Show 11 S 07 0 a MS M r PREST IL I 1 TE ogi lipi 1111 i Q lonon CONON DELIVERED 1 I in era ena the ae tabernacle city sunday After noori dec 14 1884 REPORTED BY JOHN it lub is always an impressive sight to me to see a congregation numbering so many people as this does raise their hands before the lord to sustain the names of men who are presented to them as holding office in the church and though we do this semiannually semi annually in our general conferences for the general authorities and quarterly that is four times a year for the local author ties it should not be in our feelings nor in our practice the performance of an empty form but should be conein dond done in a spirit that will be acceptable unto our father and in consonance with the responsibility that devolves upon the men whom we sustain for when we gethus thus sustain these men it means more than the mere lifting of our handsor hands or atlease at least should do so it means of these men by our faith and by our prayers and so far as works are required by our works and when we tb thus us vote and thus thies act there is a po ser iver ver and an influence accompany such action as we have performed this afternoon that are felt by those in whose vote they feel strengthened strengthen td and god hod our eternal father seals his blessing or causes it to descend upon those who are voted for or and there is a spirit that rests down upon them from that time forward so long as they are f faafua and are thus sustained that manifests itself unto all with whom they are brought in contact let this congregation lift up their hands to sever a man frem from f rem ram the church and no matter how high he may be in authority no matter what priesthood be he bears no matter mattor how great and mighty he may have been in the church and in the ministry let this congregation for just cause lift up their hands against any such nian man and how quickly the effect eft is fe felt feit 1 t how quickly that man is stripped of his power and of hh his influence and of that spirit and those gifts which have been conspicuous in his labors pt previous evious to such action or while he was in good standing and in JD f fellowship ellow ship with god and his brethren and sisters we have seen numerous illustrations of this in our history name after name might be mentioned of men who have been bright stars stirs in the firmament who have been stripped b by their own conduct to begin with and by the action of the saints of god upon their case of that lustre of that brightness and of that glory that seemed to attend their ministrations and while this is the case with those who have transgressed when the tiie saints of god act upon their cases so it is on the contrary with those who are sustained in their mi ministry 11 and in their priesthood and in their callin calling by the united uplifted hands ot the saints of god in conference assembled as avd ve have done this afternoon men may sneer at the latter day saints and say this is but an empty form and that it is all pre arranged men ma may mas say what they P please about athis it it is prearranged pre arranged a according ng to the spirit and mind of 04 god so far as that can be ascertained when men are chosen for office the spirit of god goi is sought for by th those ose who no have the r night right J ht to select andia and if there be doubt upon lupon certain points men are not chosen but when they are chosen and the mind of the lord is sought f for or to know whether it will be agreeable to him that they receive this office or that they should act in those positions and when n they ar are e thus selected and thus submitted ss as I 1 have said to the conference then if they themselves live so as to kave have have the tile spirit of god witti them they will be clothed with it and when they seek to magnify their office god will magnify them before the people and will wirl show them and the people that they are indeed his chosen servants and I 1 that their ministrations are acceptable unto him that he confirms them by tile the outpouring of his spirit and the bestowal of his gifts it is a remarkable fact in this age of unbelief in this ae we of doubt in ells ills this age of darkness n this ace ase when men pride themselves upon there being no revelation and no knowledge from god I 1 say it is a remarkable tact tact that in this tC age gesuch such as we in and such as we are familiar with god in the history of this people is accompanying his labors and the labors to which ivsich he assigns ills his servants with the ancient powe power rd with the and with the ancient confirmation by gifts and by mighty signs and works worlds that ile he causes ils his I 1 servants to accomplish when moses was about to depart god required of him that he sho should uld uia lay his hands upon another man to take his place to act as the leader of the people of israel he laid his hands upon joshua and a portion of that spirit and power that had attended the ministrations of moses in the midst of israel was immediately manifested brough Joshua and god confirmed the selection and impressed upon the people by the signs and the mighty works which joshua accomplished that he was indeed gods chosen servant ile he magni magnified fled him in the midst of the people ho avas was enabled to perform mighty 4 orka and the people if u they had had gny any doubts double whatever had those doubts removed by those thoss of power you remember how the lord r showed in the sight of all israel that joshua was his lili inspired and chosen servant tor for under his direction the children of israel crossed the river jordan dry shod it was at the time of lil ill high hi water in the river jordan but the jordan yordan jordan was stayed in its onward course its waters sto stopped P ed running a and n d the whole hosts host s of israel arac 11 by the direction of this servant of god bod passed over dry shod in this manner god showed unto ilis his lIls people that he had indeed chosen this man to be his servant and so it has been in the entire history of gods dealings with hla hia people ile he has not left lef t them without mit vit hout a testimony ile he has haa not nov left them to proclaim ills word unaccompanied acied by ills his power they bave have not nen uen been left to argue for themselves to plead for themselves to protest in the ears of the people that they were the servants of god and to constantly contend for their rights as leaders of the people of god but in every instance when ile he canose a man to be his ills servant he accompanied that choice by the manifestations of his ills power bar by the outpouring outpour lne ine of ills his spirit and his is gifts so that every honest soul every humble man and woman who sought the lord might know for themselves that those men were ills his chosen ones acost A most striking illustration of this suggests itself to my mind now it occurred at the time the children of israel desired a kin king the lord was displeased with them dorthis for this samuel also f elt felt offended for they had rejected him and his house they had bad a good reason for desiring a king at least they thought so the surrounding nations had kings who went out and in before them to gattle tattle battle battie and were their leaders and they desired to have a king e especially s when the two sons of sani samuel u 1 whom v om he had chosen as jud judges n e over israel were men who had turne turned aside after lucre and took bribes an and perverted judgment this prophet of god od this mighty man roan of god happened to have two sons who were unworthy of their fathers reputation unworthy of the priesthood unworthy of their position as judges in israel in C consequence sequence on of this the leaders of israel gathered git to together ether and said unto samuel Be behold hoig holg thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy way now mak make ce us a king to judge us like all the nations samuel was greatly onn off offended ended with th the thought M but the lord said unto him hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected mathat I 1 should not reign over them in III other words the lord had led them and chosen for them those who should lead them up to that time and now he would give them a king he designated to samuel the kind of man he should be who he should be and told him he should visit him the person designated was saul and samuel samue I anointed him king of israel after he was chosen king it seems that be he went about his ordinary business and the next we hear of him he was following the herd driving up the cattle when the news came to him that bahash the Arnmon ammonite ite would only be pacified towards the men of babesh gilead upon one condition and that was that he might thrust their right eyes out in token of their subjection and as a reproach upon all israel and then at that time when danger threatened israel when there was a necessity for a general for a man to lead the hosts of israel the spirit and power of almighty god and the anointing that he bad received under the hands of the prophet of god descended upon that young man saul and his anger was kindled at the insult that had been offered to his nation and he took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces and sent them throughout all the coasts of israel by the hands of ing whosoever cometh not forth af after ter saul and samuel so shall it be done unto his oxen and great fear fell upon the people they gathered out and he organized his army and they fell upon their enemies and cleaned them out now this is an illustration of the manner in which god operates upon his servants and upon his people this young man roan was following peaceful eabe f III uli pursuits though he had been seen been chosen a king mug he had not seemed to assume kingly di dignity he had gone about his business but when the crisis arose when there was a necessity for some ono ons to step forward and take the leading position then the spirit of that position to which he had been anointed and to which he had been chosen by the voice of god by the act of his prophet and by the approbation of the people rested upon him and he emerged from ills his obscurity and ana arose in their midst a king a leader in very deed and in truth and so it jt was you vou remember case ease of elisha ellsha when elijah was about to be taken to heaven the spirit of prophecy seemed ito to rest upon all the prophets the sons of df the prophets came forth to elisha and said unto him I 1 Kno kuo west thou that the lord will take away thy master from thy head bead today to day and he said laid yea I 1 know it hold ye your peace at a former time he had been plowing in the field with twelve yoke of oxen when elijah came along and elisha dropped his work and followed the prophet of god afterwards when elijass Eli jahs departure drew near lie he said unto elisia eliola El isla isia ask what I 1 shall do for thee before I 1 be taken away from thee and elisha ellsha said I 1 pray thee let a double Ip of that spirit be upon me inc and ne lie baid eaid thou hast asked a hard thing things if thou see me roc when I 1 am taken from thee theo it shall shail bo ba BO iso unto thee thue theeb I 1 mat bat it net nut it hall shall nat not be BO g and sure enough he beheld a chariot of fire and horses of fire and be he saw his master ascend in his sight to heaven and undoubtedly that pitt gitt that he had asked for and that elijah said should be granted gr an ted unto him if he beheld his departure was given to this nan wan of god it rested upon him and when he came to the jordan having elijass Eli jahs mantle which he had dropped he smote the water in the power of god and cried where is the lord god of elijah so that the waters divided and he passed over dry shod god accompanied that man by llis his power wherever he went A great and a mighty prophet was lie he so great and so mighty that it Is related of him that af after ter his death a band of f Moa bites came into the land the people of israel were burying a man while in this act they became frightened at seeing a band of men and cast the man roan into the sepulchre of ol elisha and when the man roan was let down and touched the bones of ellsha he revived and stood upon his hid feet ile he was a mighty prophet and he received those gifts and this power from god which ile he bestows bestons upon all those who receive the everlasting priesthood and who seek to magnify it in the spirit thereof read bead too of the transformation that occurred occurred d when jesus laid ills his hands bands upon lils his apostles the lowly the ignorant and the unlettered fishermen were transformed into mighty men men of power men of influence men who had communication with the heavens unto whom god revealed ills his mind and will and through whom ile he performed mighty works these men previously were obscure men men of humble lives fishermen probably one of the lowest occupations that men followed in those days as it is in our day it is a lowly occupation is that of a fisherman it is not one that brings great wealth it does not bring men into public notice it gives them no opportunity for distinction but these men were men whose lives were hid with god these were princes in disguise men who had been chosen like their lord and master according to my view before the foundations of tf the earth were laid to he ills his companions in the flesh and like H min m they were born in lowly and obscure circumstances cum stances but when he chose them when their hearts were touched tou clied by the great truths he taught and they came forward in obedience to ills his antho authority anthonty tho rity to cast their lot with him then the power of god descended upon them they performed mighty works and while they lived upon the tile earth the holy ghost was thir companion compan iou ion and their fame has come down to ua em cm bahmed it may be said through the ages that have transpired through the ignorance and the gloom and the darkness and the apostasy apo stacy that have since taken place their names have conie come down gown to us from our ancestors and the most glorious edifices and ana structures that the tiie world know anything of are dedicated to their memories god made them mighty in tho midst of the children of men and so it was with all the prophets when god made promises unto them they received them but they did not receive these things without exertion on otheir part without their seeking industrious industriously to magnify that priesthood industriously lf which had I 1 ad been bestowed upon them the spirit and power of god will rest upon a man if he listens to it it will impel him to action if he cherishes it it will be his constant companion lit it will be with him in times when he will need it and when he does need it if he magnifies 1 e his calling the spirit and power main magn of the almighty that spirit and power and those gifts which belong to his particular office will win rest upon him and he will be made equal to every emergency to every trial and will conle come off victorious how was it with the prophet joseph smith whose origin could be more lowly in a land like ilke ours than his springing from the humblest ranks of ife life of parents that were not distin qui squished shed cd or of any family that was known particularly bearing a name more common than any other name in our lan ian language aage yet this man because god godhan had haa chosen him bim manifested extraordinary tra ordinary power those who saw him those who listened to him those who wiio witnessed his acts know how mighty he was in the midst of h his s fellow men and how mightily god wrought through him go god chose and ordained him ile he gave unto him his ills everlasting priesthood ile he gave unto him the full authority to organize his ills church he did so organized |