| Show DISCOURSE by elder ERASTUS evo ewo SNOW W delivered at the semiannual gemi semi annual conference oj he the church of jesus chit christ of latter day saints Octo october belr belp 7 1872 REPORTED BY DAVID W EVANS I 1 AN AM afraid I 1 shall not be able to make you hear bear unies unless you wish to hear god has said that zion shall be as a city set upon a hill bill whose light can not be hid we are called to be the children of zion the lord has declared that zion consists of the pure in heart he has said further that the nations of the earth have corrupted their way before him and referring to babylon his commod command to lla lia uis nis saints saint is come out of her 0 my people that ye be not partakers par takers of ler her her mt sans a I 1 no that yo ye receive not of her plagues the bible is fult fuit of prophecies delivered by y the prophets pro anth ts and patriarchs and by the havior savior and ana h his is apostles conce concerning ing the da day Y and age in which we live the he end d ra nigh and the time approach eth sp speedily eed lly liy when the lord will make a fullen fallen ruil full end d of all nations who fight against zion who reject his law and harden their hearts against him his precepts and his government it is our high privilege to bear this testimony and the testimony test mona we have to bear unto the people of the century is but a renewal of that which was borne by prophets and saints in days past and gone they spoke of the time in which we live by the spirit of prophecy and revelation which was like one looking through a glass darkly yet it is our privilege to behold with our eyes and to hear bear with our ears those things which prophets and patriarchs long desired to tsee isee but died without the sight might the duty especially enjoined upon us today to day is to awake to righteousness and consider the calling wherewith god las has has called us we should consider that god has separated us by the preaching of his word and by the testimony of jesus and has called us to be a distinct people distinct in this particular that we separate ourselves from sin and wickedness and as far as possible pos sible sibie from the company of sinners and from all those customs and habits that end gend to darken degrade and abase the human mind ana and cultivate those which will sanctify the affections purify the heart and ennoble the whole being of man and fit us as far as in us lies to regenerate ourselves and our race in in short desires and has put forth his hand to exalt his people from their low degree and to lift them up and make of them a peculiar people a holy na tion a king kingdom dona donn of priests unto the most alost high god and the lamb in all this is there anything that can hurt destroy or injure in any wise any portion of our fel who do not feel disposed to foin join us in this glorious work or engage with us in this noble enterprise not at all the salvation bal bai of god is in re healed for the good of all men who will receive it the gospel to is offered without money and without price to all flesh and the testimony that we bear to the world is that jesus died for ali nil and that through the shedding of his blood salvation may come unto all men who will believe and yield obedience unto the requirements of his gospel the government which is inaugurated augu rated ted and established among men by the preaching of the gospel and the administration ni of its ts holy ordinances is a go vern ment of peace love iove love iove and goodwill to mon men prompting those who receive it to do go good d unto all but especially unto the ho household u sebold of faith the duties which are enjoined upon us are first to our own household the household of god those thosa who have been baptized into christ by being born again of the water and of the spirit and become the rp children hildren of god by adoption next to all men who have not thus been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kluga kingdom am of go gods ds dear son and that love which hi h I 1 is wrought t in the saints of god by the nir fir fire of the holy boly ghost through faith in and obedience to the gospel prompts all who are brought under its influence to yield obedience to its requirements and to labor for the well being of every creature that bears the form of god there is nothing in the constitution of the gospel or the organization of the church of christ and the kingdom of god among men mien and the tha pre pro precepts that are taught of god and his servants that would in the least degree inflict injury or withhold blessings from any member of the family of man moan inasmuch as they place themselves in a condition to receive them and are willing to accept them but god has ord ordained aired alRed certain everlasting principles of truth by which his people may be exalted and without which they cae car can not be exalted into his bis presence and to the enjoyment of his glory all things are governed by law and all good and wholesome laws which are ordained and enacted by men designed for the peace prosperity and of their lellow creatures should be respected maintained and honored by all people and this is in one of the duties enjoyed upon all saints in all the commandments and revelations of god to his hi people it is further the duty of all who are entrusted with tie the tho the administration of law in any department whatever to ash ast in good faith in all ali all nil purity and int integrity arity and in gosc rosc good conscience on clence for the and ha happiness of their fellow creatures in tb the A administration of justice truth ond and liuda judgment and it should be the aim of a all ali lawmakers to consult the best beat interests of the people from whom they derive authority or in whose behalf they are called to act it is the duty of latter day saints and of all good people to honor all laws and regulations that are ordered for the freedom of all flesh and if there are people who vi ho do not feel disposed to or who can not receive the testimony of the lord jesus they are left with as much freedom to enjoy the rights and privileges which are accorded to them as the children cn ildren lidren of god on the earth as though they did believe taking and suffering the consequences of their own unbelief nn belief which consequence will be a failure to attain to the blessings which are revealed and which god deigns to bestow upon the obedient and faithful the tho word of the lord unto all flesh is come unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I 1 am meek meeli and lowly of heart and yo ye shall find rest to your our souls for my yoke is easy and my berdenis bur denis light if any doubt theyone the yoke of christ being easy and his burden being light let them try the experiment and an demonstrate for themselves if there are any either within or without the church of christ who feel his yoke to be heavy and galling and aad his burden not to be easy j I 1 can inform them that the they have not taken upon themselves the yoke of christ they are not bearing his burden for they are not meek and lowly of heart they have not learned their lessons correctly how to govern and control their own spirits by the principles and spirit of the everlasting gospel there is nothing in its nature that is oppressive galling or hard to bear in saying this I 1 give the experience of my life for it has been devoted from my childhood to the contemplation of these glorious truths with an earnest endeavor to apply them practically unto myself and I 1 have demonstrated them and 1 I speak that which I 1 know and have experienced and most assuredly believe and testify of them and many there are who believe this testimony end and are able to corroborate it and those who are not and have not experienced it in their lives have the privilege of doing so it is our duty to sanctify the lord in this land that he has given Vs us for an inherit inherits ance once by observing not only the law of tithing which is one means which he has given iven us for that purpose but by observing every precept that emanates irom from him and living by every word that proceeds from his mouth not forgetting the words of wisdom which are designed to improve us in a physical point of view to add strength to our bodies lengthen our lives to increase our powers of andu endurance rance and to increase the and power of the rising generation every institution which god has established in our midst social political and religious is designed for our improvement individually and collectively as a people and as families to prolong our lives and to increase our usefulness and our ability for good in the earth and if we observe these principles and apply them diligently in our lives praying earnestly wih our families and in secret to the lord for wisdom in doing so our light will continue to shine our strength to increase and our influence both at home and abroad on the earth and in the heavens before god angels and good men and the strength union faith light and purity of the lives of the latter day saints will be a terror to evildoers evil doers what can men do against the lord and against the people who fear him and are united in good works what whai can the arm of floila accomplish but its own discomfiture the weapons of the people of god goa are not carnal but they are mighty through throng faith wo we war not against flesh hd and blood I 1 but against spiritual wickedness in hig big high places and against corruption wherever I 1 it is found reproving sin bin folly deception dishonesty and wickedness of every land kind and if there are those who pr profess 0 fess to be saints and who do not live the we lite of saints whose light is not shining whose lamps are not trimmed and burning whose lives and and examples do not correspond with the principles of the gospel this only testifies to the weak resa ress of men and is nothing against the truth the testimony of jesus or against the testimony of those who do live their religion and magnify their calling as saints sainte and whose precepts and examples correspond correa pond if some do not believe will that make the truth of god of none effect or less valuable and aud what if some do not I 1 make their lives correspond with their doctrines doot rines and precepts it will but show i more vividly and clearly the character of those who are clean and pure and who do love the truth and delight to honor it I 1 am a witness of the truth which god has revealed unto man pertaining to the fullness of the gospel that jesus is the son of god the savior of those who will receive him and that he has laid the foundation for a more glorious and extended salvation than the majority of us are capable of conceiving and properly comprehending pre hending and his work Is ia onward in the earth and it will continue onward and upward until the nations of the earth ahall shall be warned and all people who will haar baar may hear bean and receive the gospel be numbered with his children be gather ed into his fold become the children ot of zion alon and prepared for his eon con coming dirig for at the appointed time which he has bortold for told and which time is in the bosom of the father the son will surely come in the clouds of heaven and the holy f ingels angels with him to assume the reins of government on the earth and to reign king of kings mugs and lord of lords then all those who will not bow to his bis sceptre tre yield obedience to his rule and accept of his government and of his bis dominion will be cutoff cut cul off then comes the time spoken of when every knee that remains shall bow how low and every tongue confes sto the glory of god the father that jesus is the christ it is to lay the foundation of this work and to prepare a people for this era that the lord called his servant joseph smith and revealed unto him the fullness fallness of the gospel in this the century elder eder rich bich testified that he knew know by bv the revelations of god to himself that joseph smith was a prophet of god the tho question will arise in the minds of the unbelieving how can this be they marvel ilke like nicodemus mar marn veiled when jesus told him he must be born again he wondered within himself how a man could be born again how when he was old he could enter a second time into his mothers womb mb and be born the marvel rises in the L minds of many how can a man know for himself that joseph smith was truly called to be a prophet seer beer and revelator to this generation 7 that god did reveal to him the fullness of the gospel that the book of mormon contains the fullness of the gospel the same that was taught and revealed by the savior and his disciples as recorded in tho the new rew testament tient 7 how can a man know that angels administered to him that god opened the visions of heaven to the prophet joseph smith I 1 answer they may know it precisely as the apostle peter knew that jesus was the christ the son living god it is in this manner that elder rich bich knows own that joseph smith was a prophet it is in this manner that I 1 kno know w be I 1 ay was 98 a prophet and a servant of god raised up to commence this work in the earth and to lay the foundation of the church and kingdom of god on the earth when jesus asked peter and the rest of the apostles whom do men say that I 1 the son of man am they answered some think thou art ellas elias others that thou art john the baptise baptist risen from the dead others that thou art jeremiah or one of the prop prophets bets 11 but whom say ye that I 1 amp am peter answered thou art the christ the son or of the living god blessed art thou simon Bar jonah flesh and blood hath bath not revealed rove aled sled this unto thee theeb but nt my father who is in heaven and verily I 1 say unto thee upon this rock I 1 will build my church and the gates of hell shail bhail not prevail against it not upon peter not his person for he was flesh and must pass away like the flower of the field it was not on peter eter or his successors in office as is taught by the homish church then who and what was this rook rock christ referred to it was the rock of revelation revelation from the living god on this rock said the savior 1 I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I 1 repeat that I 1 know the truth of ef the go peter knew that jesus was the christ by revelation unto me from the father who is in heaven and I 1 bear this testimony unto you I 1 know that there are many very many whose testimony has been proclaimed in the theeart ears of this generation and is recorded in heaven their words aro are like the pre clous things that john saw in the vials that were before the throne of god and their testimony will remain and blessed are all those who receive it blessed be the lord god who revealed those these things unto peter and unto his servant joseph and who has revealed it unoo unto nymore ma many more who have sought him with an earnest desire to know his ways I 1 blessed are those who fear him and keep his commandments I 1 may god help us to t live as saints and let our light shine I 1 may god seal the testimony of the twelve upon the hearts of those who desire it that they may come unto and walk in the light be saved through the truth hana bana band and inherit exaltation with the sanc sanctified tifis is my prayer for christs sake amen |
