Show D 7 S 00 00 TT T T M BY c JM yin tan in the tabernacle salt sall lake city sunday aj lemoon october 8 1882 REPORTED BY JOHN have had a very interesting conference and a great many thoughts ideas and reflections have been presented to the people in lna ina a clear and pointed manner and I 1 have been pleased to see the unanimity and olisted in our midst and while I 1 attempt to speak to you I 1 shall ahall ask an interest in your prayers that I 1 may bo be strengthened to beform the labor it is difficult for a people to understand and to retain everything that may bo be said in a conference like thia this chero where there are so many subjects dwelt upon and eo so many principles enunciated but it la Is a great blessing for us that we are situated as we are and that we possess the intelligence which has been communicated from time to time many great and precious pre clous cious principles having been revealed unto ua us it becomes necessary for tor or us to try to comprehend them that we may understand the position we occupy before god bea before oro ore tho the world in which wo live and before the inte that ex behind the veil in the eternal worlds we have a great aud and important mission committed unto us and it ie Is for us to seek beek to comprehend that nuis ruis mission slon sion and tul fal nii fil tho the various duties and res devolving upon us the lord has given unto us a form of government an organization and authority to enable of government an and authority to enable priesthood us to perform these several duties and he has certain plans purposes and designs to accomplish pertaining to us pertaining to this nation to other nations and to the tho world in which we live jive pertaining to those who have lived and are now in another state of existence and also pertaining to those ao who shall yut yet live tho time in which we live is denominated in scripture the dispensation of the f ot times wherein it la Is said god wiil will gather bather to gechei gether all things in one whether they bs bg things in the earth or ahinga in the hokans heavens this dispensation embraces all other dispensations all principles and powers nig rig ats privileges immunities and developments that have existed among men in the various ages that are past this globe did not originate with man nor was it constructed 4 designed or manipulated by him nor were any of its organisms ben een clent or anant inanimate for wo we are told that in the be ginning god created the heaven and ine the earth and all that in thomm thorn is nor did this d dispensation with r which we are associated nor havo any of the dispensations associated with the works plans or designs of the almighty originated with man after man nan had fallen and it became necel sary that he be driven from the garden it needed the interposition of the almighty for as is said in the book nook of job it was necessary to deliver his soul from the pit I 1 havo have found a ransom that ran bom som was the only begotten son of god who offered himself in thebe ginning to meet the demands offus of justice tice to carry out tho the purposes bes ees of the almighty kand sand and to be a savior and redeemer to man adam was perfectly helpless in this respect and it needed the direct I 1 interposition of the tho almighty for the accomplishment ment of this object in the patriarchal or or antediluvian age when men were vore put in possession aaion of any hope any intelligence any knowledge rinow linow ledge or any revelation pertaining to gods god those these things did not originate with mans m man ans they came from the tho lord and were niven given by inspiration and when on account of the wickedness and corruption of mankind the old world had to zobede be de Bt st royed a way was vas provided for a small remnant to bo spared by whom by maw man no god dictated it the prophets prophesied about it they taught the anteal luviana as the people of this day aro are being taught they warned them of the impending ruin that would overwhelm them of the prison house to which they would go and of the wrath and indignation of heaven which would be poured out upon the peoples of the earth it came to pasa paea as they had declared but god provided a way for the tho per of the human family it was foretold to methuselah that lifs ha toed coed should bo be preserved to perpetuate the human family upon the earth and it was so noah nonh who was waa one of ochia his descend descendants ints fulfilled that decree again in later ages when the children of israel were to in bondage in egypt they did not drig originate ate the e method of their own deliverance I 1 ver ce nor point out the way for its accomplishment mont ment they were in a state of bondage and vassalage god raised them up a moses revealed ris his will to him set him apart for this mis efon eion told him what to do and after some little difficulties arising from human weaknesses were removed moses was accepted and the lord became his instructor and pointed out in all instances the that he should pursue and in what manner the children of israel wore were to be delivered and he the holy one of israel gave them his law and ordinances and revealed unto them his wil will and stood by and aud sustained guided and directed them this salvation eal did not come from the people it did not originate with them they owed it all to ged the source of all truth all light lighty all intelligence all power and the time at length arrived that the son of god was to come neither the scribes and the high priests and badu Sadu cees nor any of and parties of the day comprehended the things that were about to transpire and had nothing to do with bringing them to page pass his advent was announced to big his mother by an angel und and his birth was heralded to shepherds byan by an angelic angelio host and the wise men of led by his star to bethlehem Bethla bethia hem bem of judea where they found the infant savior whom they recognized as the moi Mefi blab fab and to whom they brought presents of gold frankincense and and whom they worshipped wor shipped it is said paid in speaking of the son hon of god that ha he did not come to do his hia own will nor to carry out his bis own purposes nor to fulfill fulfil any particular plan pian cf of his owns own buth but he came to do the will of his father who sent senh tHim him jebus jesus in selecting his disciples took one man here and another there a tax gatherer a fisherman and others who it was thought were wore the most anost unlikely of any men to carry out the purposes of god ho he left the great men wa out t of the question tubs that Ss tho high priests and tho the popular and pious ploua of all classo classes aa and be he rejected his own laborera labo rela reia to perform his own work and he subsequently told them you have not chosen me but I 1 have chave chosen you and got tet you apart unto this mission when a message had bad to be proclaimed to the tha world in these last days the agents were chosen on the bame same principle there was any amount of te tea chera of divinity any amount of professors of theology any amount of reverend and might reverend fathers and all classes of religious men man and religious teachers but god did not lecog niza nise them he chose chobe a young uneducated man and inspired him bim with the spirit of re revelation i tion and placed upon him a mission and required him to perform it and ho he was obedient to that require ment I 1 speak of this to show that we none of us had anything to do with the introduction of this work but thag that as in all other dispensations in the various agea ages of tho the world worlds god was the originator of everything that tended to develop a knowledge of himself and of hib hla plans and purposes to unfold tho the past to develop tho the present andio and to make mani mant manifest st the future to whom ara we indebted tor for this book look called the bible we are told that holy mon men of old elake as they were moved upon by the tho holy ghost and from whence did they receive that holy gaoat no not of marlis man nor by man but by the revelations of god through our lord and savior jesus christ wo we P sometimes ome times feel to exalt ourselves a little in the position that we occupy pertaining to tha the erlest Priest priesthood hoods hoody pertaining to our organization and aud pertaining to erdl nances bances etc what have we to glory in nothing none of u uli usi s knew anything until it was revealed none of as could comprehend gom pom any of these principles only as thoy they have been mado manifest bat by obedience to the goepel we have received the holy ghost and that spirit takes of the things of god and shows them tous to us we have received rec elved this and hence havo have been bap baptized tizel into one baptism and all partaken partaker par parta taken hen hea of the havo have been bap baptized tizel into one baptism and all partaken partaker par parta taken hen hea of the belf samo sama spirit na as paul expressed it dividing to every man severally as ho he will the question arises I 1 what Is the object of this it is that the world should bo be visited from time to time and communications mado to the tho human family 13 because caute light cleaves to light truth troth cleaves to truth intelligence cleaves to intelligence and as we are all made in the imago image of god gods and as god is the god and father of the spirits of all flesh it Is his right it la his prerogative to communicate licate with the human family wo we are told that there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the almighty it understanding god having made the earth me made tho the people to inhabit it and made all things that exist therein has a right to dictate has a right to make known his will has a right to communicate with whom he will and con control troi matters mattera as ho he bees sees proper it belongs to him by right and ho he has seen been proper in last days to restore his gospel to the earth and as I 1 eaid said before intelligence cleaves to intelligence we read in the scriptures concerning man being a son eon of god we read in the scriptures about men becoming the adopted sons of god through obedience to the gospel hence it is 13 said eaid now are we the bons sons 0 or god and it 11 doth not yet appear what we shall b be but we know that when he bhail shall h 1 I appear wo we shall be like him for we see him as he is by what menus means through the atoni atonement ment of jesus christ anday ana and by the medium of the gosp 1 which has been in introduced produced trod in different ages for that purpose god having felt disposed to reveal the gospel in these last days has given the bame same principles and power fower the same light revelation and intelligence that he did in former ages for tho the accomplishment of the bame same work and for the fulfillment fulfilment of his purposes relating to the human family who are his children benea i we occupy a very peculiar position in relation to god goil in relation to the earth in which we live and the po peo p o pia pla thereof in relation to both to tho living and to tho the dead it is proper for na us to comprehend tho the position that we occupy wo we sometimes arrive a aa curious conclusions ciu clu lons ions porta pertaining ining to the wickedness of the world and a 1 I variety of other things associated therewith and permit me to edy esy here that we had no more to do with the peoples 0 lt tho the world worlds or the placing of them in the position they occupy than we had bad in restoring the gospel we vve find ourselves a few lops lope people mixed raised up with the we lve nod hod fid fin d too that when the word of god is made manifest and the revelations of god are developed that many things as they exist amongst mankind are out oat of order There Is a great amount of pra teater lester ait nit idL idu idolatry latry corruption oppression tyranny murder bloodshed covetous covetousness nes licentiousness and every kind of iniquity that can be conceived of and that is more clearly made manifest to us because the lord hs has been teaching us through the prophets prophet and inspiring us with other feel feeling ingv and given unto us to comprehend things more clearly than others do but what havene have bave we to do with the people of tho the world we complain sometimes that they do not treat us exactly right well they do not in all respects and I 1 do not think this is very difficult to understand but there is nothing new about that god heb hezs revealed unto us his law and aad they do not comprehend it neither do they want to nor did the tho antediluvians they were very wicked very corrupt and very do very immoral and very dishonest but that was a matter ba be dwean them and the lord and he dealt with them and it Is his business to deal with the nations of the tho earth at the present time and not ours furth further eit pir than we aro arc directed by him what is the mission that we havo to perform to this nation it Is to preach the gospel that thai is one thing that was the given to the disciples dis ois of jesus in hig hir day go ye into all the world and preach the gostol be that bellev etli and Is baptized bhail shall bo be saved and ho he that beli bell believeth eveth not bo be damned this mission is being carried out in the fact of our sending re presenta tives of this latter day work to all the civilized nations that will receive our oar missionaries but we are not alced placed here ta t control people we aro lot not placed here t to 0 me use any improper influence over the minds or of men it is not noi for us to aftem attempt P t to do what hommeS maholmes Ma did to bay 8 sy that there was but one gody gods god and hommed mahammed Ma was waa his prophets prophet and by force compel all others othera to acknowledge it to attempt to do that would be to attempt to interfere with the agency of man and anything of that hind kind 1 indis is altogether foreign to the character and spirit of our mission mis bion blon we preach the gospel to the people and it Is for them to receive or reject ec as they may choose wo we have done this to a great extent many of you yon elders who aro arc before and around me and there are some thousands have been engaged preaching this gospel but none of you ever used coercion none of you over ever attempted to force any man toj to tou bey obey the message that you had to declare if you did you did not understand your calling and when you have been among abrading the dlf dif different ferent lerent nations preaching this gospel haie hawe you sought bought to interfere with their governments or with their laws or endeavored to stir up commotion or rebellion or trouble of any kind no I 1 am at the flance defiance de of the world to i prove any such sta statement teine terne nt that does not belong to our faith when the elders are sent seat forth they go as servants of god with a mi biage from the lord to unfold tho the scriptures and to bear testimony moDy of the things thing that they themselves are tite witnesses of and to administer the ordinances f ot of the gospel to all those who believe on their words this is the position that we occupying occupy in these matters and what else do we do we gather the tha people together and they no booner sooner receive this i gzel gnel gospel than they are anxious to gat gather r with the tho people of god why became Beca neca lee iee the thil scriptures Scrip turea say that they would because the scriptures eay esy gather my ray people thosa those that cavo cave made c denaut with me by no bu but bul because they have havo obeyed the dospel and received the holy ghost and that holy has them pertaining to these matters as it instruct instructed d the tha prophets in I 1 form orm r times that such an event would transpire the p aph have gathered together and you could not keep heep them bach back if you were |