Show FIFTIETH semiannual SEMI SEXI ANNUAL conference the fiftieth semi annual conference of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints convened in the large tabernacle at io 10 am the oth day of october 1880 present present on the stand were president dent john taylor and elders orson pratt wilford woodruff C C rich lorenzo snow P F adrich D richards george Q cannon joseph F smith albert carrington and moses thatcher of the council of the twelve apostles elders erastus snow and brigham 1 young were absent having from a miss mibs mission iori lori through arizona new mexico etc counselor to the twelve D hi wells patriarch john smith of the seven presidents of seventies joseph young horace S eldredge dredge KI john fohn van cott anav and W W taylor ot of tho the presiding bishops edward hunter and leonard W har dy the presidency of salt lake and other stakes besides leading elders from all parts of the territory conference was called to order by president john taylor the choir sang mortals awake awakes with angels join and chant the solemn lay prayer by counselor D 11 wells the choir sang sweet la Is the work my god my king to praise thy name give thanks and sing ang elder charnes CHARLES C RICH expressed thankfulness for the opportunity afforded us of meeting together at this conference it afforded an opportunity por port unity of reflecting on the great and glorious principles of eternal life we AVe should not permit ourselves to become careless and indifferent erent to the things of the kingdom of god by heing being absorbed with the vain and trifling things of this world we should laa la ourselves out for the performance for firmance for manee mance of those duties and cespon that rest upon us as elders un in israel and to accomplish these things we must enjoy the spirit of bf god which alone can qualify us to perform them we should attend to present I 1 duties such as the building of temples and seek to become united in our temporal as well as our spiritual labors we are far from being perfect but our efforts should not be slackened on that account god r requires eguires much labor at our hands and by the aid and assistance of his bis holy spirit we should ever be willing to continue to live before him in a way and manner that will be acceptable unto him for there is no blessing that we can possibly enjoy either temporal or spiritual but what comes from his bountiful hand that we may show our gratitude to him by our increased devotion to his cause is my prayer in the name of jesus christ ELDER LORENZO SNOW spoke of bf the relationship we sustain to our god and the obligations that rest upon us in in I 1 obtaining the li light of the everlasting gosnel gospel to guide ns us through the journey of life there is no necessity for us to become darkened in our minds forwe for we have the woly holy priest priesthood ild lid od and should ever be guided by the spirit of god which would fit and qualify us for or serving him in an acceptable manner and show us just what to do and how to act through all the relationships ti nion tion ships of life in things pertaining io to temporal as well as spiritual duties he referred to the experience of moses and the children of israel showing the power and authority of the holy priesthood in guiding and directing the people in every duty that pertained to their happiness in this life and preparing them for the glory I 1 ory and eda enjoy oy ments merits of I 1 the tho e world to come for this very purpose the holy priesthood has been bestowed in this this our dayto guide and perfect the saints saing of god here and just in proportion as we attain to intelligence in this world ivorid and to integrity and faithfulness in that so will be the exalted condition in which we shall appear behind the vail the holy priesthood given in our day is precisely the same with which holy men of god in all a ages aes es have been endowed to guide th the people in all matters pertaining to their safety whether individually or nationally and just in proportion as the people are willing to act in accordance wi with th the counsels and instructions of those inspired to instruct tb them em they will become perfected in those laws that we have received and be prepared thed gued to hereafter enjoy the falness of f the glory of god elder snow dwelt upon the necessity of practical holiness being imbued with the love of god today to day and walking in the light of the lord in this world not leaving these things for the world to come PRESIDENT jolln TAYLOR said we had met here in conference to talk over and reflect upon ubon those principles and doctrines that t a are interesting not only to us as a people but to the people of the whole world these meetings in which are congregated together the leading manfrom men from all parts of the territory are convened for no private or covetous motives but to correct what whatever eyer in doctrine or in practice is not in strict conformity with the mind and will of god and that we may endeavor to instruct and strengthen each other in every principle and practice of virtues and integrity that I 1 will be approved before fori high 1 g heaven they tiley are pure and exalted ted principles that god has in trusted to us even those that th at pertain to eternal life we are responsible to god for the dissemination of those principles throughout the nations of the earth how necessary it is then that we should be under the direction of the almighty jn in all of our ways and that we practise in our jives lives the truths which we are commanded to impart to others at this thia point president taylor feeling somewhat indisposed took his seat ELDER GEO Q CANNON said we profess to have revelations from god and should be guided always by his holy spirit to enable us oto to perform those duties that are placed upon us so that our labors may be acceptable before god he spoke of the delightful experience of those who had yielded ob obedience 6 diel dier ice to the ordinances and requirements irementa ire lre ments of the gospel and lived continually continually under the influence of that divine spirit which they received at confirmation which constantly pointed out to them the way they should go and which was pleasing to their heavenly father thus the humble seekers and followers of the lord jesus christ after being perplexed by the conflicting theories and churches of men realized to their unutterable joy that they at length had found out a truth that was free from all uncertainty this was the experience that gladdens the hearts of the latter day saints in these valleys and where ever they may be found on the face of the earth he was wag glad that so many had met together this morning to receive the word of god and those instructions that are calculated to benefit and unite the saints he said in no place that he had visited could he find a people so united and happy and opposed to strife litigation and quarreling and so obedient to good laws and wholesome principles as thase who dwelt in these valleys he knew this to be the church and kingdom of god he also knew that god had bad raised up the tile men who now lead us and that god would increase this people in power and numbers until their influence would be felt throughout the nations of the earth ui not for themselves but for the good of a nil all ghis is a phenomenal people where aber is there anything like them here we have a people drawn together by bi one common impulse from all nations and creeds speaking almost almust every language known on the earth and md having various national peculiarities and customs now dwelling together in comparative peace and union and influenced by one spirit what a spectacle to behold there is noth hing fing like it on the face of the earth only a few years ago god revealed his mind and will to an unlettered youth and organized a church with only six members and now look at its proportions no human being alive could accomplish such grand and glorious results god is the author of it and he will consummate his plans and pur purpose posse in connection with the saints of latter days everything we now behold was predicted fifty years ago by the leaders of bf this church what they had bad declared which was not yet fulfilled would surely be fulfilled god will attract by the power of truth men from every nation who will come trooping by thousands to zion in spite of all the op cr tion that may be brought to bear against this work by men and governments ern ments it wiil will pi prevail evail evall prophets may be slain and an humble bumble people persecuted but the work is imperishable and indestructible rejoice then ye latter day saints for great and glorious things await you there are many in our midst who have grown grey in the service of god but when they pass away others will come up in their places and everything predicted concerning the latter day glory will be accomplished to the very letter PRESIDENT jorn JOHN TAYIB said as the conference would be likely to continue till next sunday the conference would be adjourned till tomorrow morning at 10 am and this afternoon would give an opportunity for the brethren to attend to their business matters he desired the seats on the south aide of the stand to be reserved for the presidents of stake their counselors and the members of high councils and the north for bishops and their counselors coun president taylor said that he had been attending closely to business and had exerted himself hims eif elf considerably and as a consequence felt a little faint while he was speaking this morning otherwise there was nothing the matter with him ELDER W WOODRUFF gave notice that a meeting of the young mens and ladies mu mutual tuai improvement associations would be held this evening in the assembly hall at 7 pm the choir sang the anthem I 1 will extol thee conference adjourned till 10 a in tomorrow to morrow thursday benediction by elder L john nuttall SECOND DAY thursday oct 7 1880 10 a in choir sang come we that love the lord lordi and let our joys be known prayer by elder F D richards choir sang behold the mountain of the lord in latter days shall rise emera ELDER A CARRINa tow Tox felt grateful for the privilege of enjoying the inestimable blessings of our heavenly father which he continues to grant unto urto us from time to time he requires of us the keeping of his commandments mand ments and inasmuch as we observe them there is no blessing either of a temporal or sp spiritual ritual na ture which will be denied us such were the conditions made to those who first came to inhabit this choice land laud so long as they kept and observed his requirements they were blessed and prospered in the land but when they became wayward and disobedient they were chasten ed and afflicted until they were finally swept from the face of the earth the pure principles of the gospel have been revealed for our government in in this our day and the preaching of the gospel throughout the nations of the earth has been the means of gathering a great and numerous people from almost every quarter of the globe and no one need suppose that they have been gathered here to gratify gratia y the their 1 r 0 own w n wb whims 1 ms or to gain any supposed popularity it t might bring them but in the midst of the suffering and strife that their acceptance of the principles of the gospel had brought upon them to serve the lord with all their hearts seeker seeking ag first of all to know his will and then to carry it into practical effect in their every day lives we have been led by revelation from the time that joseph first received a knowledge of gods will 1 in n h his is early youth and from the earli est period of mans existence on the earth and through all the intermediate periods spoken of by all the prophets since the world began the grand principle of cevela tion stands out as a bold and conspicuous principle the lord bord gives line upon line and precept upon precept to his children and the speaker knew of no other way that god could expect submission to his will by his children except by revealing that will to his servants and they to make known to the people that which he reveals god does not look upon fi the le world as we do we would uin n naturally ra 1 ly choose the wise and worldly mighty to usher in such a work as god has commenced bu but he chose as his servants the meek humble and unlearned and with them he has said he will thresh the nations by the power of his spirit those who do not understand the principles we have embraced will readily concede that the revelation given to the prophet joseph in III the beginning that god would employ the weak and unlearned ones to carry out his purposes is correct corrects for they do not fail to charge us with being a weak and ignorant people thus admitting the truth of thap thai tha which god himself made h known but such being our character in the thet estimation of the world it should not prevent us from seeking after a knowledge of the great work that god our father has commenced and be preparing ourselves ourselves for the blessings that await ius us in the redemption of zion vve lve must labor to eradicate from ou on selves all that is degrading and live according to the decrees of our kind wise father in the heavens but there are some who seem to prefer re their own secret will and t their reir rein own wayward way marking their own course according to their own skill in very great blindness and foolishness but it is the duty of the latter day saints to be guided by the revelations of god that they may overcome and inherit the glory of the righteous ELDER W WOODRUFF said every one who attempts to preach to and instruct the baines of god must have the spirit of god in order to be successful as a teacher ever since the foundation of the world the servants of god have been sustained by the almighty in fulfilling the words which they uttered no matter what the day or age of the world in which they lived they sible to god in delivering the message they were sent to make known and although in many instances it cost them their lives yet having received the priesthood they were under the strongest obligation to god and the people and had to perform their duty and leave the result in the hands of god he then spoke of joseph smith the prophet Pr ophel whom god had raised up called and ordained ordal ned to lay the foundation of this great latter day work and who ordained apostles and organized every branch of the holy priesthood he then addressed himself to those present presentac pre as being a g generation enervation ene ration of apostles and elders no other othen 0 t her hen generation ever enjoyed such privileges or were under such obligations we will be held responsible for our exercise of all the authority and power conferred upon us and if we could only see ourselves as god sees us if the vail vall could only be lifted to show us our true position how different many of us would act to what we do in reference to the things of god their hearts would not beset be set upon the things of this life but upon the things or ot the kingdom he spoke of the fifty thousand millions of the human family behind the vail vall who have so many years been shut up in prison and joseph smith who holds the keys of this dispensation was the first oneto one to open the doors of that p prison rl 0 n house for ages and to preach the gospel of salvation to them we must build our temples and attend to the ordinances of the gospel in behalf of our dead who have died without a knowledge of the gospel this is one of the most important of our responsibilities let us go to toj and build temples pay our tithing attend to our prayers and not give so much heed in accumulating the wealth of the how hardly s shall h a I 1 a r rich 1 ch ni man an enter the kingdom of god the poor can work for their bread and live their religion while the rich become engrossed |