Show REMARKS at the sau salt lake stake conference in in the tabernacle salt lake city sunday afternoon September 2nd ad 1894 by PREST WILFORD ali FORD WOODRUFF RZ PoRTED BY ARTHUR WINTER the angel moroni said to the prophet doseph smith whatsoever entice th and to good and to do good is of god and whatsoever doth not dot is of that wicked one that IS a true principle I 1 wish to make ibe remarks upon this but before so I 1 desire to refer to our meet ib g this forenoon there was A rot not one half present this morning bt those lose who are here abis this afternoon after poon therefore many may not fully sostand what I 1 allude to this is take Zon conference ference and there was a art t made this morning of the he last fast 70 20 received from the various wards in the stake and the amounts disbursed for the support of the poor I 1 think that the report showed that during the last six months this stake alone received from the general tithing office for the support of the poor I 1 believe I 1 am sa e in saying that fifty y per cent of all the tithing collected throughout the mountains of israel is returned to the various stakes lor for local expenses among which is the support of the poor I 1 think myself that this is wrong As latter day hents we should observe our fast va meetings stings and our fast offerings we should at least make a donation of th that at which wo we save by fasting and give it to the bishop for the support of the poor it ves remarked this morning that some people said aid they could not fast because ft made their head ache well wella I 1 can cain test JW and so can any aay other man and if jt it mates makes my headache by keeping the commandments ff f coq god let it ache it if we did our duty with regard to the poor among us the tithing would not ibe ft withheld from the presiding bishop fie for the support of the poor in this brethren and sisters I 1 certainly cena think mje V should improve there is nothing bained gai by our attempting to shirk any daty that god requires of us we should be more diligent in attending our last meetings we should fast as the lord requires the lord does not ask sok anything of any man that he canapi perform whenever the lord gacs a commandment to the children or of men he provides a way for the Alfil fulfillment fulfilment ment of that commandment tithing is a commandment ot of god to tho the people and should be observed abe ifie report of what the relief society has done is certainly a great reat credit to them the amount of V means which they have donated for the he support of the poor in this stake is a large amount considering the labors that there are upon that society I 1 hope we will all reflect upon these things and not forget for et our duty with regard to the fast ower oner ings and the fast meetings meeting sas as well as all other meetings that we are required to attend president angus M cannon referred to the officers odthe stake not being present presen tat at this conference I 1 think if we all felt as we should if we understood the signs of the times we would take pleasure in attending meetings as far as possible the presidency of the church and the twelve apostles have thle the coule conferences of the whole church to attend and when they are not here they are performing other duties now with regard to the statement I 1 made in the beginning whatsoever entice th and to good and to do good is of god and whatsoever doth not is of that wicked one white while we as a people accord to every demolina tion the right to enjoy their religion we claim the same privilege ourselves I 1 have often referred to this because perhaps it has appeared sometimes as though we were encroaching upon others this however is not the ease case let us compare the good with the evil today where is there a man no matter what sect he belongs to who cannot see a great change in the world today I 1 remember very well over eighty years of my life and I 1 certainly have never seen such a time in my life in the united states as I 1 have during the last year the spirit of murder of whoredom of blasphemy that is gling like a flood over theland and the increase of crime on every hand is certainly alarm alart ti ing Is it front from god does it lead to good there is no god in it when we look at these things we can see that there is a power manifest in our laud land and among the nations of the earths earth i that is leading leg ding men to do evil there is one thing very prominently before my mind and that is the unpopularity ot of god himself and of jesus christ and of the gospel of the son ot of god in the days of the savior there were a good many religious sects and they were all at war with the savior and his apostles they fought against everything they did and labored for their destruction until the savior and his apostles were put to death were they led by the spirit of god they were not they were not inspired to do right they were seeking to do wrong in this dispensation the prophet joseph was an unpopular man he was opposed by the world and by a great many men who professed to be abu ministers of the e gospel tahe they labored against him and to eve overthrow rg ow his doctrines now if joseph smith was right his persecutors were not right of course every man must he e his own judge with regard to that if jesus christ and the apostles were right then those men who fought against them were not right we are informed P by y the revelation of st john that in the last days there would be something like six hundred three score and six different religious sects and parties in the earth of course there could be but one oi of them right ri lit for there is but one right way there were is but one gospel there never was but one and never will wih be that gospel never deviates from one generation to another so with mith the holy priesthood the priesthood is the same in every generation geA cration when ever god has had a people on the face of the earth he has had bad the priest hood among them in fact no man has the right to administer in one of the ordinances of the gospel of the son of god only by and through the power of the holy priesthood the ancient apostles and prophets who ad ministered in the ordinances of the gospel held that priesthood without that authority they would have had no right to administer in these ordinances so in this day this principle is the some same now my friends it does not pay any man to preach balse false doctrine or ot practice false principles because there is no salvation in it it it is for salvation that we tabor labor for flor that the lord called joseph jos vh sm smith ith to organize the church of jesus christ once more abr ter the last ti time 1 me on t the e earth so that a body of people would be prepared for the coming coining of the son of of mih man the gospel of christ was with joseph smith the priesthood was given givenco gi vento to joseph smith by those who held heid that priesthood in the days of jesus he never pretended to administer in one ordinance until he received the commandment man dment of god to do it those of you who have embraced the gospel and have lived your religion know for yourselves that the power of god has followed this work from the commencement men cement until today I 1 know it has and I 1 know it will if we do our duty auty all the ancient patriarchs and prophets labored lor for salvation for tire the glory where god and christ dwell that after death deat in their immortal bodies they might occupy that position fo foreve it paid them to do it and it will pay all men to do the same we cannot spend our time foolishly in safety we have a mission to fulfil fulfill Some portion of the holy priesthood has been gives given to almost every man in the land of zion and to many of them at a very early age it has been given to us that we may administer iu the ordinances of the gospel and in the things of the kingdom of god then let t us try to magnify our callings and aad ta dp our duty ditty we we know the principle we are practicing are true me the lord has given us power to rear these temples unto his holy name that we may enter in as saviors on mount zion and redeem our dead that they who have never heard the gospel may partake partake of eternal life jesus himself aimse f went to preach to the spirits in prison that they might be judged according to men in the flesh so do the apostles and elders of israel as they pass away we labor this side of thi the veil vei lIand and they labor the other side of the veil these things are true god has established this church he has raised up prophets and apostles and has planted a work in these mountains ot israel where this congregation have been gathered by the power of god we have a labor to perform and if we do not do it we will be under condemnation dem nation I 1 know this is the work of god I 1 know the priesthood is here and I 1 know the power of god has followed this priesthood since the church was organized our elders have traveled at home and abroad they have been taken from the various occupations of life and thrust into the vineyard ard they have traveled thousands san of miles and that too without purse an and d scrip CA p preaching without price I 1 never thought of taking any money with me on my missions I 1 have traveled in a good many countries and I 1 always traveled without purse and scrip and I 1 preached without money and without price the lord always raised up friends for me in time of need I 1 was fed and clothed and had all the necessaries of lite life that is the way the ancient A apostles mers astles preached it was the way the eiders of israel have had to preach in the day and generation in which we live brethren and sisters I 1 hope we will look at the position we occupy here and the work that lies before us and as far as we can go into these temples I 1 thank god we have a temple upon this block where the latter day saints in this region can enter and redeem their dead their fathers and mothers and their progenitors who have prie gone into the spirit world without the gos gospel they never heard the gospel and no man in time or in eternity will ever be saved in the celestial kingdom of god without the gospel of christ therefore let us look upon these things as they di are re let us try to live our religion that when we get through we may be satisfied catis fied with life I 1 prayed many man an hour when a boy that the lord Lory would let me live to see a prophet or an apostle or some man who could teach me that gospel which I 1 read of in the new testament I 1 have lived to see that day and I 1 thank god for it I 1 have tried to do what good I 1 could in my weak way I 1 have tried to go into these temples and redeem my fathers house with the assistance of my friends I 1 have been able to do this when I 1 igo go to the other side of the veil and meet with them I 1 think I 1 shall be satisfied and I 1 think they will they will find that these principles are true and sa so will all denominations when they come in the presence of god they will 1 I learn leam then if not before that this is the work of god I 1 pray god to bless all who are connected with the church of jesus christ of latter day saints may we magnify our calling and do our duty that when we get through and go into the presence of god and read our history in that great library in heaven where the acts of all men are re recorded cordel we may be satisfied god give us wisdom and lead and guide us in our duty that we may overcome the world the flesh and the devil and inherit eternal life for jesus sake amen |