| Show UTISE BY eliel EIDER num at 1 cogan logon sunday afternoon afternoons wi february 6 61 1881 reported BY ily geo OEO F GIBBS I 1 LISTENED with a great deal of interest this forenoon to the remarks made by brother smith wes we all of us have our views and reflections and meditations with regard to our condition and I 1 presume that we all see and understand all ali alike ailko ke at t least we should do so with regard to tho the work of god which has been established in our day and generation I 1 have never had bad any fears myself respecting it I 1 have never had any fears in my own mind wi with th regard to the zion of god or the church of jesus jesua christ of latter day saints or the fulfillment fulfilment of revelation and prophecy relating to this last dispensation of the bulnes fa ines of times and the reason I 1 have had no fears concerning this the last dispensation of the falness of times is that I 1 think that god go d understands perfectly well when he has given his word to inspired men prophets and apostles who have spoken as they were moved by the holy ghost no matter whether it has been in this dispensation or any other that he said sald what he meant and meant precisely what he said and the lord calculates to fugill fulfil all the tho promises bebas he has everma ever made deto to the inhabitants of the earth when I 1 read the bible and book of mormon and the doctrine and aud covenants read those records believing thell them a to contain eternal truths and although the heavens and the earth pans pass away there lanot is not nob one jot or ort tittle of his word will fall fail in its fulfillment fulfilment these are my feelings this is my faith in regard to the truths contained in those records I 1 do not believe that god ever set his hand to establish a dispensation and a kingdom and work like this that has been established in our day without fully understanding that he had power to carry out his hia purposes but when we come to calculate on our selves as is individuals that is entirely another thing god can build up his kingdom with a few men and women or with many men and alauni wL noni auni buit SUIT 3 believe when god prepared the way for calling joseph smith to establish this church and kingdom in the falness of times this great last dispensation given unto man that our father perfectly understood that he had the element material that he could depend upon in the accomplishment of the purposes designed our position is however as bro jo joseph eph ahas described it our prosperity and progress as a church depend in a great measure upon our conduct it depends on ourselves at least for our own bal tal and exaltation al and as a people it certainly depends upon us I 1 am satisfied in my own mind from what preaching r ehing I 1 have done in my t ilfe life i dolid derid from reading the history of the world the history of christ and of his church and people and of the different dispensations I 1 am satisfied that there were very few men 0 or r very few women in this or any other generation that have had independence of mind enough and and have had faith enough in god to attempt to keep the law of the gospel of jesus christ there are a great many presentations concerning those of christ an ani I 1 the apostles paul referred to it in speaking of the gospel he says but if gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost tn in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ who is in the image of god should shine unto them there were very few men in this generation or any other as far aa as I 1 have been acquainted that have been willing to make sacrifice who have been willing to receive the gospel of christ on the conditions of it who have been willing to suffer persecution and make sacrifices as tilo tho celestial law of god requires of men in order to receive that gospel and live it and to carry it out but few indeed the world are blinded they are so far from the lord that they are blinded with regard to the blessings with regard to the gifts with regard to the reward that the gospel of jesus christ guarantees to the children of men in their obedience to it jesus presented this subject very plainly to nicodemus when he went to him and said raid rrb rab b bi we know that thou ari art a teacher come from god for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except godice with him what shall I 1 do to inherit eternal life jesus answered and said unto him verily verily I 1 say unto thee except a am amande anbe born bom again he cannot see the kin kingdom g of god 32 11 nicodemus it appears did not understand the savior and he therefore aked him how can a man bo be born when he ia Is old can he be enter a second time into his hia mothers womb and be born jesus then said unto him verily verily I 1 bay eay unto thee except a man be born of water and of I 1 the spirit he lie cannot enter into the kingdom of god A man has got to be born of the spirit of god before he can see the kingdom of god the world being destitute of this heavenly light they annot cannot 11 bee seethe see the tho kingdom of god the world cannot comprehend it I 1 was going to eay say not rany yany ny more morio than if the tho sound of it had never reached their ears why because they will not receive the testimony of it because they have havid rejected the light because they love better than light because their deeds i are ire evil beca because usei the gods of ot this world the gold and silver and the wealth that are uppermost with them instead of the lo 10 lovo IOTO e of bf the truth this is what makes sueh such avast a vast difference between the saints of god and the world riot not only in this but in every the world did not see the kingdom of god in the day of or Jesue iesue the world do not see it today to day the is b hid id from them theril its beauty its power and its glory and the gifts and blessings in which the gospel of jesus christ imparts to the children of men are entirely hid bid from them let a man open his heart to the whisperings of the holy spirit and to the testimony of the elders eiders of this church who proclaim the principles of the gospel I 1 of christ an and let jet him be honest before god and seek to him rim in fervent prayer rayer and the holy spirit will enlighten lighten his min dand he will be born of the spirit so that ho lie will see in a measure this kingdom but no man can enter into it unless he isborn pf af the water and of the spirit I 1 have always believed and I 1 do today to io darth day th at there has not been an elder of this church arom from the tho day that joseph smith opened his mouth after receiving g the a authority a thor ty of th the e aaron ic priesthood hov to proclaim the gospel of jesus as it had been made known unto him through the ministration a of heavenly beings I 1 do not think that there has been a single elder of this church who has g gone an e forth to bear testimony to the truth of this gospel and has done so in the spirit of his calling as a servant of the living god but what the power of god has borne record of that testimony the thousands and tens of thousands of latter day saints who have heard the voice of the elders proclaiming the glad tidings of great joy in islands inlands lands beyond the sea or wherever they chanced to hear bear them have experienced the operations of the spirit of G god od bearing hearing record unto them of the truthfulness of their message and there have been thousands and doubtless tens of thousands who on hearing the word preached have experienced the same operations of the spirit of god but could they obey its adamo notions by rendering obedience to the requirements of the gospel were they prepared to sacrifice the honors of this world or brava enough to renounce the creeds of their fathers sto to accept the conditions upon which men receive the gospel of christ namely to make sacrifice to suffer persecution to be hated bated of the world and to be misrepresented ted and abused no they have felt that they could not do it and hence they have rejected the light of truth and must therefore abide the consequences quen ces I 1 heard hibard a minister say on one occasion that he would not believe the doctrine of the latter day saints even if an angel of god were to come from heaven and declare that it was true and this is real really y the feeling of tens of thousands of the p present resent generation th the gospel has gone forth to the world in its simplicity and purity and power free from tho eions and ambiguity of man made systems and when men have heard the truth spoken in the s spirit thereof and they reject the light that accompanies it and that bears record of its divinity the spirit of god which all men are more or less possessed of after a suitable time withdraws from them and in tl time I 1 e that light which they once enjoyed becomes darkness or rather darkness takes its place hence god has I 1 maidt I 1 am angry with the wicked will withdraw my spirit from the inhabitants ailts of earth because they have flav e rel rejected esteg the testimony vf of tho the gospel ofa of Christ and blood of the prophets the hatred of this world of lidden ridden people is kindled against us not noi because weah them thorn or anybody else but simply because light ha hat has come into inu the and god has lias chosen U as humble instruments irl in his hands to disseminate that light to a h willied w iced and fallen failen world and zd they hate bate usa ua because they love darkness rather than the light and that tod too be cause their deeds are evil god has commenced his great latter day work he liag ha comm commenced encee to gather together r his own on that he might have dominion over them and he has already done dobb what jeremiah the prophet Prop ilet liet predicted ted that he ire would do he ho has usie bAlc token elf eif oue one of a acty eity city and two of a family and gathered them to td zion and adl why av have hav e wd wei been gathered because when we heard the testimony of the ain sen ser ber af abd saluting codr naps ears with NAM the giad glad tidings of the opel gospel 9 we did not close cloge our our oue ears nor seal beal our hearts against it hui hut you listened to it if and the spirit of or gad god bore record to you ou th that at what the elders told you was true which isyou if you would obey obey oboy by repenting tofiga of your sin bin and being baptized beren 7 nor for the remission of them they promised you that you should receive received the holy ghost through the laying on of hands you obeyed you received the hea venly gift and that testimony and aud spirit and the power thereof has led to these mountains and has ned 1 you sou under the varied vicissitudes ci 1 and trying scenes abenes through which you have bave had bad to pass now whatever law aw a ded ped people pile keep beep they are preserved by that law and they receive the ben befit of whatever blessings I 1 belong to td 1 it t if a man abide the cOl celestial estial lawthan law that man will inherit celestial glory if a man abide a ter re law he will it a 10 terrestrial afes glory and he bei that ahat cannot keep with inthe celestial nor the terrestrial re law he lic must abide a glory which as has been reve reee revealed al through joseph smith that thelt tie le who will not ilot abide either of these laws lawn must abide a kingdon which is not a kingdom of glory lory wo certainly should be enea eneZ encouraged raged asb asu as people who have received the of the gospel inheriting as we do the glorious promises promises of faithfulness anu ana integrity pty apty to the same and we have reason to be encouraged aged at the pros penty of the kingdom of god and at the foothold it has made in th the e earth and we should seek as its inen iuen and women young and old th 6 live according to the light of truth 1 which we have received I 1 in my meditations 1 look upon the world like this that when the gospel comes to tb a generation and that generation te ire jeet it whether as a a ji tion or fc a household or br ark arl an individual the spirit and power and that gospel is withdrawn from them and they are left in spiritual daf dai darkness kness kuess when lyen this gospel was was flisa revealed from beaver heaven thera there was a great deal ci 0 pf af rod dod god tod among the sectarian world to a great extent in those days mh mn acted up tp p the best light tl tuey e had bad had I 1 refer to such sueh men as Vesly calvin uther luther Ii and many others AS well ivell lis its as their ardent folloW jerr jery consider that thai the leading men wea or of those davs days were i moved upon to do the work they did id but then they didiot did not the church of christ christi this they could not defoi do for god bad had hady bady pot ave revealed aled to them gospee gospel nor called them to perform sucha bucha work Y they however assisted in preparing the way for Us juts restoration among men by doing all they could to break the chains of superstition by which the fhe people generally atre were bound and after work which they did without hearing kring the coipel gospel and acerni acting up best bese light they had hence they wele uli ull der no condemnation and iso so with the whole sectarian world for generations p past dist As I 1 have often said 2 and I 1 believe today to day there are man mau many y generations say 1700 or br 1800 years ago from the days that the ancient ancien t apostles were put to death deatha as bro joseph f aid taid today to day with regard to the persecution these apostles were all put to death excepting jahn john thie trie Reve revelatory latori whom they could pot ot destroy the lord preserved him for a wise purpose in n Hini hinl kelf gelf but when these thebe men were put to death the priesthood was taken froni from their midst taken home to god who gave atthe roman church held sway away for about the power to setu setup p kings or to put down thrones and to a great measure it governed the world until the days of martin luther wt but did that ecclesiastical body have the tho priesthood no it had aad been taken from among men rejected 1 I and those were blain i neither have the daughters thu tho offspring of the old mother church the three hundred and six 5 eat hat lial ilal eo her they h have ave not the prist priesthood hood bood it hot bein giri the fhe powder of ther church to tb baistow bestow it for they vhey hey bey never owned it god n never ker vor gaye gaie gace gave it td them i they never ai gaw saw w the face fife bf a prophet or a man delegated wilh with power from heaven to cot erne crne or or xii iii nanee 9 of the th eliouse botia of goo god go d not but what man many of them enjoyed a good deal of the spirit of god ID mii millions Y lions of such stich people ha have IV irit passed pass passed ed away lifey th eyare arel in the ij spirit word prison house jand ana and tho the prophet phet idse jokeph joseph ph smith and ten thousand of the elders of israel who have died full in the faith of the gospel ar ethere to preach to them 1 alid and this wih is their wak and sueh such ni men en as jqhn and others honest pien plen also aiso D hoil hones lones sf women 4 who aced acted ap up to 0 o the thebert th ebest beat jiji it they had will ivill receive their testimony pim PLO an d when we build and dedicate the these thesel seI sel temples we will administer for them in the ordinances ordin aun aum of the tho gospel gos pel pei which are L essential elgaen to a mams mans salvation aai aal whether hying living or jdean and und there they thy will be pre prepared to come forth in the morning of the firs first resurrection you haye have the gospel I 1 have avo the gospel we behave lia lla ve the holy ghost we have the inspiration of almighty god and ou our eyes are open nd we can andin in our limited cas cai i some of the things of god and |
