Show ad a S 0 0 wee S mi BY ELDER WILFORD jt p jn rn the ae sail sall so lake assembly hall sunday Af lemoon Aftem oon december 1880 reported BY JOHN WHEN we hear a young man get up in our midst twenty six years sears years of age and say that he was wag bom born and reared in this city it conveys to our minds in a limited measure something of the length of time we have dwelt here something of the age our city in fact when I 1 contemplate t e our position in these mountains lin g 1 when I 1 look back to the tb e of i july u ly 1847 when we as pioneers came into this barren desert the time appears very short to me we hannever had never lived anywhere until we came into these mountains but a very short time in a place in fact quarte the time that our brother has lived here in ja this city since his birth would limit us in our existence in any city eity or town almost wherever we have lived itis ibis it is interesting to me as an andl individual to listen to the testimonies of our young elders who have been bom born and reared in the land of zion who never saw babylon nor the world until they were sent abroad upon their missions it is interest ing to me to reflect upon our position and condition as a people here in the mountains of israel in fulfillment fulfilment of the words of the lord there has been a great deal said by our enemies es since the organization of this church concerning joseph smith concerning the book of mormon having been written by iulg as a novel and of this work being a deception yet after all it is rather a wonder winder to the world that an illiterate boy like joseph smith I 1 if he was not taught by the god of israel and by the spirit of revelation could possess the power to bring forth such principles inci ples pies as are recorded in the noor book of mormon and in the book of doctrine and covenants and to organize a system of government a system of religion a system of the church upon the face of the earth that was far beyond all the combined power of the whole christian world you may take tako ali ail all the learned men of the earth all the doctors of divinity with all the knowledge that they possess assess put them therall th emall emali all ail together and nd trey they had not the power to organize such a church ashab as has been organized by joseph smith this should be some evidence a J dittle dittie evidence at least to the world and nd to the unbeliever that there is is something connected with mormonism that they do not comprehend and understand let any man take the book of mormon and read it through t from beginning to end read that history read what the prophets say upon the principle of faith hope land cand ilund charity the administrations of jesus christ upon this land the or of the church and the miracles wrought hereupon here upon the land of america and let them ask themselves if they suppose that solomon spaulding could sit down in a comer and write a novel covering these principles no they know better any reflecting mind on earth knows very well the book of mormon never originated from a source of that kind any more than they can accuse the bible of having been brought forth by the same cause if one originated from god the other did again iet let any man read the book of doctrine and covenants let him read the revelations therein given and he w will 11 nind and find the strongest language ngu bethe the most sublime language that god od ever reveal roveal revealed to man there is no language I 1 ever read in any record given to the human family that will with the and power of these revelations given through that boy joseph smith bead head the called the olive lean leaf 11 read any of the revelations given in the tho early days of the prophet and you will find them full of the power of god full of eternal principles read the prayer of joseph smith in liberty jail jai and the answer of the lord unto him take the very least of any of the revelations recorded in that book and see if any man could go to work and get up anything of the kind do they sound anything like the compositions of a man trying to write a novel 30 they are the word of the lord lo 10 aud and the spirit of god bears record of the truths it contains we have every cause as the saints of the living god to exercise faith in the tho revelations of heaven and in the fulfillment fulfilment of his big promises unto us as latter day saints in fact as the apostle james has said faith if it hath bath not works is dead being alone yea a man may say I 1 have faith but do not believe in works shew me thy faith without thy works and I 1 will shew thee my faith by my works the saints of god and I 1 believe myself all gods and all ail intelligent beings from eternity to eternity have all had to exercise this principle of faith faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen by faith we understand the worlds were made god chaos heard and the world came into order I 1 believe that our heavenly father and all intelligent beings in the heavens have to exercise faith in their labors the same as the inhabitants of the earth I 1 believe it is an eternal p principle that has existed from eternity to eternity and will exist forever not only on the earth with mortal beings but in the eternal world with immortal beings inthe in the bible we have many examples of what the ancient apostles and prophets ehens performed by faith noah being eing amed of god went to work and built an ark but owing to the wickedness and unbelief of the peo pie tle tie only eight souls were saved from om the flood the same principle of faith exists with us it has been by faith that this assembly has been brought here today to day what would have been our condition if when we heird the gospel in our own country we had not exercised faith why we would have stayed in our own country utah would have been as barren as we found it in 1817 1847 had there then not been betat faith in the proclamation cla mation of the gospel of christ both with the preacher and with the hearer had there not been the spirit of god to back up the testimony of the elders of israel in their labors abroad among the nations of the earth nobody would have gathered hereto here to these valleys of the mountains but it has been the work of the almighty it is in accordance with the decrees of god to establish his kingdom upon the earth in the latter days J joseph jseph smith was called b by revelation he labored in faith angels angela of god taught him he received instructions from these holy messengers but notwithstanding all this he had to exercise faith in the organization of the church in the calling of men to the ministry and in sending them forth to the nations of the earth all these things had to be performed by faith as much as a man who plants grain the farmer sows bows his wheat or anything else believing that it will grow if the elders had not believed that god had bad called them that the lord would sustain and uphold them they never would have gone abroad upon their mis missions but the principle of faith has been exercised by this people and we must still cor cot continue to exercise it the lord is is with us the lord has hasi set his hand band to build up his kingdom he is gathering a people from the nations of or the earth to zion he has set his hand to establish it in its beauty power and strength and I 1 have believed and believe still that the lord will not disappoint us nor will he disappoint this generation b but u t a little one will become a thou thousand san d and a small one a strong nation I 1 the lord will hasten it in its time we should labor to exercise this principle of faith in our lives we may look forward for the fulfillment fulfilment of all the prophecies and promises which have been lieen made since the world began concerning this generation there are many things which have been reserved from the creation of the world to be revealed in the last dispensation and falness of times wo have not got through receiving revelation the lord lias has a great many things to reveal in the latter days when we are prepared as a people to receive receive t them em I 1 rejoice in the progress of the work of god I 1 rejoice ln in to the testimonies of the elders of israel A new generation has risen up since we came to these valleys of the mountains the lord has raised up the sons and daughters of prophets apostles and elders ciders and fathers in zion and as is I 1 often remark to our young men they havo bavo got to round up their shoulders and bear onn 09 this kingdom the work will not stop because men lle lie ile die it matters not who dies when the prophet joseph smith was wag taken away I 1 was going to say the saints themselves felt as though all was lost the world supposed that would bo be the end of Mormon onisim islin it is true the death of joseph smith caused mourning to rest upon all the latter day saints but that did not stop the work of god joseph smith lived until he be obtained all the keys of the king kingdom doin doln of god which belonged to this generation and sealed them upon the heads of other men the lord called him to the other side of the vail vall to unlock the prison doors but his dying did not nonstop sta p the work of god when president young was called away the world had the same views people had an idea that when brigham young died that would be bethe the end of mormonism that the apostles and leaders would quarrel as to who should lead the church that mormonism would all break up and go to the devil but they were entirely disappointed in inthis this As 1 I 1 have already said it makes no difre difference rence renee who dies whether it be wilford Woo woodrum woodruff drum druT orson pratt president john taylor or any one else there will always be somebody to liend lead lend the church israel will never be without a law siver from this time henceforth and forever zion will continue to progress and the god of israel will sustain her no matter what the feelings of the world may maybe be no matter how much opposition there maybe may be to the kingdom of god I 1 should be sorry if the world were of one heart and mind with us I 1 would fear and tremble if such were the case for the lord has said 1 I 1 have chosen you out of the world therefore the world habeth you if they have persecuted me they will persecute you also we look upon persecution then as the legacy that has been given to the saints of god in th their thein ein eln day and generation but there is one thing that I 1 think we should exercise faith in and that is in the perpetuity of this church and kingdom and in the destiny of the latter day saints in the fulfillment fulfilment of prophecy and revelation in regard to what god has decreed upon the earth in this tilis great and last dispensation we should exercise faith in these things if it were nob not mot for this we should be in the same condition as other generations have been but as the lord lives there is no power on e rth alf or under the earth that has power or ever will have power to stay the progress of this church and kingdom or destroy it orom from ox off the earth because the god of heaven has decreed it and the little stone cut out of the mountains without hands will roll forth and fill the whole earth no matter what opposition is brought to bear against it no other despen lations on earth have had this legband lege and this has strengthened us it strengthened Josep hSmith brigham young and the elders of israel among the first things moroni instilled into joseph smith before he be received the priesthood before the organization of this tills was the prophecies or isaiah and told him t that at the day had bad come when the god of heaven was about to set up his kin kingdom dom on the earth never more to be 1 thrown down the lord had decreed that this should take place and it must come to pass joseppi smith believed the testimony of moroni he believed the testimony of the angel whom god had sent to administer to him he t taught those principles to his brethren and his brethren believed them the apostles in their travels notwithstanding abroad tand ing the difficulties they had to overcome upon their early missions had these principles continually before them we have them before us today to day and I 1 know as god lives that the prophecies will be fulfilled concerning the establishment of the kingdom of god in the latter iatter days it was this kingdom of our god that the prophet isaiah in looking down to our day and generation exclaimed sing 0 heaven and be joyful 0 earths earth break forth into singing 0 bains for the lord hath bath comforted his people and will have mercy upon lila W 3 afflicted L but zion said the lord hath bath forsaken me and my god hath bath forgotten me can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have son of her womb yea they may forgot forget yet will I 1 not forget thee why because zion has been before the lord from the creation of the world and the day has come to build hitup it up the prophets saw it they believed iu in we see it we believe it for we have bave faith in god we should labor to buildup build up this zion during the tho li we dwell here we have been prospered we are blessed blessed and the zion of our god is held in in the hands of tile the almighty or wo we would not have power to gather here were it not that we are sustained by almighty god we would not have power to build these temples to fill hll the tiie mountains with cities and aud towns and village sand gardens and orchards and raise crops and flocks and herds as we have done these things are the gifts of god unto j us and it is all in the great pro gramme of the last dispensation the falness of times but says the world what are you going to do when a great nation like jike the united states say you shall not do these things you shall not dwell here and enjoy your religion well I 1 will tell you what we are going to 10 dowe do we are going to trust in god that is what we are going to do and if this nation with its fifty millions of inhabitants has more power than goethen God then zion will fail fall the kingdom of god will fall and all the purposes of the almighty will come to an end it just hinges right there the lord thus far has never failed in his promises it is the lord and the nation forit for it I 1 think the lord holds the most power he holds the destiny of this and every other othen nation in his hands I 1 know he has made certain promises in regard to this land of zion he has fulfilled many of these promises already it is upon this principle that we have built these tabernacles and are erecting these temple 4 we are bryin trying to keep the commandments of god G and we shall continue to do so until until the kingdom of god is established upon the earth to he be thrown down no more forever we expect to be subject to all con lassof laws of the land and maintain the constitution of our country which we believe was given by inspiration and guarantees unto all men the right to worship god accord ing to the dictates of their own con coni science that is about all I 1 wanted to say I 1 desire however to bear my testimony to the truth of this work no man will ever gain anything by taking a stand against this kingdom the lord is going to break in in pieces every weapon that is formed against zion he is going to do another thing too and that is every nation kindred tongue and people mple that does not serve the lord in the latter days will be cut off for the lord god hath bath spoken it now these are solemn sayings but they are nevertheless true I 1 want the latter day saints to exercise faith in god I 1 want them to be true and faithful and not fear what man can do in tle xie the tie scriptures we read fear not them who have power to kill the body but are not able to kill kijl the soul but rather fear him who ia is able to destroy both soul and boda in 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