Show BY BT H welli helli DELIVERED lake assembly nall sail sunday afternoons afternoon october 28 1883 BY JOHN levirne t I 1 the principles of the gospel promote unity faith and love iove the human family are free agents tho the evi evidence denoe of our havink having decena od ed from the gods the world Is fulfilling its destiny dest inyThe the che church and kingdom of god arising in influence and power powen pow dow erthe erTho the restoration of the holy priesthood plural marriage mome more happiness happl ness nega in doing right than thin wrong all ali real enjoyment comes cornea from god the latter day saints trust in god Mormon lem 11 the only religion worth living forthe forthe for tor rhe the che christianity of the tho period a t tremendous imposition upon the children of J moll moil 1 mor nor mormonism monism will extend further and further Conclusion the tee principles ples pies of tho the holy gospel are ara calculated in their nature to unite tho the hearts of the people one with another and to promote faith union and love towards our fellows we are an independent set of be ings the tha human family possessed agents unto themselves to receive or reject that which is good or that which is evil indeed it was one of the objects I 1 bup sup pose of our coming upon this earth to learn to know the good from th the evil the right from the wrong th the light from the darkness the bitter from the sweet the joy from the sorrow that we might the better appreciate pre fre preci clate clato ate the blessings of joy and peace of light lights of intelligence of truth and of every virtue now as aa it is ia written man having par taken of the forbidden fruit became as one of the gods knowing the good from the evil therefore he must be cut eai ond off he must not be permitted to live forever in his hla sins sinea a flaming sword must be placed to guard the tree of life hence mortality the wages of bin aln herein lies the great evidence of our lineage of our having descended from the gods reasoning intelli gent beings pos pas possessing beesing the cap capabilities abill of the gods that is the power to rise to their capabilities being of that nature and of thai that that kind of which are the gods and I 1 might ig sa say bay that a a person v who 0 ia a not pable capable of bein being a peculiar agent of t the a devil evil need never aspire e to become a son bon of god for according to the scriptures Scripture 3 we are a heirs of god and joint heirs with jesus christ if so be that we suffer with him himi himl that we may be also glorified together if it would have been as well for us to have remained in our pre existent state if we could have learned and gained all of this experience experiences learned to know the good from the evil the light from the darkness do you yon suppose that our father in heaven heavin would have sent us forth into the world subjected us to all these tests testa and trials and temptations of sin of borrow sorrow of misery sickness pain and death I 1 dont to me this la Is a grand old world and fulfills fulfils its destiny and purpose pose the destiny and purpose of god our heavenly father in bringing it forth and preparing it for the habitation ol of man and bringing forth his bis children upon it this world is not here hero by mere accident it Is not here because it merely happened so but it was made with a lles lies destiny tiDy tiny and purpose which it is answering most superbly in my estimation it gives the people an opportunity port unity ol 01 obtaining tabernacles for their spirits to dwell in this in and of itself is a great thing and a blessing although some may act in such a manner that it would have been better for them perhaps never to have been born bom still it is a blessing to undergo tests to babs pass through ordeals to subject ourselves to the principles of truth and righteousness rejecting the evil and re ceiling the good why on nat nut ural principles a course of that kind is just as sure to exalt ul u in the scale of human existence and in the scale of future and eternal existence as it is that we hadean have an existence at whereas all nil a course the reverse to ordinary course of aln ain and iniquity and transgression against the laws of god is a are ure to debase degrade and to lead down to misery sorrow and death it is as natural natural as anything else as natural as vis that we exist these things bring their own rewards and their own punishments naturally can a person avoid punishment yes how by roe ree receiving aad wad obeying the principles of the Gosp eland getting forgiveness of his sing sins follies weaknesses imperfections and wrong doings we can repent and turn away from the evil and do that which is good from henceforth and the lord will forgive up ue we know better than anybody else if weare wears we are forgiven we will know whether we have turned away from our evils or not if we have this testimony we may know that the lord has forgiven us ua it is so writ ten in the book of doctrine end and covenants that if a person wants to know whether the lord has forgiven him at iet him examine himself and see that he has repented repeated with a repentance that needs not to be repeated over and over and over again the evidence Is the turning away from sin that whereas we did that which was wrong forsake it and do that which is right and thus we may know that the lord has forgiven us lna ina in passing through the ordeals we are subject to in life wo we must keep our ourselves olves pure andl and unspotted from the contaminations of the wicked and ungodly and walk in the path of life the path the lord izord marks out for us to walk in our being ilene bere gives him on opportunity of proving us whether we fillwalk will walk in his ways and aud do wis his works or whether we wiil wili go our own way after he has gotten unto himself a people who will win do his work a people whom he has proved to be faithful and true and full of integrity why with such a people he can fulfill fulfil his words spoken through his servants centuries ago that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our lord and his christ until HO he does obtain a people of this kind he cannot consistently bestow this kingdom now t this to work in which we are engaged is IB calculated to produce just this class of people the saints of the most high god and I 1 rejoice day by day in having lived long enough to see this kingdom arise in influence in power not to its greatness still to a considerable extent to its greatness and to see it put on to a certain extent its beau ticul garments I 1 rejoice in my heart that I 1 have been permitted to witness this Ring kingdom dom since blace I 1 became acquainted with it become considerable of a power in the earth and I 1 believe also nay more I 1 feel sure that it will continua continuo so to progress many nall nail away from time tims to time it has hwa been to 80 in the history of the past and probably it will be so EO in the future but will that impede the progress of this work no it has never seen the day clay nor the hour from the time of its first upon the earth but what it has been greater than it was the day or the hour previous it never will it is bound to increase and grow no matter what difficulties it may have to encounter it is bound to progress and to spread abroad abrona and to be eme great in the earth and no power f can sn hir der it ft not if the salu dalu il j j wrong the saints sainta are not going to dowlong do wrong it is not the saints saint that do wrong it is those that apostatize from the murch munch church and become became any thing else but saints and if those people do not remain saints and keep themselves faithful who are here hero today to day days others will come up who will do it for the lord will get unto himself a people who will be faithful and who will keep his commandments and do his work on the earth even as it is done in heaven whether we do this individually or not makes no difference to the work of god all the difference it makes la Is to us as individuals now we may have part and lot in this matter if we will the lord is willing to work with us if we will only walk obediently before him he will accept of our oar services and bo be glad to get them ho he has not any too many people of this kind on the earth but he has some he has enough to so carry on his work and he will get more as he needs them from time to time because it is the day and ago and dispensation pensa tion in which those spirits that will obey the gospel and ke keep e his commandments will come conie fort forth upon the earth and bear cs onn this kingdom victoriously it is an important tera era ern for those that live in this day and age of the world there aro great responsibilities resting upon the children of men in this day great light has been niada made manifest far greater than in any other age ago ol of the world that ies i it has haa been made manifest to a greater ogreater extent I 1 do not know but what there was greater light in the days of jesus and the apostles but it is and will be made more manifest to the child ren ron of men lu in ui tw q day dby ihan ikan it WV in that day because it Is a greater work it la is the work of the tuinen of times incorporating all other dis and it is to prepare the way for the coming of our lord and savior jesus christ to rule upon the earth in power and great glory this is a preparatory work for those great events that have been set out to transpire great events bueb buch as never have transpired on the earth are to take place in this dispensation of the tuinen culnen of times hence it Is 13 an important eray eras era and great res reb rest upon the children or of mon moo god from heaven has spoken to the children of men la in the day and ago dge in which we live he has hag bent pent forth his angels who have communicated nic sited and restored unto man the zut authority hority bority of the holy priesthood from heaven and through which channel a communication has been opened up between the heavens and the earth through which wo we may learn the mind and will of our heavenly fathe eather concerning us his children all people may learn to know his mind and will concerning them through this channel of the priesthood that has hab been opened up again in this thia the dispensation of the falness of times between the heavens and aed the earth that la Is a great event to say nothing ot anything else now ged having revealed his hla mind and will concerning the children of men having sent forth his angels and a testimony concerning himself and the gospel which Is 13 the power of god gud unto salvation to all those who obey it it becomes binding upon the children ohmen offman great grent light has come into the world As the savior said baid this la Is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil ovll thia this light reprove re provet proves 3 the world of sin and unrighteousness and tells of J Judgment 3 to come it 11 ii in force upon the whole human family it were better for those who lived before this great light came into the world and passed away without a knowledge of the gospel than for who having been in the world when these events have transpired and having had an opportunity of receiving the gospel gospels reject it a great deal better there Is not so much responsibility resting testing upon them they oan can be ube officiated fon for or by their friends in the temples of the most mich high god which will bo be built and which are built for the express purpose of going into them and performing the ordinances for the living and for the dead these things nave bean been restored in this the dispensation of the of times A knowledge of god has men baen restored we know how to repent of our bins sins we know how to got them remitted we have the privilege of knowing the power of god as it itt la is made mani est ost upon ane earth in the hearts of the children of meny mens men whick others have not had the eriv kl gaj if knowing for A great many hundreds of years we have the privilege of having part and lot in this matter As I 1 observed babore wo we can bo be workers and workers coworkers co for our father in heaven if we will only let iet him work with ua hois holb ho Is the master workman he is the great architect he is the one who is directing our labors and if we will seek to obey his ris laws if we will walk in the path ho he marks out for us to walk in if we will wiil work according to his plan pian an in the building up of his hib kingdom on the earth so ao as to bring timber to timber and block to block and everything in its proper position and pro der place according to the plan that he devises we may be instrumental in his hands of accomplishing thin great work giving god the glory whose kingdom it is there is 13 glory enough for us to bo be the honored instruments la in his hands of accomplishing hla nis purposes and establishing tab shing lishing his cause here hero upon the earth even evea the cause of truth and rIghteous righteousness ness nesb and bearing it on off victoriously against every evary obstacle or foo foa that lies in our pathway there is ia honor enough I 1 say in being humble instruments in his hands and in having a lot and part in this matter I 1 have always reit leit ever enee bince I 1 became acquainted with these principles to make it my mes business allowing no other business to intervene to work for god and his hla kingdom I 1 esteem it a privilege and an honor to do to E so 0 if well says one dont it bring you into difficulties have yoa you not a great many things to en counter thag thug you would not have to encounter Is in it not a hard road to travel 21 I 1 do not know th that 3 t it is I 1 bc benoya bedoya IJ oya eye t be latter iatter day saints enjoy themselves better on an average in the things of this world than any other people with whom I 1 am acquainted if nobody but latter day saints had difficulties to encounter in this life then people might talk I 1 dont often say anything in regard to plural marriage but there has been a great deal said about the misery cf women in that order well if in mno m monogamy gamy women do not have any trouble if jt it were all serene in that order of marri ageno cause of cf difference of feeling or of I 1 jealousy then there might W bacome soine cause for this hue and cry peaple imagine you know that in a mans roans family where there are nrc several wives they must be very jealous of one another that they must nuat tear each others hair and all that bind kind of thing well as I 1 have said it if there was never any jealousy or any feelings of cf in famili families eB thon then they thay might say fay something I 1 have had bad a little experience both ways and though not a woman yet I 1 an bold to bear my testimony that there is more happiness in the an number m of families living in plural marriage than there is in an equal number of fa families millea in the other condl tion lion and I 1 speak from my own experience in regard to thesa theba matera maters matt mats ena era I 1 think I 1 lived a la happily in monogamy as aa anybody anki and I 1 think too that thal I 1 live as happily in plural marriage as anybody else I 1 would like to have people reah real lize that there is more happiness in do ing ling right and in keeping beeping the commandments mand ments of god that than is afforded by the allurements allure ments offered in the world or by the world that are of an opposite character it is very true a great many things that are counted bins sins are not sins I 1 do not believe that it is worth our while to make sin bin of that that la Is no ein eln there are a great many counted mas bins in the christian world that are not sins bins at all why there was a great big devil in a very small 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