| Show M M A 11 1 T S ur pen pee lilu Jitu mogo TOTO Sibl juohn jit ift 1 fr jf 1 DELIVERED at the general conference on sunday morning april ath 1884 1881 1 BY dio GEO F divine r mission of joseph smith A prediction and promise fulfilled many others will yet be terii verli verified led the worlds hatred of the saints indisputable evidence of the divine origin of the church no power can destroy it missionaries should go to the fields to willell they jare jaro lare aro arc called the effects of obedience and its opposite As the time remaining is so 0 short I 1 think I 1 could not do better than devote it to c continuing the subject dwelt upon oy bro cannon the doctrine and covenants as well as the book of mormon contains indisputable d evidences of the divine calling in g and mission of joseph smith for I 1 instance us nce nee I 1 will refer the congregation t to 0 the revelation given dec oth 1832 in relation to the great war wat of the rebellion with which all are ard more or less familiar A portion of that revelation has been literally fulfilled even to the very place indicated in the prediction where the war should commence which chichas chas as was therein stated was to terminate in the deuth death and misery of many liany souls again in the revelation given in march 1831 to parley P I 1 pratt rattana and lemon copier copler copley the following remarkable prediction Is f s found but before the great day of the lord shall come jacob shall flourish in the wilderness and the Lama snail thail blossom as the rose zion wion shall jio Ilo flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains and shall be assembled together unto the place which I 1 have appointed who let me ask unless he was inspired of the lord speaking by the gift and power of god at that remote period of the churchs churche history when our numbers nere ivere few when we had no influence name or standing in the world who J would ask under the circumstances in ah which we were placed when this prediction was made could have uttered such words inspired him indeed flourishing on the hills and is rejoicing on the mountains and we who compose it are gathering and assembling together unto the place a appointed hinted 1 I now ask this congre congregation atlon s if they cannot see that this prediction which was made many years before the ie idea prevailed atall at ali ail among this people that we should ever migrate and gather outto out to these mountain valleys has been and is being literally fulfilled if there were no other prophecy prophecy uttered by joseph smith w whose ose fulfillment fulfilment could coul be pointed to this alone would be sufficient to entitle him to the claim of being a true prophet again in the revelation given feb 1834 this remarkable promise promis and prophecy y 18 I 1 found A verily I 1 e ephy verily I 1 say unto you I 1 have decreed a decree which rie eie pie shall realize inasmuch as they thuy hearken from this very hour counsel which I 1 the lord their god shall give unto them behold they shall lor for I 1 have decreed it begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour and by hearkening to observe all the words which tue lord their god shall speak unto them they shall never cease to prevail r evall evail until the kingdoms of the horyd world are subdued under my feet and the earth is given unto the saints to possess it forever for ever and ever Is there a person within the sound of my voice or anywhere else upon the face of ille the wide earth that can say that this promise has lias failed that this prediction is not founded in truth that so far it has not been fulfilled I 1 stand before this vast congregation andam at the defiance of any human being to say that this was not pronounced by the spirit of truth by the inspiration of the almighty f for or it has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled and that too in the face ot of opposition of the most deadly character and what remains will be fulfilled literally and completely and it is the fear in the heart of satan that this will bo be the case that causes him to stir up his emissaries to oppose the kingdon of god and seek if possible to destroy this great and an 4 glorious glo gio rions work for it iti is a living fact a fact that fills the hearts of the ous and god fearing with unspeakable joy a and nd the hearts odthe of the wicked and ungodly with consternation and jealous fear that this work of god this work ol 01 of redemption and salvation in which we are engaged is moving forward and is destined to continue in its onward march until the kingdoms of the world shall be subdued and brought under the law of almighty god and that this will come to pass liss I 1 can assure you yoi j the enemy ot all righteousness comprehends as well as we do yes he knows that this will eventually be the case better than many who profess to have reci re cleved eved the holy spirit in their hearts and therefore he is diligently seeking to stir up the hearts of the wicked to fight a I 1 st us and they will continue to kl night fight in against the saints until they are and zion is 14 free these predictions concerning the triumph of the C cause ause of god pod over wickedness aness and the triumph of the saints of god over tle tile tie wicked who contend against them vene were uttered VT fj josegh joseph smith in hi lout tout youth iii iki n te pe I 1 earli early early I 1 rise of the chuich church church r when to I 1 al h human um n appearance thir their f fulfillment fulfilment til ill ament was absolutely im impossible possible os sibie sible at that time there were thit few who could be lieve that dared to believe the truth of these predictions the few comparatively that did believe when t they hey heard were those whose minds mind had bad been enlightened by the tho holy spirit of promise and who therefore were prepared ie ared to receive them As the dictions have been fulfilled so those not yet f fulfilled will com conic a to tp pass I 1 in u the lug iud due lud time of the lord Lor lorland dand and as this latter day work has jias f po 0 far grown and assumed force and power in the them earth so it will continue to do and there is no power beneath the celestial lan ian kingdom that can prevent its growth or r the consummation of all that has been predicted conce concerning ming it I 1 donot do not wonder that the enemies of righteousness are stirred up about this matter I 1 am not surprised that the wicked rage and the heathen imagine a vain thing I 1 am not astonished when certain men get gt mad mul or that their souls are ara vexed av athin them that their minds are arc perplexed and that they feel wrought up with anger auger against a people wo who have noyer noven neven injured them or theirs one olle thin thing I 1 am surprised about in relation to this matter is that the latter day saints themselves should not bi be as strongly aroused in the interest of dt tild tha jong JUng jungdorf doin dorn of god as the enemies of truth are are against it when I 1 con contemplate contempt tempi I 1 ta the situation as it is presen presented presente fe to my 1 mind I 1 in d I 1 am astonished that so do mandof many f the latter day saints should be so indifferent and neglectful of duty that they cannot a apparently parent ly appreciate the importance of of living their reli rell religion lon ion I 1 am surprised that there ghoul should dle be an ans any necessity for reformation amonte among latter day saints that is if f I 1 should be surprised at all i though surprised is not the appropriate prop word to us u the word grieved perhaps might be used with greater propriety i in ir if I 1 would abow allow myself f to indulge in a feel indof ing of sorrow I 1 in might gh t indeed feel grieved that any of us s should h ouid find ourselves ina condition to require reform n in our lives it be in consequence bence of tiie tile lac lack oi of evidences of the divinity divinity of the work in which ware w are engaged P as there are so 50 many such evidences transpiring tran transpiring every day in our experience in fact act the whole spectacle t of this latter iatter ray day dax work is overwhelming wh elming n in undeniable proof to the deop people 1 rile y god atlease at least that it i is s his work work worn while the whole world on the contrary are arr rayed against it because cam caw they cannot sec see the light you who ti lyet ivel obeyed the requirements of the everlasting gospel and have been chosen out of the world having received the gift of the holy ghost through the alft laying a ym f Q opa olt tit 0 hands it is your privilege to receive 1 r ohp witness of the spirit for yourselves lads it is your pr privilege vilcie to discern the mind ana wili wui of th the father tather respecting ybur awn own wn welfare and respecting the t e final triumph of the work of god why then should wt we be told that mormonism 1 estrue is true why should we vve need any further proof that J joseph smith was masa wasa a true prophet or that his predictions are being ful fui fulfilled Ailed why should it be necessary to prove that the word ward of god has his cometo the world through ugh him and that that word is s indisputable blei biej that thai the world cannot gainsay it the th 0 do doctrines 0 O kibies and revelations relieved in by the mhd latter day saints sainta have now been before the world fo for tor 51 04 years and durin during that time what what the world has been pleased to call I 1 mormonism I 1 has been to them an unsolved problem the sound bound dof of the book of mormon has rung in the cis els carlof of the cly civilized world since the year 1830 isao when it was published and tha the r report t of bf at t had gone forth and was ta being eing agitated some time before befog eliat that and during pil tho the 54 cears that that bick IL has ilis is been men m made abde abdo public to the world there hias hhas been no no stone unturned by the most roost learned men of the age e to disprove it and make it appear a 9 delusion and imposition in this however they have signally failed not being able to produce a single argument that can not be successfully cess fully met by even the boys boss of this community this may seem beem seem a broad abroad assertion but it is nevertheless true our elders have been sent out as in missionaries i sion aries to the different nations n now ow for the last 50 60 yeas during which time they have testified to tho truth of the book of mormon andri invited investigation vesti gation of its pages and although many in their dav daf and time have arisen arisen either to ridicule or ji disprove the truths it contains J their efforts have been futile resulting only in their they own dismay it cannot be dispio cd for r it is true there is not a word or doctrine of admonition of instruction within its lids but bat what agrees in sentiment and veracity with those of christ and his apostles as contained in te vie bible neither is there a word abord of counsel of admonition R or reproof lids but vt ii batis calculated to make a bad m man an a good man inan all ail and a good man llan 1 a better beiter man if lie he will narken hearken to it it bears the ma mark rk of inspiration from beginning to end and aud carries conviction to every honest hearted soul and because the book of mormon is a true and authentic record of a people who once lived and alid flourished on this american continent and because god himself lias has un undertaken der tak tal en through us I 1 his weak and erring 1 children to establish his rule and government on the tho th earth in answer to they the prayers of ills lils saints ancient and mo modern ern and according to the counsels of his own will wiil because it is verily so devils rage and the wilfully wicked wickel are angered and end see seek the life and lib lil bertics of the il lints lits and the de destruction strub of the tile A 1 0 of tho lord but hut in the name of 0 j i alp i tapis apis aels god Ahey never wm bp b abig ably I 1 li a i ruah rush thir their rt g r p toses poses alain against t t us usA syl SyI I 1 fia fla hava have oaten often said so iso I 1 repeat he best time the world e ever arsaw saw I 1 vor lor or ev ever will se see sec tol destroy mormonism waso nth oth day of april 1830 but they did not do it then and so the opportunity slip islip i and havn have eser eyer since been bil bit blindly struggling glin in the hope bope ot of doing dolog something towards tov tol v ards ita iti but the tha more stra g g ic th the e wider of the mark thein thlin aff aft orts wilba allba AT I 1 ibo iba thiap chis ism is my I 1 IV onye if I 1 had the power and asas avas called aupp 0 doltl daiel ouid godal he t the hee hed u p my boice in lot lof this leuto leuko s euto buko e every esery nation tongue and people for I 1 know k now that it is t true rue before I 1 close cloae I 1 want to say a word to our young men who are called as missionaries when a man is called to 0 o go on oil a mission and a field of labor Is aPI assigned gued him he be should I 1 think say in his heart not ot my will he ue done but thine 0 lord we ave find it a cult sometimes to get the right men wen to go to certain distant lands lauds to pm mceach a ch the gospel jt it is thought especially among our yobu young elders that gt britian is the tines jines t field qa labor in the world nud und consequently they want to go there they do not like to go to the So southern uthera states they do not much fancy the northern states they do not care to go to new few zealand or to the sandwich islands when we call men to go to great brit jault ant is ratifying gratifying for them to respond hll hil e to the tho call and when wd call cali others to go to the northern Sta testo new Zea zealand land laud or to the sandwich islands we do not want any a and say say tiley iiley they illey want their fid of labor changed to england land we 0 expect iller filer every man to be on hand gand to g q 11 ever he may pay be called and then he may ex expect act the blesse of the lord ord to attend rul rui him lullis labos labors I 1 have been thankful only once since I 1 went to the sandwich islands on my arst first mission and that has been ever sinco since soon after I 1 wa ivas sent ther ewas a very bright intelligent int ellig ent man mah ah called to go to the fi islands lands ad and it was ras cas one of the causes of his apostasy apo stacy what sald kald said laid he send me a linguist a ainan abuan man weir wen read an aduca T wl mari marl and av an edl edi edd at that to preach to hea ue lle felt that lie be was not looked upon with that and respect that his scholarly attainments commanded he ac acael fei felt feit fel th that at he was slighted and ana apostatized and returned tolis totis to his native laud land hindy where he wrote a bookal book against ainest us and has since died when bro geo Q cannon was called to go to the islands he had no such feelings lie he learned the language and translated the book of II mormon ormon into the Ila lla hawaiian wallan wailan language ile he performed a glorious mission and is 19 now one of the first presidency of the church and I 1 singular as it may a appear ppe r put of the num number berof of elders that have beedon been on in missions to the he sandwich dh islands I 1 can count more bobre plea piea presidents of stakes and leading amen men than can be found in the same nuin number ler ber that thai haye have gone one to any other country why is tulaf this Per perhaps blips it is because they manifested their willing ness to descend below all things that they might rise above all things if a man in clis tais church would be exalted let iet him himself and he that would e aj sait salt it himself adwill god will abase god bless israel and pour out his spirit upon the household of faith and strengthen us to do the labors required ot us ju in gho ghe the tho name of jesus amen i |
