Show DISCOURSE BY tye I 1 PRESIDE PRESIDED 11 1 I T GEORGE A I 1 V at the adjourned semi semiannual A annual ni cd conference in the new tabernacle salt lake city sunday morning october 11 1874 J REPORTED BY DAVID W I 1 ewans s tins being the closing day 6 of f the conference and as we are administering the sacrament we naturally call our minds up in a way of discipline cip litle for ourselves on various subjects which pertain to our ouk everyday ilfe lire the apostle james jamea tells us that faith without works 1 is 1 dead being alone and good works are certainly the best illustrations of that faith which prompts us As our brethren will soon scatter through the dit dlf wards and settlements of the territory and to other parts of the tho world we wish them to carry forth just and wise vie impressions in relation to the simple principles of faith and practice which pertain to tb e b oly gos d to disseminate the instructions they have received that all may be ben thereby when wo we come here and take bread and drinker drink of the cup eup in memory of the death and sufferings of our Savio witness unto liim that we deniem remember wr him that we love his law that wd are determined to abide by his gospel and antl that we will do all in our power to walk in the principles of faith and patience forbearance and longduff long iong ering and of truth and righteousness in which we are engaged As a short illus adraw 0 draw the minds of the congregation directly to the points 0 instruction I 1 am disposed to read a portion of the rules of the united rule ruie one scye s yf we will not take the name of the tile deity in vain nor speak lightly of his character or of things I 1 am sorry to say that many professed latter day saints are careless in th the observance of this rule which every latter day saint and every person who has respect for his bis own character must certainly consider most wholesome and wise and absolutely obligatory let us be very careful and never in profane language or use the name of the deity delty except in such a man manner mannerns as becomes his high and holy position and our dependence upon him for every breath wo we draw and let us also inculcate in our children a respect for that chaste discreet upright and pure language which is becoming saints of the most high rule bule two reads we will pray in our families morning and hud evening and also attend to secret prayer now row brethren and sisters remember this those of you if any who have been careless and negligent on this sub subject eject remember how often god has heard our prayers and how dependent we are upon him for every blessing we possess and enjoy and for the protection which has been extended unto us while almost all the world has been ready reads to destroy the lat ter day saints saint from off the earth the lord has answered our gur prayers and has protected us as it were in the hollow of his hand Letu let lel us snot not forget to call upon him morning and evening that our families may learn from their childhood to observe this great and important duty and before we lie down to rest or rise in the morning let us lift up our hearts in secret prayer to the most blost high asking his protection and blessing in ali ail things that by united faith we may be able to perform the greal greao and arduous duties which are placed upon us and in our prayers let iet us remember our bishops and teachers and those it ic authority the tho president of the church his counsellors coun and all those chose who act in the holy priesthood that the spirit of the almighty may rest upon tipon them as well as upon onus us that with one heart and aud one mind we may have a knowledge of the things el of god I 1 and that by observing these duties of prayer and preserving ourselves in purity before the lord when teaching instruction st ion lon or counsel is seno sena forth among the saints or revelation is proclaimed unto us we may have enough of the holy ghost in our hearts baarts to know enen earh for 1 or herself whether these those are true or not and that when whon false naho spirits go forth and lead men astray anio into darkness error and folly we may know the true from the false detect those who aro are liar saud exeme ahm as may ve the third ruie rule is 1 we conre will ob serve or ir keep the tho woo dof wisdom according ti to the and ing jig thereof ther eor 11 remember this brethren and si pi fistere stemm stere I 1 hear occasionally lio glo nally of brethren indulging in intoxicating drink I 1 hee tee many of th them e in yet py even en young in men eji ell who ind indulge alge in ia the use of tobacco a habit which is very pernicious and injurious to health and a violation of the word of wisdom thele thel eare are also other violations of this rule among us which should cease for we are told in the fprd of wisdom that if we will observe it with all our hearts keeping the commandments of god we shall have faith health and strength marrow in our oun 0 ur boney and have lave wisdom and great treasures of knowledge and the destroyer will pass by us and not slay us brethren how general it is with us ils when per persons sonis are biek blek sick eick and afflic le U or when our ch children lidren are sick to say to the elder elden brethren come tome an ani d lay your hands upon them and in thousands of instances they aie nie healed Perl peri perhaps kaps we are losing some ome of our faith we read in the scriptures that king asa whom god had bad healed and blessed when he ile was diseased he trusted not nob to the lord but sought physicians and king asa died while we recommend and approve of using every reasonable means within our power to p preserve re 8 e our lives and those of our ch children 1 idren wo do CIO depend first of all upon faith in the holy gospel tile the administration of its ordinances an the fulfillment of the promises of god and inasmuch as wo we observe the word of wisdom awid arid keep the commandments or of god we y q have faith and wo we ave the promises of Go dupon which wo we can rely and by which and thod sands are delivered from the afflictions which prey upon them thein wo will treat our families with kindness and affect affection lorl iori and set be fore foro thein an example worthy of imitation in lit our fa families and in our intercourse with all person penson i ste sie we will refrain from being beins co contentious and quarrelsome wo we will cease to speak evil one of another and cultivate sk spirit towards all we consider it our first duty to keep from acting selfishly or from covetous motives and we will seek the thie interests or olf each other and the salvation of all mankind this is rule four and in calling your attention to it I 1 wish it to be remembered that it enters into our business transactions and everyday every avery day life I 1 have noticed in the coune course ot many years year s that I 1 have traveled and preached being in hundreds of families that some men nien were pleasant and agreeable while others were t crabbed cross ill lii il natured and surly stirly in their dispositions tho the very tone of their yolee volee would show it this is all wrong we should cultivate kindness forbearance bea rane jane and patience in our families and a spirit that will incline them unto us UP and in all things set such all ali an example lief before alir children that we ivo may bo be its lights unto them that as they grow up imitating our examples they may become pillars of society plants of renown and ornaments in the kingdom of god and not be led by co covetousness dishonesty idolatry or any corrupt motive whatever consider nil nii these things and re member this as one of th the 0 rules or of the united order which it is or of special importance that we should oter ot observe er ve rule nule favo flo tea teaches clies elles ivr W will ob serve personal ers ors lynal cleanliness pre preserve erve ou ourselves reeles in all ali chastity refrain from adultery whoredom and lust and discountenance and refrain from all vulgar and obscene language and conduct in regard to this rule I 1 am sorry to say that tb the e influx of so ad called civilization I 1 and aud christianity in our midst t has har shown hown its effects upon some pome portions of our community and that strict and firm adherence to the principles of chastity for which the latter day saints have been remarkable ever since the organization of the church and the gathering of the people seems in some instances to be wanting we call upon all such persons to repentant repent tand and humble themselves before the lord and we exhort all latter day saints to maintain such a high position before god that every acta act of their livos ilves may be approved or of him never lotus lot us be guilty of any word or deed that wo we will bo be ashamed of beloro belore our father fathe mother brother or gister bister or before our heavenly fathe Fath her ehr r this is a principle that wol should cul cui cultivate sivate maintain and abide by dinall in all ali things and wherever any have aten foolish enough to fall or go astray thu or cr en enaree afta that have been set ret for thero let lei them repent and humble thema A before 6 thelt thele ird and let a spirit of br unity harmony peace stern integrity cuilty and chastity abide in every heart for it if we e ever evert inherit bles ing ingi dg i aud and glory it if we ever are made p partakers pan par takers of the thrones throne dominions principalities powers power sand and endless lives which pertain p to the exaltation of the kingdom or of god meshall we shall shail do so by maintaining a purity like that ot of joseph who was oid sold old into egypt the sixth rule Is we will observe tile sabbath day dagand and keep it holy I 1 regret to say that I 1 have noticed a great many instances of laxity in the observance of this ru rule ruie leand and I 1 wish the elders and teachers in all the branches and hettle hettie settlements ments to preach and practise the ob edvance or of the tile sabbath brethren work six days and on the seventh rest and observe tile the sabbath the revelation and impress this principle upon the saints everywhere by practice I 1 remember once onee I 1 was in a hurry burry to come como to salt lake city fillmore was then the only semu settlement lement between my nay place in Parow paro wa nIron antron co and the settlements in utah county the sunday was very flue we had attended meeting and having having been a long iong time lime away from the brethren in sail galt lake city wy vu wanted to hurry on I 1 certainly thought we could travel twenty miles milea on sunday evening as well as not so we started iwasa V wasa jit lit tie conscience stricken I 1 said sald to myself thi this thia Is i not exactly right and I 1 am afraid wo we shall not get along as well as we would to have staid until monday morning we wb drove about twenty or twenty n ty two miles that ev ebing evening I 1 told the brethren to tie tle up the horses but some of them gul gol loose and went clear back and in the tho morning the brethren had to go the whole di distance after them that is what we gained ut at the me marl marc oy ure baking aing the sabbath but it did not end unil there the next day wo we broke a wagon and then we got into a storm and we were six duys days in reach reaching lug ing aldi fillmore 1 amore and alid it took us some somo twelve days to reach this thas city now I 1 do not believe that as aa a general thing anything is if gained in proper property or in time by working on the sabbath and I 1 advise and exhort all ali in men professing to belong to the united older or to bo be lat ter day saints to observe the sabbath keep it holy hols devote it to worship a b lp to the study of good books to rest to imparting instruction ti attending me meeting L bilig and do not dot under derany any circumstances lapse into a habit of thinking that you can do as you please on the abbath S and that thal so doing I 1 is s clear gain we ve have someday some day to meet our father in III heaven and that day Is ia not vely far off with many of uy us 1 meet kneet here hero at thia this conference qui quite te u number with whom forty years sears 8 ago this summer summet or last ri pring oring I 1 marched arched In on the do Ws cam camp buur 1 ney a thousand miles th that at does not seem long bubb bub we are aro marching steadily steadily tu to our last accountant account and we should our tove love fuer self our desire for gain or pur anxiety for pleasure so barour maroun mar our path thal that when we come into the presence t of our path Fath fat her er in heaven we shall be smitten with the rell reflection edtion that instead of observing the sabbath according to the commando we well went t off spree ing of hunting bunting or we went looking after cattle or getting wood or dashing around and breaking the sabbath time und and again for foria if our conscience rep rove us god is greater than our consciences arld arid ho surely purely avi will 11 loh lou cou damn deanus us rule seven tha which is not committed to our thur care we cewill will not appropriate to our own use that is a very modest way ady of agree agreeing 1 ing or promising pro that we will ewi not steal or take tako that which does not belon belong 9 to us one of the ten commandments teaches thou a ha I 1 t llo ilo not noi t steal and in the book of doe doctrine a and n d covenant covenants we are informed inn that be that steals shall bo east cast out and delivered to the he law of tile the land these things should never be forgotten by thoe thoat profess ing lug to bo latter day saints I 1 have noticed in the course e or of my ilfe life a great many men professing deal of who have a great piety been very dishon dishonest estYn in the tho neighborhood where I 1 was raised there wore were men who would chargo charge 1 good round price for a bushel of wheat and t ten lon use a taise false measure in that way they eared leared i children to be dishonest if lit there thero amo amm fathers or teachers in israel who indulge it in I 1 this co practice or who tako take th nul nol belong to fhay reb det ot blet velse rd ahr childred chil dreo cause canse them thein to graw iop tip i n p of thieves I 1 otic A conver r arif aror with an incident il dil ayoung A young soung man mari was cut cue olt oll from tue tuo ch church u reh for when he came home hla his t nother mother upbraided up braided him for forit it but ald nid said aid he nid moth mother ther tr you have I 1 yourself to thank for r if ft amy hyfa father faher ber always told mo ian not to teal teai tf he commanded me not to touch thing athing a that did not belong to co me but you to send me to td the neigh ros to steal eggs you taught me ine tosi costeal lo steal eal eai and ou aro are mel mei isura my bly responsible for my il ellagrace disgrace this was rather kather a bitter pill for the maber maher but it contains all an important lesson if wo we will wh I 1 c nsF derit it that which we borrow we will return according to promise and that which we tind lind we will not up 13 own use but will fecek to 10 return it to the proper owner 11 1 there is too much nt a want of f in the the saints when some promise thy th thi y too often fall fail to keep their word and those jhb are I 1 in n bup but inesm iness do not col feel as free freu to trust their breth ren reu as outsiders do I 1 have ila ha brethren commy corny to aue me and say they yare are not as act commod to mo me al outsiders are 12 aud alid isome I 1 somei times answer them by saying perhaps you sou aro arc not as punctual to lo pay py your brethren as you would be to pay an outsider il many of our brethren aro aio not and thib this is ali ati bronz confidence should be established w in each other by fulfilling wo we undertake what we bortow borrow we should return ret urn i what we agree to do we should fulfill we should be careful |