| Show DISCOURSE by y elder ORSON ORS ON PRATT delivered in th tie neu new tale Tabe tabernacle made mahe salt loam eake city sunday afternoon se sept pt 22 1872 REPORTED BY DAVID W kvass EVANS HAVING been requested to address the congregation this afternoon I 1 do so wito tho the greatest cheerfulness there is ia one passage of Scripture I 1 would like very much to take as aa a text if I 1 knew where to find it it is somewhere in the book of jere miah ralah or ezekiel I 1 have not time now dow to look it up and perhaps it would be better to take some other text having a bearing on the same subject the text to which I 1 would like to direct the attention of the people has reference to the colonization of this country by one of the descendants of Zede zedekiah klah kiah king of judah it reads some bome aning like ilke this thus thua saith the lord god I 1 will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar and will set it I 1 will crop ont onn from the top of his bis young twigs a tender one and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent in the mountain of the height of israel will I 1 plant it and it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit and be a gaily ce ced eed darand anand under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell we read of the fulfillment of this pro prom checy in the book of Mormon but because jl 1 cannot direct your attention to the passage I 1 will read another text which will be found in the lith verse of the psalm truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven forty nive five years ago this morning this prophecy so far na sus it relates to truth springing out oi of tha earth was fulfilled Forty five years ago early garly this morning plates resembling gold were wore taken from the earth the morning lri irl recollect right of the of september 1827 owing to that great event the territory of utah is now settled by the people called latter dby day saints owing to the fulfillment of this prophecy this tabernacle has been built here in these mountains and had it not been for that event it is probable thal that utah territory would still have been a desert a barren solitary uninhabited district of country sometimes sometimes great things are accomplished and grow out of things 4 that appear very small in their nature it has been so in relation to this prophecy truth shall spring out oat of the earth in order that the meaning of these words maybe may be more fully understood it may way not dot be amiss to read the context or the pas sages preceding the psalmist commences s X lord urd thou hat been boen favourable favour tat fat durable able unto iby thy land thou lust brought back tle oto captivity ot or jacob thou hast forgiven borgh en the tiie iniquity of thy people thou hase hasi ca cov cred all their sin siu scelah asiah thou liast hast taken anav all thy wrath thou hast turned thyself from tho the heu neu fierceness ceness or philio anger auger turn us uso usa 0 god of our salvation saha tion tiou and ard ar and d cause thine thino anger auger toward us to cease wilt thou bo be angry with us ug for over ever wilt thou daw araw out thine anger auger to all generations geno gene callous wilt thou thoa tho i not revive us again that thy thy people may way i ajo cc in m thee theo Lord lol loi d yand and grant grante us thy sah atlon I 1 will hoar hear what rt hat ged god tho lord speak for nie lre will speak mace oace unto his people and to hla hia baines but let iet thom not turn tur tui n again to folly foil surely his a stiv silv atlon is them thab thit seir feir fe ir liim tb that at glory may way nta nia dwell divell in in our land marly and truth are mob meb together rig 8 iless uns and peace have havo lu 0 kissed each other truth shall spring out of 0 the earth and right rig ht eoas coas ness shill look down from heaven 1 yea tilo tho lord shail shill rivo rixo gi 0 thac that w tich itch is esgo g oco ed and du dur sur r land laud shall yield her increase righteousness shall go belore before him and shall shail set scot its iu in tho the way M as ol of ills his steps slips thui reads the psalm it is very evident that the psalmist david being fill ed with the spirit of prophecy saw the condition of the people of israel saw also atiat talat they would be under the displeasure of the almighty for many generations and he prays that the lord would look upon them in compassion and turn himself from the fierceness of his anger that it might not be drawn out towards them to all generations erat ions and he utters this prayer turn us 0 god cf rif our salvation and show unto us thy mercy etc toe lord in answer to this prayer promised to speak peace to his kis people but said he let them not turn again unto folly and then he informs them how he would speak peace unto them and how he would turn himself from the fierceness of his anger that his anger might not be drawn out unto them to all generations he informs them that he be would commence this great work that should result in peace and salvation to israel by causing truth to spring out of the earth at which time righteousness should look down dowa from heaven righteousness an and ana d truth and peace should kiss one another and the lord should cause the land of israel again to yield its increase we know how barren sterile and uninhabitable is ia the land that was once promised to that chosen people the lord has not only cursed the people and made them a hiss and byword among all the nations whither they have been driven but his anger auger has also been beer upon their land he has withheld withhold the rains of heaven and has cursed it with barrenness and sterility and the tho cities which once covered ils its face and reared their lofty spites to lie he in ruins and scarcely a vestige orsome of some rome of them can be found but when the lord should cause truth to spring forth out of the earth he be would speak peace to his bis peo pie and to theli their land and it should yield its Inci east and truth should go before him and should set sot them in the way of his bis steps we have been proclaiming for forty two years this thia book of mormon which we have declared ha has i sprung forth from the earth by the power of the almighty for the benefit first of 0 the gentile nations the to the words of the book must go forth to all people nations and tongues under the whole heavens beavens called the gentile nations after which the lord has promised in numerous places in this record that it should go to the remnants of the house of israel but bat that which the lord intends to accomplish first by the bringing forth of this book is the redemption of as many as will hearken to its words in all the gentile nations nation of the earth and to gather them together in one for not only are the house bouse of israel Israe liand and the house of judah to be gathered back to their own landshut lands but all christians q through out the whole earth are to be gathered 1 in one in the latter days according to a prophecy which you will findan nind find in the chapter of isaiah 1 I will bring them from the east eash east and gather them from the tho west I 1 will say to the north give up and to the south keep not back bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth even every one that is called by my name narue this has reference to the sons and daughters of the living god to iha the people called saints not particularly to the lite literal ral rai seed of the house of israel but to jo all those who believe in him and who are called by his name all must be gathered all must come from the ends of the earth no christians will be left scattered abroad over the nation nations Fi as many suppose will be the case ease so long as time lasts A complete and full gathering together of the people of god must talie take place in the latter days called by paul the dispensation of the fullness of times you will find this prediction in the first chapter of his epistle to the Ephe ephesians paul thero there declares that a dispensation new mus must toome come in and he denominates nominates de it the dispensation of the fullness of times Ile he tellaus tells telis us chatin that in that dispensation the lord will gather together in one all things in christ every person that believes inand luand has put on christ by baptism and by repentance ofsan of sin must be gathered in conein tha t dispensation not only those on earth but those in heaven allibe all ril the congregations who are jn in christ who have dwelt on the earth in former ages are to be united with those who are 1 in tl blaho the aho flesh on the earth one great vast general assembly of all ali thab that are lito in christ the dead as well as the living from thie the days of adam down until the work is completed in order to commence this thia great work the lord has brought forth trout of the earth he will speak peace to his hii people eollo and they are requested by the Psalmist when the lord undertakes to do this work never to turn again unto folly now I 1 will attempt to give a brier brief account to my bearers of how joseph smith obtained the plates of the bookoff mormon from theearta the earth helas he was buta buts buh but a lad a farmers bo boy when the lord began to 10 speak to him an and send his hia angels to him being not quite fifteen years of age he ike was almost too young to be a brazen raced impostor was he be not cast your eyes around on this congregation for the youth of fifteen and see if you think it would be possible for one of that early age ae to become of the moat barefaced impostors impo stora that the world ever over heard of for joseph smith was thus regarded by the world at large with few exceptions and he must have been blen so at a very early age it this work be not true for he be could not be deceived himself in relation to it there was no lio possible chance for any deception so ao far as ho ile him self was con COD concerned corned why because the circumstances were of huch tuch a nature that he could not be deceived god revealed to him that there were certain plates deposited about three miles from his fi fathers house lie he saw in vision the place of their deposit he heard the holy angel declare to him in relation to these records but first about four years prior to this the first vision that he bad was in answer to prayer being but a youth and anxious for the salvation of his soul soui he be secretly prayed in the wilderness that the lord would show unto him what he should do what church be should join the lord lord lora heard beard and answered this prayer do not be astonished good Christi christl christides Chri stines kins kius because the lord hears bearb prayer in the century I 1 know it is very popular to pray to the lord in christendom but when you talk about the lord answering prayers by giving revelations elat ions visions or sending angels it is very unpopular but unpopular as it was this youth ventured to go an and d ask the lord for wisdom having in the first place read a passage in the new testament which says if any man lack wisdom let iet him ask of god who to all liberally Hber ally aily and up br aideth not and it shall be given unto him joseph smith was not so full of tradition that he could not lay hold of this promise I 1 do not know that he be bad been taught long enough the idea that the lord would not hear prayer at any auy rate having road this passage he prayed really believing in his bis heart that the lord would answer him for he wanted wisdom he i wanted to know which isaa was the true chris tian church that he be nal nai might glit be united with it and while ahil pleading with and praying to the lord for this information which was a matter of great concern to him the heavens were opened and two personages clothed in light or fire descended and stood before him AS soon as this light surrounded him and he be was enclosed or enveloped in it his mind waa caught away from earthly objects and things and he saw these two glorious personages their countenances with exceeding great brilliancy one of them while pointing to the other addressed him in this language behold my beloved son hear bebr yo ye him all fear was taken from this boy during the progress of this wonderful event and he felt happy but mt anxious to know concerning the things about which he be had been praying and he be repeated his bis request that ho he might be lold loid which was the true chrisi tian church he was informed that thore there was no true christian church on the earth that there was no people established or organized according to the apostolic order 1 that all had gone out of the way and had departed from the ancient order of things that they bad denied the power of God godliness ilni lill the gifts ginns miracles the spirit of revelation and prophecy visions that all these things had been done away with by the unbelief of the children of men and that there were no prophets or inspired men on t earth as there always had been when there was a true church upon the earth he was strictly commanded to join none of them the lord also informed him that at some future period of time if he would be faithful in giving heed to the instructions which were theu imparted to him and in his bis prayers to the lord he would impart to him his own doctrine in plainness and simplicity some four years passed away from this time making this boy not onite anite nineteen years of age and on one sunday evening he returned to his bed room pon POD pondering dering upon the promise that lad bad been given to him I 1 and he henegan aegan began praying earnestly again that the lord would show him the true gospel of his son gon according to the promise and while he was thus praying in his bis gathers rathers house to in his chamber a light burst into the room becoming brighter by degrees shining and then thau partially withdrawing so that tear rear did not take possession of his bosom to any great degree ahbe abba As he continued praying the light became brighter and brighter and finally a personage clothed in a white robe stood before him this personage was a little above the size of common men at the present day and his arms and feet were partially bare his feet did not stand on the door noor of the room bues but a certain and i his coulten countenance ance bhone shone like lightning this thia angel appeared so pleasant beautiful and anu glorious and his countenance radiated such sueh happiness on the mind of this young lad that all fear was taken from him as on the former occasion this personage told him that he be was an angel of god and that he hw had been bee sent in answer to his hia prayer with a very important message to deliver to hlin him that god god designed to accomplish a great work on the earth and that he was to bo be a chosen instrument in laying the foundation of and establishing this work he commenced telling him hlin about the ancient inhabitants of this continent ue he told him that the present american indians were the descendants of israel that their forefathers were brought here from jerusalem about six centuries before christ that when whon they came they were a righteous people and had bad prop heta hotd among them that when they landed lauded on this continent they commence commended commenced dt by the commandment of the lord keeping a record of their history their prophecies and sacred doings upon m metallic plates that that nation after having dwelt here about a thousand years fell into great wickedness that they divided themselves into two great nations that the fortion portion that had bad these plates tho the Nep hites bites had ad so far apostatized from the lord that thal he threatened their overthrow and to destroy them if they did not repent that the prophets prop heta went forth among them prophesying that if they did not repent the other nation called Lama |
