| Show T 7 ard aed S ma BY iiii JOHN TM killiri delivered in Pa Ba paroman baroman toman rowan sunday morning jung june sath 1883 BY JOHN irvine sr 1 elder george reynolds rey Bey at the request of president taylor read christs sermon on the mount atten after which resident president taylor spoke as follows I 1 have had a long di die dib couse conse read over in your hearing I 1 do not know that we can listen to anything bet berthan ter than to instructions given by the savior and in that discourse Is ls is 13 A gmt grgat amount of intelligence wis vis dom dorni thought reflection principle and doctrine presented to our minds it itis is la full suli of thought full of intelligence an and d presen preben presents ts to us principles e connect earth with heaven pi man men with god and with which are B all our oun best interests in alma and throughout eternity it Is weil well lwell therefore to reflect upon these things upon the tho doctrines teach A lugs inks and instructions given by our savior and by ancient men of god who were under the inspiration of the almighty and who as they were moved upon by the holy ghost for if the upon principles pr which were enunciated by our savior in hia his day were correct they are just VA a atrue true and correct today to day as they were then and they are quite as applicable to us as aa they were to the pe people ople opie to whom ho he addressed him beit self if for they aro nrc general principles anu and bome some of them refer to things that are personal that are associated with our everda ev everyday erya life and with the spirit and feeling that we ought as saints of the most high god to bein be in possession of indeed I 1 very much question whether we could find in the same space as compre 0 an exposition of ideas or principles enunciated by any person that ever as are found in this sermon bermon which wab was delivered by jesus upon the mount we should have esteemed it a great privilege to have listened to the son of god yet we can read his words today to day annd amid the principles he taught as I 1 hayes haye bald baid aldy aidy are just as true and important now as they were then I 1 desire to speak a little this morn mom ing fog upon some of the duties and re which devolve upon us as latter day saints and I 1 feel that as I 1 often hear the elderd eiders say 1 I I 1 would like ilke to have na a a interest in your youn faith falth and prayers I 1 livoto ilke ilko to have the prayers the falth faith and confidence of good men and good women and I 1 feel this morning morn monn inc ine that I 1 am among good men and good women who are desirous to do the will and keep beep the commandments of god our heavenly father that la ia this is the general feeling I 1 will say I 1 have been pleased to meet here and greet some of on oui presidents of stakes and other brethren from a distance here is brother mcallister from st george and some others who have accod panted him from that region they nava bava traveled over a hot sandy desert quite a long iong distance to m meet eat with us and to meet with you again here is another president of stake brother crosby who has come over these those big mountains fro from in Jan gultch and I 1 think some of his folks have come with him from that stake then again here is brother murdock who hab has come 85 35 miles with us and then you might double that distance by two or three times for he was at aulford to meet us and some of his folks are also with as then we had the president of millard stake brother hinckley 4 who was with us ua for several days it gives me great V pleasure plea piea ensure bure suro to meet with these my brethren of the priesthood especially with the pre alderts of stakes states and their counsel lore they hold important positions in the church and king dom domhof of god and I 1 greet great you and biess biem you in the name of the lord there is a spirit exhibited which 1 shows that the brethren feel inter ested in the tile things pertaining to the kingdom of god and that of all others is the thing in which we ought all of us to be interested president cannon we have alsa with us brother erastus snow and brother jacob gates president taylor oh yes we expect them to be everywhere as we are we have specially dedicated ourselves to god as aa active servants in his vineyard we have dedicated ourselves to do the ill iii of god and to assist in car fout gout gont his purposes and we feel p quite happy la in the labor and 3 I 1 yd d should havo have been very much pleas S had bad ald and so BO would brother cannon to 40 0 and I 1 do not know but what he wants me to say something about him being h here ere are laughter brother cannon oh no we should have been pleased plowed to have stayed in the country a few days d ays syb longer but we cannot do so BO t that hat la Is we have other duties devolving devo I 1 v in 9 upon us usi and WO we ought to be in sa bait salt it lake city on tuesday next nest at one time we could not very easily have done this but we have found out the way at least there Is a way provided the lord has blessed us ua with many blessings he has caused us to sit bit together in heavenly places in christ jesus he has granted unto us hla hia holy spirit to enlighten our minds minda and to teach us the principles of righteousness he hasca has hab called lied us to do a great gront work W ork how great could I 1 tell you no could you understand it if I 1 did nobou could not but bu t he has called us ua to do a great work a work w 0 k in ita eta father e J is s in i n teres term teda steda work in which jesus the mediator of the new covenant Is interested a work in which adam Is interested a a work in which beth soth methuselah enoch noah abraham isaac jacob moses and the prophets are interested a work in which the apostles that officiated on the continent of asia are interested a work in which the apostles that officiated 0 on this continent are interested as well as lehl nephi moroni and others who operated here in the cause causee of god and who sought to carry out his purposes in this land it is a work in which all men that have ever lived upon the face of the earth are interested it la Is a work in which the gods in the eternal worlds are interested nis HIS it is a work that has been spoken of by all ali the holy prophets since the world was it is called tho dispensation of 0 the fullness of times wherein gadwill god will gather together all things in one whether they be things thin gRin in tho the heavens or things in the earth it Js Is a dispensation in which all the holy prophets that ever lived upon tha the face of the earth are interested they prophesied about it as the grand and great consummation in the accomplishment of the p purposes u reposes of god purposes which he d designed before the morning stars sang together or the sons of god shouted for joy or this world itself rolled into existence it is a work in which wo we our progenitors and our posterity are especially interested and wo we are gathered together from among the nations of the earth in orden order that we may be taught taugh tot of god that we may understand the la law wot of god and the principles of life and salvation bal bai a salvation that extends not only to all mankind wo we are gathered to gether gather here that we may be placed especially under the tuition and guidance of the lord that we may feel and realize that which the an clent dent israelites expressed when they said the lord is our judge the lord is our lawgiver the lord is our king l and he shall rule over us and jowill we will be his people and we his latter day israel will acknowledge him in all things for we are a chosen people a royal priesthood selected by the god of israel for we the accomplishment ent of his purposes f for tor 0 r the organization and purification of hlll his Church for the establishment of his kingdom J and for the building up of his zion on the earth we are to wod fon for the revelation of all those principles that we today to day possess whether they relate to the church cf god to the zon mon of god or to the kingdom of god so far as any principles thereof have been made manifest and cevelo developed P ed unto us they are truly positively and unequivocally the gif gift t of god our heavenly father they did not originate with us ua they did not originate with any man that lived on the tho earth for no man knew them they did not originate with joseph smith or with brigham young youn 9 or with myself or with the apo apostles sties or with any class of men in this church they are the gift of god to hla hia people to his children who dwell dwelt upon the earth ho he has offered these principles freely to the nations of the earth thousands and millions of people who have heard them have not received nor obeyed them but you yon have that is I 1 speak generally not individually in for some have not obeyed them many ganv latter day saints do not comprehend in pr bhend their position they do not understand the relationship that exists between god and themselves they do not understand the responsibility of the position that they occupy some r uch such hold hoid the holy roly priesthood and others are not in the holy priesthood after so eo many years of teaching and inspru in tion and the tho many opportunities that we have baddo come comme far short of comprehending the tho principles of life truth and intelligence which god has seen been fit tomake to make manifest to up ue and the world do not comprehend them at all and why cannot they because jesus said very positively in his day that except a man was born again he could not see gee the kingdom of god and unless he was born bom of the water and of the spirit he be could not enter into the kingdom of god and they do not understand it we cannot help that but bai if we could comprehend our own positions and realize the blessings that we have enjoyed and do now enjoy and the prospect that lies before us in consequence nce uce of god having inclined our gie gue hearts arts to yield obedience to the gospel of the son of god we should call upon our souls and all that is within us to bless his holy name we should thank god from morning till evening that we have the lege of being latter day saints we should thank him for the light and intelligence that we vve have already received and we should peek for a closer communion with him that we might comprehend more fully the duties that devolve upon us and feel in our hearts to do the will of god on earth as angels do it in heaven we should do this it if we could comprehend our true position and some of us do comprehend it in part we see bee in part we understand in part we prophecy indart in narb darb etc ete but when that which la Is perfect is come that which is in part will be done away with the lord has gathered us together and to is seeking to intro duce dace among this people the principles of zion that we may be pure in heart pure pore in jimei jimmi pure in spirl in our oar actions and that we may all of us na feel like saying baying ico ito 0 god search bearch my m heart and try ariy riy I 1 reins search beatch seata me and prove me and nna if there la Is any way of wickedness within me bid it depart departs show enow it to me that I 1 may overcome it that I 1 may gain the victory that I 1 may be worthy to be thy son that I 1 may be worthy to have thy blessing and thy spirit and the intelligence that dwells with thee imparted to me that I 1 may walk according to thy laws and fulfill fulfil the various du ties and responsibilities ties that devolve upon me that is the kind of feeling we should have if we could rea comprehend our oar position we would seek after the lord lford in the discourse read by brother reynolds this morning it says bays among other things blessed are they which do hunger nud aud thirst after for they shall be filled I 1 also niso read with alth regard to abraham he was a man of god and he tells us in hib bib history that bebas he wab waa a follower after righteous ness nebb that he desired to obtain more righteousness and that upon examining into the history of his fathers be found that he had a right to the priesthood and sought ordination and he received that ordination ho he was ordained by who was prince of balem ealem and a servant of the mon moyt high god and held the priesthood called after hla hib name it is the priesthood which la Is af after ter ten the order of the son bon bobof of god a priesthood which possesses the power of an endless life abraham received a knowledge of thebe these things and when he obtained th the 0 priesthood what did he do did he after the manner of some religionists sing himself away to everlasting bliss blise no he did not what then did he do ha kept seeking beeking after more righteousness jesus recognized that principle in hla his sermon blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled s abraham sought the lord diligently diligent jy and finally he had bad given unto him a arim grimand and in which he was enabled to obtain a knowledge of many things that others were ignorant of I 1 think the meaning of the name of this instrument and perfection in other ter terms ms communicating muni cating light perfectly and in telli gence genee perfectly through a principle that god has hag ordained for that purpose did abraham stop there no he did not rest until he could communicate with god himself jesus lesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god s the lord appeared to abraham and told him many thin gsAnd in proportion to the blessings which he conferred upon nhim him the lord exacted from abraham strict obedience to his law to his word and to his will and he tried him to the uttermost he gave unto him a son sarah laughed at tho the mos moa when tho the lord dord told her she bhe would have a son at hor her time of life she was 90 ye years irr urr irs old it did look a little odd the rho lord asked her what bhe she laughed at bhe she denied that she bhe had laughed but he said nay but bui thou didat laugh 11 there were to be certain I 1 blessings associated with thib this son bon the lord also told abraham that he would bless blesa him exceedingly and make him a great man upon the earth finally this son was born bom but there came af after atter ter ten a time a time of trial of abrahams faith in substance the lord bald baid to him now abraham take tabe thy bon son isaac you received him from me s the same as we all do if we could understand it but boutwe twe do not he was a son bon of promise a great many people are not sons bons of promise but still are no less the children of god for god Is the god and father of the spirits of all flesh take thy son bon and offer him up as a sacrifice s said bald abraham no I 1 do not believe that he be said that but I 1 will suppose what be might have said bald chhy why lord did you not tel teil I 1 me that you would establish your covenant with isaac for an everlasting covenant and with hib his seed after him hims and that become a great and mighty nation and that all the na eions of the earth would be blessed in me yes and now you tell me to onn off afler er my promised son bon as aa a sacrifice what are you yon going to j I 1 do about it you have got to obey me that Is all abraham did not begin to question the lord if he could find a precedent tor for such a thing in the scriptures or whether such a thing had ever taken place 7 anywhere else no he proceeded to carry out the commandment of bhe the lord nord I 1 L fancy I 1 I 1 can ean see eee awra abra ham undergoing this trial I 1 won der what his feelings were lah what A would your youn r feelings be if yon you y U were r commanded to sacrifice your promised bon pon well abraham took hla his son bon into the mountain they built an altar and finally isaac said to hia his father 99 behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a |
