Show DISCOURSE IDEM BT BY ELDER Of fARLES C at the quarterly conference hedd held in paris bear egar lake county idaho idabo FO fe loth 1878 REPORTED BY JAMES JAXES H HART BRETHREN AND SISTERS I 1 am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with you in conference I 1 have enjoyed myself very much while listening to the reports of the bishops and also to those who have addressed us we have had some excellent instructions during the conference I 1 am glad to meet so many of the saints I 1 will say however that I 1 feel of myself very weak and I 1 desire the prayers of the saints that I 1 maybe may be able to instruct you I 1 desire to speak to your edification but that depends upon the holy spirit without which no one can instruct and edify the saints I 1 trust the spirit of the lord will be with us this afternoon chati may peradventure cerad venture be a means of blessing and building you up in the principles of the gospel I 1 will read for your instruction from the book of doctrine and covenants and will give you some keys by which you may unlock the treasures of the gospel page new edition edi edl tien mine aline houe houge is a house of order and not of confusion ac r page all blessings are predicated on law jaw ac I 1 have read these passages because to me they are important and they are important to you also we learn from the revelations we have j just read that it was ordained before the foundation found atlon of the world how the blessings of the gospel were to be obtained and why some people could not attain to certain blessings we are told they could not obtain these blessings because they did not abide by the law As latter day saints it is important that we understand the principles of salvation that we may be enabled to comprehend and obtain all the keys beys principles and blessings I 1 pertaining thereto it was a long after the prophet joseph smith had received tue keys of the kingdom of god and after hyrum and others had re delved received many blessings that the lord jave gave joseph a revelation to show him almand and others how they could ask for and receive certain blessings we read in the revelations of st john that the saints are to receive a white stone and in the stone atone a agnew I 1 new now name r a n if i A saw jaw aft which no man save him that receive th it joseph tells us that this new name is a key hey word which can only be obtained through the endowments this is one of the keys and blessings that will be bestowed u upon on the saints in these Is last st da days y a for which we should be very thankful S in the first instructions we ires ores je from the eiders elders we were told we must repent of our sini sins and be baptized in order to receive the holy spirit and that we bad no claims upon the lord for his spirit until we had complied with fhe requirements made of ils us I 1 I 1 remember very vory well my feelings upon this subject before 1 I 1 obeyed the gospel I 1 studied carefully anxiously and prayerfully that I 1 might know if jt were the church af jesus christ I 1 did not want yant to run any many risk in the matter matteri and remain in uncertainty I 1 was wil will ing to do anything that would give me a knowledge of the truth I 1 wag wai was willing toi tol receive it through the ministration of oti oft t an angel through direct revelation or by M any bo ther other way but I 1 did not want to 0 be e deceived every time I 1 re fleeten fleeted carefully upon the subject I 1 came to this point the condit conditions Jolls upon which the promises have been made are repentance baptism and imposition of hands the spirit would then whisper you have bave not dot been baptized you have not obeyed the gospel but when I 1 had complied with the law then I 1 had a perfect claim to the blessings and the promises and did receive them and obtained a perfect knowledge of the truth and sad could then bear a testimony meny of it to all the world I 1 mention these things te to show you the principle principles we have to act upon in order to obtain the tho blessings of salvation and eternal life anali and I 1 can testify thai that the lord has ful filled hi his promises and has poured out his spirit upon the people through baptism and arid the laying on of hands so we see eee that the keys given give n for our introduction into the chu church ach of jesus christ are as effective in this our day as they were in the days of the former apostles some might bay say why would not some other ordinance do as well simply because these were the principles ordained for that purpose before the world was waa it is not a new feature in the gospel something started a few years yearb ago from what I 1 have read we find they are eternal principles that they exist exists ed and were ordained for our salvation before the foun foundation dIllon of the world and cannot be changed W we e must comply with thet thel principles of the eternal law in order to obtain eternal blessings I 1 want to impress these thee principles upon your minds for there is no think eo so and guess so about these things for the lord himself has decreed them and I 1 bear record that they are true I 1 hope these principles will make a lasting impression up your minds that you may devote yourselves more fully to the service of the lord and faithfully obey all the commandments which he has given us and may give us hereafter there ia Is another principle to which I 1 will call your attention that is the pre existence of spirits before we came into this world we had an existence with the father in the heavens we are eternal beings how do you know that oue might say bay we know it by the revelations of desur christ which bring life and immortality to jig light it was reve revealed aled to abraham and many of the ancient prophets and it has been revealed unto us in these last days we are told that before the inhabitants of the earth had an existence in ih the ahe flesh they had bad an existence in the spirit world and that etwas it was necessary to come into this world and be clothed with mortality and why was it necessary because we could not attain to an exaltation without coming here many people think this Is a world of sorrows and a very horrid world to live in so it may seem to some people but I 1 think that it ia is a glorious world for it is here we are enabled to obtain our blessings and endowments we come anto this world weak and frail mortals we have an agency given us with an opportunity of doing good and evil we are invited to obey the gopel which embraces principles that will endow the willing wining an and d obedient with exalta exaltation tiba and ete eternal life but our agency is noa ot taken from us we have placed before us light and darkness the bitter and the sweet exaltation aud and degradation life and death ileath and we have reason and intelligence given us by which to judge and i i 1 l choose for ourselves by choosing the good and obeying the principles of truth we are entitled to the spirit of revelation anday that spirit only can ean we know god the eternal father falhen and his son SOD jesus christ it not important that we should know god surely it is for to know god and his son jesus chril is eternal life so notwithstanding standi Dg we have our trials and sufferings uffe rings here we e have joys and happiness likewise and we learn fo to di discern and appreciate the difference between good and eyll an opportunity js is also silio afforded aff 0 aed ded us in this th is world to increase in wisdom and in yn all thab that leads wads to ex exl 1 eternal life andave and we are told thit thai all the intelligence i we gain in this yvo world tid rid wilfria will rise e up mith with us in ther the resurrection now who is thero there among the saints that does not want to learn something concerning the prin principles Liples of life and salvation we should above all people be dill diligent gent in seeking to know the principles of truth that we may obtain eternal life we can use the keys and principles that we have received to obtain this know khow knowledge ledge and what is there pertaining to the gospel that we cannot learn if we are faithful if we do db not know all that is necessary for our advancement it is our privilege to go to some person who does know and when we understand how howl to use the keys and principles oh melves ourselves we can then teach others for all who have received the gos celare pel pei are expected to practice its principles in their lives and to devote their energies and lives to the establishment of truth and righteousness upon the ahe earth are we doing thi are we doing our duty as saints of god or are we passing away our time idly and indifferently if so we are doing ourselves an injury and we vve thus deprive ourselves t selves telles of the bless biess blessings didgs promised to the faithful there Is another great principle of often ten ton brought before us that may be consi ednai considered dered a very common principle it is the principle of union wa ve are told by the savior i that we must be united or we sir str are e not his apes this concern us a as latter day saint I 1 think it doe but some do not seem in any way concerned about it notwithstanding the word of the lord that we rare care are none of his bis mow sow can we be united so as to be acceptable to god WP we have hav to be united not merely in doctrinal matters but in every way so far as doctrine is concerned we are pretty well united but not so in our temporal affairs but buil we may become united i in rh our out temporal afraim it t we ve wre uie willing to learn some practical lessons that have been taught us ps and uniting in our execution by entering into them with all our heart and our means we may then be united in temporal matters also therb there is but one way to be united ac according cordin g to the will of gods godi god and that is by being dictated in our affairs by the spirit of the lord when we were baptized we received the spirit of the gospel goepel and by that spirit we obtained a knowledge of its truth and the same spirit we then received if it continues with us will lead us into all truth and reveal to us things to come we have need of revelation at every step after we are baptized forshen for fon when we take a step it ought to be a right step and the only rig right ht step we can take will be one that is in accordance cor dance with the principles of ritan as dictated by those authorized io to teach and instruct the saints this is the only principle on which we can be united and when this principle fully is carried out then perfect union will exist among the saints I 1 remember once being sick eick but I 1 scarcely realized that 1 I was sick eick for my mind was waybright bright and active during the night the spirit rested u upon pon I 1 me and the principles of the millennium were opened tip up to me it seemed to me that all was happiness iness and union now vow what will jt it require to bring about the miller in the first place every man will vili have bavie to learn his duty and do it each one must study his neighbors interest as well as his own no one will do that which would con bon conflict filet with his broth brother interest terest i and no man would wilfully y infringe nal nfl dge upon his neighbor ls rights andi amr privileges now if all had learned their duty and were doing it faith fully it would bring about a reign of bf peace and righteousness and knowledge would rould cover the earth if principles were understood and carried out we should have no do reason to find fault with each other are we seeking beeking after these things I 1 trust we are and I 1 feel re he progress we are making aa as a people although we come far short of that we should attain unto we must have hayd our minds fixed on this subject and be ber determined to receive these truths and live for them this should be our first and last thought every day and we should not je be contented till we realize alize ie our bur desires in righteousness some persons think that a few p prayers offered to the lord willbe will be all ali aeeti securing ring their tion it as very good to pray but hut is required besides praying for example we bel bet baptized r sized for that has been beeh instituted fortnet for fon the thet remission of sins alas We need endowment endowments sand and ana and they can lean only be admin ered by those holding the karkat priesthood for without these gifts gifta we wd could not obtain celestial crown crowni we vve bestow the Prie rrie priesthood Abood on many young men bobring to bring them up end and qualify them for future usefulness we vve want van oar washings and anoint ings and how can we receive them without some one to ad minster them to oue us and no one could give them rhem without divine authority the same earne word words might be used and the tame ordinances ad administered ministered in the same way precisely but butth they ey would be of no avail whatever without the priestly authority our oar baptisms confirmations ordinations and endowments can only be administered by those who are i ordained oi and set apart to admin adain administer lster ister them rhe the law must be complied with concerning these things or the ordinances are void and of no effect fact temples have to be built in which bome some of these ordinances must be performed who is to dictate concerning their thein construction and management the lord himself controls these things and anth authorizes th whom he be will some home might ask why bot hot baptize for the dead and give endowments in this meeting house jutt simply because the lord has no not 1 t ab ordered it the way and manner in which these ordinances have hilver td t be performed have been determined in the eternal world and unless you comply with the requirements and slid obey the law you cannot obtain the keys and keys you aadil cannot 0 t pass bythe by the agel angels sanu and the gods in the eternal worlds foy eoy example you cannot attain to an exaltation without a wife or vivek wives and you ladies cannot be exalts ex altra altro without d a husband for man Js jq not without the woman nor ih faid woman without the man in the lord bo so baid said the apostle paul what then will be the situation of f those who remain single and do not to an we learn from the revelation revelations that they will be angels borne people think thins that angels are alethe he most exalted and glorious glori oua eua beings in the eternal world but this is a mistake if it will satisfy any of you to receive that glory g ory it will not satisfy me now we understand that in order to obtain an exaltation we must hava have a wife and we hae have to comply with the celestial law mohave to have her in the eternal world ju in the first place we must receive her from the man whom god has authorized and arid appointed to seal for time and eternity otherwise we have DO no claim on her hei in the eternal world perhaps some bome do not care much about the other world such person remind me of a man I 1 knew in ID california who became acquainted with arid and courted a lady whose husband was dead he was told that the lady was sealed to another man for ete eternity i anity he ed he did not care all he wanted was to marry her for this life he did not care about the other world such a inan man will not attain to an exaltation borne persons may be satisfied without a complete exaltation I 1 do not feel so I 1 feel my un worthiness ness nesa and my inability to speak as I 1 would like and if I 1 did not know it was my duty I 1 would shrink from this undertaking but I 1 feel it my duty to declare faith faithe fully the counsels of god to ip ia the saints in weir their duties and tell them how they can cau chu obtain sui sul salvation when I 1 have done this I 1 have bavei done my duty every man mali and arid woman can obtain and enjoy eligy the spirit of revelation so as to |