be only Fedd federals rals nals and ans democrats hen ithen whigs hi republicans e lican sr jsahn a b bunners burners andfrew oe boilers then the 11 know tho the not nothings sn s into fato existence I 1 ibell bieve ev t the e ku u klux 1 is a nen new political organization and I 1 have heard heark that in the city of Washing washington tott the antt antl ra klux another political party has recently yeen been been organized if members of all ati these various organizations were to obey the goegl gospel ant and gather together the religion ign ibn of beav eaven en would clear clean their thear hearts ot of all ail a political rub bish blah and mke me them one in voting for principles and measures instead of men and I 1 think thank that any religion that will not do this is very feeble in its effects the christian religion or what 14 is isi 14 called so has failed to subdue the world but what will the gospel 0 of jesus esus christ r s do if the e gospel that we e preace preach and which chic we e a arm are fr trying ing to set before priest rl stand and people nor for r wo a want all to know no an and ana understand n lt it if it does oes have the effect of convincing men en and women of the truth su sufficiently to induce them toyie toyle toyfield to yield ld obedience to its ordinances and to embrace the doc duc doctrine trIne of life and sli salvation and accept the overtures of mercy learn christ and obey obay him it will them to the wall wali ot do we be liev ethis othis it must beso be so do others believe it no they do not the christian world do not kno know vv that they are infidels in their belief in regard to the character of the father and the son and the holy priesthood and its laws and requirements if a man does not believe that he be ought to be baptized for the remission remi stion of his sins he is an nix infidel to baptism my definition of the term infidel is that if any principle or doctrine is set before me and I 1 say I 1 disbelieve it 1 I am neither ms renor less less than an infidel I 1 t to ihn ila that a t principle or doctrine are the sectarian world infidels according to this definition yes and if we had time we would take some passages pf af scripture and prove it IL tak take defor for fon instance the char ebar acter of the savior nd and the sectarian world are infidel on this point what do they believe lieve about it I 1 do not know what they believe and they do not know themselves many of them do not know that they believe anything they would be glad to believe if they knew what to believe but not knowing what to believe they say I 1 we not know we do not understand we cannot tell we understand some things by reading the scriptures but the ministers tell us they have a spiritual meaning now what does this favorite saying of the ministers a spiritual meaning convey to the mind something or other that you and I 1 do not understand that ia Is all well then partially awill I 1 will say to a certain degree it leaves us in infidelity this ia is the situation of the sectarian world today to day they do nov not know what to believe and consequently they are full of unbelief and doubt and we say that our children ought to know enough to teach the whole world with regard to these things the divines of the day when they ther have graduated from the schools seminaries and colleges so far as their knowledge of heavenly things goes are a bundle of trash and ignorance I 1 meet with some occasionally however who are very religious I 1 met with a gentleman in my office last friday evening who was very tenacious on some points to itching touching morality he put me in mind of a great many I 1 have met in my travels strong staunch christians what did the religion of that india individual dual cons consist t of I 1 told ld you yest yesterday erda erds ignorance and impudence that is about a ont out the amount of it ele lie men en would ouid be e christians brist ians lans if they kne knew how they would like to be bubb but will they recede receive the truth our doctrine and practice is and I 1 have made it mine through life ilfe to receive truth no matter where it comes from la Is there truth in heaven yes it dwells there it is the foundation of the heavens leavens heavens Is there truth on earth and beneath the earth there ia is Is there truth in the words of a good man yes inthe in the words of a wicked man yes sometimes and there Is truth in the words of an angel and in the words of the devil and when the devil speaks the truth I 1 should have the spirit to discriminate between the tho truth and the error and should receive the former and reject the latter for example you read in genesis about the formation of the earth and the creation of adam and eve in the garden by and by the devil comes along and tempts eve by of yering offering her the fruit of a certain tree assuring her at the same time that the very day she ate of it her eyes would be open and she would see like tho the gods did the devil tell the truth he gedid redid did did he tell a lie yes and how many of them he told to one truth I 1 have not taken pains to examine you yon take a wicked person an of the truth one 0 of our apostates for instance and be he will tell teil tet tat you on a little ittle truth and aud mix it up with a grea great iteal deal of error but we should know enough to understand and receive the truth that will do us good and if we reject the error it will do Us no harm barm this is our position and we say to all christians come and investigate our ion lon do we understand methodism pres 6 quakerism and the various other iams isms of the christian world yes I 1 learned these as nar far as their creeds go many years ears ago that which they could not tell teil and did not understand der stand 1 never ever n did learn my objection to 10 tiit tilt it creeds and systems was that they talked about things they did not understand and could not tell a word about consequently I 1 was called an infidel we say give us the truth but when strangers come to see first reflection ia la 1 I would like to ask him a question if it I 1 dare what is it it is au all about wives my consciences what a generation of Sent gentlemen lemen and ladles ladies we |