Show DIS DISCOURSE COURSE BY elder WILFORD WOODRUFF DELIVERED at 11 me tile semiannual semi annual conference in th che the ard jew salt 1 r I 1 ime lare laje city oct 8 1873 REPORTED BE BY DAVID W EVANS I 1 AM called upon to occupy a little tiie tile this morning arid and I 1 realize that I 1 and my brethren are all dependent upon the spirit of god to guide dictate and direct us in all our public teachings as well as in all other acts we are called upon to perform in the kingdom of god the apostle says there is is no prophecy of the scripture which is of any c r private interpretation but hut holy men of old spoke as they were moved upon by the holy ghost the tile lord has told us in some of the revelations which he has given in our day that all of his messengers or servants his iders elders who are sent forth to teach should speak as they are moved upon by the holy ghost and when they follow this counsel what they say bay the lord says is scripture it is the mind and will of the lord itis the word of the lord and it is the power of god unto salvation and this is an unto you even all my servants who go forth to declare the words of life unto the inhabitants t a ants of the earth again the lord has said that it matters not whether it be by my own voice out of the heavens whether it be by the administering of angels or whether it be by the voice of my sef sei servants ants it is all the same and their words wolds shall be fulfilled though the heavens and the earth pass away this is the position which the prophets apostles and patriarchs have occupied upon the earth in every age and d dispensation asp sensation ensa tion they have llave had to be governed by the spirit of god and when men are sent with a message and th they speak as they are moved upon by y the holy ghost their words are the words of the lord and they will be fulfilled we have had a good deal of teaching during this conference from the servants of god teachings given ven by the inspiration of the B holy roly oly ghost we occupy a very peculiar position on the earth a position differing in many respects from any other dispensation to men paul says 1 though we or an angel from heaven preach unto you any other gospel than that which we have preached let him be accursed ll 11 all the teachings of the patriarchs and prophets prophets have shown chown us but one gosi gospel there is but one gospel there never was but but one and there never will hee bea bi the gospel revealed for the sal sai vemon of man is the tho same in every age cathe of the world adam our first great progenitor and father after the fall received this gospel and herec received he elved the holy priesthood in all its power and its keys and ordinances he sealed these blessings upon his sons seth enos jared cainan mahaleel enoch and aleh all ail these men received this high and holy priesthood they all professed to give revelation they tiey all had inspiration and left their record on the earth and not one efthem of them but what saw and prophesied cled about the thel great zion of god in the latter days and when we say this of them we say it of every apostle and prophet h et who ever lived upon the earth their rh 1 r revelations and prophecies all point to our day and that great kingdom of god which was spoken of by daniel that great zion of god spoken of by isaiah and jeremiah and that great gathering of the house of israel spoken of by ezekiel and malachi and many of the ancient patri patriarchs arelis and prophets when the lord has attempted to perform errors a work on the earth there fias rias has been one peculiarity with him and that is the instruments which he has mafe maae made use of have occupied a peculiar position in the world he has gene generally raily rally chosen the weak things of the world to confound the wise and things that were nought to bring to pass thin things which were when re ho wantena wanted wan tena tera a man to deliver dellver israel he be called moses who was in an art ark of bulrushes bul rushes among the crocodiles and alligators all ali gators of the river nile put there by his mother a hebrew woman because Moses was her first born and all the firstborn first born of the hebrews had to be slain the daughter of pharaoh through the providence of god godi preserved and taid by b her er he was given to his ni mother cither to raise ralso illien when called to deliver israel moses told the lp LQ rd id that ho he was a man s slow low of speech he did not feel quail qualified nned fled to perform so great a work yet the lord choso chose him iliin and lie be performed the work the lord assigned him so when the lord wanted a king icing for israel israe and the lot fell upon the family of jesse pesse the prophet went wont and called for the sons of jess to pick out this king all the boys were brought before him except david evid he was the smallest of the flock and was out taking care of tit the tho e a sheep heep jesse never thought of him at all ail all ail ile he brought his other sons who had been n trained in all the art and learning of the day iino and when they came in samuel could not see the one he wanted he asked jesse if lie had not any more sons yes lie he had a boy taking care of the sheep lets see him said the prophet and when he came he was anointed k kiong 11 g jesus js himself herself wa vas born iha in a stable and cradled in a manger and traveled in poverty all the way through iii fil I 1 bis his life when lie lle chose his disciples es it he did didlot not take the great feir leir learned ned nea nich rich and ind liable of that generation but ho he chose fishermen the most illiterate men and in it one sense of the word we may say almost the lowest calling among men in that day they were the ones the lord made use of to goforth gd 1 forth to preach his gospel and to build up his kingdom on oil the tile earth how is it in our day lay in ill this great and last dispensation the lord required an instrument who wiio would take hold and work with him he required some oli bil one le to lay the found i atlon of this great church and kingdom who would be willing to step forth and be led in the channel that was according to ia the mind and ana an d will wirl of god a man who could not be swayed by the traditions and religions of the ilahi whom did tri tsi the lord call the patriarchs and prop ro peets not only pointed out the zion of god and the manner mantler in which his church and kingdom should be established and built bulit up tip but they even oven called the thu name of the mail man who should be called to establish this work and I 1 do not know but the name of his father his name nama was to be joseph joeph and lio ho was waa to be a lineal descendant of ancient joseph S eph who was sold into egypt separated separated from his brethren the record or stick of joseph in the hand of ephraim ephraem Ephr alm aim which ezekiel speaks of which was NAras to b be put with the record of the jews in the last days dayn was to bean instrument in the hands of or god of performing this great grea work dr or laying the foundation of this church I 1 and the gathering of the twelve tribes of the house of asrael israel in n that record thee ther mans name was pointed out as well as the work he be was to do joseph knew nothing of all this until after lie he was administered to by the angel of god lie he had no knowledge of this when lie he brought forth that record to the world and until he translated it by the and ind Thum mim into the va eng english f sh language he had no knowledge whatever of this but here was that great band as strong as iron that surrounded him by the revelations of god for the last six thousand years by every man who spoke of the work of god lil lii h the last days these prophecies revelations aud nud and decrees of the almighty as it were surrounded that man and lie he had to le taught not by py man nor by the will of wn man but lie he required the angels of god to came forth and anti teach him it required the revelations of abd to teach him and he was waa adb taught lit for years yearn by visions and revelations and by holy angels sent from G god qa out of heaven to teach and instruct him and prepare him to lay the foundation of this church As I 1 before remarked these prophecies ro surrounded him forming forming in one sense bense of the word a band and a power ho ile could not get out of why no prophecy of scripture Is cpr pf any private interpretation but holy men nien of old oid spoke as they were moved upon by the inspiration of the holy ghost and when any of those prophets and patriarchs for the last six thousand years spoke when wrapped aped T ih prophetic vision of the zion of 0 f god being established in the last dispensation those decrees had to be ful fui filled to the very letter when joseph smith received these revelations he was an illiterate boy like david among the them sheep the lord in this day did not choose one from among the great mighty rich or noble but he chose one prepared from before the Mun foundation dation of the world to come forth in the last days through the loins loans of ancient joseph who in the tile hands of god was the savior of the house of israel and of the tho egyptians in lis his bis day this man was raised up in his proper time and anti came forth int into the world and the tile lord began to feel after him and to prepare him but he himself dia din not know even when he laid the foundation of this work tile the lord told ill lii him i you will lay the foundation 1 of a gr great greab work but now it not joseph himself could not comprehend unless lie was wrapped in file visions of eternity the importance of the work the to foundation unda of which lie luid hid laid when his hig mind was opened he could understand der stand in many respects tilt designs of or god and these revelations were around him and they guided his bis footsteps they could not fail fall of fulfillment they had to be e accomplished complis lied hed in the earth the ser vant of god goj came ame ferth and he jie received the book of mormon the flie record or stick of joseph in ill tile tilt hands of ephraim Ephr alm aim he brought forth that record according to tilo tile dictation of moroni nephi and lehi the angels of god gd who adman to him and lie translated it into the english language before lie he laid the foundation boli foil illation of this church joseph smith ald did not call upon any man mail to ordain or or 0 baptize him but be he waited until the lord sent forth iii ili his hit 4 servants to administer minla tei unto him he was commanded of the lord to go forth ari all and be baptized but not until he lie had received the priesthood Where did lie he get it and in fact what ia is tiie the tile priesthood it is 06 tue authority of or god in heaven to the sons of merr to administer in any of the ordinances of his house there never was a man an and ana d never be a man ill in this or any other age of the world who wilo has power and authority to administer in iii one of the ordinances 0 of the hou bou house bouse ja of god unless lie is called of god as was aaron unless miless lie has the holy priesthood i and is administered to tr by y those holding that authority 1 i there was no ill lii man all ali on the tiie oace face of the ille earth eartle nor bad had not been for por the last seventeen centuries who had power and authority from god to go forth and administer in olie orle one of the tile ordinances of the house of god what did he do then why the lord sent unto him john the ba baptist bieri who when upon the earth held the priesthood who wass waff be headed for tile tiie word of god anti and the testimony of jewus jesus christ ile he laid his ills hands upon the head of joseph and ordained him to dil ill e aaron ic priesthood and lie he never attempted to net act in any authority of the gospel until lie he received this priesthood joseph was then thep qualified to baptize for the remission of sins but he had not tile the authority to lay on hands nor for the hie reception ul it the holy ghost and lie be never attempted to administering adminis terin in this erdl ordinance until peter Jil james ries lies hild joh doh john it bvm of vil vii reter jeter and jame J were aiso also ma martyred marty i red for the tile asti teotimo ma ny of jesus and the word of god these three men were tilo the last who held the tiie keys of the apostleship in its falness and power previous to this dispensation they laid their hands upon the head of joseph smith and sealed upon him every power powen ower owen prin principle ciple ordinance and ind key belonging Ee longing belonging to the apostleship ari all and until he received this ordination lie he was waa not qualified and had hail no right to administer adMi nister hister in the ordinances of the house houie of god but he wd did this till after he received the priesthood antl and on the ath day of april 1830 lie organized this church with six members which was the foundation of what we see today to day in this tabernacle and for six undred hundred li miles through this american desert this has all come from that small seed the foundation of the great kinghorn of our god upon the tile earth what did do to after having received this priesthood arld arid nd its ordinances I 1 will tell you what lie he did ile he did that which seventeen centuries and fifty generations that have havo passed and gone of nil till the clergy and religions of or chris landom and the whole world combined were not able to do lie he although au an illiterate cd ed to the world th the tho 0 gospel of jesus christ in it its falness ful ness plainness mud simplicity lacity as taught by its aathar aid ald his apostles lie ho presented the church of jesus jesua christ and the hie kingdom of go god 1 perfect perfect in t their heiron or dab das paul u represents with beadi and aud feet arins afia and hands every member of the body perfect before heaven and earth how could he be an illiterate boy do that which the f th the learning of the christian world for sev enteen centuries nailed failed to do because he be was waa moved upon by lle ile tile lie power of god he lie vi wac w instructed by those men who when in the flesh had bad pre preached ached tile the same goss goit go it el alivin themselves and in doing this li he fulfIll fulfilled eA that which father adam enoch moses elias isaiah jeremiah and jesus and his apostles all prophesied about well might paul say bay 1 I am not ashamed of the tile gospel of or christ for it is the power of god unto salvation unto every one that believes so may me tho latter day saints say we are not ashamed althe of the coipel of christ chhist I 1 aan am not asli asil ashamed aniM to tobay say that thai joseph smith was a prophet of kf god I 1 I 1 am not ashani ashamed etl to bear beat record that he lie was called of god and laid the tile found foundation of this church alid on the earth for this is true and any man or woman who is his inspired red by tile tiie holy ghost can see and understand stand these things my aly brethren and sisters ti sisters bisters and friends berels here is laid the foundation of the tile fulfillment of that mighty nood hood of prophecy deli delivered 1 vered since the days of father A adam d ain aln down lo 10 the last prophet who breathed the tile breath of life there hns has heen ii more prophecy fulfilled in the last forty three years upon tile tiie fate face of we the earth carth than illan in two thousand year yeara i before these mighty prophecies as I 1 said before libba like ilke a band of iron governed and controlled joseph smith in lis liis its labors while h he c lived on oil the earth he lived until he received every key ordinance and lav law ever given to tiny any man 0 on it th the c earth from father adam down touching this dispensation he received powers and keys from under the tile hands of moses for gathering |