Show DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT 9 DE LIVEnED at the jorty fourth annual conference enco ence of of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints in the nem new 21 tabernacle satt salt lake city cily monday morning april oth 1874 REPORTED lly ity DAVID W EVANS FORTY forar FOUR years ago today to day the kingdom of god was organized on this earth for the last time never to be broken up never to be confounded or thrown down but to continue from that time henceforth and for ever this kingdom was not organized by man nor by the wisdom of man but by the revelation of f jesus christ he having guided and directed b by y revelation everything in regard to its organization and bestowed authority upon his servants to perfo perform rm the work and they being only agents or instruments in his hands all other christian denominations for many long centuries havo have been organ organized izea without revelation the organizers of these various denominations did not even pretend that god had llad given them any information from heaven they did not even pretend that there was one sentence which had llad been received in their day jay from the lord in relation to the organization of their institution 6 in this respect the latter day saints differ widel widely y from all christian denomination it is an essential difference a peculiar characteristic and ana ono of the utmost importance every person with a little reflection can see that without divine information man is utterly unable to organize the rin uin kingdom hindom dom of god on the earth he may organize kingdoms empires republics and various kinds of civil government and a great variety of governments in a religious capacity capaci ty and when wilen he has organized them they are without foundation and authority th the e lord comma communicates ili iii cates nothing to them but they are compelled elied to ponder over that which flad had been revealed in former ages and get all the information they tiley can from what god formerly but how impossible it is for people to learn their duties from what god said formerly to somebody else we might as well in the tile organization of a civil government bay ay the canon of laws is sealed up we need no legislators or congressmen if the question be asked why we do not need them the answer is oh we depend upon the laws which made by our fathers they are sufficient for our guide just fancy the people of this aliis great republic being governed by the laws enacted in the first congress after the revolutionary lutio nary fathers framed the constitution ution only obly think of all the people peole now appealing to those ancient elent laws made before any of them were born and having nothing further to govern them I 1 this would be just as consistent as it would bo be to suppose that god some eighteen hundred years ago gave all the information that he ever intended to give in relation to the government of lifs fifa 1 kingdom lind and his amm aff mairs lairs here on the earth you know that in civil governments laws are continually continua uy required circumstances call them forth laws made last year are not always suitable to the circumstances of this year and those made ten years ago might be altogether unsuitable for events now happening and hence the necessity of something new direct from the lawmaking department so in regard to the kingdom of god god to the ancients but many of the words he then are arc not binding upon the people now some few of the great moral principles revealed to the ancients are binding for ever but the great majority of the revelations from heaven were only suited to tho the individuals to whom they given take nor for instance tho fhe case of abram he was living in chaldea the land of his fathers tho the lord to him and commanded him to arise ana and leave his native country and journey to a strange laud land which was promised to him for nn an inheritance now I 1 ask was any other people upon the face of the whole earth bound to obey this tills divine law given to abraham no 1 it was suited to him and to 11 him m only onla if we were all under tinder isane th this isanc ancient lent law then every one of bf us would have to gi 0 0 t lial aldea aidea deol deti and after wo got there we should have to leave that country and go to some land which we should expect to receive for an inheritance which would be the very height of ob absurdity again when god led forth abraham into the tile land of palestine we find that ho he not only communicated laws to him but that he also made precious promises relating to him and his seed which did not pertain to all the nations and kingdoms of tho the earth god commanded abraham on that occasion to arise and to pass through tile the length and breadth of the land and to go out on to a certain high place and to cast his hia eyes eastward and westward and northward and southward for said the lord unto him all this land which thou seest shall be given to thee and to thy seed after thee for a possession under this law have I 1 been commanded to go to the land of palestine and walk through the length and breadth of the land never have you been commanded to do it never itis fc is not a law that is binding u upon n us neither was it binding upon future tu e generations after the days of abraham again when god made the promise to Abra abraham liam llam that he should have that land for a possession anti and lils his literal seed after him lie he did not mean you vou nor me nor the generations of the he earth who are not the literal descendants of abraham i again when god revealed himself to moses and told him to go down into egypt and deliver israel isrnel from bondage that wasa was a law binding upon moses and moses alone the lat bat ter day saints are not under that law neither are any other people so we might continue to multi multiply I 1 instances by thousands where god stake to individuals and theland the yand t they ey alone were the persons who were to live give heed to his laws again wr where lere he spoke in some cases to the tile nation of israel israel and israel alone could obey those jaws laws but sometimes he would reveal to an individual or to a people certain great moral principles that were binding upon them and upon all people unto the ends of the tilo earth when they we remade were made manifest unto them such laws are everlasting in their nature sometimes god revealed ordinances as well as commandments and laws these ordinances were binding just as far as god revealed them for the people to attend to for instance the law of circumcision was binding upon abraham and his seed and was to be continued for a certain season but by and by it was wa S to be superseded by some other god also revealed in the days of the introduction of the gospel many eternal laws lawt dlf dif lerent different from those that had been revealed in former times he revealed many things afresh and tind anew when he came personally on the earth which had llad also aiso been revealed prior to his day for instance we will take the law of faith and repe repentance nt these principles were taught in in every dispensation and were binding upon all people in the four quarters of the earth and in all generations before jesus came they were eternal principles and were to be continued for ever we will take again c the law of baptism for the re remission mission of sins wherever the gospel was preached this ordinance was binding upon the people wherever men were sent bent forth with the fullness of the plan or of salvation to declare to the children of men the law of baptism accompanied that message and all people as well as ism israel el were required to obey that sacred ordinance in the latter days when god establishes tab lishes his kingdom on the earth for the last time there will b be e thousands and tens of thousands of precepts and commandments revealed to certain individuals which will be binding upon them alone then there will be other commandments that will bo be adapted to all the church and they will be binding upon the churchard church and aud upon the church alone then there will be certain other commandments that willbe will be binding apon upon all nations people and tongues to and blessed are they who give heed to the commandments mand ments and institutions and ordinances which pertain to th them em and which are adapted to their circumstances cum stances and which nrc aro given for them to obey but wo we will return again arain c to the church and kingdom forty four years have rolled over our heads sinco god gave commandment man dment to a young man a youth to organize baptized believers into a church which was called the kingdom of bod god not organized in it falness ful fui lne ine nesa ness fc foz fot r there there were not i materials enough at zit that time to institute all the omm off meers officers that were needed in that kingdom the kingdom needed inspired apostles seventies high priests after the order of it needed the priesthood of aaron the priesthood which the ancient prophet said sald said sald should bo be restored in the latter days the kingdom needed al all ali the appendages and blessings of these two priest hoods and there were not a sufficient clent number then baptized to make the organization perfect and complete but so far as there were individuals the organization was commenced although there were then only six members two of these were apostles called of god to be apostles called by new revelation to be apostles called by the ministration or of angels to be apostles ordained by the laying on or of hands of immortal personages from froni the eternal worlds hence being ordained by this high authority called by this high and holy calling and chosen to go forth and organize the kingdom inand do and to preach the message 0 of f life and salvation among the children of men they were obedient and the other four individuals were organized in connection with them upon the foundation that had been laid by the lord himself and not upon a creed that had been c concocted oil oll in iii some council of uninspired men not upon some articles of faith that were framed by uninspired men to guide and govern them but what they received was by direct revelation not one step was taken without obtaining a revelation in regard to the manner or of proceeding in relation to the laying of thi thim foundation how very different this from the methodists the baptists the presbyterian the church of england and the various societies and denominations that exist thru throughout hout all the protestant world not one of them was organized in that supposing that some soule of these christian deu den omina lions should happen to get the arm pretty nearly correct and yet not have the authority that would make all the difference the form with tho the authority la Is one thin thing and ike tle lonn ionn without tle the a thorl thornty ty and divine appointment and ordination la Is r thing one has hak power but the other has not one Is recognized by the lord almighty but the other othen is anly recognized by man I 1 think we can n see tile the difference lc tween mans churches and gods churches between mans organization and end gods organization in ili the first ilace liace i lace there never were a people since sineo adam was placed in the tile garden of eden to the present day who were acknowledged of god unless they were satin fatin founded ded and directed and counseller counselled coun selled by him unless thero there were a priesthood having authority from him lim enless unless god to them and fent rent his angels to them there never was a people in any age of the world whom god recognized as his bis characteristics says ones one how very uncharitable table tabie you lat ter day saints arci arct you exclude tiie tile whole orus orns you do not except one oue argood or good christian and there thene arc nrc very good moral people in 11 lim tim m 19 we do no not dispute but what they ai ae I 1 very good moral people that Is one thing thine and a christian church is another morality Is good in its place and it must be in the christian church morality may exist outside of the christian church but both can not exist together without t god organizes the church perhaps I 1 have spoken sufficiently leng ieng upon the subject of the organization of the church I 1 might enter fully into the inte investigation r tion llon of these nuit unit matters and zivo zire you tb the p particulars artic ulars about tile the of god who descended from heaven and conferred the authority upon vessels I 1 might tell you about the day which god set apart and upon which he be c d that his hla church should be organized for the teny tery day was mentioned by rev la tion llon I 1 might also relate to you many In instructions instruction s that were given at that time to kil kii all ali the members of 0 the kingdom of god but I 1 have other subjects upon my mind that seem to present themselves lails befort before me there have been probably scores of revelations given from time to time during the last forty fourbears four years which arc nothing no not binding now neither were they binding upon all the people at the time they were given for instance God paven paten revelation through til rough his servant joseph on the day of f november 1830 to your humble servant who Is now speaking commanding him to go forth and preach preal the gospel among the tile 11 nations a if on 9 of the earth 1 preparing the way of the lord for his second comin comi and to lift up his voice both long lonz and loud and cry repentance to this crooked and perverse cen een generation cration I 1 ask tills this 0 o on gre gatIon if there I 1 Is an individual present r here but your humble who Is under this direct command no if you have I 1 icen cen commanded to do tho the same you have been commanded by st a distinct revelation the revelation rivin to me moe was not given to any other ual and was not binding upon any other so in rc recard regard ard to the gathering up of the saints we were dwelling in the state slate of new york rork and en cn the second day of january 1831 god commanded that all the saints in that sate the state in which tile the church was organized and all al who were dwelling in irl nil nii the reamis rc ions lons round about should gather gathen up to the state of ohio Is that a commandment hindin hi upon any ty of this congre antion not sot one of th the e it was was wab colv hitt bitt t b a r amgao am sao uio aio s I 1 I 1 ti f T then existed and when fulfilled it was no loncer eten even t hiding luding upon them the lord gave a commandment after arter we had data gata cred up to the land of kirtland that some of his ser Eer servants should go forth two by two prea preaching chIna through indiana ohio illinois and diisso Blisso missouri url uri that they should meet together in general conference on the westa western boundaries of the state of mia mig and that the lord god would reveal unto them the land which should be given unto them for an everlasting inheritance Inherit olce oice them persons were commanded to do this this commandment was binding upon them and them alone they were the in who were commanded to do this work it wab was not required of the rest of church they fulfilled their appointment as many anany as were faithful went through 11 two by two on different routes preaching and calling upun upon the people to repent an and tv re baptized confirming them hy by the water ide side sida and organizing churches binally those persons thus commanded assembled in august and september on the western boundaries of me the state slate of mif mit in jaclson Ja jack elson son bon county then the commandment was fulfilled and it was no longer binding upon those to whom it was given niven riven thus you y ou we see that what is suitable fehr ati r this month is not always for next in orith month and what Is sult |