| Show ad iao 0 TT SS S BY tresy TOTO GEORGE n U Q patoni donon CONON DELIVERED in ow the 1 tabernacle emacile salt lake city olty sunday afternoon alay aldy 2 1884 REPORTED BY jonn JOHN IRVINE PRESIDENT cane commenced br by rea reading ding aing the ath chapter of iMal imai balach acm if after ter which he saidi sald in rising to address you this afternoon my tr grethren ethren brethren and sisters I 1 do so relying upon the assistance of your faith and prayers that the remarks which I 1 may be led t to 0 make may be such as shall be adapted to bour circumstances and as shall prove a benefit to us all As you know we have just lust returned from dedicating the temple that has been completed complete d at logan we have had during our absence and our meetings ings there a most delightful ti time me I 1 think that every one who was present felt it to be such and that we have been greatly favored of god in being permitted to finish one more temple tempe in which the ordinances of life and salvation can be attended to there has been great rejoicing over its completion ion and those who have been engaged in it have labored very assiduously they have been untiring in their efforts and exceedingly liberal libbril in furnishing the necessary means to accomplish com the great work wore work itis it is very encouraging to think that in the midst of the assaults which are heing being heing made upon the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and the threats that are in circulation concern ing ing lug lis Us and our future fate sate there is faith enough found in the midst of the peaple papio to pursue without discouragement and without cessation the great work which we feel that our father has laid upon us we have not been situated as we were in nauvoo when wa we finished our temple there for then the tho workmen who labored upon it were like the jews in the daya days of nehmiah nehemiah lah when they undertook to rebuild the walls of Jerusa lemand had to labora labor a portion of the time at least and a great portion of it too with their instruments of labor in one hand and weapons ve apons to defend themselves iu in the other we were surrounded by mobs and living in a constant state it may be said of fear because of the threats which were made and the combinations eions which were formed and the at tacks upon our outlying settlements in the burning of houses in the destruction of grain graing in the shooting down of cattle and in the driving out of the people from their homes but while whilo we have nave not been in this condition through the years that we have been engaged en in the erection of the Logan temple we have not been free from attacks attack s and from threats and from combinations for oar destruction had we been prompted by the ordin ary faith of man the hands of tha tho people would have been deen been weakened in this great work and they would have hesitated in its performance but no such feeling lebling has been manifested or expressed undismayed and undiscouraged by all the surrounding 0 circumstances the people have haver pressed forward the work and have now the joy and satisfaction of witnessing its completion it seems as though in by the performance of such labor there is a degree of faith required an unusual degree for if our views be correct it Is an important work an important part of the work of the great god the building of temples ples pies by ills his direct command and this his bein being the case undoubtedly such work will DC met by opposition on the part of him who is determined to do ever everything in his power to retard the wor work of god by llly the revelation of the gospel of jesus christ the two forces which have been arrayed against each other since the beginning of the earth have been baroug brought ht out unto it may be said extraordinary nary prominence no sooner did the sound go forth that god had again spoken from the heavens than an antagonism and an opposition was ar roused such as the world for a long period had seemed to know nothing in the powei of evil was brought to I 1 light ht brought broughal b into active exercise andle sayi saying n of the savior was exemplified where he said think not that I 1 am come como to send peace on earth I 1 come not to send peace but a sword for I 1 am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against 1 her hen mother and the daughter I 1 mei inlaw in law aw against her mother in law and a mans f foes oe s shall be they of his own household 99 has continued from that day until the present time gathering gather strength increasing in volume gathering and in intensity density ag against ilist the work of god and to those who w 0 have had no faith it has seemed as though it would take but a short period for sor the waves of opposition to over overwhelm and com corm lately submerge this work that our tod god has f founded oun ed in the earth but this work bein being of god the promises which he made mad c concerning it have not failed every word thus thug far has been f fulfilled uil filled it seemed like a feeble ll 11 light ht in the beginning it seemed as though a small smail puff of wind would extinguish in if but it has continued to enlarge it has continued to increase until its blaze illumines the horizon and is watched with interest from afar whence when we look back at the inception of this the promises that were made concerning it and the labors of those who were en engaged in founding it it is most interesting in this day to mark and ind ponder upon that which was then done and that which W vas as ther than 11 1 1 1 i promised r unto us men dlen wonder why rt it Is that the latter day saints believe in n this work why it is that they believe in the claims of joseph smith as a prophet ot of god wonder Is expressed because we entertain faith in the tile doctrines t which form our religion but to me it is most extraordinary that men possessed oss essed of the power rea reason sonol of the faculty acuity of judging between truth hand and error should with the light there is upon this subject with the extraordinary evidence in favor of the divinity of this work doubt is IP truth or that they should hesitate to accept it it has always seemed from my boyhood since bince I 1 was old enough to comprehend these principles extraordinary that such should be the case god ma made ole cle promis promises esin ln the beginning of this work concerning lt its growth and f future eve every 2 I 1 word of which has been fulfilled thu tho evidences are arc before the world when the prophet joseph first received his manifestations concerning the co coming in ing I 1 forth ot h of this work he was but aboy a boy 0 of f fourteen ur teen years of age anen he reel received the plates containing the book of mormon morino n he was but twenty one years of ag age ge when this church was organized re he was but twenty four years of age the revelations which were then oven given and which are embodied in the book of doctrine and covenants concerning the organization of the church are such thai if I 1 were not a latter day saint and were to read them and know as I 1 i do know concerning the man through whom these revelations came and through whom this organization was effected I 1 would be compelled to admit that there was a power connected with the organization of this church that there was a light and an intelligence connected with the revelations that were t then en i from given en that could not have emanan emanated e d from any other source but god it would be harder for me to reject this idea and this view than it would be to entertain it the weight and preponderance of argument would be more in favor of that view than of any other let any man mar read the revelations that jose joseph rece received ve prior bior to t the e s sixth t 0 of april apr aar 1830 let him im read the revelation at that at was vas was given on that day concerning the organization of this church and if he can do so without being impressed that god is in this then he must indeed be an extraordinary i specimen of unbelief and of hardness 0 of tsy tsi heart A church organized precisely upon the pattern of the ancient church with doctrines precisely similar varying in no single particular from the doctrines of the ancient church and these revealed in extraordinary plainness la inness and power by an unlettered youth who had had no chance of education save that which the common schools of the country afforded there has never been a day dav since this church was organized until aunill this day of our lord 54 years and upwards that an elder of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints ever failed to maintain the divine authenticity of the doctrines that he had been sent out to teach when brought in contact with the most learned men of the day the most skilled theologians at no period in our history has this not been the case sending out unlettered men sending out men not taught in the schools of theology sen sending ding ling out men from the fields the ine bench betich and workshops as the tho cavior savior sent out ills liis disciples from the lowest walks of luf luu life ilfe e with the bible in their hands to preach the gospel as god has restored it and wherever they have been brought in contact with the clergy of the aa day oay in controversy or otherwise they lve ave have always been successful in maintaining their doctrines from the scripture let any man moan examine the system that joseph taught the or organization animation aniza tion of the church itself with aa ail its ollI officers cers the ordinances and the doctrines and he will be compelled to admit as was admitted tome to me by a prominent member of congress who wh was ovas one of our bitter nitter enemies that it is the greatest or organization ani on earth said this gentleman antle an mr cannon I 1 have examined the organization of your church I 1 am familiar with the catholic organization but your organization is the most magnificent of anything I 1 have ever had my attention directed to it is superior to every other organization on the i earth where did you get it of course he was not willing to give god an any credit for it I 1 kive ulve give him all credit and not joseph josep h smith nor brigham young nor any other man who has been identified with this church of christ but there are other points to which my mind is led this afternoon it in connection with this subject joseph smith received the ministration of angels so he testified ile he stifled stilled te that an angel came to him and taught him the doctrines that he afterwards taught to the people if I 1 can find the place I 1 will read a i little while I 1 was vas thus luthe in the act set actor or tig ilk god I 1 discovered a light appear ini ins antle in the room which continued to am rea i until the room was lighter lighten than at noonday when hn immediately a personage a 1 wred at my i bedside standing in ia the air for r his bis feet did dil not touch the floor he had on a loose robe rube of most exquisite whiteness it wag was ra a 1 whiteness beyond anything 0 eart anthly o lily I 1 had hn ever been nor do I 1 bellere that tha t any earthly thing could he be made to lippearl appe arho arbo o exceeding ly white and bril brilliant haut Hant his bands vere mere naked raked and his arms also alit allt a litle le abort I 1 he be wrist to 60 also were veere his f feet naked a as mere merc ere his legs a little above the ankle nis uis head and neck were also bare I 1 roide ril dil cover I 1 that he be had no other ciet clet hung luup on nr but tut this robe as it was open so BO that I 1 could boe toe into his bis bosom not only was his robe exceedingly white waite but his whole person was g glorious clorious beyond be ond description and his countenance truly like lightning the room exceedingly y light but not so verv merv bri bright ht as immediately around his hla poow viren airen I 1 first look 1001 sd d upon hv hr was afraid but the tha fear soon left me ile he called me by name nam and said unto me that he was a messenger sent bent from the presence of god to me and that his name was moroni that god llad had a work for me moe to do and that my name should be had for good and devji eyu among all natio ratio nations kindreds and tongues or that it should ib be e both good and evil spoken of among all people lie ile said there was a book deposited aritt written en gold plates giving an a account 0 of f the former formen inhabitants nha of this co continent nent id and the source from whence they sprang lie ile also said that the falness of the everlasting gospel was contained in it as delivered by bv the savior to the ancient inhabitants also that there were two stones in silver bows and these stones fastened to a breastplate constituted what is called the arim and Thum mim deposited with the plates and the possession and use of these tones stones 8 was what constituted seers seem in ancient or former times and that god had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book I 1 will not read the remainder three times durant duning during that ni night ht was this youth visited by this Is angelic messenger and at each interview the same things were repeated to him numerous passages of S scripture were quoted to him and the doctrines of the gospel of jesus christ unfolded to him the next day he was again visited and again instructed so that it appeared to be the mind of the loid lold that te he should be dee deeply P ay im impressed pres s ed 9 8 so 0 deeply impressed that he would never forget gorget that which was then told to him there is this remarkable statement made a statement which was publish i ed in the early days of the church long I 1 before its fulfillment fulfilment that god had bad a work for me to do and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations kin reds ardds and tongues or that it should should be both good and evil spoken of among ali all people certainly no truer words could be spoken than thesel these for everywhere throughout the civilized world already has the name of joseph smith been known for good or evil no name probably roba 9 next to t that at 0 of t the c son sou on of god 0 0 our oun r deemer redeemer is held heid ilin liln such guch veneration by the thousands and hundreds of thousands who believe in the go gospel spi of the son of god next to that name in which we approach the father ane name of jesus next to that in the minds of all who have received the gospel stands preeminently pre eminently the name of the prophet joseph smith but with an intensity of hatred equal to that of the love borne by the latter day saints to that name is t the feeling ir entertained towards it by t those gosev oses who 0 have rejected the gospel as taught aught by him A more complete fulfill fulfillment nent of a prediction is not to be found anaw anywhere here throughout the earth in ancient days or at any time when god had prophets upon althy the y earth and so it has been with many y other predictions that were made at that time joseph smith foresaw with certainty and predicted with accuracy the growth of this work that the elders of this church should carry this gospel to the nations of the earth that they would be successful to the extent they have been successful and no more no man was led to expect there would be any great conversions of the people b by v t the elders of this church joseph smith enlightened by the Spi spirit of god made no such prediction and led no one associated with him to anticipate such results on the contrary he endeavored to the extent of his ability to prepare the people for such persecution as had never been witnessed u upon I 1 on the face of earth since the days of le the son of god ile he never taught the people that their lives would be easy and pleasant that t they h ey would have smooth sailing that t they h e would have no interruption interrupt |
