| Show DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEORGE Q 0 T at the semiannual semi annual conference of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints in the mew wow tabernacle salt lake my nura october esth 1874 pt 3 DAVID barid ft W 1 EVANS EVA US t t six weeks ago yesterday I 1 left this thia city to visit the settlements throughout the southern portion of our territory my trip has been oneff one of the most interesting and pleasant I 1 ever undertook and I 1 have rejoiced olied exceedingly in the opportunity which I 1 have had of meeting with the people in that section of country there is a great anxiety in many places and with many people to know what the condition of affairs is in that region I 1 can say that I 1 never saw our people feeling better as a general thing thine and more willing to do that which is required of them than at the present time there was great anxiety among them to he be instructed and the meetings in every instance were crowded the people turning out with great alacrity and expressing regret that we could not stay longer brother erastus snow and brother musser and myself attended most of the meetings part of the time in visiting the western settlements I 1 was alone the anxiety of the people seems to be to know what to do and to bo be instructed ted in 16 the best apner of doing that which god requires at their hands and this la Is the spirit which as latter day saints swe we should entertain and cherish god has called us ns to be a peculiar people he ha has 3 k alsed raised up prophets has hab organized his church has placed within it those callings in and offices and gifts and qualifications and bles bies blessings sIngs which characterized the church in ancient days and he has conde ascended in his mercy and goodness to reveal himself unto the children of men raen to teach them counsel them and inspire them so that they may be instruments la in his hands in building up his kingdom and laying the foundation of that work of which the prophets hate haye spoken and which we are arc told shall stand for ever we as a people with the views which we entertain should not makeup our minds to live in accordance with the methods of life the modes of doing business and the habits and the traditions of our forefathers who have lived in ignorance ot of these principles and of this spirit of revelation for we are required in obeying tills this gospel to hold ourselves in a position to receive the word of god to be coun selled to be directed to be guided by that word in all our transactions in the doctrines which we believe in the habits of life which we adopt and in all our practices and labors this is one of the first lessons which is impressed upon us in starting out in obedience to the gospel of the lord jesus christ the very first teachings we received impressed upon our minds the necessity of forsaking these errors and false traditions which we have received from our fathers errors in doctrine false traditions conce concerning god concerning his concerning the plan pian of salvation which he has revealed and if we have profited by that first lesson leeson we have been continually progressing learning new truths draths new to us acquiring knowledge concerning ourselves concerning the work with which we are connected concerning the earth and the inhabitants thereof and wo we have been un unlearning leaming and for fon caking the errors and the faults or of our forefathers and of the world from which we ive hate havo been gathered tho the T he prayer which jesus taught his disciples to ask the father that hib hlf kingdom might come and his bis will be done on earth as it Is in heaven will be laiq faiq fulfilled lied liea by means of this work with which we are identified the foundation of that kingdom has haq already been laid and the aim of every true latter day saint from the day that he or she bhe joined this thia church until today to day has been to approximate to that life which we are told is led by those who are exalted through keeping the commandments of god to do the will of god on earth as it Is done in heaven for as the apostle john gays says beloved now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for tor we shall eee see him as he Is and every man that hath this hope hone within him puri purl fleth himself even achels as he Is pure so with the lat ter day saints they have a hope of salvation within them they desire to kerube keep the commandments of god and they ther haye have aye ave been seeking from the beginning until today to purify themselves theme elves eltes to live a heavenly life and to reduce to practice in their dally walk and conversation those precepts and laws obedience to which would prepare them to dwell eternally with god in the heavens them the els eis Is a character estic estle about the faith of the tho latter day saints in which they perhaps diner diffor of the professed followers of jesus christ chhist they do not believe that god expects or desires them to lo put off acquiring these perfections powers gifts and graces which belong to the heavenly world until they reach that world but they believe that god has placed them here in a state of probation and that lie has his hid himself only to a certain extent from them that ho be has drawn avell a veil vell of darkness between himself and his children on the earth for the purpose of trying their faith of developing deve developing lofing their knowledge and testing their integrity ate it so that those who will feel aft art arten aften mm 16 T in a I 1 faith persevering ers enn in the midst of ignorance kermess darkness doubt doubt confusion aud the temptations of satan and all the evils with which we come in contact in this state of abeln being may rec cite clye his blessings and the gifts graces races and favors which he bestows bestons upon his bis 1 most favored children hence the latter day saints believe in doin doln doing 9 everything here that will help to prep prepare rc them for life eternal in his presence they look upon this world as a place where they should attend to these things by baptism yes by having hands laid upon them yes have the gifts of the holy ghost certainly have them hero here as well as hereafter have them here to a partial extent to prepare them for the life that is to come have the voice of god here yes why should we not know gods vill here why should we be closed close dout out oui entirely from all knowledge of f god here and yet believe that as soon as we die we are ushered into the falness of his glory receive these blessings here mere yes every blessing that Is necessary be perfect here yes it is mans man 13 P privilege t llego the latter day saints belleve believe to be as perfect in his sphere as god our eternal father is in his sphere or as jesus in his sphere or as the angels in their spheres said jesus to his disciples be ye e perfect even as your father in j heaten heaven ea Is a perfect 11 perfection then is to a certain extent possible on earth for those who will live lives that are agreeable to the mind and will of god now as fast as the latter day saints can comprehend the life that god his angels and those who arc are made perfect in his hia presence lead they should be willing and I 1 believe that the most roost of them are willing to copy after that life in this state as quickly as possible well but says one p I 1 how how bow useless it is for frail fallible mor mortal tal tai beings to attempt to live lives of perfection like the angels and those who are just and perfect in the presence of godl godi I 1 know that it if we are to judge of men naturally as we gee see them in the midst of their sins breah breaU breaking ing the commandments mand ments of god tram trampling plin upon his hir holy ordinances disregarding lis its his requirements we should say it la ia use useless less and it Is not only useless but it is impossible for men ever to reach that perfection of which we speak but I 1 am encourage I 1 in wv my hopes that perfection to a certain extent at least is possible even in this mortal life by witnessing the results in the midst of a people who are arc striving after it I 1 know that the efforts of this people in this direction though not always crowned with ith the success that we have desired yet yit there has been abundant cause for rejoicing anel and thanksgiving in the progress which we hate have made we have attained unto a degree of union and love that approximates to some extent to that union and iove jove which wo we believe exist in the eternal worlds we have not yet reached probably that point when we can love our neighbor as we do ourselves but still it we strive for and keep that object lu in view and endeavor to reach that perfection undoubtedly we shall overcome our selfish i ness and all those feelings which seem to be a part of fallen h human u man nature sufficiently to carry out that command of god if we could get a glimpse of heaten heaven that heaven to which we are hastening or to which we hope we are hastening have you any idea that there would be any conflict of interests among the inhabitants of that blissful abode do you imagine that we should see bone ne arrayed against an other that there would be clashing and struggling each one scrambling to get the advantage of his neighbor an and to acquire influence and bewer and the blessings that belong to that greater than his neighbor that Is not the idea that we have formed of heaven we have not entertained such BUch views but we imagine when we get there that god will be the possessor he be is the possessor of all things that are comprehended within that sphere of existence that the thrones the principalities powers and crowns and even the very garments that the exalted wear belong bogod to god and that he will give therzah us that we shall possess them subject of course to his law and to those re regulations g 11 eions which he will enact or which h he e hab has already enacted I 1 do not suppose there was wai a christian that ever lived I 1 do doi not suppose there was a heathen that ever lived who expected that when ho he got to the next world to the place of bliss which he be an anticipated in his fath faith while here he would kivela live in anything like the condition he occupied here converse converso with the christians about the next carld and they will all say that they do not expect to have anything that they are redee redeemed nied by the prec pree precious loav blood of the lamb and that all the glory and honor or of their salvation they ascribed unto god and the tho lamb that they will bo be content with anything he chooses to give them when they reach there they would be content to be doorkeepers or to occupy the lowest po position eltion if they could only be permitted to dwell in the presence of god and the heathen who believe in a fatu future re state of existence and this belief Is universal among them 1 I believe it was bancroft who said that atheism is the sin or crime of civilization and not of ef heathendom or of natural men the heathen universally believe in a future state of existence and they picture to themselves a condition such as I 1 have described of course varying according to their faith and their views of this life thinking that they will have circumstances sif ali similar nilar in that life which is to come with this difference only that they will be more perfect and will be delivered from the evils to which they are subjected here as mortal beings if then my brethren and slaters we are striving to live in accordance accard anee ance with that life to which we are hastening we by a little reflection can bee bce how much there is for us to do in order to prepare ourselves for the coming of the lord jesus christ one of tho the first teachings or revelations that was given to this church after its or to the effect that we should wel wei 1 1 agether as one family that there thene E should li be an identity of interests among us as that we should approximate to some eilent at least and as far as practicable to io that identity of interests which we understood der stood by the revelations of christ rist to exist in the eternal worlds th thib this 1 rey revelation elation Is one of the earll earli earliest est cst given to this people and its practice was entered upon in early days we have been told by those who vho are old enough to knowland kno wand who had experience at that time that to the disobedience or failure of the people in carrying out this revelation was due the expel ion lon of the latter day saints from jackson county in the state of Ills missouri bourl houri and that afterward the same causes operated to produce the t results which the people p le experienced at that time god suffering in g the enemies of his kingdom and nod people p le to have power over them because of t heir their disobedience to respond to the call which he be made nand to the commandments which he gave unto them this Is one ono of the traditions that has comedown come down to us of a younger generation from the fathers of this church it has been taught to us ns and impressed upon us for years probably upon tipon many of us since we knew anything of this thib work until the eclief is fastened fas fab upon the hearts consciences and feelings of the great bulk of the latter day saints and that at some time or other in the future of this church that doctrine would be again taught and the requirements embodied in that revelation would be again made upon us as a people in fact the teachings I 1 have received have been that until we did obey that the privilege of going back and building up the center stake of zion and redeeming that land which god first gave unto his people as an inheritance in the state of missouri would not be granted unto us and that until we did obey it we should be pilgrims and wanderers and should not have the privilege of going back and laying a 1 I 1 ilg the foundation of the center stake of zion conand and of that great temple which god has said shall be reared in this generation so that forbears for years speaking of my own feelings I 1 have awaited I 1 will not bay gay with anxiety but with great desire delire the time when this people would have su indent sufficient faith and when the circumstances should he lle so favorable that god should command us to enter upon the practice of that principle or to enter into that order which he commanded us in the Le beginning ginning to obey every time I 1 have travelled amono among among the nations of the earth I 1 have hav thanked god teat he had bad provided a panacea for the evils which I 1 saw everywhere around me when I 1 saw the rich re velling in luxury crowding upon tho the poor crushing out their lives the poor living in squalor and misery their lives a burden to them not having in many instances enough food to eat cat or raiment to wear or a shelter and and when winter approached dreading it with feelings indescribable jn society in the world there is a laige class of people having more means than they can spend for tor their comfort and convenience conven ienco lenca they have the finest houses abundance ol of food every convenience troops of at servants to wait upon them to do their bidding and have all the wealth they can desire every luxury they can conceive of Attlies at the ame bame time there are living in the same community thousands of poor creatures destitute of the necessaries of lle life my heart has been pained within me in visiting the ame large cities of european Euro peat seeing women degraded like beasts of the fields and their lives continual burdens to them their existence almost joyless joy less it has been a wonder to me how people could keep from commit commet ing suicide in the midst of the want that was everywhere apparent I 1 have thought how can god bear with this people and the cries of the |
