| Show BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR i I 1 I 1 in rn the sait salt lake assembly biou at the quarterly conference sunday afternoon jan tan I 1 4 I 1 1880 t REPORTED ity try JOHN 14 4 I 1 have been very much pleased and interested in tho the proceedings of this conference and in the tho teachings that we have had from those who have addressed us and I 1 take very great pleasure in in herfor performing in my part in these exercises in which aich we are now vow engaged it would seem beom that this building is ls rather too small for us at pres present cht I 1 do not know that we can stretch it any consequently we will put up with things as they are however it will only be on extraordinary beca occasions that we shall have the amount of people in it that there is today to day by and by uie hie storms will be over and the winter past and we have got a larger building close bythan by eliat we can go to I 1 am very much pleased however with the exertions that have been made in preparing this building solar so far it is true it I 1 asin is in an unfinished condition for tile the assembling of the saints at this conference but I 1 suppose it will be quite gratifying to the priesthood and to all who have assembled together on this ob occasion casion to possess possess the privilege we now enjoy there are a few thoughts that have passed through my mind in hearing the remarks of some of my brethren I 1 was much pleased this morning in listening to the remarks made by brother pratt and the bretheren who succeeded him particularly ticul arly in regard to the subject that they seemed to have their minds upon that is in relation to the observance of the word of wisdom and although like brother pratt I 1 should have to make an acknowledgment that I 1 have not fulfilled that always yet I 1 heartily sustain and coincide with every ettry principle that god has revealed for the temporal or spiritual salv salvation atlen atila of his people there were some remarks associated with those made by some of the brethren that also bore a little on my mind namely bly that our religion did not consist simply in one principle but in many agreeable to what has been spoken in ancient days that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that edeth out ot of the mouth of god but we are none of us justified in repudiating or ignoring any one of those principles which god has given unto us and if we have been negligent in these or other matters the proper way for us to do is to reform to begin in annew or at least if we hiet h have iet jet down any stitches as the sisters rome acme times say when they are knitting gather them up again and put things in in proper position that we r may y bo be able not only in that but ice ite in everything ers ery thing else to honor lionor our god in all sincerity fidelity and integrity that we may be able to present ourselves before the file lord in a manner ner which shall always have ha hi acceptance we need teaching continually line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little hen co we have our various organizations izat ions lons of the priesthood calculated to oversee to manipulate to regulate to teach to instruct and to enter into all the ramifications of life whether they pertain to this world or the world to come we need continually not only the tho gulde guide anee ance and the teachings of the apostles the presidents erl Eri eals eats teachers deacons and the va various mus aus organizations of the priesthood but we need individually tio tto to look unto the lord for wisdom to directs di recus s in all the of life that dat iao wao we may speak aright that we may think aright that we may act het alright aright that we the tile various duties devo devolving lying uon won us to attend to torn dinall all ail of the avocations Ock ions lons of life and in our dur prayers in r gur gur our ur various devotions in a family capacity in a church capacity and in every position that wo we occupy we need the guidance and direction of the tile almighty c and it itt is with individuals a as s it is with families and branches and and ia tio ions lons ns of or families we need to seek unto the lord and obtain wisdom from him there I 1 is one fact and that is a great many people scarcely any of us know what is good ter oer or us demay have our ideas about that but we need continually the guidance and direction of the almighty the that ii 19 tho the apostles of toa tom ils s principle ana and and they ask asked ed the lord lford to teach them how to pi pray piny ay and in a very few words he uttered one of the most comprehensive forms that perhaps has ever been penned or spoken he he sald said when you pray father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be fione sione done I 1 on OIL earth as it is done in heaven beaven g give lve ive us this day our daily dally ly bread abroad lorg iveus our tress passes as we e forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is tre the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever amen that thai is a most comprehensive prayer in the arst first place the god of the universe is recognised recognized our bur father who is in the heaven heavens the god and arid the father of jesus christ and what else the god and father of the spirits of au all flesh we recognize and reverence rever reverence enci him as our father which art in heaven we bow before him and seek unto un to him for his guidance and direction we hallow and reverence lil ill his name and then what next thy rhy kingdom come what kingdom all those things branch out into great and Important principles faith developing veld ve principles les ies 15 that can only be understood by EY revelations from the most high thy kingdom come why that thy will may be done on earth as it is done in heaven I 1 wish to refer a little to some of these things those ideas and principles that are developed in this saying in part because these things can done in part we talk a good deal about the church and kingdom of god I 1 sometimes think we understand very little about either the kingdom of god means the government of god that means power authority rule dominion and a people to ruie over but that principle will not be fulfilled cannot be entirely fulfilled until as we are told in the scriptures the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our lord and his christ christy and he hewell will rule over them and when unto him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess is christ to the glory of god the father that time has not yet come colebut I 1 but there are certain principles associated there with that hav have c come namely the introduction of that kingdom and the introduction of that kingdom could only be made by that being who is the king and ruler and the head of th that i t government arst communicating his ideas his principles hi Ms laws his government to the people otherwise we should not know what his laws were the world has been governed in every kind of faim form we have had every species of government sometimes we have had patriarchal government at other times we have had unlimited monarchies or what may maybe be called despotic governments where the power to rule is in the bands of one individual at other times we have had lim jim limited ted tod monarchies such as exist in many places now upon the face orthe of the earth in other places and at different ages we have had what is jis termed republican governments where the voice of the people has ruled and governed and managed the peoples affairs there have been various forms independent of these which I 1 do not wish to enter into at present resent but no where have we had haw hu the th 6 government of god it is true truo that for lor a limited period among a very small people in early days among the jews they professed to bo be under the guidance of god for a certain length of time but they were continually departing they had their priesthood they had their prophets they had haci 1 their air grinj and Thum min and through i ugh these mediums they sought the wisdom and guidance of god in I 1 n regard fregard to many of the prominent i enterprises in which they engaged the law given by moses was one of those things that emanated from god moses received from the ten tell commandments written unon upon tables of stone written writ tell teil by the imler fluger of or god and this thia people who were then quite a amali small people comparatively ively speaking received the commands of god and professed at least to be to governed thereby the lord gave them commands aud and they tiley were proclaimed to tho tile people and when proclaimed it was usual for all the to say amen these laws we will observe and do but this was among a very limited people very soon they thoy desired to have a king to rule over them but the idea that was then considered proper among thomm thorn was atthe lord is our king the lord is our judge the lord is our lawgi langi lawgiver berand and he shall rul rui rulo over dver us we ava we eee tho the feeling which thet they had bad aind find as a people but they departed from it and they sought a king and were led astray from correct principles led into folly darkness ignorance until they were scattered a abroad broad to tile the four winds of heaven there has been a time spoken of by all the ho holy y prophets since the world was when god should govern his people and the jews when the messiah came expected that lie he was come to reign over israel as a temporal orai oral king that he was going to take poss s slon sion of his kingdom to overt overthrow eo r ow all other kingdoms empires p me Cs dynasties and powers a and adde declare himself the king of isra israel 1 and nd of the world but they did not understand many things associated therewith and they do not now and the world does not und we ourselves understand very little about them but the scriptures say that till heaven and earth p 89 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled now then if the kingdoms of this world have never yet iet become the kingdoms of our gd god and his christ they will be and it is necessary that there should be a commencement to this as well as to every other thin thing this is a matter that has been looked forward to by pro prod phet sand and apostles patriarchs and me men nor of gadin god in the various despen lations of time it is called tche bhe the dispensation of the falness of times when wilen god will gather together all things in one whether they be things on the earth or things in the heavens Now Kow there must of necessity be a star starting ting point for thi sand the the question is how is it to originate nafe who among the nations of the earth knew cr or comprehended anything about the government of god none kune did nowhere no king no emperor no potentate no president no power upon the face of the earth no divine or theologian no scientist no philosopher understood anything about this matter it is indeed the kingdom of god and being his kingdom it must originate with him it must rece receive iv e from him its teachings its forms its principles its laws jaws its ordinances its institutions and everything connected therewith must emanate from god and as it was necessary that it should originate with him it js is also necessary that it should be upheld and sustained by him and that those who should operate in this king hing kingdom doyn dorn should be governed by the same spirit that you heard brother pratt talk about this morning jd it became necessary also that a medium should be introduced whereby man might be placed laced in communion with god dat that they might comprehend him that they might understand his lawa laws when lie he gave them that they might be acquainted with the principles which he had to developed dev elope for there is one great principle that men very little understand viz the things of god no man but the spirit 1 rl of god and if they dont sn know 0 i v only through 0 his wisdom it would rould be in vain for god to communicate muni cate with a people who could not comprehend him who had not tile tiie capacity to receive these prin ples pies which lie he had to communicate the same principle holds good every where among all tile the principles with which wo we are acquainted or know anything about you cannot teach a child algebra nor arithmetic until it has gone through 0 a certain system of tin training ining you can not teach the art sand s en necessary preparation for their introduction tro nor can a you aou ou teach people in the government of god without thay are placed tion with him and hence comes the church of god and what is meant by that A school if you please wherein men are taught faught certain principles wherein we can receive a certain spirit through obedience to certain ordinances and we having received this spirit through those ordinances were then prepared to take the initiatory ste steps s in relation to other matter matters and nd clience hence as a commencement the tile lord appeared unto joseph smith both the eat Fat fatherland eather father herand and the tilo son the father pointing to the son mid this is my beloved son in whom I 1 am well pleased hear ilear ye him here then was a communication from the heavens made known unto man on the earth and lie he at that time became in in possession of a fact that no mail man in the tho world knew but him and that is that god lived for lie ho had seen him and that kis his his son jesus christ lived for lie he alsobah also aiso had seen him jilin what next now nys ays says the father this is my beloved bon son hear bear him him Y the manner tile the mode tho th whys ghys and ard the wherefore designed to introduce through the tho vone were not ahn the p but hut ho the son of god the saviour of the world the Be deemer redeemer of man he was the one pointed out to be the guide the director the instructor and the leader in the development of these great principles that god medium of that kingdom and that government which he then commenced to institute what next the next step was that men having held bold the priesthood that had millir ministered in time and eternity and that held the keys of the priesthood came and conferred them upon joseph smith john the baptist conferred upon him the tile hardnic priesthood and Pet erJames peter james and john the Melch isedee priesthood and then others who had 0 operated in the various ages of the world buchas moses enoch appeared and conferred upon him the authority that they held pertaining to these thee matters why because it was the dispensation of the falness of times not of one time only but of all the times it was the initiatory steps for the develop development men bof of all till the principles that ever existed or would exist pertaining to this world or the world to come what next ho he was commanded to set apart other men to baptise them that believed that had faith in god and in his kingdom and in his revelations and in his government after they were put in posses posies sion of these principle principles they were commanded to baptize those who believed on the lord jesus christ who repented of their sins that they were to be baptized for a remission of their sins and to have hands laid upon them for the reception of the holy ghost what then thee there was a priesthood organized a first presidency the Ti twelve velve a high council patriarchs quorums qu of high priests seventies elders bishops priests teachers and deacons to carry on the purposes of god and to instruct men in the laws pertaining to his kingdo meven the laws of life men were sent forth in the name of god to preach the principles of truth which chic h had been revealed and a great many be lieveld and were baptized and were initiated into the church of boap and we may say into the initiatory or preparatory steps |
