Show 0 BY mem MEW JOHN taylore at ogden sunday october 1884 REPORTED BY iny JOHN I 1 t I 1 I 1 AM pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with you yon in conference here and to talk with you vou a little on some of the principles associated with our duties in our connection with the church and kingdom of god the latter day saints occupy a very peculiar position in the world wo nid rid butiro but I 1 do not know that we have anything very particular to say on that question it altrue is true we have used our own agency in couil coming tig here but there are certain purposes of the almighty associated with our gathering catherin g together over which we bad v very little control there is a remarkable saying in the revelation of st john in reference ref nef Prence to a certain babylon which reab reads as follows follow ind and nd I 1 heard aheard another voice from heaven saying sang come out of 0 her my people that ye be not t partakers par takers of her sins and that ye receive hot of her plagues for her sins have reached unto heaven and god hath remembered her iniquities there is something some think thinh very significant sl in the text tet here quoted it would seem that john in a previous part par of his vision had seen an angel who would precede this other lie he says and I 1 saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting er gospel opel to preach unto them that dwell on tie thie earth and to every natio nand kindre dand tongue and people saying with a loud voice fear god and give glory to binfor him bim for the hour of his judgment is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountain fountai fountains 6 of water I 1 As latter day saints we have listened to thase things from time to time we have talked about the opening of the heavens the manifestations ol oi god our heavenly father and jesus the mediator of the new covenant about the restoration of the gospel and the th e organization of the church and ana kingdom of god we have talked a good deal about the holy priesthood and the authority of god having been conferred upon man moan from the heavens which places us in communication with our oun oue oui heavenly eat Fat fatherland eather eathen herand and also of the organization of ills his church in a manner that is in accordance with his will and under his hla inspiration we have heard quoted from time to t time passages like this gather my saints together unto me thode thorde that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice 11 again and I 1 win will take you one of a city and two of a family and I 1 will bring you to zion and nd I 1 will give you pastors according to mine heart which shall feed you with kno knowledge and understanding many other passages es of a similar nature are contained in ell the bible which we all of us at least profess to believe in and by the manifestations of the power of god and the light of revelation we have been instructed in the things of eternity and the organization of the church of god has been effected it commenced upwards of 51 54 years ago and the work has been beep progressing from that time unto the resent and all the organizations that rave eave S ave been effected pertaining to the priesthood have been made under the immediate direction of the spirit of the living god and have been given unto us by direct revelation in order that we might be instructed in the laws of life and be enabled to accomplish the t h e things that god had bad designed from f rom before the foundation of theao the world ri d pertaining to these last days and with w th these things we are generally familiar when jesus was upon the earth and his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray he said when ye pray say our father which art in heaven hallowed h allowed be thy name thy kingdom come I 1 thy thyr will be done on earth eara earl as it is in heaven in this chehad he had direct reference to the events that are now taking place ain arn among oriff us as a people thy kingdom come why that thy will may be done on earth as it is in heaven we are here for bior the purpose of becoming acquainted quain ted with the will of god with the law of god with the order of god with the dominion ot god and we are here to establish the kindom kin kingdom 11 dom lom of god we are here to be taught in things pertaining er to the church of god an and its purification we are here to build up a zion of God which implies the pure in heart Then we are here to send forth the gospel to every evers tongue and people we are here to build temples tem iles lles to the name of the lord and to administer aT minister administer therein we are here to represent god upon the earth as his priesthood and we are gathered in the different stakes as yo you yon u are gathered hereto day to attend to various duties associated with that priesthood and to become acquainted wa with th all th the e principal features associated with the church and kingdom of god upon the earth it is for us as stakes as peoples and as saints of god to learn to comprehend the relationship that we sustain to god our heavenly father lend to his church and kingdom here ii upon on the earth to jesus the mediator of OJE the new covenant and to the priesthood that is behind the vell veil and also to become acquainted ac with things upon the earth connected with the welfare of humanity whether in the land of zion or in any other land and we are gathered together for foh tile tiie express purpose of being taught and instructed ted in all these principles we are not here as jesus was not here to condemn the world as he says eor wor tor god sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved this was the prominent object of ills his mission to the earth that the world through h him might be saved and we are here lre to carry out his ills purposes we have certain relationships with the world while we are in it that cannot be ignored and we have certain duties to perform associated therewith that should be respected As it is we are here as an integral part of the united states and az we have duties to perform as citizens thereof and it is expected that we shall fulwil every proper requirement observe ever every y correct law and govern ourselves with propriety and uprightness hon honor ortruth truth a and id integrity and be good citizens thereof these are things that are expected of all honorable people and it is proper for us to meet tile the obligations and duties dev devolving olvine upon us pertaining 9 to the nation with which i we ve are associated we have another duty to perform to the nations ia tiong of the earth perform it as to send forth the gospel thereunto and for this the twelve are or organized an and seventies and the elders are sent forth as the ilie messengers of god that mankind may embrace th the e eternal truths of the gospel bychich by which life and immortality are brought to light that they with us may have the privilege of partaking of the rich blessings of eternal life that they with us may have the opportunity ol of being instructed in the laws law s 0 of f lif fit and that they with us may be made partakers par takers of all things associated with the church and kingdom of god these are their privileges inasmuch as they will be obedient to the laws and ordinances perta pertaining inina thereunto and live according to the requirements of heaven until these things are arc done other things will not be accomplished des designed ned in relation to the nations of the earth arth for the people of the earth are all Ms his nis offspring and he feels interested in the welfare of humanity generally ile he expects that we shall do the same we are building temples and we are administering in those temples what are we doing that for there is something very peculiar about this matter well we may be doing it in part for our se imren ees fes in part for our wives and our ct children in part for ton our fathers and our mothers and uncles and aunts and many of our friends and progeny tors that we have been acqua inte lote ted led with it and in part for many others with whom I 1 0 we are not acquainted that we vye may b be united together and stand as sa saviors ors upon mount amount zion you heard brother cannon tell you today to day that there was a company of about 40 VI going to L logan ogan this morning with one bishop 1 ji p t to 0 fulda fulfil some of these duties and these things are are ate bec bez beginning inning to be generally understood among the latter day saints all of these duties and responsibilities devolve upon us all these things thins are within our reach As a people if we live our religion and prove ourselves worthy we are privileged to enjoy all the blessings and mercies which god our heavenly father has conferred upon us through the medium of the gospel and our obedience thereunto and we wish to perform our duty to everybody to perform as they say in the church of ingland england our id duty ty in that state of life unto which it ijas lias has pleased leased god to callus call cali us 4 it has pleased dod tod gad god to call us to these lands and to make use of us for certain purposes in the interest of humanity and for the welfare of a fallen world this is the object of our being gathered together and that we might build up a zion unto the lord and be instructed in all the principles of righteousness truth integrity and everything associated vigour with our present and future happiness and thus become the blessed of the lord and our offspring with us these are some of the the thin thins things s devolving upon us ns hence zion is i beginning ginning to len ien lenthen lengthen then her cords and increase ier ter her S stakes tai tzi es and we are spreading out in the north in the south and in various different directions we are seeking to look after the welfare of the ithe saints ol 01 god in their various settlements wherever I 1 bey hey may be and to protect them in every vay that it Is possible for us to extend protection on OD the principle of union harmony and brotherhood inspired by the spirit of the tiie living god hence it becomes the duty of the le first presidency to look after things and s sometimes under peculiar pecullar circumstances we vye are oblige obliged Tto to send a few saints from one stake to S strengthen reng renz then other stakes of zion that t the e people may be preserve preserved eol eci in their rig rights ts and their I 1 liberties from the a aggressions of unscrupulous people who are seeking to take ad advantage of the circumstances with which our people may be surrounded we vye complain sometimes about our trials 1 we need not do that these are things that are necessary for our perfection we think sometimes that we are not rightly treated aud and I 1 think we think correctly about some of these things we think there are plots set on foot to entrap us and I 1 think we think so very tery correct correctly fy at the same time rime we need not be astonished at these things we need not be amazed it at a beelin feeling of hatred and animosity why beca because use we are livin living in a pe culiar cullar day and age of the thew orid which is s distinctively call cali edithe latter days wherein it is said that god will have a controversy with the nations of the earth therease there Ther eare are some things about these matters that men do not understand they think that men manipulate the affairs of men they do in part and they are used oitt imes as instruments st by the almighty and sometimes by another power that Is called lucifer just as circumstances may be but in regard to the nations of of the earth god Gocr sets up one natio natto nand pulls down another according to the counsels of disown his own will and we nations that years ago flo fio flourished and were great prosperous and powerful of which we now know nothing only as we learn it from a few pages of history they are obliterated and blotted out as nations and do not exist today nations and empires have risen and fallen falle n they have grown gro wn increased and pros prospered perea and then decayed crumbled and ana died the lord lorb manipulates all these thin things s according III lil to tot the counsels of his s own will but men generally understand very little of these matters for there has been very little communication with god for ages until he was prepared to reveal his will in these last days yet men profess to fear god and a great reat many of them seek to worship rim gim him there is something very remarkable said py by the prophet isaiah when be jle had hid his vision opened in regard to the events that should transpire in the latter days he says behold the lord mabeth the earth emp empty and mabeth it waste and burneth it Z u upside P e down and ariu scatter eth abroad the inhabitants lib bitant thereof and it shall be as with the people so with the priest na as with the servant so with his master as with the maid eo ao with her mis mistress re as with the buyer so with the seller seiler as with the lender so BO with the borrower as with the taker of usury so with th the e giver 1 i ve of usury to him the land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled for the lord hath spoken this word the earth and eadeth awa away the world angui and eadeth away y the haughty people of the earth do languish the earth also is denied under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws changed the ordinances broken broken the everlasting covenant therefore hath the curse devoured the earth and they that dwell therein are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left there are many statements made by the prophets in relation lon ion to these thin things S that the lord would pour out his albut aLEUT judgments ghents upon the earth jesus speaks 0 of lf the destruction that should come upon the people that should befall jerusalem that should encompass nations and of scenes that should transpire in the latter days that the sun should be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great andi and terrible day of the lord should come associated with this Is a part of the work in which we are engaged A voice voled was to be heard as I 1 said before saying come out of her my pe people 01 ae that ye be not partakers par takers of other her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues for her sins have reached unto heaven and god hath remembered her iniquities in accordance with this declaration which is a part of the great pro gramme m me that we latter day saints believe lira liia ll 11 in we have been gathered unto this land which we denominate the landof land of zion behave we have come out from the world and some af us hardly know why yette yet we have come having obeyed the gospel dospel and having received the gift of the holy ghost there has been a feeling and a spirit operating u upon on us that has enlightened our mints minds and p propelled to aled u us s forba forward r d 0 our oun ur g great reat real aim was P when w we e were in 1 ot other h er I 1 lands ads distant from this to make every ennor efnor t we could to come to the land of zion did we understand what it was for in part we did in part we did not we came to it because we thought it was the land of zion wion we came to it tf if we comprehend ourselves ourse lYM that mat we might not partake of the sliu lur lor receive of the plagues of babylon that we and our wives and our children and our associations might be free from the corruptions corrupt ions abominations and evils that exist and prevail throughout the world and that we might come to a place where we could learn the laws of life life ilfe where our children could be brought up in the fear of god and where we had hoped to be able to worship god according to the dictates of our own consciences sometimes we think we have mad roads a a little mistake in this |