Show D ISO OUR 33 E BY PRESIDE 1 DANIEL U V 1 at the forty fifth amma ammo conference of oath thi tal c baurch charch of jesus crisa cn ss I 1 if it pt eliziler I 1 day defy sainte saints in the alenty c sola sulf zako lake city on tuesday morning april oth 1875 6 idy iry BY DAVID W EVAINS EVAIN S to bay DAY we have met aether mether as is is our custom on the at h day of april Wc cording according to appointment in ill com commemoration oration of the day on which the church of jesus christ of latter day saints was organized we are professed latter day saints and have been called for this age of the world to be workers coworkers co with our Fa therin heaven in bringing to pass his purposes and establishing his kingdom upon theearta the earth to be the recipients of the authority of the holy priesthood to io stand in holy bola places and to administer in the ordinances of th the ehouse house of god that once again upon this earth his authority and kingdom may be es and holy and righteous principles pier and tho the institutions of high heaven have haven a place weare we are the honored ilist irist instruments or may of being co workers with god I 1 and h he e will through us his fils servants his children bring to pass his purpose if wo will iee lee him this is a great glorious and holy caile calli calling ng and it is a happy thing for us to be born I 1 in n a day and generation when these things are corning coming forth for we can thus have part and lob lot in this matter it is noial no joke e or phantasm Y BO no matter of mere enthusiasm to rise in ones oneri mind for a few days weeks or months and then dissipate away into thin air but it is our high duty and privilege as long t aa we live t td bear off these principles that have been wen revealed and to sustain and uphold the institutions of heaven and that authority through and nd bychich the mind anu ana wilf wili wilfon of god our father are made known unto us upon the earth this hi s work commenced small great and glorious instructions were given ton toa to a few in therom the commencement men cement and through the blessing of the almighty they have been sent sent forth to the nations of the earth and in obedience thereunto a great people in comparison with what the church was waa originally have gathered to these mountains and the work of or the tho lord has continued badan to grow and increase taking root downward ann and bearing fruit upward it is true that many have under udder undertaken taken to run the gospel r race ice bud hud have faltered and fainted by lule tile e wayside still the and has been onward on ward aua and upward until the present time and the f forty orty nive five years of its ct existence upon the tile earth thi this church and I 1 kingdom has never seen a day or arbour an hour houn that it ha has 3 not been growing oving gr and becoming greater in the eart earthan ear thin hplu thlu numbers as well as in intelligence for the tho stream of light from heaven has not been withdrawn or cut short but has continued to flow ilow to the minds of the children of men bearing testimony to the hearts of the honest and elevating them in the scale of human existence I 1 take plea piea pleasure sure suro in bearing this testimony knowing that it is true and also knowing that the great desire among gods people eople here in zion is to sustain and bear oft off the principles of truth and righteousness in the earth we we are here for this express purpose and to avoid the evils and judgments which are abroad in the eart earth ii are the judgments 0 of god abroad in the earth they arcand the word of the lord to his saints is come out of her ohm oh my y people oe that ye yo be not partakers par takers of pher her finsand that ye leneive not of her plagues this was spoken centuries ago but it is specially applicable to 0 o us and to the work of god in the last days nut but if we do not divest ourselves of the sins of the world have we aby any assurance that we shall escape the plagues and J judgments of the tho almighty by no means we vvo gather up to these mountains that we may not be par takers of her sins this is the pointed place where god can work with his people upon the earth and in order that he may beable be able abie to dobo do so effectually idis icis necessary that wadi vest ourselves of every evil stand before nor god blameless rand fand become united aa ss the heart of one man in sus sustaining the cause of zion there the responsibility of build ingup th this Liking kingdom rests in a manner upon have taken upon us usi the ther zt of jhb most high we have gathered to together ether ethey may build temples to his hia holy name wherein we may ree receive reg elve eive the blessings of time and eternity both for the living and the dead it becomes us then to t I 1 inquire how we may best set ourselves about this great work we must find out the design of ou murfa afa ther concerning us and to do this we d must have communication with wm him and we must live so that we can have the holy spirit to direct our minds and to qualify us the better for the performance of t lie tile duties which devolve upon us the channel h has been opened between the heavens and the earth by which we may learn the mind and will of our father concerning us but when we have learned that it is our business to go gb to and unflinchingly carry out and accomplish that which he requires of us according to our best skill and ability Is it necessary we oby the principles of the gospel which we are aie told is the power of god unto salvation I 1 think that na nod one will deny that we must repent wo must bo be baptized for the remission of sins receive the administration of hands for the reception of the holy ghost and then go or on with the light of the spirit having received the testimony of the truth of the work and maintain that work against every opposing obstacle what is a man good for who flies the track the very moment an obstacle presents itself in his way such a manwill man will not net obtain salvation and exaltation in the presence of god he who does that must be unflinching in the tho path of duty Is god ever going to establish his kingdom and brin bring to pass his pur peso poso i on the earth all believers in christianity say so and they all pretend to believe it but when will it be As soon as the lord jesus finds a people who are willing willingto to take upon them his name and who will follow him through evil as well as through good report and who 1 if heed be will even go to death in the maintaining of the principles of truth upon the earth just as soon as he finds a people who will be united and will not sift their ways to tran tian ti angers geis but will hold that which he bestows bestons upon them for him blui arid and for his kinga hinga kingdom om lii will ile lle ile lip e establish ta blish that kingdom upon the earth what right dia lia jias dias a latter day saint who haf has taken taen upon himell hirm elf eif tho name of god and has hlis enlisted under hing king 32 manuels bauier banner to strew the bl isings he receives from flom god to t I 1 u c wicked are ibey they given to him fur that purpose no wo they are given him to use for the building up of or the kingdom cf god upon the earth it is said and we profesa profess to believe it that the kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdom of our lord and of his christ and that that kingdom and its falness shall be given to the the most high it is nut to be given to the wicked orto or to a people who will hand it over io to the wicked as fast as the lord hands it over to them we may as well learn this lesson lesain to today day as any other time the bless biess blessings of the lord are not bestowed upon the latter day saints to td be p paced aeed need by them in the hands of the wicked d when could the lord establish his purposes with a people who will act in that way nver niver in the world the time will come and is now hastening when the people Of god will not be a pie that is dependent upon the outside world ot of course they will always be dependent upon the lord but the day will wiil come when they they und under erthe the blessing of heaven will be an entirely self sustaining people and the lord is ready and willing as he ever has been and ever will be to sustain the efforts of his people in this direction they must put forth their hands to be self sus ta ining and then their the blessings of the alright awill attend the them meven even cven more abundantly the theford lord has from lime time to urn cathro ugh his servants given forth a 9 line of conduct or principle for us to be guided beguiled by so that we q may mav become mo reunited been hitherto and while it may be bo sald ead sad that we are slowly approaching that point we are jare far from hating having advanced ia in the principles ol 01 unity to the fullest extent and hence we cannot realize the blessings that will accrue when that unity which the lord desires to see bee his people is fully tally established but bat we ire have commenced and we can work in that direction and it Is our bounden duty to td do so and the farther we progress the more will his blessings be multiplied towards us and if it we continue in the path marked out for fon forus tonus us by the almighty through his ser servant we shall ball ultimately attain to a falness ful ness this is the way I 1 un understand d elstan d it we have come up here to be taught taught in his hib ways that we may balkin wair walk in his bis paths achs men alen should not marl mark Fout out paths fortham for themselves to walk in they are aro not capable of doing BO so you may say that upon mans agency and independence but it makes no difference what khit maybe said eaid or thought of this it is true aud and we nee need only donly look abroad in tho world to sec see the difficulties which beset the people on every hand band to find ample confirmation of this statement alethe are the people satisfied with the paths they have marked out for themselves no nowhere on the face of the I 1 earth there I 1 is one whose guidance we need he is wiser than we are for he has pasca passed farough all the ordeals and trials of a owe OWL r estate and has gained an ari experience far beyond the exper experience lence ot of men and he is now willm to lead and his children here on the earth if they will only allow him to dobo do BO but men gene pene raHy t think bink they know best themselves they are not it willing to be guided by the god of heaven ven they give the preference to the paths marked out by themselves counsels the best no they are not and the latter day saints ought to know it by this time A great many of them do know it some do not but I 1 trust that they will and that they will continue to leam and progress in these thinas thines until they know beyond all quei question tion that gods way Is the best and that it Is not only superior to mans way but that there is so no other by which men and women can build up a community which will be wise virtuous and happy and by which of the earth may be developed and the elements used mg BO as to 0 best promote the general good gods way is as much betten better than mans way as the heavens are higher than th tho 0 e earth a th there is no true principle no true philosophy no good thing that comes fron any source except that which I 1 have heen heed speaking of no matter through whom or by whom it comes to the children pf af men it has emanated from that source from god our father then why can w wo 3 not implicitly trust him lim and put our fait fatt falth faith h and confidence ia la him we may way rest assured that he will withhold no good thing tb atwill that will prove beneficial to us he never did and he never will r reveal neveal a thing to the c children hildren of men but whan what bat if it can ac carried out according to his design will prove rote rotc an advantage e and a blessing fo to them men may undertake to chance chanze that which god has revealed and try to make it mean mean something else but it Is folly to do so in taking thib this counse course they coin goin eo into tobt by hwd and forbidden paths and being then wi without t hout bout the light of truth they are compelled to grope their way arpe now ow what Is necessary la lit building ap i the kingdom of god on the earth carth we 7 c are arc not talking about building aphis up his kius kiu kin dom domin lr some far tar off on realm siy bly away ay 7 beyond the bounds bounds of time and spaced where human never trace the saints secure abode as our sectarian tarlan brethren sin bing eing about I 1 donot do not understand this bobc t of the saints of Go god dupon upon the earth at it all ail 1 I understand that the king kingdoms domst domet of ou as world arc are to become the kingdoms of our cur ur lord aid ald hia bis christ jut mot so soon eoon as the god of heaven finds a s people who will be obed obedient lent to his hia law well what la Is necessary arth then ci why in the first place there thene mu must at be a people t to govern and a king to ro llover them it takes that much anyhow to constitute a kingdom tha tho peo pie must havea haven a place to dwell thoy they must have lands landi land streams of water TalI tall valleys CYS mountains ranges grass timber rock canons is and everything we find here ou the earth parth the ele eie elements mints with which it is coy covered and surrounded and which are found in its depths in order to obtain a sustenance all these things are necessary in any kingdom the people want houses to live in orchards for fruit also vegetables they want I 1 land laud a nd susceptible 5 u le 0 of litigation irrigation and cultivation ii cattie cattle horses carriage 4 wa codis ZOTiS vehicles to transport things in la and to do business all these things arc necessary in building tip the kingdom of god there must also be schools meet Ingi houses housea temples and cities built to the pame name cambol of the abe most high according AS s he ball shall direct it is necessary to build jem cm ples plea that we may attend attena to the ordinances for those who hate hare gone before for all millions lionson of them haver havee lived according to the best light they had and they were vere ivere moral and exemplary all the days of their lives and did all the good they could without temples they could not have the privilege e and opportunity of being officiated for in the ordInance ordinances sor of the gospel of salvation devised by our father in m heaven before the world was organized this plan of salvation was devised before this earth was organized anizel and made habitable for the children chili zen of men bodwell to dwell onaway on away in the eternities I 1 back when the morning stars i gang sang together and all the sons bons dons ions of god shouted for joy it I 1 you yon know when that was we have to obey that plan plau of salvation here in our earthly probation in 0 order onder that we may have the tho privilege of going back into the presence of god goa wei we need not go to that plan of 0 talvi salvation tion for tor we cannot make it any better it if we do the world have been doing so ever since men came to dwell upon it but I 1 do not see thit they have done anything any than to improve pro ve it gods plan of saying saving his sons and daughters stands just the bame same today to day as it the beginning and it will trill continue so through a never ending eternity I 1 am nat aware that god ever asked us here to help to devise a plan for our own salvation I 1 never heard of any euch each thing he had bad the right to do doit dolt it himself and he did it and it is for mankind to receive it it if they choose to do so and if they do choose so to do it is nob odys business they have that they have a mind to belleve and othen other people have i a right to believe aleve hi in and embrace man made systems and to hold dri dil on to |