| Show M mi M M 1 S IT APOSTLE J 1 guia guim toung tto at K the tabernacle salt sait lake city sunday afternoon december 1884 REPORTED BY JOHN IRVINE IT la 18 a great pleasure to me to have the opportunity tunit to meet with you this afternoon mytr moy roy brethren ethren and sisters drs I 1 experience ex pe fience in some degree today to day the feelings eeli n gs of elders who have been absent from their homes on missions and ana an d I 1 am always thankful to return to my home and to the people of the lat ter day saints while I 1 acknowledge it Is a pleasant labor a satisfactory labor to be engaged in the ministry and to have the opportunity of preaching the gospel to latter day saints in those far off settlements settlement sg and also to strangers in the region of country where I 1 have been it Is also agreeable to meet my brethren brethren and sisters at home to mingle with the saints and to hear bear the instructions of my brethren as I 1 have heard to today day the labors and the tolls toils of building up zion here in this city and in these mountains to me is 19 of great g r eat interest while I 1 do not wish to detract from the theIa thela labors bors of elders eiders abroad and the necessity of reaching preaching the gospel to those who me have not heard it yet to me there seems to be a great and a glorious work to be bd accomplished in the midst of this here bere are numbers within the con confines nes of this territory who have been born and raised in the church if I 1 rightly understand that are ire quite as aa ignorant of the Gospel as those who have never heard it they have paid no attention to these mat it has been around them in every hand they have not listened 00 the instruction f of the elders they have hava not attended their meetings they have not sought counsel of their fathers and mothers but have been entirely indifferent to the gospel thus ereis theres th there is agrest a labor to be accomplished at nome home in our midst in your family family I 1 in my family in bringing br nging those who do not comprehend the go gospel Is pel pei to a f full fuli U 11 knowledge P of what god goa has revealed now it seems strange but I 1 understand it because 1 I 1 have been in that position myself up to the year I 1 may say of SM 1853 1 I was ivas comparatively comparatively ignorant of the principles which god od has revealed although in my tout ilan ilaa my early days in the days of nauvoo when I 1 first began to fearn learn to read I 1 was taught taug tang t to read the book of T mormon llor on an and when we had crossed the missouri I 1 ra ver I 1 had bad read it once or twice but further than that I 1 remained ignorant like ilke many of our youth I 1 remained elainea r careless very i indifferent either for want ot of pains taken to teach me or some other cause and there is so much now to attract the attention of our youth they bavero have so many amusements there is so much wickedness so much temptation on every hand that it requires a corresponding and exee diug ding great effort on our part to bring them into the fold and not allow those corrupt thing sto take hold of the minds of the innocent in the south where brother heber J grant and myself have been visiting for fon a couple of months we find a people who need instruction quite as much as any people we have met and they hailed balled our appearance with delight 11 lit as far as we could understand we ve have labored faithfully and taught the word of wisdom to the people in the settlements in the southern Sout part of the of arizona but we f found 0 und in meeting with the people that many who had bad joined us and traveled with us and who w 0 had laid aside their tea and their eoff doff ee theIr tobacco and some pretty hard words we found that some of them were falling back into the old groove good men faithful f ua men in their their way way men who pay ay their tithing men who are on hand band to do in their power to promote the interests of zion but so far as keeping the word of wisdom is concerned it seems to be impossible they have bec bee become come addicted to smoking cigarettes and it Is almost impossible for fon them ito to abandon that filthy habit we find there Is a degrading element clement springing up in the midst of the people fostered ut by y those who should trample it under their feet that Is a disgrace to us or to any moral people on the face of the earth would to god we could handle these matters as the spirit dictates dictate sl and the time will come when these things can be handed on righteous principles by the servants var vai its of god and there will not be a dog to wag his hs tongue in defence of them the time will come and it only wants the tile effort on the part of the people on my part party on your part art on the a rt of my nel nei neighbor I 1 abor and your neigh rort tort or to bring these things to pass ind and i then make the influence of tile the saints paramount ar amount and their influence felt and t be f supreme in these mountains now and forever we want to take a course that will bring about these results we cannot afford to foster wickedness god does not love that that Is wicked neither does the man or the woman that Is influenced by the pure spirit of god love that that Is wicked neither call oan they thes harbor it but we do ao harbor it and yet vve we reclaim I 1 claim to have the spirit of god our hearts are grieved our soils sons and ofir daughters do things that are aro wictor people around Us bs men aud and S ul women with whom we wa associate do thanaa that tut aro wicked that are fhlug antho tho right eight ot god and wo we to Abight at is t tho ngn neb 1 nt tiu wo cannot hinder certain institutions nourishing flourishing under our eyes institutions 1 that disgrace all civilized people it is because we are not united it is because the people who profess to be saints sa ts of the most high god are not united as Ile he would ha have ve them or these things could not exist they would not be here to destroy th the e lives the souls of innocent persons bilut but they do exist how shaffee shall shail we get rid of them I 1 know a way a silent effectual way you know the same way how to rid yourselves of these evils which exist among the people letus let us commence agthe as the revelation has directed let me commence at the root of the tree in my own household with my own family let me be bein begin in there and see if I 1 cannot that which is wicked evil I 1 impure and unholy why cannot I 1 do this what is to prevent me I 1 might sav say my neighbors why because ca use thel ther they begin to sympathize arid and say sav lle lie ile he is s an austere man he be is a cruel father and husband clience hence my mv neighbor hinders ine lue me he extends sympathy for that evil that exists in my family and renders me powerless to eradicate it I 1 want to ask you my brethren and sisters if there are any specified terms in which you and mi moe roe can be saved yes there are spec specific itic terms and on no other can we ever inherit the tiie kd kingdom of our god there are ceria certain ill ili til terms certain principles chich aich we must live up to il if we ever expect to return to the presence ot our father are not these terms liberal are they not just are they not right and proper and have for their object the salvation happiness confort contort and convenience veni ven lence ence of of all gods creation 9 am I 1 harsh or austere if I 1 demand the same hame obedience where 1 behr bear the responsibility that I 1 am asked to render to god who has placed me here and given me this responsibility Is the elder eider in israel harsh or unkind if he requires kindly but firmly of his family that obedience obed gence fence to certain principles which he has to render to god for his own salvat salvation on I 1 think not we have taught these principles amons the people of the south as well as ai the word of wisdom we have taught taug ht these thins things dictated by the spirit of if god and ft if today to day that spirit dictated us as a people and we were under its influence entirely and comple compie completely completely telf we would not be in bondage to sin in I 1 n th the e last degree that is my feeling 11 and testimony well now some may sat say 1 I think the people are living the their thein sar I 1 r religion pretty well weli 11 no doubt this is true I 1 notice however that there is a great deal of carelessness and in difference Indifference in talking with a brother I 1 said to him now how ls is it in relation ito your teachers on this block here you have a slight difficulty you have asked one to come in and help heip settle settie this difficulty where are y your youn ur teachers one man said to me brother young there has not been a teacher across my thresh hold hoid for one year are all of Teachers our turned to something else do we have to take the faithful men and make sabbath school teachers of them presidents of quorums qu in fact place so much responsibility upon thein thern that they can accomplish anything Is this the situation I 1 am afraid it is to some extent the few that will labor lire tire overburdened with so many offices that it is impossible to accomplish all that is rf required required of them if this is the case where is the remedy wake up the quorums of the lesser priesthood and let us have order as was stated this morning morningan morn ingin I 1 in our public assemblies et our youth meet together and act llop ilip ladies ladles and gentlemen let order prevail and good government among all the saints we hardly know what peace is 19 some of the brethren have remarked to me are you not astonished at what has taken place in a legal aspect while zou you have been absent not only in this territory but in the territory south persecution is strife persecution I 1 where is persecution why they are after us after whom after the saints why they have not got after so very many we VC ought to be wise we are not wise in our generation ene ration we are unwise and I 1 kay gay say it again I 1 do firmly believe that if we would act according to the wisdom that god would give us there need be nobody in prison for obeying the laws of god we are persecuted how much A little not hardly hardix enough not enough to make us seek god to make these quorums of the lesser priesthood and we greater priesthood seek god with that earnestness that we have covenanted to do we have not persecution sufficient to make us be humble in our prayers and longas so long iong as it is our ne neighbor abor thatis that is persecuted we pray very tittle little and not very strong but when persecution comes to us individually then we are ready to cry out now is is the time for god to come out of ills his hiding place I 1 am persecuted it make any difference when it happened to be anybody else it make any difference when the hc presidency were in the courts but the moment the individual was touched himself then he be was ready to cry out now is the time for god go to come out of ills his hiding biding place and vex the nation he will come out of his hiding biding place soon enough I 1 believe the words of the prophet jos joseph e ph that those people who have llave shed the blood of the hillo innocent cent of our prophets and made martyrs of our patriarchs and elders will have our sympathy that we will weep for the destructs destruction OH that awaits them the and alid is speedily coming upon them we need not pray for th tho the J destruction of our enemies only as 42 goa wills wms it lot him manage them the tho th thing n for yon you ang aug me ma to 0 dobbo otte th w for tor gli gil bylls usg ey uli 19 t to oil alvo 0 our religion in the sight of god and men at home by the fireside abro ador wherever our lot may be cast what will be the result victory for this people and destruction of those who oppose them thatis that is tile the inevitable consequence and you can write it down now let us ils live our rc religion 11 glon xion we want to preach the gospel I 1 do not iku ike to seethe see the bretheren sacrifice their lives in preaching it I 1 do not desire to sacrifice my life ilfe but if god wills it whose business is it llewell lie lle will manage these things just right if we will let him but assure as the lord lives if any ofus put forth our hands to steady the ark lust so sure w will wili ill lii we have to suffer the consequences let us then live our r religion eli ell glon gion let us preach the gospel to all men who will listen lesten to us and it if satan comes in our way we will get him out of themay the way with the help ot of god as speedily as poss possible able let us maintain order let us be united let us be humble and faithful and trust Inthe in the living god and ile he will guide the old ship zion through snag harbor to victory may god help us to do so 80 is my prayer in the name of jesus amen |
