| Show sena mena wms BY illi JOHN delivered at ogden sunday nan jan uary mars 21 1883 reported BY a 0 F GIBBS WE convene in conference in in the various stakes that everything pertaining to the interests of the sta states stases es may be considered in those conferences and that all mat may be properly represented and all the saints have the privilege of voting for or against those officers who are presented tot e conference for their acceptance ac it is aleo also usual to vote for the tho officers of wards in the wards over which tuey preside such as bishops and their counselors gra with all the lesber leaber priesthood so 0 that there may be perfect unanimity in all our acts because the church of god la Is bated ba ed upon the principle of perfect freedom of action and while as was said this morning we have a priesthood and ani an organization and proper authority in the church and kingdom of god it Is id proper that all of these authorities thorl ties should be presented from time to time before tho the people that all the people everywhere not only in a stake but dinall in nil nii all the stakes as well as at the general conference i may have the opportunity if they know of anything wrong anything immoral or unrighteous associated with the acts of any of the leading authorities of the church of speaking of it that everything and everybody may be properly presented and that the conduct of all men may be intelligently wo we cannot bear the scrutiny of our brethren upon earth how shall bhail we be able to meet the scrutiny and investigations of our heavenly father when we shall stand before him and it if there is anything immoral or un of any kind it is proper and expedient that it bo ba righted and this applies quite as much to the presidency the twelve and the leading authorities as to any other individual in the church in order that everything may bo be presented in its proper lorm and everybody have a full tuil opportunity of ollie their ideas and views in regard leeard a to these matters now I 1 want to say bay a little ansome on some of the votes that have been taken this afternoon in order that we may comprehend the situation you have had a new name presented before you for the president of your stake brother Peery who was waa your former president resigned hib his office which he had a perfect right to do and we have nothing to eay about it it was waa according to his hla own feelings freely expressed to me and to others lt it was necessary that hla his place should be filled we selected bishop L W shurtliff ln for whom xou you IOU have just voted and that is all right and having done so you ought now to sustain him in regard to the coun cifors of the president when he resigned and his place was filled they also ceased to act as councilors councillors Counci lors they were dropped as authorities of the stake state with the president of the stake not because of any ac act t of theirs 1 rhese these brethren are good men here is brother herrick Herr lck for instance he has maintained a good reputation and a good posit position ionin lonin in the church but he was counselor to a man who resigned hib his office and as I 1 have said when the president resigned to whom they were counselors they also ceased to act as such the question shall be the counselors to tue the new AF president resident that rests with the new president and those that put him uin rin lin ln office and it seems that he has 8 one or of brother Middleton nand jand has chosen a new now one ande that is right I 1 Is 9 there any to hurt brother herrick henrick least I 1 speak of these things fon forvour for your information in order that th atall ali ail all may comprehend the true position for instance bu supposing pa sing that las laa president of the church curci 3 were to resign or anything should occur to me what would be the result my counselors would drop into their former place in th the a Quor quon the twelve and whoever budie budee succeeded ded me would have the selection of his own counselors with the approval of the tho general conference Con ferance he might and he might not retain as his counselors those whom I 1 have chosen it I 1 is s proper that we should understand these things in order that the right hind kind of feeling may exist and no improper reflection be cast upon any siny person the to occupy a tion llon in their priesthood Prest hood whereby they aro are enabled to perform the various duties that they may be hie called upon to fill you will find in reading the doctrine and covenants the following statement regarding the quorum of high priests which ordinance is instituted for the purpose ot of qualifying those who shall be appointed standing presidents or servants over dlo drent stakes mattered scattered abroad chasi that I 1 it is the duty of high priests to preside the principle of presidency is connected with them you have a high priests quorum over which brother farr presidee presides what is the duty of that quorum to meet to gether to instruct ono one another in regard to the principles of the government of the church and kingdom of god that its members may understand the various organizations of the church tho the laws lawa and the principles of government thereof therdo th ereo and the various duties they may be called upon to fill it may be to occupy the position pesi tion of a president cf a stake it may bo be a counselor to the president it may be a high counselor it may be a bishop or his llis CounE counselor elor therel there are divers positions that high priests are called to occupy as deaths and other changes often transpire and new stakes and wards are being organized but the changes do not affect the status of the individual at all as in the casa case of brother herrick referred to here hero is brother shurtliff called from acting as bishop tobe tote to bce the president of a stake have havo we a right to do that yes who is the bishop A high priest his place being vacated that position needs supplying and who hall shall supply it these things are left for the counsel and tile the deliberation of the proper authorities thorit thorl ties fes to operate in for the welfare of the church as far as they know how and according recording to the best beat judgment they possess and then they should be presented to the people for them to vote upon but bat in dropping a president it drops his counselors they were selected to be his counselors counselor not homebody somebody ebbers and when some one else else elbe takes his place then he should have hib hla own counselors those are the views entertained on this subject and they are correct and sand very proper the order of the church la is for us to fulfill fulfil and magnify the calling to which we are called and do it with an eye singie single to the glory of god each man fulfilling the various duties and responsibilities of his office I 1 referred this morning D to the feelings that prompted the acts of the savior while upon the earth Reca he came not will but the will of his father who sent him it was a hard ahard thing for rim eim todo to do lid you ever think of it when he found the accumulated weight of the sins of the world rolling upon his head kead head his feelings were so intense that he sweat great drops of blood could I 1 tell it or could you no suffice it to say bay that he bore the sins of the world and when laboring under the pressure of those intense agonies re he exclaimed rather father if it be possible 1 let this cup pass but bat it was not possible it was the decree of god the nat bat of the great jehovah and he had it to do and on the c oba oal he was heard beard to exclaim it is finished and lie ho aavo up the ghost and went to move in another sphere having attired for th the e sins of the world and fulfilled his mission given him jn in the flesh a we also hava hate be bean n calle and set apart to perform a certain mib mie mission sion blon and the holy priesthood has been teen conferred upon us that we may be enabled to perform th the ji arlous arious duties devol devolving ving upon up ug and and many of our duties are not of the most pleasing nature and yet we cannot shrink from them any more than jesus could we wo have them to do it is not a very pleasing phasing thing for our elders to go forth to the nations of the earth eaith to preach the gospel without puree or scrip and then to be oppose opposed dj persecuted maligned and abused and even out many iastan instances ces yet it is a duty placed upon us by the almighty and we have to perform that duty as aa jesus performed his and our elders go forth weeping wee plug ping bearing precious seeds the words worda 0 or life and salvation ral rai carrying in some gome instances their lives in hi their thir hands this is required of us why because all men are the offspring of god in whom he is equally interested then we as saints of god have duties to perform we have to build up his church according to the plan which ho he has appointed and according to the order that he has revealed thase of you your who heard leard brother lyman yesterday heard beard him describe the manner of entering into the church of god also the powers and privileges associated therewith those who ho heard brother joseph F this morning heard beard him speak aalt about the organization of the church and the various orders and principles powers and authorities associated therewith these are so many principles introduced by the lord none nona of us as was remarked introduced any of them none of us knew them neither do the world know them today to day god introduced and put in order those principles that have been communicated to us in regard to the gospel and in regard to the organization of the church aud and the various offices thereof and everything pertaining thereto ule uie reto and this church and kingdom has been placed in communion comm unon with the kingdom in the heavens with the church triumphant as it is sometimes called and the church is a living principle a living power a living communion and as aa in former times god placed in the church apostles and prophets pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saint sain ts for the work of tho the ministry try and for the edifying 0 of f the body of christ until we all come in the unity of the faith 1 R and nd a knowledge of the bon son cf god so it is in latter days he has revealed his will his jaws jaw his power and his priesthood and he be has been pleased to receive us as members and officers of his church and it Is for us to magnify our calling and honor our god in any and every position that we may ma be called upon to fill paul said on a certain occasion that a dispensation of the gospel had been committed to him and it was woe unto him if he preached it not so bo we may say tay that a despen bation of the gospel has been committed to us and woe woo be unto us if we preach it not woe wee be unto us if we fulfill fulfil not the duties and obligations that are devolving upon us I 1 would say that this priesthood is not for the honor cf man not for his exaltation alone but it is imparted to man in order that he may be made the medium of esl ssi ration to others it is true it Is ia honorable to be a servant of god it is true tree it is honorable to hold any office in the church and kingdom of god it ia a true there is not a more honorable position that a man can hold than to be found in the family of faith and the household of god to belong to the church and kingdom of god there is nothing more honorable than that talking of the elder why he Is a herald of salvation he is a legate of theokles the he is commissioned of the great Jehovah to bear a message to the nations 0 of f the earth and god has promised to sustain him he has always sustained his falth faith faithful ful fui elder eider and he al always w ays will and what of the elder eider E id e x he is commanded to call upon men to believe in jesus christ to repent of their sins bins a ins and to be baptized for the remission of sins promising them the gift of the holy ghost and all who obey the requirements receive this divine gift Is that true do you elders not know that to be true doea does not this congregation know that it is true and when you obeyed the gospel when you had hands laid upon your he heads ads for the reception of the holy ghost did you not receive it if you were honest you did it if you ou were true and sincere you did and you are my wi witnesses tresses as to the truth of these things of which I 1 speak what does improve it prove it provest proves that hat G gad d is with the elders or israel it proves that god lives la Is not that a great witness to the latter day saints and is it not a witness to the world who dare come before the world with such a statement nobody but thole that have the authority as the lord and acknowledges none excepting those that are authorised authorized of him la Is there any greater position that man can occupy upon the earth than to be engaged as a herald of salvation commissioned of the great jehovah to proclaim the w words of life to a fallen world and to call up on them to repent and be baptized in the name of jesus for the re mission of sins bins promising them if they do it that they shall receive the holy ghost thi thib is the position occupied by our elders as well as that occupied by sev seventies enties aud bud and high priests they go forth in the name of the lord and people believe their testimony and gather here and why because they would not allow you to worship god in the world whence you came and they will scarcely do it here we talk a great deal about the religions liberty that is guaranteed unto us in this land of the free home of tho bravo brave and asylum for the oppressed yet men are contriving all t tue tle tie time to deprive us of the rights of conscience and of religious liberty and what of it would we treat them as they treat us no no no a thousand times no why not saya baya jesus athe ithe the servant la Is not greater than his lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you if they have kept my saying sayings they will keep yours also on oa the same occa occasion alon aion he hald bald to his disciples after commanding them to love one another if the world hate you bouyo ye know that it hated me before it hated you iye lye if ye were of the world the world would love its own but because ye are not of the world but I 1 have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hatath you there was th then n and there is today to day and there always always has been a spirit of antagonism between the powers of light and the powers ot of darkness there has been a con flicht in the world ever since the creation of man to the present time and that s lituch arlt of antagonism to the truth that existed in former ages exists in this age and we have reason to know it Is it because we are wicked that we are opposed we are not as good aa we might be by a great deal it is true we ought to bo bd better than a greaf greag many people and we nrc are and our lives and conduct prove it not withstanding there aoe ate a great many evils armong us that we ought to repent of and put away yet do we injure anybody I 1 do not know that we do do we wish to deprive anybody of their rights not that I 1 know cf we ara accused a good deal of this and everything else eisse in fact do we wish to interieri inter interi ere tere with ith anybody s religion I 1 hope you do not do it here you have methodists and presbyterians rians and catholics as well as 28 other different sects would you want to interfere with them I 1 do not think for a moment that you would we may think that their ideas are foolish in many respects but then they have a perfect right to entertain them and there are none I 1 think that recognize that right sooner than we as latter day saints we believe in freedom of conscience we believe that all men should b bt |
