Show DISCOURSE 8 DELIVERED BT BY mm BUHR gho 0 mm 1 in the nem new tabernacle salt sall lake city on sunday morning oct REPORTED F GIBBS our conference is a moal moat im important port ones one ones one that doubtless will be lie long iong ong rem remembered by those who have hav participated in its deliberations and actions it is not often that we as a people have been called upon to pass through through euch such circumstances as those which have surrounded us forthe nor for the past four or nive five weeks twice in our oun history during the past forty seven beven and a half years haye have we been called to mourn the loss of him who hailed the cause cause of the holy priesthood upon the earth abboth at both times the blow has fallen flen it may be said ns us barly so at the martyrdom of the prophet joseph smith for he had passed through so many difficulties and had BO so many narrow es escapes espis and BO so many deliver dellver ances pes from perils perila of the most moat menacing character that the latter day saints Saint shad bad been led to regard him as almost lerable ne rable and that his life would be spared to a good old ago sago if not to the winding up scene his hii martyrdom then fell is as a blow upon the people it was a dreadful shock fon tor great bulk buik of the latter d day ay saints were unprepared it Is t truo ruil that many were warned especially those who were abroad amock among the nations preaching they had bad dreams and manifestations of be the spirit concerning the terrible calamity but those at home were scarcely prepared evidences came eo so quickly one after aher another that there was scarcely an idea among the people that his arrest or hia delivering livering db him himself seif self up as he did dia would terminate in such ouch a catastrophe the church itself was wa so unprepared by any previous experience tor the steps that were necessary to carry on the work that the lord had es avd and of which ae had been the instrument I 1 well weli we il remember th e feelings that were experienced upon that occasion how men mens mena s i wondered and the surmises that thai were werd indulged in the guesses the anticipations some thinking one man would be chosen and others that same one MY else would be many of the people were at an entire loss go b know inow who would take charge of the church lains affairs amm aff and while they were not satisfied batis eatla fied with sidney bigdon nor his preaching pre abbing nor his bis propositions a great many were undecided in their minds as to who would be the leader or who would have the right to stand at atthe the head when the twelve riffi returned m ed and their voices were heard in ht the tho midst of ahe fhe je leople leopie ople opie whan president young stood before er the congregation coner gr gre gatlon gation and ande to the people doubt and uncertainty and kindred feeling va nihed I 1 and every 0 one ne who had a sufficient portion of he spi bpi spirit of th the eLoid elola lord lora recognized in him tho the man mafi maii whom the lord had chosen chose a ta to jeaa iea ier lerand and hils his people instead of bf the mart prophet for eor the hrat first time lime in the history of the the twelve apost ties stepped for forward pard mard the hage bage of affairs 6 by Y I at ahe fhe he authority J of the ih h dabe the authority athor which they hid had deceived pd from ahse tue prophet josiph and arid for a little rising of or three years they led iid iod aid ard guided the church until unlit the leru inspired his hia servant y brigham to organize a it first presidency d of ghe the church this experience has abden b befit en most valuable tous under our present circumstances men seri haye have looked baek back to tbt the past they have remembered what wab was do done ne at the period to which I 1 riar refer and doubt I 1 uncertainty and hesitation hesi besl tats have not existed to 0 any extent in fact have not existed atall stall at all ail lathe in the minds of thos those dot dof of kong long experience in the church the rhe twelve apostles hsia jhb hi laut ladt authority hority to lead and guide to manage and i direct the stairs of the thid church being the quorum standing st next to the first presidency naturally it falls tp them to afe step forward once more and as assume the direction and control to dictate and counsel eddus el and to regulate so far as ha may be necessary everything connected with the organization lo 10 bf the people and thet the proclamation of the thid gospel among the nations of the phe earth although the blow biow has been a heavy one and has fallen failen uney unexpectedly upon u ua it beer seer seemed ned to me during the past t summer in watching president oun ohn in listening is to him in associating with him that he had gad lad obtained a new now lease ease of life he had bad not been able 0 o speak for years in public assemblies with the ease to himself that ie haldone had done since the lla last winter it t seemed that he had overcome aver i come his weakness a weakness of the stomach from which he buffered suffered when he to large congregations ga and his hia health appeared to beas be as perfect asit asid as ac could be bifora for a manof man mau of his hasage age this being 1 g the case it wasa wass was a very un unexpected expect e d thing for him to pass off so BO suddenly but in looking back at the circumstances cum stances that surrounded him and that surrounded the church and d the labors that were so essential for him to perform we ve can now understand why it was that ile he was waa BO so greatly that he had such vigor not only in iq speaking but in performing the labors of traveling and visiting the various settlements battlements that thit ha be an joyed I 1 do not believe myself that prest frest young could have fel fei fea feh k as happy asi know he does feel had haid be he left the church in jn the condition it was in hi when he comm comme aeed aced his labors last spring I 1 am ana convince that it has added greatly to his satisfaction is it has hns basteen been a fitting consummation an meation to the labors jabors of his long 10 ilg life that lie be should be spared to organize the church throughout these thebe e valleys in the mannelin man nerin which it 11 now is organized ic ii was way remarked by brother pratt in his discourse disc burse that at no time since the atrat first organization of the church have the latter iatter day saints been beer so well organized gani zed in lp oder BO completely as we now bee seq beo see them this I 1 is his bia exper experience lende lendo and his testimony and you sou know he has been beer fa millar familiar with the church from nearly the first of its organization to the presen present t time ilme and I 1 b believe belleve this would be the test testimony mony of every man of years belonging to the church and I 1 am thankful this day that president young was wa spare dJ to ac accomplish com this work that the tb bLoid lord loid gave g ave him faim ithe th e bodily 1 vigor and the menial mental capacity tien f clent to enable him cocose to eose cose up the labors of his big earthly eirthly career in so pi wanner manner anner annen I 1 i he has marked out the path ifor for the be twelve to pur pursue sup sue and I 1 was wils a number of times impressed during the summer that the spirit he possessed in relation to these matters impelled him to hurry them up tp and have everything attended to quickly almost a feeling of bf ret rest was waa manifested by him which was waa so contrary to hla hia usual calmness tj banner to have the work of organization completed I 1 have been reminded a bf times of the same spirit that rested upon tho prophet joseph jospph be seem seems nou not 1 rest eiff he fid was constantly on stirring up the twelve to step forward and assume the responsibility th atlay upon them and to din dispart part to the people hp tho knowledge that the lord bad had given to him ladd arld jaDd to bestow upon the ser ber set servants of god the keys and the atit authority bority hority of the holy priesthood in its ful fui ness Dess and president young manifested the same he lived ilvento to receive elder ta taylor y 1 0 r and the brethren of the wl twelve a v who accompanied him after their return of the he stakes of zion wion and to toi confer with laem themla themia a few hours after wards he be took his bis exit at no rip time timia probably in tha the history of the ch church uriah bave have the saints been calm andeo serene ferene mani festing testing so little cori coli concern cern in rel nel stion atlon to the way matters should ge and the affairs of the church be conducted as they havee hava on this thia occasion it has seemed as though the lord has prepared the people for these things he has poured out upon us the spirit of union that has not been ev joyed probably to so great an extent at any time in ourel our history ory tb there ere are great labors assigned to all of us ubin in every department of ithe ifie priesthood if we take up the work and carry it forward war d inthe in the spirit with which it hab has been aeri committed to us by him now that he has haa gone from our midst the lord will continue to be with ua and nd to bless us as he did him for habas he was with him all hn his life he was yas jas with him in counseling the people he was with him in prophesying to thet people and in teaching leaching them and directing them jn their thir temporal as well as in their fj spiritual if labors labora and the lord crowned his life with success and his labors labor s with blessin blessing gand and they who sustained bim him and obeyed his counsel co have been prospered in every If instance istance and when they received alle aile he counsel in a proper spirit and carried it out as it was given to them the they y and the church prospered under hib his presidency and administration and t has gone forth in power and majesty and in such i way as to bring conviction I 1 to the tha of thousands ands anda of people pe ople opie that bere here is a power connected with this his system called mormonism comprehensible to any who do view it by the spirit of god I 1 I 1 iee lee lwe we SM a 0 pode gode pope sva sla should ouid take hold we of this work that we as apostles that we as seventies and as hl high h priests e ats as elders elder as priests beath teath teachers ers and deacons should take hold bold orthis of this work iu earnestness and in zeal and carry t forward as our prophet and file leader did during his lifetime that we should take fiske it up where ie laid it down and carry it on un end is reached and the full consummation of all things is accomplished complis hed seeking to have the that animated him and te to follow him agbe asbe as he followed joseph as he honored joseph as he revered as be he maintained joseph touching doctrine trine and counsel sot sombat hat bat it appears to tome if we are ate animated by the spirit of god we will honor him and follow id in his footsteps as he followed Joseph and as joseph fol owed christ when we do this and take hold of this work with the earnestness and keal which should characterize our actions the spirit and power of god will ret rest nug nua and bear us off oft as he has borne them oft off who pieced ed ue up he will wili not desert up u nor leave us ip in any po position eltion where we will be destitute of help I 1 listened with a great deal of pleasure to that portion of brother discourse which I 1 heard iii in relation to the apostleship bi and nd the authority 0 the and the right of be priesthood to rule bud rud and hud to govern tb there ere have been a great many ideas goat afloat in th the thy aiudi of m men erl concerning work and I 1 eup puP suppose hse bae bave have been interrogated I 1 plight bely belf say bay 60 thousands grids al of times at an any rate I 1 have been deen interrogated upon this point more than any other namely who will succeed president young in case he die the latter day saints who have had wid exper experience lence lenca in this matter havi not had vad occasion to ask this qu question albod but many inexperienced perien perlen ced d saints had it in their hearte be arte wondering what shape affairs would take in case anything were to happen to the president of the church 1 every man man who is 19 brda ordained ined to the falness of apostleship has the power and tho tle tle the authority to lead and guide the people of god whenever he be la 14 14 called upon to it and the responsibility rests upon him but there is a diffie lenee lence as was il explained E by brother pratt that arises in ih bome some instances from seniority in age in other instances from frem seniority in or aai di pation arid and while it is the right of all the twelve apostles to receive revels tio nand for each eadi one to b be 4 a prophet hit to be he a beer seer 6 er to be a revelator rey elator and to lo hold the keys in the ther ft fullness it is anly the right of one bile bangt man at a time tinie to exercise that howerin power in relation to the whole people and to tor give revelation and counsel andai the affairs of the church of course always acting in cwon coon juno judo un tion with his hia fellow servants tP and while we say that the twelve apos ties have the right to govern go verli verri that the twelve have the authority that the twelve apostles are the men who ewhen w we e say this we do not mean that ev every ery one of the twelve is going to give revelation to this great people that every one of the twelve has the right to counsel and dictate and regulate the affairs of the church as emergencies may arise independent of the reet reel the church is no not t go governed verned like ziona zions co cooperative operative institution by a board of directors this is not odds design it is governed b by y men who hold hoid the less keys keys of the apos tie tle ship who have the tho right and authority tho rity any one of them should an emergency arise can fact as president of the church with all the powers with all the authority with all the keys kess and with every eveny endowment necessary to obtain revelation from god and to lead and guide this people in hi the pa pah h that leads to the celestial glory but thero Is only one man at a time who can hold the keys who can dictate who can gulde guide who can give revelation to the church the rest must acquiesce in his bis action the rest must be governed by his counsels the rest must receive his bis doctrines it was so with joeph joaeph others held beld the apostleship Apostles hip bip oliver received the apostleship at the same time that joheph joseph did but joseph held the hess beye although oliver held pre precise cAsely jy the theace same bame authority there was only one who could exercise it in its fullness and power among the people so also at jos jus ephs epha death there was only one man who could that authority and hold these keys kes and that hat man was president brigham young the president of the quorum rudof of the twelve whom god nad bad qu out who wha b bj extraordinary nary provide providence nce nee had bad been br brought j ought tto tso 0 them front although many were ahead of him according cording to ordination at one time and another now that he be has lebis gone goue one man only can hold this power and au to which I 1 refer and that man is he whom you sustained yek arday as ab president of the quorum odthe of the twelve as one of the twelve apostles and of the presidency john taylor by name when revelation comes to this thia people it is he tie who has the right to give it when counsel bornea comes to this people as a people it is he who has the right to i impart it and while the twelve are associated with him one in por pon power or one in authority they must mua respect as their president ident t they must look to him as ael the man mail through whom the ibe voice of god |