| Show BOX ELDER STAKE conference the quarterly conference of the botn and dinst was held in the tabernacle brigham city there were present on the stand presidents W woodruff george Q cannon lorenzo lorenao snow seymour B young and the presidency and high council of the stake three exceedingly crowded crowde d meetings were held in the forenoon meeting of the president R clawson reported the condition of the stake As a rule the saints attended their meetings and endeavored to live their rell religion gion they were fere prompt to respond to calls ins made upon them by their blahous and stake officers but few causes of difficulty ever reached the high council these them were met with a feeling of charity and love and settled in the true spirit of the th gospel president george Q cannon gave much fatherly counsel concerning the teachers of the wards and the care of the poor employment should be furnished those who have hav e none and words worda of encouragement an and d advice should be given to the weak there is nothing on earth so profitable as to do good and serve god president woodruff made the following remarks on sunday afternoon referring to the lesser priesthood he said that presidents of stakes and bishops of wards should see to it that teachers do their duty he often thought of the scripture which says among other things one is taken and the other is left here is your president brother clawson who was with elder standing in the bidet of death they were in the hands of wicked men men who were full of the devil and of murder elder standing was taken and brother clawson was left he was preserved and today is your president the hand band of the lord was in all this he spoke in reference to difficulties among the saints and said do not take your troubles and difficulties into the be bishops Bishop 8 court or into the high council the moment you do this thie you 0 u lose your agency you surrender ender tt it to these courts and they must decide for you settle your difficulties difficult es among yourselves the lord has revealed to me that many of the saints are tried in their feelings because of the manifesto and because of the testimony before the master in chancery he has therefore told me to ask the saints this question Is it better for the latter day dav saints to continue in the practice of cf plural marriage at the sacrifice of their temples tabernacles meeting houses etc and to see their husbands and fathers go to prison than to discontinue this practice that we may retain our temples in which to perform ordinances both for the living end the dead that is the question the lord told me to ask the saints As sure boreas as the lord lives if we hadnot had not discontinued the practice of plural marriage our temples would have been taken from us husbands and fathers be sent to prison and we would have witnessed much suffering buffering and trouble in israel read the chap of Is isaiah slab all that isaiah has said will come to pass paes zion is here I 1 I 1 want to say to the saints that the course which the first presidency and the twelve apostles is pursuing is ia loop inspired red of god the lord showed me word by W word rd step by step what would have occurred had we not taken the course we did what we have done was inspired of god and he will take care of us it has been thought by y some that the first presidency and the twelve W were ere out of the way that they did not know what they were doing but I 1 want to say to the saints that we know exactly what we are doing I 1 would have stood and seen overy every temple taken from us if the lord had not commanded me to do as I 1 did what nihat could I 1 do what could joseph smith have done poor weak men as we are to build up a church upon the ancient pattern of apostles and prophets and do that which all the christian world together could not unless we W were ere inspired of god and why cannot the christian world do it simply because they cannot impart t which they have not received no man who has a plurality of wives to is required to break his cove nants he should feed clothe and support them and add educate their children president george Q cannon was the next speaker he said I 1 can bear testimony to the truth of what has been said aid it is of god I 1 know that president woodruff has been led by inspiration I 1 have heard beard him say that he would rather 1 go 0 out and be shot than to say or do an anything athing improper in relation to the principle of plural marriage here were the saints on one ide determined to take a certain course and the nation on the other sije she si je demanding that the practice of plural marriage should cease many people spoke to me about it urging the ilece necessity Ity of some action but I 1 said there was only one man on earth that could speak the word the word of the lord has come to us through that man to cease this practice this principle in many instances has baa been abused this to is evidenced evidence 4 by the tract fact that some gome because the law encourages it have forsaken their wives have turned them out and have ceiser to support t them wives who have been true and faithful to them how mean dinean and cowardly it is to take this course such men will not be worthy of wives in eternity the lord will judge us a he knows the motives that actuate us there will be men who never bad a wife and again men who have had but one wife who will enter into the celestial kingdom of our bod fresi dent woodruff said that is ia true and some who have had bad several wives will not yo jod knew our hearts and the opportunities we have had of obeying his ments ment and sand will judge us UR accordingly I 1 say aay this thia for the consolation of the saints A certain man among UP lut 10 who is us bally pronounced in his hia view was very much exercised when he real read the manifesto he sought a and learned from god that it was wag right the lord knows our sacrifice 8 and d sufferings and has accepted our offering on the but one ine meeting eting was wab held three and one half hours were sent spent in a most interesting manner president ir lorenzo snow dilated on the course marked out for the saints by the predictions of ancient and modern prophets present predictions will be valued by our posterity teri ty as we value the predictions of anad ancient times spoke on obedience and sacrifice said bald it brought forth honor glory and immortality president wilford woodruff related some instances where the power of god had been manifested in ous manner while he was on a mission in england in 1840 elder seymour B young gave 8 several illustrations from chu church rab history of the fruits of obedie jace and of the painful results of ca d to the commandments command menta of god wherever the servants of the lord go ty they should rb remember member that they are representatives senta tives of goals people and citizens in his kingdom the sacred quartette god in mercy M ercy hear our prayers 11 wag rendered by ladies voices in a most creditable and pleasing manner presidents cannon and woodruff occupied the remainder of tt me 19 ti time me giving words of instruction instruct io inn counsel and advice to the saints A good spirit prevailed throughout the entire conference gudall and all in attendance seemed highly edified sod and well paid for meeting together NELS ELS clerk CITY oct 27 1 91 |
