| Show DISCOURSE BT iny PRESIDENT DELIVERED at the funeral services of elder thomas williams in the nth uth ward assembly rooms sunday Af morning orning july 19 1874 I 1 BY DAVID W EVANS I 1 DO not wish to detain the congregation that it lavery Is tery very warm and uncomfortable for table but tnt on orl this occasion I 1 feel to offer a few reflections and pray that they way may be instructive to the living and add encourage us ns athe in the faith of the holy gospel strengthen us na in the little faith that hat we now possess sess and an open up to our minds the autu future fatura pros prospects and blessings that the lord has in cesery reserve for the faithful we call thias solemn occasion lory lorl for we hata haw met mit toge together thir to pay our last respects to one who has lived with us and with whom we have associated and we deil deli delight bt to show our oun respect to the mortal remains of those who in life have been near and dear to us bat for me ma to address a lifeless lump of clay would be useless while to address the living who have ears to hear and hearts to understand may be profitable I 1 requested the br ethred brethren to speak who have already addressed you yon and there ther therease eare are more here sere who would like to speak peak on the present orm rim occasion slon sion the testimony that has bas been borne con berning the character of our beloved brother whose body Is now a lifeless mass maes of clay before us ls ia true and more we can aay than what has been said the scene thail that we am arc now called to witness Is always painful to near and dear tean friends it ift is bs a scene that la Is calculated to wring the tery very heart the inmost heart icart and as aa it were to arias the heart icart of the iho llyl living ng still we witness hla chis day by day and when we contemplate the vast number of souls that come rome into existence and inhabit bodies here on this earth tarth and the vast number that are departing almost every moment it is nothing strange or new except this plant dle die it cannot be tie quickened except this mortality is put off it can on immortality except this body that we have received from the tha earth returns to I 1 mother earth it cannot bo be brought forth I 1 in the morning of the resurrection this we know and understand yet how strange it t is and yet we may maj say it is not strange hat the living with all that they witness concernIng the departure of the living to another mother state of existence how bow few there are who lay isy it to heart how few there are who profit by it how bow few there are who seek unto god for wisdom knowledge and understanding to enable them to t acquit th themselves emsel tes tea well here preparatory to this till cha change there are some who do but very fe few w and though we mourn at the losso iosso loss of f our friends when our natural feelings hate haye passed away and our hearts have ceased to weep cheerfulness takes the place of these mournful feelings and we think no more of it this is the common condition of the children of men thosa those who profess to be bd christians and to believe on the lord jesus christ as the savior of the world they have made bihy many inquiries with rezard regard to ihla passing from one state of existence to another it seems beems to be a great inn mystery to them A great deal has been said and a great deal has been written and there have been many reflections more than has been spoken or written and yet it Is one eternal mystery to the world why because they haye have not eyes to sec see nor ears cars to hear and they do not understand the provi dences of god and it if they read the word of 0 the lord i the revelations that he has given Ten yen concerning the llyonal living and aud the dead they hey do not understand der stand stana them and so the world la Is left la lin darkness to grope their way like the blind man by th awall thus it it Is with the children of men taking the whole of the christian world it Is true rua rue the latter day saints have received a little more they have rec received ewed emed something beyond the imagination of the heart we we have facts before us we have exper experience lence that la Is satisfactory and we wa earl eari can ean rejoice in the hope bope that thit god has given us but if we will b be prepared as this our beloved brother wui w was li prepared to go at a moments warning it if we ite lye live in irr this way wd we live just as wo we should live no person who believes an on thelded jesus christ has a right to spend a day an hour or a minute of his life or heer eier life in a manine manner un becoming the profession of a saint hey acy should be ready to depart this life any morn ment anti I 1 sky jay that those who understand the things of god haye have hareno no hight light neither have they any wish to live only BO ISO that they hey may enjoy the light of his splat spirit nus zus en joy oy communion with god with his abr son eon jesus jebus christ and with the holy ghost so that they mey may zy be instructed day by day bow to walk in the path that iles lies before then them the path fath that leads to life everlasting but how eagy eoy it Is for those who profess to be saints to be of the earth earthy andio and to seek beek after and love the the tte world and fail tali into the spirit of the world how liow eaby easy it is tor for them to receive the spirit of the world and ana to for sor forget aget the spirit of salvation that has his been in their hearts htwe if we could keep constantly in our minds and add before us ua what we really know i what the lord jord hab has taught us what we b hayo haye aye sye read and what we have recci recel received yea tea by the whisperings rings of the spirit this would be satis batis factory but many do not retain these things they pass from them and when they naye nate passed away doubt seizes their minds and they am nrc at a loss to deter determine mind whether they ever understood anything any thing or not nat in the great provi dences of god la in bringing forth worlds into existe existence nee nce aishe as he has this which worlds are are arc coming into exi exl existence and pas passing r 1111 9 from one state to another inhabitants n ts come forth every living creature that we hate haye any knowledge of god send a forth upon the earth that he hee frames there to live and to enjoy or to endure all that his bis provi dences bring forth upon the earth that they may have an experience that they may bo be prepared for another change these changes are taking place con continually tinn and hate bate been from the beginning in 1111 the vegetable and in tha tho mineral kingdoms kingdom s as well as in the animal kingdom these changes are continually going on man comes on to this stae sta stage atae e of action and he Is continually undergoing i a change until the time of his bis departure he lie comes here liere he ha knows not how we ve know we arphere are here but who Is it understand understands 8 bowwow haw baw we came and the design and purpose of our Hea heavenly Tenly father in sending us here here is 1 the mystery to the christian and scientific world they do not understand tand it would that we could say bay the inhabitants of the earth and especially those who believe on the lord jesus jesua christ now hol houglad Hon how glad giad I 1 should be to know where jebus jesus lived tiow now how glad I 1 should be to 10 know whether I 1 am going to him urn when I 1 leave this worlds but ir it Is a mystery 11 why should it be a mystery I 1 because the curtain Is shut down before us and the be vision of our minds Is closed up for a trial for us for us to prove ourselves and to show passIng through darkness and affliction in Jg ignorance norance and with clouds of unbelief over us after being mado made acquainted with the things of god we will persevere and be firm to our faith and so prove ourselves worthy to receive a glorious resurrection a change to a more exalted state of being than we calpos can cam possess and enjoy here on this oarth earth we are am made expressly to dwell with those who continue to learn and who receive knowledge on knowledge wisdom on wisdom we belong to the family of heaven I 1 am looking now upon a body of divinity every face that I 1 see sheds forth a certain amount of tho the divinity I 1 worship my father in heaven heaten here we are we are gods goda children a and d we arc are brought forth to give us ns an experience that we may know good nood from evil light from darkness that wo we may know how to berve berye god that we may know why and wherefore we should refuse the evil and choose the good I 1 ask the philosopher and I 1 think it Is probable there are some here today to day how bow do you prove facts by their contrast how do you yon know this or that by its contrast we know and prove things by their opposite we understand the evil because the good is present with usand usand the lord feuds forth his intelligent I lent ent children on tha the face of the earth to prove whether they are ara worthy to dwell with him in eternity how liow frequently the question arises in the minds of the people 1 r I wish I 1 knew kneir where I 1 was goings can you find out well you yon will go into the spirit world where Brothe now Is he has now entered upon a higher state of being that is his spirit has I 1 t than han when in this body whyna why cannot n not I 1 see him why cannot cinnoti cinno tl I 1 converse with his spirit I 1 wish ibish I 1 could ifould see my husband or my father and converse with himl it is is not reasonable that you should it is not right that you should perhaps you yon would miss object of your pursuit if you had this privilege and there would be the same trial of faith to exercise you not so severe a path of affliction for you to walk in not so BO great a battle to fight nor so ad great a victory to win and you would miss the very object you are in pursuit of it la Is right just as it is that this veil should bo be closed down that we do not see god that we do not ece eee angels that wo we do not converse with them except through strict obedience to his requirements and faith in jesus christ when we contemplate the condition of man here upon the earth and understand that we are brought forth for the express purpose of preparing ou ourselves melves through our W to inherit eternal life we ask ourselves where we are going what will in be our condition what will be the nature of our pursuits la in a state of being in which we shall possess more vigor tiger and a degree of intelligence than we possess here shall we have labor shail shai we lva have enjoyment in our oun labor shall we have any object of pursuit or shall we sit and sing ourselves away to everlasting bliss these are questions that arise in the minds of people and they many times feel anxious to know something about hereafter what a dark talley valley and a shadow it Is that we call death to pass from this state of existence as far as the mortal body is concerned into a state of inanition how strangest strang eit elt haw how dark this valley how mysterious is this road and we have got to travel it alone I 1 would like to say to you my friends and ethren brethren hr it we could see sec things as they are ire and as we shall see and understand them this dark shadow and valley is so trifling that we shall turn round and look upon it and think when we have crossed lt thy this ii the greatest advantage of m my Y whole exis existence tence for I 1 have passed from a state of sorrow grief mourning woe mis ery pain anguish hand haud and d disappointment into Asta a state teof of exis exia I 1 can enjoy life ilfe to the fullest extent as far as that can be done wit without houta bouta a body my spirit Is 13 set free I 1 thirst no mc more ire I 1 want to sleep no more I 1 hunger no more I 1 tire no more I 1 run mu I 1 walk I 1 labor I 1 go I 1 comei comet comel do this I 1 do that whatever is required of me ubi uti nothing thing like pain or weariness I 1 am full of life full of vigor and I 1 enjoy the presence of my heavenly father by the power of his spirit I 1 want to say to my friends it you will live your religion live so as to be full of the faith of god that the light of eternity will viii shine upon you you can cau camac see and understand these things yourselves fou for that when you yon close your eye mortality you wake up right inthe in the tha presence prest nce of theY the ather father and the son if they are dIspo disposed ged to withdraw the yail vall they can do as they please with regard to this but you are ane in the spirit world and in a state of bliss and happiness nesi though we may call cali it hades hides or hell it is the world of spirits it is where jesus jebus went and where all go both good and bad the spirit of the living that depart this life go into the world of spirits and if the lord withdraws the tall yali it is iii much easier for us then to behold the face of our father who Is in heaven than when we are clothed upon with this mortality I 1 have not time at present to follow these thebe reflections further then we should be encouraged we should strengthen our faith by our hope we should seek unto the lord until our hope Is made perfect that we may have power to bear like ilke saints samata all the af fictions we meet with hereon here on the earth if we do this when we have crossed the dark valley of the shadow of death it will be so BO easy to turn round and behold the path that we have wall wali walked ed wherein we have had the privilege the same as the gods of learning the difference between good and evil you recollect that it was said in ancient days to her that we call mother 4 your eyes will be opened if you yon will ca eat cat t of this fruit androu will know as the gods know good from etli etil 11 this probation is given us that we may learn this lesson and if we are faithful in it we shall learn how to succor those who are tempted and tried as we are arc when we have the power to rescue them from the ravages of the enem enemy this earth Is our home it was wag framed expressly for the habitation of those wh who are faithful to god and who prove themselves worthy to inherit the earth when the lord shall have sanctified purified and glorified it and ana brought it back into his presence from which it fell feli far into space ask the astronomer how far we are from the nearest of those heavenly bodies that are called the fixed stars can he count the miles it would be i a task for him to tell us the distance when the earth was framed and brought into ex existence stence atenco and man was placed upon it it was near the throne of our oun father in heaven and when man fell though that was designed in the economy there was nothing about it mysterious or unknown to the gods they understood it all it was all planned but when man fell the earth fell into space and took up its abode la in this thia planetary system by stem and the sun became our light when the lord said let there be light there was light for the tho earth carth was brought near the sun bun that it might reflect upon it so as to give us ns light by day and the moon to give us light by night this is the glory the earth came from and when it is glorified it will return again unto the presence of the father and it will dwell there and these intelligent beings that I 1 am looking at if they live worthy whitby of it will dwell upon this earth As for their labor and pursuits in eternity I 1 have not time to talk upon that subject but we shall hava have plenty to do we shall not be idle we vve shall go on from one step to another reaching forth into the eternities until we become like the gods and shall be able to framo frame for ourselves by the behest and command of Almighty the ty all those who are a ro counted coun conn ted worthy to be exalted aad to become gods even the sons of god will go |
