Show D DISCOURSE IS GO UR S IF DELIVERED BY ELDER JOHN TAYLOR in the shenew mew new tabernacle salt zake lake e city sunday afternoons nor non 5 1876 REPORTED BY LY GEO OEO F GIBBS fyr tyr W T IN meet on sabbath days wo assemble generally for tho the purpose df renewing our spiritual strength by partaking of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of our lord and saviour jesus christ comma commuting ting with our own hearts and reflection reflecting in u upon on things pertaining to the u kingdom IV g om of god and of speaking and listening to those things that have a tendency to en lightn enlighten our minds and establish us in the faith to increase and confirm our hopes and to enable us to press onward with avidity conil confidence dence and renewed determination in the path which the lord nord has marked out for us to travel in As latter day saints we mccu occupy a singular position in the tho worl world our views and ideas theories arl all and faith doctrines and ordinances ar are in many respects different from those which exist abroad and from those which many of us have been educated in we have become latter day saints in obedience to strong convictions which have been forced upon us by the spirit of the living god and through the teaching testimony and evidence that have been brought to tg bear upon our minds by those who visited us and imparted to us the principles of the gospel in this respect we diner from a great many of the religious sects when started it did not come with a revelation from god nor did it profess any direct authority from him im nor any communication with or from him it protested simply against certain errors which existed in what was then called the catholic church the reformers did not propose to introduce any direct communication from god but simply to correct certain prominent abuses that they considered had crept into the ehu chu church ruhh and those men were considered heretics ere ore by the church they had left since that time a spirit and feel ing of a similar nature have existed more or less among other peoples if we examine the ideas and acts of luther Melan othon and some prominent reformers we find that a great many sects and parties have since then taken the same liberty with their creeds and formulas which they took with their mother church and they have generally used the same kind of argument namely ifft if it was right and proper for the first reformers to protest against the doings acts ordinances and proceedings of the church which had by them been coil coia considered sider heretofore as the only christian church and to protest against the acts of its priesthood and the doings ingson of the people it was proper also for other reformers reform ena era to arise and correct those first reformers on many doctrines views and principles that they may have entertained this ki kind nd of spirit having been inaugurated and adopted like leaven it has worked increased and spread until great numbers of sects and parties have appeared through christendom all claiming the same rights that the first re formers exercised in correcting what they believed to be wrong and unscriptural with us latter day saints it is very different we have never claimed any affinity or connection with or professed to derive any power powen wen or authority from any of ot the partie parties aj no matter what name they may bear nor to an any y of the dissenters who have bave separated rated themselves from them sVa N we e have never professed an adherence to any of those principles that have been promulgated by others the origin of our faith is that god has spoken that in ja the midst of conflicting opinions which prevailed with regard to him be he has thought pro proper r to settle that question once an and nape f for all by the revelation of his will to the human family hence we as latter da day y saints have based our falth faith upon these revelations given originally to joseph smith and taught by vy those who have been ordained and set apart by bims him and who have gone forth as messengers to the nations of the earth to pro claim not flog what somebody some Bome body else said in former times only not to make known what other men have done in other dispensations alone but to reveal to the human family what t the he wl will I 1 of god is concerning them this ig Is the position on we occupy as lieas ideas latter atter day S saints if we have any ideas idels of a god we have obtained them through these revelations if we have a worship which is accepted of god it is because the lord has dictated as to its form and manner if we have a priesthood it is lecause because some of the ancient priesthood who existed heretofore on the earth and now administer in the heavens have come and conferred upon man on the earth this authority if we have ordinances of any kind it is not because other people cavere have received these ordinances through whom we have obtained themy them but because god has revealed them to us direl and if we have various officers in the church it is not because we have copied after any other church or people but because god has told us what his order is what his law Is in relation to the these matters and the proper manner of goberni government ent to conduct and direct th the abfal affairs s of god upon the earth it is I 1 in short the revelation of the will of god to man in these the last days now without any kind of circumlocution these are bome gome leading prominent features of our faith predicated upon these the quorums of priesthood strood associated with our church have been established which are the first presidency the twelve apo apostles fales high priests seventies elders bishops priests teachers deacons and with all the various organizations that exist in the church and kingdom of god all these were given not by the wisdom or intelligence elligen c e of man nor were they instituted according to any pattern that elsewhere exists upon the earth at the present time nor based upon any faith promulgated by any body of divines by any scientific or literary associations by any system of theology or philosophy on any plan of any kind introduced byr byi by mans nans wisdom but they thov were introduced by the almighty according to the revelations of god to us for our guidance and direction in all of our affairs in life to prepare us to accomplish c com eom not our own will but the will of our father in heaven not to carry out any ideh ideal of our own but the ideas intentions commands and directions of the almighty that we might gather together from the nations of the earth those who are willing to listen to the principles of eternal truth an and d form a grand nucleus in the valleys of the mountains which should gr grow ow increase and spread under the guidance and direction of the almighty until the il king 1 ia doms of this world become the t kingdoms olour of our god and his christ this is really the thing we have engaged in and we are indebted to him for his direction and ad instruction from its first inception to the present E resent time and meshall we shall be thus indebted from this time henceforth and forever for the guidance instruction st teaching and protection of the almighty to enable us to consummate the work which he be originated and organized it matters not to us what the opinions of men may be pertaining to these matters god has given us a 11 mission to perform and in the name of israels god and with hla hia assistance we will try to do it the ways of god the plans and designs of the almighty have never been very congenial to the feelings of human nature or to the waywardness of the human family whenever god has made known his will to man in any age of the worlds history there has always been a spirit of antagonism which has prevailed more or less against it this same opposition exists today to day and has done from the first organization of this church and I 1 will say it will continue to go on and increase and become more intensified in proportion to the growth and spread of the principles of truth awesome e sometimes think we have had a great deal to contend with it Js tru true we have hud hod a little but we might have had more those who have made themselves themselves acqua acquaint intel latel ei with the sayings of the holy prophets contained in the word 0 of f god as made known on the continent of asia as well as on this 0 continent onti nent and the prophecies which have havo been given through the medium of josepn joseph smith in relation to this bame same a me subject are very well aware that the church is 18 comparatively in its infancy and eo so also are the persecutions of those who are op on rosed posed to it we have been in the abit habit of reflecting on the position of the nations for instance and upon the cala caia which must overtake them overlooking perhaps the various powers which are to be brought against gods goda people these have assumed at various times different shapes at first organizations merely operated against joseph smith then persecutions arose in small email towns and villages against those who believed in this modern prophet then it followed us into states then we had to endure exile from different counties iu lu missouri and afterwards from one place to another until finally we had to evacuate the state we then found ourselves assuming a little more importance in illinois and we learned too that as we increased there in strength and importance so proportionately increased opposition to us and to the p principles we advocated until we h had ad to pledge ourselves to leave a I 1 large arge and beautiful city and an extensive t district of coun then we came here to these valleys of the rocky mountains since then antagonism has presented itself in a variety of forms through united states officers military and civil until it culminated in the united states sending out an army against us since then they have adopted every kind of method that mans ingenuity could lavent invent to harass and annoy us and to interfere with our civil civils social and religious rights and with our interests peace and prosperity Is this the end no for if the scriptures be true we have not got through yet we have not yet built up the kingdom and consequently the struggle is not over nay it has hardly commenced nor are we alone in the dealings of god with the people in this dispensation pen pensa tion atlon the jews will b have i ve to berf perform orin brin quite a role in these last times they also will havu have to endure a large amount of trials per and difficulties which have yet to come como upon them they will in due time be gathered together to their own lands like we are gathered here and nations will go up against them and then too will certain nations come against us but we have not yet got through with the united states in relation to events that will yet tak take e place and the hind kind of trials troubles les Jes a and d sufferings which we shall have 70 to cope with wit th it is to me a matter of very little moment niona ent these things are in the hands bands of god he dictates the affairs of the human family and directs and controls our affair affairs 9 and the great thing that w we as a people have to do is to tee iee seek reek a after f t er and cleave unto our god to b be e in close affinity with him and to seek for his guidance and his blessing and Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the right path then it matters not what it is nor who it is that we have to contend with god will give g ive lve us strength according to our day there is no question in the hearts of all good latter day saints about the future destiny of the church Kingdom and of god upon the earth that with them is a settled fact i neither does it concern them what this thia man or the other man may do it makes no particular difference god has a certain object to accomplish and he will do it in his own way and in his own time he holds he will manipulate them and their affairs as he pleases and they cannot help themselves be he will also manipulate the affairs of the latter day saints having his hia watch care eare over them thom as lie ever even ats had over overt all his people if we are found to be willing and obedient and on me tho lords lorda side for right for truth and integrity for virtue and purity and holiness adhering to the principles of truth and the laws of iffe life then god will be with us and E he will vill sustain all those who adhere t to 0 these principles for be it remembered that these are the principles we profess to believe in and those who are not governed by them he wiil will move out of the way they will drop down on the right hand and on the left as man many y have done before fore and the pure and virtuous the hono honorable rabi and upright will go forth from con eon conquering I u lent jent ing to conquer until they shall ab 1 accomplish acco lipsh all ali 1 I tha that t god design designs them to do on this earth and when they get through he wll wil wiil will supply their places with others who will also take hold and roll forth the kingdom inal in all it s aj es ty until the things spoken 0 of f b by all the holy prophets be fulfilled and hence ia in relation to these matters we cannot change the flat fiat of jehovah which has gone forth nor alter his decrees he has designed to t 0 gather together his bis people into one and his hib spirit into one and his power into one the scriptures say that god will gather together all thi things n whether they are things in the h heavens or things on the earth he will gather them all into one and his will be gathered into 0 one n e and md his word will be gathered in into t one and hence the Nep hites shall have the words of af the jews jewe and the jews shall have the words of the Nep hites and the Nep hites and the jews shall have the words of the ten tribes and the ten tribes shall have the words of the Nep hites and the jews jewa and be he will go on and accomplish his purposes in his own way and no man can stay his hand we may think we can we may think we can do this thing and that thing according to our own caprice and theories and judgment but god will frustrate and entirely overthrow all that is not based upon the principles les ies of truth and carry israe israel pa t through triumphant we are starting in on on some somo things for the accomplishment e at of this object the spirit 0 of god h has ss been operating upon president young to ta try to get ua us united in temporal affairs W wo make sorry blunders abou about tit it sometimes I 1 have sometimes thought we are biow blow to understand and tery very slow to perform but still we are doing a little and pro progressing gressIn a little here and there in these things amur amun and our oun feelings bagi begin negin to be drawn out a as the indians say pointing to a small piece of bis his finger about so much we b begin bezin vt t to think there Is some meaning in it and ana that bt it 1 Is binding upon us and those who do not do much keep up a thinking if we only continue to keep up thinking and praying an well as doing we will get at it by and by and get into a better po position eltion than we no now non occupy it is a good deai deal with some come ot of us TIB in relation to some of these matters as with the man who cried out good lord and food good devil 11 for we dont know whose ads hands we are going to fall into and would perhaps like to make friends with both wo we manifest a little of our own way my a little of the way of the gentile Gentl les lec and a very little of the way of the lord now low if I 1 understand my religion aright if I 1 I 1 understand the Scriptures and the operations erat ions of the spirit of god we have rol cot as a people to come to this let iet us know the will of god and we will do 14 no matter where it strikes what interest it may comein come in contact with or who whose view views |