Show look U I 1 lata iata S 0 h U R S ei E i deu DeM vered by elder j JO lojiw XA OR w z te till I 1 mem wem N w tabernacle lube Ibbe macle salt gait lake nake e orty cily v sunday morning october ath hl 1871 WE W ilze reported BY DAVID W EVANS WE are met here in in a conference capacity lacity and have assembled ostensibly and in reality to confer together about the general interests of the church and kingdom of god upon the earth the authorities from the distant settlements are here to represent themselves and their people and a great griat many are here from the surrounding settle settie settlements ments to listen to the teachings that ma may y be given to the business that may be transacted to tha doctrines that maybe may be promulgated and in general to make themselves acquainted with the spirit of the times with the obligations that devolve upon them and the various responsibilities that rest Test upon all parties we meet then as I 1 have said to consult on the general interests of the church and kingdom of god upon the earth and not upon our own peculiar ideas and notions to carry out any particular favorite theme or to establish any special dogma of our own devising nor do we meet here to combine against men but to seek by ail all reasonable and proper means through through the interpose inter llon lion and guidance of the almighty and under the influence of his holy spirit to adopt such means and to carry out sueh such measures as wi will most conduce to our individual happiness the happiness of the community with which we are n r associated to the establishment of correct principles to the building up MP of our faith and strengthening us in the principles of eternal truth trutha to our advancement and progress in the ways of life and salvation and to devise such measures and carry out such plans as will best beat accord with the position and relationship wo we occupy to god to the world we live in and to each other so far aa as the principles of truth are concerned they are like the author of truth the same yesterday today to day and for forever ever ho no change has taken place in the pro gramme of the almighty in regard to his relationship with men the duties and responsibilities that devolve upon men in general or upon us as the elders of israel and representatives of god upon the earth years abo ago ago ngo when we listened to the glad tidings which had been again revealed to man by the opening of the heavens and by th the revelations of god we rejoiced in the great principle principles ii of truth that were then divulged the gospel that we then obeyed brought peace to our bosoms for it enlightened the eves eyes of our understandings and gave us a knowledge of our standing with and relation to the almighty made us acquainted with the position we we occupy in relation to the living and alid the dead opened up a way whereby we might pour blessings on the latter and as ancient patriarchs and servants of god did by which we could confer blessings on unborn generations that gospel unfolded unto us some of those glorious principles associated with the present position and future destiny of man the work in which we are engaged is like the great jehovah eternal and unchangeable it emanated from god and wab waa imparted to man by revelation by obedience totham to that gos gob W pdt we received the holy ghost I 1 which partook of the thin things gs of god and showed them unto us usi that spirit imparted and intelligence which have continued to be manifested to the church of the living god and to all who are faithful in that church up to the present time men have their ideas and theories lind and notions their views bf lof morality amorality politics science and philosophy we have onn one ideas in relation to god to angels to eternity and to our responsibility to god and to the world and acting upon that thab faith we go forth in the name of Isra ibra israels eils ells god to accomplish thab that destiny which god has placed in our hands god has decreed certain things with regard to the earth and the people who live on it he has bas revealed ve aled unto his servants the prophets certain things that should transpire ic in connection with the world and its inhabitants and we are left no longer tc the ithe sud wild chaos of fleeting thought that thai exists everywhere in the world for foi godhan god haa hag placed us under his inspires f kiven given unto us a knowledge of his hlf aw lw revealed unto us his purposes purpose 0 iu drawn back the curtain that intervenes between betwee ii man and his heavenly father and unto as his Hi swill will designs andr anda concerning N dis jis we know for ourselves of the etau truth th bf ose p prin baw raw caples that god has revealed and if in former days paul could say ye iye are our witness ess as also is the holy voly ghost who bears witness of us it can be said more emphatically of this day this ass assembly embly now before me have received the gospel of jesus christ the holy ghost accompanying that gospel and every man and woman present who has lived the religion of jesus christ has the witness of the truth of the work they have obeyed and they are ready with one acclaim to pronounce we are his witnesses as SS is also the holy ghost which bears bear s witness unto us 21 you my brethren and sisters know of the truths of that thal gospel which you have received and you are not indebted for that knowledge to any organization that exists under the face of the heave heavens lis ids other than the one you are now associated with no philosophy no religious combination no school no doctors of divinity no priesthood of any order revealed unto you the principles which you are in possession of the gospel that you received you received not of man nor by man but through the influence of the spirit of god and the power of the holy priesthood that administered it this you know now and this thI AYou you then knew it Is no wild phantom no idle theory no notion propagated by man inan but it is the word of eternal life the revelations of god the gospel of jesus christ the flie principles of eternal truth which you yon have received from the god of truth through the medium of that priesthood which he has organized on the earth and this you know realize and understand for yourselves you understood it years ago and you understand ito it today it is the same bame same gospel the same priesthood the same principles of truth it imparts the same hope fills the bosom with the same joy disperses that uncertainty and doubt that dwell in the bosoms of un believers and opens to the view of the believer visions of 46 glory honor immortality and eternal lives and there Is i nothing in this world that can ban change these feelings t no yain vain philosophy no political influence n no 0 combinations of any kind that can roo root tout out of f the mind these principles of eternal truth which are inspired and implanted there by the spirit odthe of the living god they are written on the tablets of the heart in characters of living fire and they will burn and extend while time exists or eternity endures endure S so far then we feel comforted and blessed if others are satisfied with their views all right if jaman man wants to be a methodist r terlan terian roman catholic shaker or qu ker all right he can be what lie he pie ses aes but let me have my religion let me have principles that will draw aside the tho curtain of futurity and nd introduce me me to those scenes that exist behind the vall vail lofb lot me as an immortal being know janow my destiny pertaining to time and eternity and the destiny of my brethren and friends and of the earth tha that it I 1 live upon let me have a religion that thal will lead me to god and others may take what they please it is immaterial tomb to me I 1 have no quarrel with them they can have their own ideas and carry out their own views BO so far as I 1 am concerned untrammeled if they will let me have mine let liet me be surrounded with the panoply of truth let iet me haye baye the favor of jehovah let me associate with angels and the heavens and eternity be omenea opened to my view and be bd placed in sueh such a relationship skipwith with god that he can communicate his will to me and I 1 ask noi no more of this world I 1 have no complaint to make about anybody I 1 dont even complain of the devil I 1 know that he was bentt sent here forn fora certain purpose to carry out the purposes of god and god did not nob even banish baniah him his presence when the sons of god met together for the devil was also among them and we need not be surprised at anything of thab that kind now when the lord asked him where het became came from said be 1 I came cam efrom from wandering to and fro fm in the earth what did he do in the earth not much good and IT presume all the evil he no could and aad I 1 presume it was wab was absolutely necessary that there should be devils or there would not have been any years and years yearb ago agol I 1 preached abroad among the nations of the earth and I 1 bee see around me here many of my brethren renthe reuthe the elders whose heads are now as grey gray as mine who did the same we preached to many of you wh who oare are here and told yon you that the world would wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived did bid we not fiot preach this tilts doctrine I 1 think we didi did ten teu twenty thirty and forty years ago we told tota y howth e n the upon the earth i thrones throne sr would be cast down empires be demolished and that wars and bid ald bloodshed 0 dished would exist upon the face of t the he earth and that god would arise and vex the nations and bring them to judgment because of their iniquities Is it anything astonishing that these words shoula should be fulfilled iea lea why they are the words of truth they were spoken by the spirit of revelation and were in accordance with the revelations given to ancient men of god who spoke as they were moved upon by the holy ghost and who while rapt in prophetic vision saw and fore fare fpud what sh should ouid transpire on the earth god revealed the same things to us ua that he did to them I 1 and what other doctrines did you hear bear the elders proclaim my friends you heard them proclaim come out of othen other her hen my people why that you partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues you hear that I 1 think you did did you hear that her sins had reached up to heaven and that god would remember her iniquities yes you did do you believe it today to day yes you believe just the same principles now that you believed then your deas ideas and views feelings and theories in these thebe respects have not advanced as people tell us sometimes with the intelligence of the age god save me from such intelligence tho the lord deliver me from their infald infidelity corruption and iniquity social moral political and of every lind kind kind you can mention and the tho lord god deliver this people from it I 1 dont want it J X want to kaow god and the principles of truth T 3 want as an immortal being to io understand something of my rela tion ship with the other world I 1 want to know how to save the living and to redeem the dead and to stand as a savior onu ori mount zion and to bring to pass the purpose purposes sot of jehovah in ih relation to this people and the earth whereon we live that is what I 1 want to know that is the kind of intelligence nam xara after then if there Is anything else elbe that we have not got that is good virtuous holy pure or intellectual give it to us and we will embrace it but we dont want your corruptions corrupt ions debauch eries and crimes which everywhere prevail and which are a stench in the nostrils of god angels and all good men and I 1 would make a prayer here which I 1 used bobear to hear hean very often when cheh I 1 was an episcopalian from all such things good lord deliver us ns 11 we want truth purity integrity and honesty e we want men who live so that t hey they dare face anaman any man or even god himself and to reach this standard is what we are after and it is our constant aim and desire I 1 was very much pleased with a song I 1 heard sung yesterday T dont know that I 1 can remember but it was something f like this I 1 hurrah hurrah for the mountain brave yo ivo trembling serf la Is he nor earth nor jabr hell can him enslave the clods havid have set him free 11 I 1 there is nothing faltering in the knees of a man of GO god you cant make him quail god is bis his a fi friend lendi and ond angels and all good men are his bis friends he is living for time and eternity and all is right with him living or dying well but dont you think some folks are very bad I 1 always thought ao so my mind is not changed about that a particle weilt well weil but dont you think the folks dont treat us uk very well sometimes anever I 1 never knew the time they did in treated by them I 1 never knew norrean of any paea of god that were well treated by the tile peo people peo of the world and if we were I 1 should not think we were nien men of god at all why men who feared god anciently were generally the most unpopular of men th they eyere were considered a kind of fools or half crazy or something the matter with them the enlightened pagans of former days did not like either the religion or the god of the hebrews they thought them a shame and a disgrace and that baal and their gods were much better men of god in old times we are told had to wander about in sheepskins sheep skins and goatskins goat skins and to td dwell in deserts and in dens and caves of the earth they must have been very wicked people in those days say you and they were and so they are today to day there ia Is not note much difre ditre difference rence nence only I 1 think we are a little better situated for we have our good houses and farms and an extensive territory we live under our own vine and fig tree and aud none can makous make us afraid they think they can but they make a mistake there is no trembling of the knees here fear does not dwell here and atit if it did a little more of the principles princia ies leb les of that gospel you von haye b aye 1 received would dispel it It remember a kind of shaky kneed fellow in old times and they were in rather i a critical position Therewa 8 some ge gentiles antiles holding court there oh no I 1 it t was wag not that I 1 forgot it was another affair an army was surrounding them excuse me for making tha the mi mistake there was waban anold old oid prophet there rather a rough so bort sort rt of a fellow and very unpopular his hia servant ars a rather shaky kneed sort of chap was in a tremble and wanted to know what was going toe toj be done why says the prophet thees they are more who are for us than those who can be against us the servant understand this exactly and the prophet prayed sprayed that he might get a little more religion said bald he be 0 god open the young mans eyes and the lord did so and as soon as his bis eyes were nere opened he saw thousands of the heavenly hosts surrounding him and said he be the chariots of israel and the horsemen thereof that inspired him with confidence and did away with that trembling in the knee now if any aay of you should have hive had a little trembling of that kind go to your god seek for the spirit of revelation that flows from him get hold of the light and intelligence which the holy ghost imparts and you will cry hosanna Ho banna aanna hosanna hosanna to the god of israel for he rules and will rule until he has put all enemies under his feet you will cry out zion shall arise and shine and the glory of god shall rest upon her you will cry aloud the principles of eternal truth will triumph not all the powers of earth and hell can stay their progress for zion is onward onward onward until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our god and his christ and he will rule for ever and ev |