Show BY elder eldor rin WIN T an lff iff 00 DRUFF belive delivered ted red in ih tho the new tabernacle salt sall I 1 L lake 11 ke afy sunday ater after noon august 1876 REPORTED BY ily GEO F GIBBS IN connection with the young brother E elder eider Ide joseph rJoseph parry who hajt returned from a preaching mabion to I 1 england wish to bear my testimony and to make a few remarks on the scripture contained in the last chapter of st mark commencing at the verse wherein an account ia is given of the saviours Savi ravi ours appearing unto the eleven disciples and of his upbraiding them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen etc at this time the following commission he gave unto them go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature he ire that believeth beli bell eveth and is baptized ghail shall be behaved bes bea saved aved but he that believeth beli eveth not shall be damned and these signs shall follow them that believe ln in my name shall they cast out devils they shall speak with new tongues they shall take up bar ear p penta enos and if they drink any deadly thing it ahall ishall not burttham hurt burt them and they shall lay jay hands on the sick and they shall recovery recover it may app appear ear singular to some why our elders do not treat on what is termed the mysteries of the kingdom I 1 know of no greater mystery to the tho inhabitants of the earth than the gospel of jesus christ and yet the 1 gospel is so plain and BO so easy t to be udder understood stood that the unlearned and the youth can know of it the apostle paul said for I 1 am not ashamed of the gospel of christ for it is the power of god unto salvation to everyone every one that believeth beli bell eveth 11 he considered it of so much importance that on another occasion in writing to the galatians he said but though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that we have preached unto you let him be accursed from the fact of the gospel being so simpie simple of its being adapted to the condition and circumstances of all people and of its having gone forth by commandment of the saviour to all the world in the event of its being rejected condemnation must necessarily follow notwithstanding the simplicity of the gospel where during the last eighteen hundred years has been the man or the sect that has presented it to the world as taught by the saviour and his apostles beffie it was heaven in ful ailment of ancient prophecies to the young man joseph hand hand band preached by him no velce voice had ever been heard to proclaim it there had never been a church or an organization upon the earth since the days of christ and his apostles directed by the revelations of heaven and owned of god the gospel now being preached to all the world by commandment of the lord to the prophet joseph is ii the same as taught by adam enoch and the sa saviour lour I 1 it t never changes through lapse of time its ordinances and eind laws are always the same wor worlds ids without end the first principles of the gospel taught from the dawn of creation are faith rep repentance enhance and baptism and the laying on of hands for the reception of the holy ghost and they are the same today to day to certain minds there might be a mystery connected ed with these principles why say some is this chisso th isso ao 90 we can only answer because it is the law of the great jehovah the plan framed in the heavens for the salvation and redemption of man roan they are requirements quire ments made of the whole human family which must be obeyed in order that the prevailing pre pro availing mystery may be banished and the fruits and the blessings of tho gospel enjoyed the go gospel pei pel is free to all it is without money and without price but none can officiate in its ita ordinances acceptably to god except those who have received divine authority to dp do BO so for says the apostle no man this honor unto himself except he be called of god as was aaron but there are a great many gospels all claiming to be of christ and all differing mare more or less from one another and from the one taught by the saviour when upon the earth when he who has the authority preaches the gospel he promises in the name of jesus christ to all that believe and obey that the holy ghost will be given them by virtue of this promise all such can khow know for themselves whether it fi is of god or whether it is of man if an unauthorized man go goes es forth pretending to proclaim th this 1 s same gospel and it matters not how able and talented he may be le his doctrine can be detected because the promises which were to follow the believers in christ are not realized ghost which imparts Z its gifts unto men are not received and hence the fallacy of the doctrines of men is exposed so that none need be deceived our boys are often called from the plow and the workshop to go abroad to the nations to disseminate the principles of the everlasting gospel pel pei by what power are our young men sustained who thus go forth inexperienced rien ced without much e education du cation catlon presenting in meekness to a learned and intelligent world the gospel of christ god through his angels attends them he be strengthens their feeble knees and gives them utterance I 1 was once preaching to a large assembly in collinsville Col linsville connecticut when I 1 rot sot through a young clergyman came forward and asked me if I 1 had bad received my diploma from college I 1 answered him no dodou do you know baid eaid he that a man who has not received a college diploma has no right to preach 1110 no siri sir bir 1 I 1 said 1 I do not know it well weil ve I 1 sir air he said that is the case I 1 then asked him to inform me how it was that jesus preached without receiving a college diploma and if it such things as college diplomas were ever known or read of in the ministry of christ and bis his apostles the lord chose poor illiterate fishermen and sent them forth to combat comb at and even to confound the wisdom of if thew the wise lse ise his gospel is represented today to day by the weak things of the earth and has been new now for over forty years and what is the result of our prea preaching ehing ebing let facts speak for themselves you can behold for yourselves a people gathered here from the dif dlf different nations all prompted by the same motives namely to build up and establish zion on the earth in fulfilment of the words of god through the mouths of his prophets why bave have we been ao so successful thus far in accomplishing so great a work simply because god has confirmed I 1 our preaching and aud the te testimonies stimon a we have borne by conferring the holy ah ghost ost with signs follows following the beli bell believers evem had not this bee been theca the case se utah would be b today to day what it was on the alth myth alah of july 1847 1817 when the pioneers first set foot on its soil a barren desolate land unfit for the habitation of man the results of our preaching bespoke the fulfillment fulfilment of prophecy zion has arisen and some of the prophecies concerning her recorded in the old and new testament are ha having their fulfillment fulfilment angels have visited the earth and delivered the keys of E salvation to the prophet joseph he lived long iong enough to effect a complete organization of the church strictly according to the revelations of god to him god has in our day given gifts to men for the perfecting of the saints tor for the work of the ministry for lor the edifying of the body of christ the apostle likened the church unto a perfect body one part eanno canno cannot tsay say to the other no need of yu yeu but all the parts are necessary to complete the organization which is just juitt as necessary to effect the perfection of the saints of this generation as of any other faith in the lord jesus christs christ repentance and baptism for the remission of sin are absolute requirements which must be complied with before the holy ghost can be received these signs says the apostle shall follow them that believe in my name shall they cast out devils they shall lay bands hands on the sick and they shall recover etc these blessings are the right of every honest believer in christ they were set in the church by the saviour and remain with the church as a mighty cloud of or witnesses throughout this territory could testify to and not only they of this territory but those of every land and clime wherever the gospel has been preached and a branch of the church organized says the apostle john this gospel is to be preached to all that dwell on the earth to every nation and kindred and tongue and people as a witness before the second coming of our saviour to dwell on the earth who will come not as a lamb t to th e kau slaughter not riding 0 upon a colt the object of the people peopled lg scorn but he will come in power bower and great glory taking vengeance upon them that love and fear him not we therefore are sending glad tidings of great joy to whomsoever will receive them that they may come up to zion and escape the judgments that will most assuredly overtake the wicked I 1 know that we are engaged in the great latter day work the work of the living god and I 1 know that joseph smith was a prophet of god chosen and set apart to usher in this last dispensation of the ful ness of times he has left a record published sealed by his own blood confirming the truth of the same this testimony is in force to all the world and it will be in force until the end of time this we declare is the kingdom which the prophet daniel baw taw in vision never more to be thrown down or given to another people in these mountains zion is to be built up in fulfillment fulfilment of prophecy and every jot and tittle that has beau spoken of her must come to pass the last is arst first and the first will be last the gospel was first fent sent directly to the jews the saviour himself was of that lineage through the loins of david he lie came to his own but they received him not he was reproached of them from the day of his birth until tuey crucified him on the cross consequently the risen JRe deemer redeemer commanded his apostles to turn to the gentiles they received the work and enjoyed the gifts and blessings of the gospel even th Q comforter the holy ghost and the priesthood continued with them until a portion of them became unworthy of it through their falling away while the faithful were harassed and persecuted to their death the tho gos zos gospel pel pei is now restored to us gen gentiles tiles for we are all gentiles in a na national tion 1 I c capacity apa city eity and it will continue with us if we are faithful until the law is ls bound and the testimony sealed and the times of or the gentiles are fulfilled when it will again revert to the jews whom the lord will have prepared to receive it they will gather to their own land taking with them their gold and silver and will their city and temple accord according ing to the prediction of moses and the prophets when this time arrives which is nigh even at our doors let the gentile nations who reject the goabel which is now benu bent to them prepare to meet the judgments of an offended god for when heir their cup is full fall even to the brim the lord will then remember the chastisements of the jews his hia favored people and at whose hands bands they will have received double for their iniquities must come said the saviour but woe unto them by whom they come woe unto the gentiles who have administered afflictions to the jews for these many years woe unto them if they now reject this only means of salvation for the awful calamities spoken of in these books the bible and aud book of mormon will certainly befall them the principle of gathering has been preached for the past thirty seven years before this principle was preached by the elders a great many of or the people had received the spirit of it and the eon consequence sequence was that no sooner booner had bad it been taught by the presidency of the church than the people everywhere every eiery where were re dy to receive it it had been revealed to them em by the holy ghost whose office is to revea reveal that which is past present and that which is to come and no surer stronger testimony can be given to any one than it aff nords affords we have gathered here for the express pu purpose r of establishing zion which according to the scriptures must be before the gospel can be sent to the jews passage after passage might be found in the bible referring to our coming here the casting up of the highway on which the ransomed rans omed of thu thy lord might travel the building of our city lna inn ina lna low place which ws wis to be called sought out a city not forsaken and how the lord would cause springs of water to spring epand the desert too to blossom like the rose etc all of which have had their fulfillment fulfilment but how do the inhabitants of the earth regard these things with great indifference er in fact tiet it would be a marvel to me were it otherwise for according to the predictions the people in this age were to be like unto the people of the days of noah and lot marrying and giving in marriage practising practicing all manner of wickedness and and wholly unprepared for the coming of the son of man blau the jews were under DO no condemnation for rejecting the savior until he appeared amongst them as the light of the world then they had no longer a cloak for their sins sing and in rejecting him and those who were sent unto them they stood condemned before the lord and consequently his hla threatened judgments overtook them the people who heard not the gospel preached from the days of the apostles until its restoration in our day are under no condemnation for rejecting the tho gospel during the time it had been taken from the earth but the light again has dawned upon the world and the elders of israel are engaged proclaiming it far and wide and as it was with the jews so it will be with the gentiles who reject it for the predictions of gods prophets must have their fulwil fulfil ment and neither you nor I 1 can prevent it if we would we are charged with being uncharitable because we proclaim these things we are not to blame we are merely the creatures used by the almighty in doing his bia bidding the work is his the plan of salvation is the creation of his eu perlor superior wisdom not ours let me say to my brethren and sister sour responsibilities 11 ties are great far greater than the outside world w who ho reject the gospel we have received the light the knowledge of god we are under sacred covenants to stand by the truth and by oue another in righteousness if we are fauna to the cause crucifying the son of man afre h b great will wiil v III be our condemnation our time allotted us to tarry here below is short but our spirits are eternal and will live for evel and our future destiny depends on this our earthly career the lord has given en his angels ingels charge concerning us they are our friends and their eyes are over us they stand in waiting with sharp sickles in their hands bands ready to go forth and reap down the earth our calling is to perfect ourselves to purify zion and make it a fit habitation for the son of god when he comes to build temples and in them perform the and ordinances for the living and the dead and accomplish au all that god designs us to and that we may be faithful faith raith fui rui in the performance thereof is my prayer in the namo name of jesus amen |