Show ys E M 3 nela kra mra mca R 1 K S EIDER ELDER hlll WILF at tao the general Cone conc conference rence sunday apt aft afternoon moons oct loth 1880 BY GEO F GIBBS THERE are many times when I 1 T feel beel pel pei eel a great desire to speak to the people because I 1 have things in my heart that like to say L CD annot cannot say sak at the present time however that chati I 1 have any great desire to 8 speak ad still arwill bear my testimony a and express cpr afew thoughts in my reflections that jane jare are upon udon me today to day I 1 am happ hapy yand iid lid greatly pleased in what I 1 have witnessed and I 1 feel that tle tie thu thy heavens are pleased with this day I 1 apel th at they are right the kingdom of god is onward it is not backward A it is wisdom blat anat we perform what we have haven done this day the act of organizing the council of the first preside presidency of odthe the church and kingdom of agod god save cave regarded ds as 1 a most solemn scene mehel to see this mighty host of priesthood who wh dabe daie are assembled in this teis house voye vole vote in such unanimity and to see this vast coie con gation rogation gatlon rise in a body with uplifted ire Fre 8 I 1 ands to heaven it is like the rushing in of many waters there is power ifie in 1 it t there is power with this liw lim people le there is power with the priesthood and in the ordinances of the house of god and what we have done today to day will have rita lits effect jt it will have its lis effect in the heavens and on the earth the responsibility that we bear as elders of israel before benore the heavens and before the earth and before each others other is very great we are called of god we have been chosen we have been ordained dain edas a mentho men who have been called to bear the priesthood and to attend to the ordinances of the house of god to preach the gospel to warn this generation to build build up Z zion lons ions to redeem the earthy earth to erect temples unto the name of the Most high god to redeem the living and the draa dead and to carry fout i out those great purposes which have been forror fore or tl t bained a rr erb before fore the world was etisa it is a great calling it is a great ability Ubi lity and JI J feel that we as ser avants imants of god and kelders of israel bahat we should tryan try in our minds to 4 comp r these thin things dl doi reflect a goodseal good deal deai with regard to our position aa as was des described cribbe to ua us eto ao ito day by brother pratt it has been my faith falth and jand ellet belief from the ima lma ime that I 1 was made acquainted with the gospel that no nd greater i prophet than joseph smith ever lived on the nace face of the earth save jesus christ he hb was raised up to stand t atthe head of this great greit dispensation it tho greatest of all dispensations god has ever giyen glyen to man he remarked on several occasions when with his brethren S brethren you do not know me you a odo do not know who I 1 am As I 1 remarked at our priesthood in meeting ti n 11 on priday Friday evening 1 have heard biear thi zhi him in my early days while conversing with the brethren say at the same sami 7 time lime tin W smiting himself on the br breast east god that I 1 could anbo s 0 ont in my feelings in the house of my friends jeseph smith was or bained before lie here the same as jeremiah vas was kas said the 6 tord ford tord unto him before you were pegot begotten bin I 1 knew you kee eke fec 1 bo so do X believe gard this I 1 people op I 1 e so sodot d 0 believe belleve with regard to the apostles the high priests pries tsi seventies and the elders of isreal rureal k bearing the I 1 believe hey they were ordal ordained ded before wore t they thes ey came b here ere andI andL believe belleve the god of ofil israel srael ha lihs s raised them epand has lias watched over them from their youth and has carried them through all the scenes of life both seen and unseen and has prepared par ed them as instruments in his ere hands 6 to take this ddn kingdom adom and arid bear itofe if this be so what manner maliner of men ought we to be if anything under the heavens should humble f men before the lord and before one another it should be the fact that j we have been called of god Zb X believe elleve the eyes of lhebb heavenly the kienly hosts are over tins this people 1 I 1 believe they are watching the elders eiders eldens elders of israel tile prophets and apostles and men wh oaie oale called to th boar bear off this king kingdom doin doln I 1 believe they watch over us au with great interest I 1 will here make a remark concerning ning my may own oivin feelings ater atter the lealh death of joseph anuth sauth I 1 1 I saw and conversed with with fis fil him iii many times in in my gly dreams in the season on onn one occasion on he lie abio ahio anc afio his JAs biot blot brother iier lief pyrum hyrum met mo me when on the sea going ing ona on a mission to england I 1 had dan pan jones with mo me ho he received dis afton jodef jeph i C fore his death and the prophet talked freely to me about t the 0 MIS mission I 1 was then going to perform and he also talked to me with regard to the mission of the twelve apostles in the flesh and he laid before me the tho work they had ad to perform and h he e also spoke of tee the ite ide i toward they would receive aftel aften death und and there were many other th things inis he laid bedore before mein his interview on that occasion and I 1 a 20 6 1 many of the things he had told me d were taken from meat me ij could iad ead not t comprehend them 1 F hav haw had many interviews with brother brothen joseph iggi until the last 15 or 20 years of bf my life I 1 have hays not nol seeli seen him for that length of time but during dofring my travels traveY 3 m 11 the southern country last winter F badmann bad had many interviews with president young and with heber C Clim birj in ball balland bailand and geo A smith and jedediah M grant and many oth eid eld ers who are dead head they attended our ohr conference they attended our meetings and nd on one occasion ji I 1 broiler saw brother brigham and brother brothed heber e r ride ilde in ire a carriage ahead of the te carriage in weichi rode rod ewhenij when 1 whon was on my way to attend conference and they were dressed in tb thel elmost most priestly robes when we arrived d at our destination asked pre prest st young if be would preach to us he said no chave finished my testimony 1 in the flesh I 1 shall not talk to this people any more but buts said he I 1 have havercome come t to see 1 I 1 have come to cowatch watch ov over er yo you u a and nd to see what the people lare bare are doing then said he hb I 1 pw want wani alit you to th teach the people and I 1 want you to follow this counsel yourself that they must labor and so live as to obtain the holy spirit split for without this you you cannot build up this kingdom without the spirit spirl bof of god you are in danger of walking in the dark and indana in danger er of failing to accomplish your yau r calling balling aa as apostles and as elders in the church tand land and kingdom of god and said he brother joseph taught me this principle and I 1 will here sayi sayi have heard him refer to that while he was ww livin living but what I 1 was going to say is th this is the thou thought 1 ht cange eange came to me ine that brother joseph had left the work of watching over this kingdom to others others and ud that babad gong gone ahead and that this work to men who have lived and labored with us since helett ug us this idea manifested itself to jnet me that hat such men advance in the spirit world i i and I 1 believe my myself zelf that that these m men e n who have died and gone into the spirit world had this mission left with them that is a certain portion of them to watch over the latter day saints saint iveel I 1 feel myself fas as though we are blessed of the luord and that we ought to be satisfied I 1 feel that we should humble ourselves before god that we should labor to magnify our calling and honor this priesthood which we received before we came here while we alv live ilva e out the few days a appointed hinted to man in the flesh and I 1 PT do 0 hope and alid pray god that we iye may magnify our priesthood and calling while we tarry here so that when we get through our earthly mission and go into the spirit world we may meet with brothers js joseph eph and brigham and heber and the res rest t of the abe faithful men whom we knew and labored with while in the flesh as well As as father eather adam enoch Abra abraham harn barn isaac and jacob and aa all the prophets and apostles apostle who h have a ve had their day and their tim time e and their generation and who have finished their work h herge ert erf below and gone goue holn rhome hoin to glory jo db dumot ou not think they are lute interested rested about us I 1 tell you they are and I 1 desire when I 1 die and my spirit g goes oes into the spirit world to meet these men and to go where they are and I 1 wish to live in that way and manner so as to be bo worthy of this blessing and when I 1 say a this of myself I 1 wish it to apply to all israel it will not bayus pay us to apostatize neither will itlay it pay us to sin it costs ten I 1 thousand times more than I 1 it cis is worth from beginning attend ato end therefore let us be true truet and faithful to god add and inasmuch as we have opted today to sustain the tiie pr presidency esi esl residency dency deney of this ibis church and J kingdom 3 letour let our prayers ascend night and morning into the ears of the lord of in behalf odthe of tho the men who wiio novy noy nov stand at our head bead and also in behalf of the apostles and in behalf of all the priesthood priesthood of god in their place an and station and inasmuch as wo we do this cewill we will grow wo we will advance the Spi god will ba poured out udon upon an fn us which will vill reveal unoo unto us tho the e mind and nd the wil wll of God concerning us usg alq An andrion dZion zion will continue I 1 in po veron routh the tho 0 earth and und accomplish all for which it is designed which ia Is my illy prayer hi irl tho the iwohn imo iWO HV af amp |