Show TL sa DELIVERED BY irr job JOE TARDE at the general conference on sunday afternoon april ath 1882 REPORTED BY GEO F GIBBS j IN attempting to address al drega dresa the congregation gre gation this thib afternoon I 1 trust that all will be as quiet as possible it is extremely difficult to wake make the congregation hear in this place especially ally in EO fo large an assembly when there is the tho leas least confusion while I 1 addre address s you I 1 wish to speak such euch words as shall be interesting edifying and instructive and I 1 de eire elre an interest in the prayers of the faithful that I 1 may be able ia 6 do so intelligently that we may be the better for our coming together lam aware of the position that we occupy today to day I 1 feel that 11 am surrounded by a largo number of intelligent tell igent men and women and while I 1 am addressing you I 1 am also addressing tho the world for the remarks I 1 mako make will bo be report reported td and publia published hed to the world therefore I 1 am desirous to advance such sentiments as will be in accord with the enlightenment of the latter day saints with the intelligence of the century and with the principles that have emanated from god any intelligence chwe may possess and which wo we may be able to impart la Is not of ourselves but bulof of god it did not originate with us it did not originate with josep joseph emith smith with brigham young with the tho twelve apostles nor was it re delved calved from any institution of learning nor of science either religious political or social our philosophy la is not the philosophy of tue world but of the earth and the heavens heaven si of time and ote eternity mity and proceeds edis from god A message was announced to 10 us by joseph smith the prophet as A message was us by joseph smith the prophet as a revelation from god wherein he stated that holy angels angola had appeared to him and revealed the everlasting as ting gospel as it existed in former ages and that god the father and god tho the son had bad also appeared to him tb the e Father pointing to the son said this is my beloved son boa hear yo ye him moroni a prophet who had jived on this continent revealed unto joseph the plates containing the boole of mormon and by the gift and power of god he was enabled to translate them into what is known as the book of mormon that book cont contains ains a record of the ancient inhabitants who dwelt upon this continent a part of whom came from the tower of babel at the time of the confounding of tongues ea and another part came from jerusalem in the time of zedo elih king of judah goo years before the advent of our lorland lord dord and savior jesus christ this book contains con taina a record of the dealings of god with th those people I 1 e it oan can taing a record of their osep worship of their wars and commotions of their righteousness and iniquity and of the coming of the lord jesus christ unto them and of his preaching unto them moo too same gospel that was taught on the continent of asia attended by the same ordinances the bame game organization and the same principles I 1 shall not attempt to bring any proof with regard to these matters today to day I 1 am simply making state ments the tho truth of which you lat ter day saints know as it would be impossible to enter into all the details in a short dicou arsa arso buo suf nace face it to oay say that the father having presented his son to joseph smith and commanded him to hear him joseph was obedient to the heave heavenly call and listened to the various communications made by men holding the holy priesthood in the various ages under the direction of the only begotten he aud ald oliver cowdery were commanded to baptize each other which they did john the tiie baptist came and conferred upon them the tho aaronie priesthood then peter james and john upon whom was conferred in the bavi Savl saviors orso day tho the kejs kojs of the Melchised oo came and conferred that priesthood upon them then adam noah abraham moses bleses eiljah elijah eins elks and many other leading characters mentioned in the tho scriptures who had ork operated rated in thoy they tho various arlous dis sensations came camo and conferred upon josoph joseph the various keys powers rii rights hta privileges and immunities which they enjoyed in thelt their times again joseph was commanded to preach this G gospel aspel and to bear this testimony to the world ho he waa taught tho the same samo principles that were taught to adam adams teo tho tume lume principles that were taught to ohi noah to enoh enoch to abraham a m to moses mosea to 5 elijah eiljah and other P prophets bets the esme same principles that were taught christ and the apostles in former times on the continent of asla alia accompanied with tho the ea same me priesthood and the i same organization only more fully because the present dispensation Is a combination of the because Is a combination of the various dispensations that have existed in the different aces agea of the world and la Is do designated in the tha scriptures as the dispensation of ilio the falness of ti which god would gather together all things thing sin in one whether they be things in heaven or things on earth therefore fo le whatever of knowledge of intelligence telli gence of priesthood of powers of revelations was conferred upon those men in the di Mirent different ages was again restored to the earth by the ministration and through the medium of those who held the holy priesthood of god in the different dispensations in which they lived under the direction of the al mighty joseph joeeph organized a church and when people were called upon to believe on the lord jesus chilst to repent of or their sins to be baptized in the name of jesus christ for the remission of bins sins and to have hands laid upon them for the reception of the holy ghost those who did believe and odey obey received the attendant blessings then the various offices of the priesthood brgan to be conferred upon men who bell kell believed eved and in due dud time the quorum of cf the twelve was organized whose commission was to proclaim the gospel to every people to every nation to every kindred to every tongue then a quorum of seventy elders was selected kno lin tin bythe name of seven ties and we now have some 76 times ulmer 70 of those eiders elders A first Preal presidency dency was also 0 organized 7 glint zed to preside over the whole church charch in all the corli then there were high priests ordained whose office was principally 0 10 o preside p as well as to preach the gola goabel then there thare were elders pr priest teachers and deacons and this organization was given by direct re relation by which the church has been governed from that time until the present bishops were also ap position in the church was clearly defined by the word of the lord then high councils we were reorganized organized for the adjustment of all matters of difficulty for the correction of incorrect doctrine for the maintenance of purity and correct rec principles among the saints and for the adjudication of all general matters pertaining to israel this was the testimony and this is our testimony today to day to the nations of the earth the lord stood at the head as instructor guide aud nod director and the E elders eiders ders were told to go forth and to preach the gostol gospel to every creature because confusion disorder sectarianism and the theories of men had been substituted for the word and will and the revelation law and power of god these elders were told that we approached the latter times when god would have a controversy with the nations and the message which they had to proclaim was that which was described by john when wrap wrapped in prophetic vision upon the isle of patmos batmos among other great and important events he maids said sald gal gai 1 I saw another angel fly in the midst midat of heaven having tho the everlasting bastl gospel to preach c h unto them that dwell well on gr the e etc ete earth a r ili and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people basing saying with a loud voice fear god and give glory to him for the hour houn of his judgment is come s this was the commission mission given by the lord to the latter day saints this is the mission we have been trying to carry out from that timo time to the pre pro sent and I 1 myself have traveled tens of thousands of miles without purse or scrip trusting in god to teach thebo these holy principles pes pcs end and so have havo havemann many of my brethren by wh whom om I 1 am surrounded when we started wo we were told that wo we were not sent to bo be taught tau glit gilt but to teach why jle ile because causo the tile world was not in possession of the tho principles of life and therefore could not teach them we went in obedience to the direct command of god to us through ills his servant jo joeph joseph eph and wo we have spread forth the gospel goepel among the nations and alyd is is there anything unreasonable about mno ano il no la Is it true yes la Is it scriptural yes la Is it philosophical yes yea and I 1 say today to day not by way of bo boasting asting aRting because we hava have nothing to boast of 1 I have no intelligence but what I 1 am indebted to mcd my heavenly herty Herwy enly eniy father and my brethren for ll 11 that tient while I 1 have chave trava travelled ned red through various parts of the united states and the Canada canadas 3 blo bio also alo in england ireland scotland wales walea france germany and different parts oi of the earth earlham hmong Among ong the wise and intelligent as well as the poor and ignorant among all classes of men I 1 have stood in their balls bolls and talked with their their balls bolls and talked with their rulers 1 divines judges an and d wise men of eve ove every overy ry class grade and position in life ilfe but I 1 have never met with a man who could gainsay one principle of the tho gospel of the son of god and I 1 never expect to because truth eternal truth it emanates from god goo cannot be controvert ed and bilat what is the nature of the gospel jt it is the bame same as that taught ta on the tho day of pentecost by t he the apostles when they cried out to the multitude repent and be baptized every ono one of you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sins ains and ye te shall receive re belve the gift girt of the holy ghost ss that was the theles testimony which they boreto bore to the leopla that h the tho testimony nv which the elders of this church bear there is something about this that is reasonable that is intelligent and thatis that ia susceptible of proof it was a very fa far nar I 1 r proposition for the apostle to make promising the people who would obey the requirements which the gospel imposes upon its they should receive the holy ghost and what should this do for them it was to cause their old men to dream dreams and their young men to see visions vision it was wan to make mateo their sons tons an and daughters prophesy it was to bring things past to their remembrance to lead them into all truth and andio IQ show them things to come this proposition was not pot alone alono of are a religious nature but it was also strict ly philosophical the tho farmer BOWS hows oata oats or wheat or plants corn and what does he be expect ile lle lle tie expects oats wheat whee t or corleas corneas the case caso may be and nothing else there are laws and principles in nature in the vegetable the animal and ond the mineral ral rai kingdom kingdoms as well as in all the works of god that are true in themselves selves and they are eternal there are such met Is as gold silver copper or iron each possessing certion distinctive distinct ive ivo elements which they always did possess and the different bodies in their chemical relations possess principles that are always true to unchangeable laws it is lo 10 also in regard to all the elements by which we are surrounded and also in regard to the heavenly bodies because causo cause of these unchanging laws WB we know precisely when the sun will riso rise and when it will set we know when certain planets or comets cometa will appear a and n 1 I dis disappear a ap pp car all ali their ments aro are undeviating exact and true according to the laws of nature now row here is a principle of the gospel that will admit of as strong evidence as anything in nature what Is it repent repent Be penh pent and bo be baptized every one of you in the namo name of jesus christ for tho the remission of f ins and eor ye e shall receive the gift of tile the holy choat s or in other word words sow BOW wheat and you reap wheat plant coin and you gather corn itwara it was a bold boid position to take I 1 remember r that on these points I 1 questioned the elder who brought the gospel to me I 1 asked what dodou do you mean by this holy ghost will it cause your old men to dream dreams and your young toung men to see ree visions will it bring to pass tile the scripture which saith baith and on my servants and on my handmaidens hand maidens I 1 will vill pour out in those days of my spirit and they shall prophesy yea will it give you the permeating at influence of the spirit of the living god and give you a certain knowledge of the principles that you elleve believe I in yes iches he answered and land if it will not northen nott then ben I 1 am an im am poster said 1 I that Is a very fair proposition finding the doctrine to be correct I 1 obeyed and I 1 received that spirit through obedience to the gospel which gave me a knowledge ot of those principles which I 1 simply believed they were scriptural reasor reabor labe e and intelligent into to tell toll igent according to that scripture which willell easilli if any mau mab will do hg will ho he shail know of the doctrine whether it be of god cr whether I 1 I 1 speak of myself I 1 was ordained an au E elder eider ider lder by he the proper au thorit lor for and I 1 went forth to preach this gospel other E iders went forth as I 1 did to the civilized nat nation ione lone pro preaching aching the samo bamo doctrine and holding out the same promises some of them wre were ware not very learned somme some were not very profoundly educated we send pend a if singular class of people in our el dere derst sometimes a rais nals missionary ia Is a merchant so sometimes in betimes a legislator legislators a blacksmith an adobe maker a plasterer a farmer or common laborer jabore r aa as the case cabe may be but all under the same came influence and spirit all going forth as missionaries to preach the gospel of light of life and of salvation bal eal th they have received the treasures of c eternal ty na abne life and they are enabled to communicate them thoai to others and they are enabled to communicate them thoai to others and they hold out the bame same promises you who hearme hear me tuis this afternoon aw abr well as thousand upon thousands of others have listened to those principles principle gs you have had held out unto you those promises and when you obeyed the gospel you received this same spirit and you are my witnesses of the truth of the things that I 1 now proclaim in your hearing and of the spirit and 1 tower lower ower of god attending the obedience to the goepf gospel 1 and you will not deny it ThIs congregation will not deny it when you yielded obedience to the laws of god obeyed his commandments were baptized for the remi slon aion of your sins and had bad hands laid upon you for the reception of the holy ghost you did receive it and you are living witnesses before god this thia is a secret that I 1 the he world does not corn its I 1 ta peppie have not obey ed it and they 0 o not know it and wad the things of godsay the scriptures no man but by the spirit of god and bis ibis spirit bas baa lm imparted arted to us that intelligence and that knowledge this people have in their |