| Show kisoe ad E S 0 TT T U T BY PRESIDENT hiim Q dinnon CANNON DELIVERED jut in ak the fabe Tabe bacleg salt sait laks lake city sunday afternoon may esth 1881 pi y g REPORTED BY JOHN president cannon having read the whole of the chapter of the epistle of paul to the corinthians said it is a blessed thing for us who live ij in n this thia day and age to have records in our midst which hae have come down from olden times and which are recognized at least by christendom as the word of or ad hind and find as ai containing principles of life and of balya tion A people who are destitute of such jeuch records are in many re specs to be pitied for they have not the benefit of the tb e experience and teachings of those who have preceded them and are deprived of that knowledge concerning the things of od which is a grea great L stay unto those who wh 0 po possess IS ess it it is a great comfort to i a person in the midst of trials an and d of has haa a desire to th look unto god or somei bomel belag who is superior to us to read ahe the he ife life and the experience of others who may have been similarly situated in ages and fo to know from the record tb that at has come down how they thoy felt and acted and the deliver dellver ances they received through the power powen of god in like manner it is a great blessing and a comfort to 1 those who are struggling in the midst of the darkness error and confusion which prevail upon th thearty earth whose souls go out after god who desire desine to know concerning him to comprehend the plan of salvation to have some mome un der concerning the ob leot jcob of their thein creation and while in this jine life to have the experience of ct ot lers who have preceded theland the mand also to read that which they knew con eon concerning god in thib this respect the chapter which I 1 lave have read from this book ia Is of priceless worth its value cannot be estimated by anything any thing that is known ninon among men upon which value 19 ig 19 wed oed ed if we did not have this book boob and it could be bb given to us with the testimony that we now have as to its authenticity and its divine origin I 1 suppose filere there are hundreds today to day dav I 1 n lma il 11 could not get it in any other way would be wIlling wilting to give all that they have in the world to possess a copy of it the fact that we have that we have always had it the fact th at our forefathers a always had it at least so far as we know ilas lias made us to a certain extent careless about it we do not value I 1 11 t as na we might do if our attention had ben newly awakened to its existence but lo 10 to the latter day S lints it should always be a precious tie treasure asure beyond any people now u upon the face of the earth terii they should value it for the reason that from its pages from the doctrines doci rines set let forth its writers the e epitome tome of the plan salvation which is there given unto us we derive the highest consola tionne obtain the greatest strength ads it da as it were a constant fountain sending forth atren streams atrens s or living life to satisfy the souls of all who peruse its its pages our condition is bad enough it may be said baid in some re with this in our possession and having this to refer to but ut we can imagine that it would be much worse if we did not have it if we could not appeal to our fellow creatures who believe in god who believe in jesus christ who bellev believe ih the old and new testaments if we did not have this to appeal to to prove that whatever our peculiarities may be however different our views from the views of many who profess christianity we at least share in those views vath vh others who were called the people of god the disciples of the lord jesus christ in days that are pas ras past and who among all people throughout christendom are recognized as the true exponents of the word of god and the plan pian of salvation which he revealed there was a day in our history when it was considered a crime for us to believe in revelation from god I 1 do not know that that day is entirely past there was a day in our history when it was mas considered very improper for us to believe in prophets or apostles that is to believe that they ought to be in the church there was a time when we were in its written pro cla cia im atlon mation for believing in miracles it was considered sufficient lelent cause and lust just justification fleetion fica flea tion to expel eypel us from our homes because we believed that god through his power could heal and perform miracles like unto those that were performed in ancient days by hla hia servants how do you think it would have been my brethren and bisters slaters if we had not had the bible to re ferdo refer to how I 1 would it have been with mandof many of those who passed pawed through h those scenes if they had not tad cad had the teachings of the anost Arost apostles les ies and the words of the savior saylor written as we have them in the bibe bible to comfort them to cheer theland the mand wand mand coshow to fidow them that it was not a new now departure lor for men to leave those ideas and find beliefs with fhe bible in our hands we could test tesi all mw menu who probes professed sed bed to be jesus christ for god has haq plainly said eaid that ize iye he is the same yesterday to t oday and forever that ho he boes hot not ot change that he fhe is as ner unto his people in these days as ho he ever was that he is willing to hear bear their cries to answer their petitions to grant t unto them the desires of their hearts hearts in w age as he ever wab was jn any preceding age now this is a doctrine plainly taught in the bible at and d it has been the tho cause of immense satisfaction to those who have espoused its ith doctrine it would have been a very trying thing for for sor i ua us in the days of gloom through which we have basped had we not been beer assured in a very reliable way that god would hear and answer our prayers for there have been many times when if it had not been for this assurance and this knowledge the latter day saints would have sunk beneath the weight of their afflictions it is doubtful if they could have endured them but by having this knowledge by having received a testimony concerning the willingness of our father in heaven to answer prayer and to deal with us as he dealt with his ancient children we have been comforted we have been sustained we have been filled hope and have been cheered in our onward progress pro greas and this knowledge today to day ia Is more precious than any knowledge there here is upon the face of the en th for in the darkness in the unbelief in the denial god gol which is eo so common nt at the pre beit belt seit time the man who knows that god ilves lives that god hears bears and answers pra prayer verk t th h 1 woman who knows this occupies very r M tr s1 sa maunu ibn lun i thanksgiving 1 ng and that such knowledge has been dla dia placed ced in his or her possession now paul who wrote this epistle from which I 1 have read understood this perfectly his ilfe life in many respects resemble resembles i the lives liveson of those who preceded him in the same fame career in many of its features it resembles the lives of the prophets who lived be fore the days of the savior and the lives of the servants of god in this day in which we live have a strong resemblance to that of pauls or to his fellow apostles brother wood ruff has published a little work called leaves from my journal 1 and in reading that book I 1 haye baye been very vert forcibly reminded of the lives of the ancient apostles it resembles them ao so much you have doubtless thought all of you about the character of the men whom jesus chose to be his apostles they were men who were stumbling blocks to their generation for they did not belong to the popular classes they were not bearr ed men they were not rich men that Is in in the worldly sense of the word they were not dignified men and jesus himself of life and of glory was a constant to ills his generation ills origin was humble hum e although he came of a kingly lr line his surroundings were mean and low his reputed father a carpenter abw and doubtless he himself worked at the business and the men whom he chobe chose were fishermen men of low degree men of jowly origin not scholars IS not men of fine plesence presence presence so far as worldly advantages a were concerned but he filled them with the power of god he gave them the revelations of heaven he taught them the plan of salvation he sent them forth endowed with power from on high and they effected a great revolution revolution in the earth they laid the foundation ot of a system that has accomplished marvellous marcellous marv ellous results ana and through their work the name of christ has been spread throughout tb u g hout all the earth ga have rave v e you not been frequently struck my brethren and sisters with the peculiar manner in which god called his people and his servants it is not many wise it is not many learned it is not many noble who have been called as his ser u he called fired his 1 prophets wherever lle ho could find them and they were sul bul suited tedA tj his ills purpose he called his apostles Apost iea lea and his dis in the same manner it seemed daw to bea necessity th that atthe arthe tho faith of the generations ot men should be tried that their confidence in god should be vested to seo see whether they i would bo willing to Q receive his fruth cruth from however humble it would not bepley be any trial of a man falth faith if some man possessing supreme ma power who d wonderful jn fluence n eg were to declare that what he hebald herald bald kald was athe the tho word of god unto thle thie the 1118 people a man of popular honor honors d a man who could control all tho the people who could make mako ipe system w which ch lie he advocated popular and desirable among E trial would there be or of 9 peeples pey ples pies faith to embrace truth alider suc sue 66 circumstances but that not been the course which god has taken laken with w ith his people he could have silt gent his son sou jesus christ among mena menn men af a time tiffie and under circumstances tant would W ru I 1 have irresistible du on the earth and hmong among the people he could have given him such power that men would have been compelled to have received zen him nim m but that was not the way in his work he never did if iti in n that manner he never consulted meeli mena views and their weir ide ideas respect respecting hig his work ile he chose chole hta hla ts instruments m eilts and he sent them as he desired under the circumstances which he deemed best adapted to accomplish his purposes th his jesus was born though aa I 1 have said sald deriving 1 g his desce descent ut from the kingly h house 0 se of david D wid under circumstances that did not carry with them great influence there was bothin nothing g about his birth or his surrounding surround ins to convince the inhabitants of the earth that he was th the a son of god they were left ent entirely liely to know this by the spirit of god they were left lett to derive this knowledge by seeking for f or it unto sim him who ild bestow J it tipon upon them and were not to be actuated by that which ia Is caned the popular voice and in this way mans agency i tested to the very utmost to illustrate the idea wea that 1 have on my mind suppose that jesus esus had been bom born circumstances cum stances that mankind would have had to accept him as the son of god suppose his disciples bad had 1 lelu lelm elm CAU under euch puch circum circumstances stances and surrounded by such Influence influences a that mankind would have naturally followed them mid and accepted their doc doe brines trines without hesitation because it would have been to their worldly interest to do so go would mans agency have been tested as it was in the days of the savior ko no his agency would not have been tested he tie had presented before him truth and error truth was waa not popular the espousal of truth was waa not of worldly advantage to men at that time if ho he therefore espoused it it would be iak lat because cause enuse of ills his love for it and for the blessings which would flow from it and not because there would be any ani profit of a worldly character attending its espousal thera is a reason therefore for god sending many of his messengers as he has done gone it was rarely that they were men who by their position could control the people and cause them to follow them naturally aside from the truth we know how it was with many of the prophets they were wito unpopular pular pulan the truths that they declared did not add to their popularity and it was a lest test of men and love for the truth when these men came among them for fur when they espoused the truth they did it because of the love of the truth god has evidently deter mined that when men and women embrace the truth they shall embrace it for the love of it that they shall not be converted b by y mans influence that the they y snail not follow in the train of men because of some advant advantage rge that will accrue to them evidently then it is the will of god concerning if we embrace the truth we must embrace it because we love ihnot it not because of the instrument who brings it to us we must be willing to receive it tb through rough whatever channel he may choose if it it be john the baptist if it be any of the dieci disciples ples pies of the tho Savi orif it be joseph smith if it be brigham young if it be lie john any oth other ermall man no matter who the man may be god 4 his ris own instruments and he sends senda hla hia truth to the earth hi in a way tiu that st he sees II 11 nit fit L the most of those who are of adult years in this audience this day know how it was before they heard beard the sound cound of she gospel as preached by the elders of this church they know very well that tio ylo where within the range of their a acquaintance was there a man among all vie the churches who declared that he had authority from god to administer the ordinances of life ife and sni Fal salvation by direct revelation from him the most of you know that the common expression was that the canon of scripture was full that there were no more miracles 1 that angels would come no more to the thi tbt earth that god would no more bestow tha the old blessings that were enjoyed in ancient day dwy sand that he would no more speak unto ipen iron this was the teaching and every one was led to expect that all ail things would continue as they were and when wilen men and women were dissatisfied about this and they went to their ministers min and asked them about it they invariably re plied that the blessings pertaining 1 0 the days of je jesus ups ius and his apostle apostles were not for this generation I 1 was but a child when my parents joined ftfe b church but I 1 learned to read very early among the first ques I 1 remember asking my father was in relation to the apostles and to the gifts I 1 asked him if there were no apostolus Apost lus now he retold told me there were not I 1 asked him if there thero were no men who performed the works that they did he told me that there were none and I 1 have time and time again gone to bed and cried because I 1 could not live in the days of Ap postles be cause I 1 could not see jesus and know the things which he taught and which his apostles taught this was my experience in my childhood I 1 yearned with all my soul to liv live in a dav day when these tilee things were poss ule ble when n god would speak from the heavens when god would bes ow his rower power upon men mell and when those who were faithful could receive the gifts and blessings orthe gospel as they did in ancient days and I 1 repined ID in my heart because I 1 did not have the privilege of living in a day like that and as I 1 have |
