| Show DISCOURSE delivered at the general conference OJ of the church in the tabernacle salt sall lake city saturday april uh 1895 by ELDER BRIGHAM YOUNG tRE PORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER for this blessing and privilege which we enjoy this morning I 1 leel feel particularly grake grateful fill to our father in heaven and I 1 trust that the spirit ot of god will rest upon the speakers this day as it rested upon those yesterday we have come here for a blessing and god is willing we should have it but the power is within us to enjoy the presence of the holy spirit or reject it for the agency that god has given us is complete and we can serve the lord or the adversary as we please wa we may give way to a feeling ol of ambition and promoted promote desires in our hearts that lead unto death or we may promote the presence of the spirit of god that leads unto eternal lile life I 1 think it is right to encourage ambition in the heart it it leads in this direction but for us who have been highly favored of the lord to covet the things of this world is a sin of all people that have ever lived upon the earth we should be entirely and thoroughly in the service of our maker for god has favored us as he has no other people we have occasion to rejoice today in the liberty that we enjoy capy the right fight and privilege to serve our god to promote the interest and building up of the church of christ attending to the ordinances of the house of god laboring for the living and the dead in those sacred places which are unknown to the world but known to god and those to whom they have been revealed through the inspiration 0 the holy spirit if this people are humble and bunite united they have naught to fear in the future they need not tremble in the present and it is our privilege to be filled with hope for the future I 1 know it is felt by some ot of the brethren that great things will be accomplished if we can step right in and be numbered with the stales of the union people rejoiced exceedingly when a territorial government was given to bothem them I 1 presume pre we would rejoice it we could have bave a state government but there is one direction in which I 1 see light for this people e and that is in uniting together with that bond that cannot be broken uniting together in the bond ot of ane everl everlasting asti covenant which god has given us do 1 desire that we should become a state yes but I 1 desire more and see greater light in the union of this nitelle peo people eXle if the latter day saints are u united nit and see eye to eye god will give them all that is necessary for them to have to accomplish his work more than this 1 I for one have never aspired is abundantly able but he will not bring this people to the point where they are entirely free from the th power of the adversary until they are a united people before him that is the labor devolving upon this organization which has been portrayed to you by brother lyman union in the midst of the latter day saints love and affection confidence in god confidence in each other are what we should be striving for and I 1 hay bay that the man or the woman that has no confidence in the order established by our father has no confidence in him that established it whatever our feelings may be they must be subdued whatever whai ever our desires may be they must be controlled and our labore labord must be one or this work will not prosper in our bands as individuals so far as the body of the people are concerned and the work of god in the earth we need not trouble ourselves about that trouble ourselves with our own condition with our own lives with the desires that we are cultivating day by day in our hearts and see to it that they reach unto him who sits above anu and controls all things enemies will rise up against this people men will go out from us and become our enemies strong men orators warriors states men will be arrayed a against ainest us but if union is in the midst of t this his people the light and power of god will be with them and all the shafts of the adversary will fall harmless to the ground I 1 have no fear for the charca churca I 1 am not troubled about statehood what does statehood mean it frees us from the petty tyranny of a lew few who however do us no harm they advertise us through the machinations ot of our enemies me cause of god has been presented e in the highest courts of this nation could we have done it our selves god might have ordered it in another way but he ordered it in this way the great and the mighty the and the low shall have the gospel preached unto them in what manner shall it come to these people how shall it be introduced into the court 0 of st james and laid before queen victoria or to the german court and ane emperor or to the emperor of any great nation in gods vay his own appointed way will these great ones hear the gospel and god will order it if we are united anti and we need not ret ourselves about it state slate government I 1 want iford if god wills it it he does not let it rest when ibe counsel comes to me from thi the authority that he has placid placed upon the earth I 1 say let my heart be attuned to that counsel whatever my desires may be and let me subject myself to the spirit of god and if it does not suit me let me be man enough and have the testimony of the spirit in me to receive that counsel and obey it but I 1 want one thing 1 I want to unite with my brethren I 1 see disunion among us my feelings rise up and I 1 am found sometimes wishing that my brother would do as I 1 would like him to do sometimes I 1 want to put my hand to steady the ark god help me to refrain from it I 1 want to cut a man aff off if he is too long and pull him out if he e is too short these are things that come tome to me that I 1 need to control I 1 know it is written that the meek shall inherit the earth let us become meek and lowly it is is not with a strong hand band speaking from a temporal point of view I 1 that we will gain the victory how will it be done the individuals that inherit this earth are the victors and christ has said the meek shall inherit the earth do our enemies injure us well it looks to me like they did sometimes injure us very much but what have they accomplished have we seen a wrinkle in any department that has shown a shrinkage in the church of christ upon the earth I 1 have not neither has any man who breathes the breath of life but I 1 have seen the church growing stronger each day when w were in poverty we grew we expanded we spread abroad now we are comfortably situated and we continue to grow our enemies have taken us like a sponge and squeezed us until there seemed to be no moisture left in the people but when they 1 let t go ot of us we were larger than ever god is managing the interests of this church and if this people will do their part art for their own salvation god will gear bear them oft victors brethren and aind sisters we have all we can do to mind our own business 8 serving ing god in every ithe act of our lives when the brethren tell us to do a thing do it with our might how should I 1 know that they are correct by the revelations that god gives to me I 1 know that they are correct and I 1 see light greatness glory in the union of the latter day saints I 1 care not what their complexion may be in in politics icare I 1 care not whether it is the blacksmith oi or the dandy little fellow ellow that measures out the ribbon to the more delicate lady union equality before god is whal whai we want with a determination in the heart to serve the lord and keep his commandments I 1 am not looking upon a people who are unknown to the fattier father unknown to the angels I 1 am ain looking upon a people who have been cared fur for upon the descendants of that boy on whom jacob laid his hand when he crossed them in ii the presence of his son joseph and anc said ephraim should be the greater I 1 behold a people who are the children of 0 ephraim a portion of one of the tribes driven into all countries I 1 behold i a people who are the descendants of 0 jacob through the loins of joseph and anc ephraim a people of whom it is prophesied that they should be great and anc glorious and s should hould be gathered to gether to whom the other tribes should come as the brethren of joseph came to tc joseph in egypt seeking succor at his hand so will the other tribes come to tc the tribe of ephraim and seek the blessings of god at their I 1 am speaking to that people who it was ordained should come forth in the latter days and the lord would take one of a city and two of a family and bring them to his own house where they should worship him and aie he would place pastors over them after his own heart these children of ephraim are here today to do the work of the father and assist in bringing to pass his strange act what will we do with the mission assigned us the mission that jacob saw though he was old and feeble and nigh unto the grave when he laid his hands on the boy he told him what should befall the generations that should come of him ephraim what shall we do with this mission will we handle it as he wants us to do will we honor the priesthood that he has given us or will ephraim rebel for we have rebellious bel lious blood in us god has been merciful merci tul unto this people he has led us in green pastures though trials have assailed us the blood of ephraim has surged through the hearts of this people and they have determined and set their faces as flint that they would serve god in adversity can we do it in in prosperity if this people will unite together if they will honor god and honor the worthies from whom they claim descent god will fight their battles he will argue tor for them with arguments that cannot be related ana he will bring these things to pass you and me are incompetent to do it without him I 1 know we will succeed but bul not by the strong hand ot of the warrior nor the peculiar gilts gifts ot of the statesman nor by oratory nor by cunning and craftiness nor by any conors ti blat at the world can heap upon us though they were to make us the head of the nation it is god that will do it and no one else union must be in the hearts of these men and these women or they will not accomplish what god designs them to do in the latter days now brethren and sisters what will we do with the things that god has given us I 1 appeal to my own heart I 1 appeal to the hearts of the brethren in humility let us seek him in union let us go unto him and plead with him for we must not be forsaken As individuals we must have him with us As lathers fathers of households we must have his spirit with us to guide the family god has given us also as mothers who bear the bodies that clothe the spirits that come to us brethren and sisters the time has come 1 I feel it in my heart forys for us to throw away the disben dissensions that rise in our hearts the worldly ambitions that prompt us to do things that are not ol of god we must render to god the things that are gods and to caesar the pride of the world and the things there of and prepare lor for the honest of every nation that will come unto us and will claim of us sustenance and protection which he will enable us to give to them if we are faithful I 1 pray that the blessings of god may be upon this people that humility may be given us instead of pride that the peace of the spirit may be given us instead of the turmoil and confusion that wait wail upon the spirit that the world is in possession of that the peace and blessing of god may be in our habitations and in our hearts with our families with our neighbors with the whole people throughout the length and breadth ot of the land and in all the depar departments of this great and glorious cause which god has entrusted to us is my humble prayer in the name of jesus amen |
