Show S DISCOURSE president geo Q cannon sunday mp september lember ath 4 1891 at on confers nr enoe noe of the sau satt lal lake 6 head abeld k the me Taber TaUr nc naolO salt ke 6 lake W of this conference the proceedings exceedingly inter for far been bave thug thua sure that everyone tj aud and I 1 am Awn gas attended its sessions ses sione will feel aho vho ill for the time they have aid amply i I 1 betings I 1 trust that the me spent in remainder inder of this conter conler santy roMA turing ae the shall be blessed with the once 11 re spirit of god that the the ae of which should to be said aid in very thing 8 of instruction rud and counsel we the va WAY and that we may look said bid may b S 1 days with pleasure in aback t these and that which recalling our ties feell linge nga to we have W gratifying C to hear boar the re it is very which have been made coo con tile the condition of thle this stake the stake I 1 am bire I 1 reside Bide in gh not have that I 1 did a ekr absent conception so muon as to its ila actual oon 1 vlear therefore greatly pleased I 1 iwae wag which were made the to hoar of the people who stated ng S as aa to go the of the church embere bore loftie softie to be bem men their deportment as well weil iff cited al g manner as to in which th the 0 el elier jere sk the b manner labors labore are r received by and their jar certainly Is IB gratifying it she people there is IB a disposition tu to that lip learn like contention or everything avoid that I 1 assume position aaion the saluta saints are day latter W when hen hirthler is should live there ought ng 48 M they the y trials before the bishops or be there should we no clith council Cou ucil of this character hut but every disco ties deeven should be willing to conce van toan fools that be is in the right and ft he who contends with him that the person the savior taught Is in t he wrong that when men sue you doctrine tto 0 to them coat give low law for your stythe athe in that doctrine cloak alao I 1 believe your although it is ia difficult doubt carrs out under present or cir tons lew to tle bot when jesus taught that doctrine he expected those who believed in him to teach it and carry the spirit of the gospel is ie embodied lc in thone teachings choso whoso vor ver shall hall smite amite theo thee on thy right heek cheek turn to him the other also that this is some may MY aay 1 and anns unnatural tural but we in our experience that it to i per fegtly practicable and the god we worship will blese blesa those who carry out the teachings ot of his hia son SOD jesus if we are animated by his spirit we will seek to do as he did we shall love one another we shall seek to do each other good we shall prefer another to oun ouri elvee selves we shall be unselfish in our associations ani our dealings and aad it some man is exacting and determined to have trouble oon con eede to him that which he demands it if it be in our power and let the wrong be upon him biln suffer buffer wrong rather than do wrong and leave the result wita the lord this is the ideal society of a christian and it is the mode of life that our lord and master enjoined upon his followers it should be the aim of the latter day saints to so 80 live ad to have this spirit with them therefore I 1 was greatly pleased this morning to hear that there was a decrease of trials before the high council and the bishops courts I 1 trust this thia decrease will continue until quarrels and difficulties will entirely cease us we expect to make this earth a heaven with the help of our god and let us begin now and carry out those principles that will make it heaven I 1 know that in doing this we are blessed 00 bol 1 has blessed those who have submitted to wrong and have not sought to retaliate or wreak van vengence gence he has blessed us in manifesting maui in our lives the spirit pint that the lord did he said father forgive them tor for they know not what they do and this too in the hour of his agony when hung upon pon the cross when we think ot him the lord of life and glory the crea tor of the earth coming down and submitting himself as he did to ungodly men to be spat upon to be reviled to be mocked to be bo crowned with aud then to be cruci ded and all this with the utmost patience carrying out in his life the that he left on record 1 for humanity it ought to be a never to be forgotten lesson to us to seek for the same spirit and to make it practical by carrying it out la ia our lives the beautiful fu I 1 part of the a lire life is that he never taught a principle that he did not dot practice two should be so with his hia followers they should seek to practice that which they pro fees and to do everything in their power to benefit their fellow MOD men not those alone who are their friends for jesus said the publicans public ans did that not to benefit those only who benefit ails ua to return good to those who do good to us but to do good to all men to those even who may be unfriendly to us or who may do us injury the doo doctrine that J jesus ague taught was to do good to themi them that his followers might show that they were the children of god who lets his sun BUD shine upon the good and the evil and causes his rain to descend upon the just fust add the unjust and who bestows bestons benefits upon all mankind whether they be good or evil we were told this morning that god has chosen this people it seems almost like arrogance no doubt to those who do not know the people to make duch a statement but it is nevertheless true we are not th the 0 only ones however whom he has chosen or called he has bus called upon all men but we have boon been so favored that our bear hearts to were touched by the message when it 16 was brought to us and we were pro pared to receive tile the glad tidings the krestof test of mankind are equally entitle i to these favors with ourselves ouro elves god has not selected a few out of his family to receive special blessings to the exclusion of the rest but he has haa placed these favors within a the reach of all he has manifested hk hia willingness to bestow every blessing connected with the gospel of salvation upon all abd baukind baukin mau kind but it ife ia a remarkable fact that there auevery are very few comparatively who are prepared to receive his word and the tc testimony sti mouy or of his servants whom he sends bonds forth now it might be thought looking at it in the abstract that every human being if be were told that god hail had spoken again from the heavens would be anxious to know whether that statement was true or not especially in this day when there is so much confusion amonia wen men con berning god and ills his plan of salvation but as I 1 have balds eaid it is a remarkable fact that there are very few i who seem to cart care anything about it I 1 suppose this is due to tile the fact that ha tt there be is a general and an all persad pervading ing un beliet concerning bod goda aj willingness or power to speak again to mankind mau kind the rhe teachings of the religious world for generations generation pg past st have been to the effect that 0 gad d had ceased to comman cicato his mind and will to man that he had bad withdrawn himself frona from any active interposition in the affairs of the children of earth and this has been so 80 long taught and so widely believed that when men hear bear it said that god had spoken again from the heavens they distrust the statement they believe it to be a delusion and content themselves with the idea that ruoh ouch a thing is impossible I 1 speak now of men who believe that there to la a god of cou course roe there to is a large number of the human family who have persuaded themselves vea that there to la no god but where there is ia a belief in god this unbelief concerning his willingness to speak t to 0 the children of men has baa taken possession of their minds one of the features that has distinguished those who are now latter day saints from their fellows in the linde where this gospel has been preached is this they did believe that there might be revelation from god if they did not believe it entirely they hoped at least that the statement might be true and those who have traveled to preach this gospel have found a alases of individuals divi duals scattered throughout the nations that had bad a desire in their hearts to know concerning the will of god they were dissatisfied with existing forms forma of religion there was something that did not satisfy rhetie sires and the yearn logs lugs of their hearts they wanted something more tangible than they were able to obtain around them these souls have been found in every land where the elders of this church have traveled and abe i they heard the testimony that god had spoken from the heavens once more and nd that they could know this for them selves olives they were possessed with a desire to take the course pointed out and obtain a knowledge as to whether this statement was a true one or not the latter day saints who were gathered to these mountains and who joined this church after they were old enough to comprehend the doctrines are ell all of this cluss bluss I 1 do not suppose that an exception except iou can be found throughout the entire people they had a great and overpowering anxiety to know concerning the things of god and when they heard the message menage ot the elders testifying that god had again spoken that he had sent heavenly messengers to the earth and had restored the authority that was ones once upon earth the authority to administer the ordinances of life and salvation and had also restored the holy ghost and the gifts that were possessed by the church in the days of the savior they felt as though they would give all they had bad in the world it if it were true and taking the advice of the elders who bore this thia testimony they went out in secret and humbled them selves elves before the lord and called upon him in the name of jesus to give them a testimony concerning its truth prom from canada in the north to mexico in the south thousands and thousands of people who live throughout these valleys can arise and bear solemn testimony before high heaven aud and before their fellow men that god did reveal to them in an indisputable manner that he had doneall done all that the elders testified he had it is in a marvelous thing to see men and women of so many nationalities congregated together throughout these there mountain valleys and all of one bearta he artand iid mind and of one belief bellet bearing similar testimonies some rome speaking in one language and some in another but all united in bearing this testimony to which I 1 have re referred ferreo that they have actually received from the lord a testimony concerning the divinity of the religion that they have espoused it is ie one of the strangest things in the world that men and women will see eee such a great movement BB as this thie go BO peculiar in all its phases so 80 phenomenal it may be said paid and yet not bestow attention upon the movement sufficient to investigate it or to learn whether it be true or false but this to la the condition I 1 have often thought and expressed myself to others to this effect that with my cast of mind and with my motle mode of thought I 1 could not witness that which I 1 scein see in these valleys without being impelled to investigate it everything connected with it is so fo f o differ different eDt from that thai which is elsewhere to be seen that I 1 could not rest content until I 1 had examined it but it is a strange fact diat thou thousands ands pass through this territory listen to the testimony of the elders concerning the divinity of this work and go away without any apparent impression being made upon them now this is ia true or it is false god has spoken from the heavens or he his h a not spoken god has baa restored the everlasting priesthood that was upon the earth in former baysor he has not god has restored the authority to administer the ordinances of life and salvati onor he has not dot done so go god libs built up his church accordi according tig to the ancient ps tern and placed within atall it all the officers that were in the original churcher Chur chor he has not done it god has restored the everlasting gospel with the gifts and ordinances in their plentitude tude or he has not done it there is no middle ground upon which anyone can stand in regard to these questions that which we state is true or it is ia absolutely false part of it cannot be true it must be true in its entirety or it is false in its entirety under these circumstances what will mankind do about it will they it false without investigation if they do then it speaks very hooft pooi for their love of truth and for abl abw desire to know god and to comprehend the principles of salvation and certainly in the day of the lord jesus they will be held accountable no man can witness that which Is ia being done in these mountains and escape condemnation if he be does not examine these things As sure as he live limesand sand as sure as there is a day of judgment when we snail shall all have to answer to god for our obedience or disobedience to the so sure will every human being that has heard about this gospel and that has witnessed that which has taken place in these mountains be held to a strict accountability for it that is be will either be justified or condemned for embracing or for rejecting this work I 1 know that a great many entertain the idea that condemnation cannot follow until everyone has been borne testimony to this is true to a certain extent but condemnation will follow those who witness so go stu pen jo us a work as this going on and do not examine it it is a witness that should leave them without excuse it is not as all though men said this was the work of men no man has taken the credit to himself for building up this church the follow ers ot of john wesley called themselves wt he was the founder of that sect john calvin was wag the founder of the Calvini calvinists ets or presbyterian luther was the founder of his sect so it has been with the founders of all the protestant denom ln actions each has borne the k dan name 0 its founder but in this case this bow not been done joseph smith alaina no credit and no member of th church which he was the ins trume in the hands bands of god ot of founding ba given him any t for this borit somebody had bad to be chosen bod donl not loot send angels to do the work of maack gives man the authority bod ada do not send bend resurrected beings belli ga to do tha which man can do and you need nerv that he will do expect go 80 but I 1 aj ordains men giving unto thena them th buhs uhs and the power authority H they need lu in the flesh 1 n in this WRY way this church Q 5 established the elders thet that b ass aft gone forth to carry this gospel to 01 ti ends of the earth have mje abu no ia tendons teni lons to do cl 0 this in and of they have universally declared tats what they chiy did was through the pow and blessing of god anu and the outdo ing of his holy spirit upon those have received their testimony ahm fore this organization it is not in ant sense a mau man annoe organization ing to the testimony of those who ho if connected with it but it is gin an broant that god nag founded it fifth be union guiod among this pe people ogle it Is ig 2 joseph smith nor brigham yoac yo nor any other man that has brou gahL about if there is love among u people and if they are bound toge by ties such as are not k known amol other men the credit is not due to ton individual or body ol of individuals has not been the cunning or the ines eor sor the shrewdness of any body of men but in t the he re eftis ff cartoof parts of the earth where the have gone they have bons eons ao 40 com compacted compan panted led by the spirit of bod 40 d rimy have not because gone they were eft bated in theological seminaries A colleges |