| Show DISCOURSE delivered at the general conference 0 of f the church in the tabernacle Taher nacle salt lake city friday october 1895 by ELDER FRANCIS M LYMAN REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER it has fallen to my lot to address the conference this morning and while standing before you I 1 earnestly desire the benefit of the faith and prayers of the latter day saints who are here assembled sem bled I 1 rejoice exceedingly in the man many y blessings of the gospel of jesus christ that we enjoy I 1 rejoice from time to time in mingling among the peo pie in the different stakes of zion and in having the fellowship and the faith and prayers and good feeling of those with whom I 1 associate I 1 rejoice in the integrity the faith and the diligence of those who preside in the various stakes of ef zion I 1 realize that we are all beset with faults and failings and imperfections nit but I 1 am convinced that almost without exception those who have the charge of the saints in different wards and stakes of zion are men of god and their integrity is beyond question and that thai if need be they would oe ready and willing to lay jay down their lives for the onward advancement of the kingdom of god I 1 believe that the elders ot ol israel in aalthe all the different din erent wards and stakes ot of zion eai earnestly nestly desire to know the mind and will of our heavenly father and are teady ready and witling willing to do anything i that is within their power to carry it out in their lives it is this integrity and this desire that I 1 find among the people in mingling with them that gives me joy and satisfaction and that encourages toe kne in the labors that devolve upon me as a servant of the lord I 1 believe that the latter day saints as a people are as united today that they have as much faith and confidence in the work of gud and as much respect tor for the priesthood of god in all its various organizations as they have ever had I 1 do not think jj that there was ever a time in the history of the church that the latter day saints were making a more earnest effort to discharge the duties devolving upon them than they are doing at the present time I 1 believe that there is an increase inc of faith among the people and it is being manifested by the increase of 01 works I 1 find that there is a dis on the part of many of the presidents of stakes of zion to perform all of the duties that devolve upon them and to encourage their people to do the same I 1 am pleased to find that the disposition that existed in some of the stakes a short time ago to try and see it it were not possible to use up all the ti things locally or to get enough of the tithing so that they did not need to call on the saints for last fast day donations I 1 am pleased I 1 say that that disposition is dying out and that we are becoming really patriotic citizens of the work of god the disposition of every latter day saint should be to see the work of god advance and to do all in his or her power lor for its advancement and never to think of doing anything that would retard that work we should love the work of god above all things else and we should endeavor to the full extent of the ability that god has given us to accomplish com his purposes here on the earth it is necessary in order to accomplish the es cs of our heavenly father that the presidency of the church should have means placed in their hands and every member of the church of god that loves the work and desires its advancement should endeavor to be faithful to the extent of his ability in discharging every financial obligation that rests upon him or her it should be the pride of every bishop and of every basho bishops Is counse counselor or and of the president 0 of every stake and his counselors that they earnestly and conscientiously pay their tithing and then it should be their pride tuat that tithing finds its way into the hands of the president of the church and is not consumed in the stake we are capable of accomplishing this it if we willoney will only think so and labor to that end I 1 realize and appreciate the fact that the lord could pour out upon us an abundance of the wealth of this world that he could make us all rich because the mountains are full of wealth and he could open up avenues to us that that we could all be cume wealthy but in doing this we would have no opportunity of showing our faith by our works we would have no opportunity ot of developing our man hool and of fitting fitting and preparing ourselves by actual labor to go back and dwell in the presence ot of our heavenly fattier father in the conference of the sisters yesterday after afternoon one remarked that she had sometimes been tried in her feelings because she had bad not been blessed as much with this worlds goods as some others had well I 1 have often remarked to the people that it is ridiculous for us possessed ot of the spirit of toe the lord to estimate by this worlds goods the blessings of our heavenly father if we estimate those blessings by dollars and cents then has one chinaman by the name of li hung hu in chang been more abundantly blessel blessed at least I 1 think four times over than tazi all the latter day saints in these mountains because I 1 believe one hundred million dollars would about buy us out and that one chinaman is re reported 0 1 arted to be possessed of over four hantl hundred e d millions of dollars a dollar tor for every chinaman As I 1 understand the teachings of our lord and savior jesus christ they were that it would profit no man if he should gain the whole world and lose his bis own soul it is by the faithful discharge of the duties and the obligations obligations that rest upon us in the church of G god d that we are developed it is by the exercise of our mental faculties that we improve upon them it is by the exercise ol of our physical organizations that we strengthen those organizations it is by the cultivation and the exercise of our spirits that we grow in spirituality that we grow in the testimony of the gospel that we grow in ability and strength to accomplish the purposes of our heavenly father here upon the earth if we examine the plan of life aud and salvation it we examine the command ments that are given to us as members of the church of god we will find t that h at each and every one of those commandments has been given for the express purpose that we may be that we may be educated that we may be qualified and prepared to go back and dwell awell in the presence of our heavenly father these duties and obligations are calculated to make us godlike in our dispositions they are calculated to make gods of us and to fit an and d qu qualify XI if y us that we may become as it is promised that we can become joint heirs with our lord and savior jesus christ and dwell with him in the presence of god the eternal father throughout all the countless ages of eternity the object of our being placed upon this earth is that we may work out an exaltation that we may prepare our selves to go back and dwell with our geather go heavenly father ather and our father knowing the faults and failings of men has given us certain corn commandments in and in ants t to C obey and if we will examine those requirements quire ments and the things that devolve upon us we will find that trev are all for our individual benefit and id advance vatice ment the school of life in which we are placed and the lessons that are given to us by our father will make of us exactly exacts what he desires so that we may be prepared to dwell with him our children ott times feel to complain because of the duties that we require of them they would sooner play marbles or run after a hoop or jump the rap or do something else than perform the labors that w we as parents place before them but i in n after years they discover that the tasks we gave to them wherein we wet taught aught them to be industrious were beneficial to them the natural disposition of man as I 1 have often remarked is to be selfish sil fish sordid and grasping to think of self and self alone and figure for per bonal advancement but all the teachings of the gospel are the exact opposite of this we find that the re quire ments that are made of us to pay tithes and fast day donations and temple donations and meeting house donations and to contribute of our means to send the gospel to the nations of the earth these requirements chase out of the heart of man every selfish and sordid disposition instead of being selfish the faithful latter day saint is filled wil love of the godfel gospel filled with a desire to contribute of 0 time and means for the onward advancement of the kingdom of god the gospel if we are faithful to the requirements that are made of us of a financial nature takes the selfish sordid man and makes of him a generous noble freehearted free hearted individual one that we can love one that god can love the gospel fills us with a desire to leave the things of the world if need be to go to the uttermost ends of the earth without one dollar of reward for the benefit and salvation of our fellow men the natural disposition of men is to practice all those things that are gratifying to the appetites and to the passions with which we are beset beget but the requirements of the gospel are such that we are not permitted to gratify our appetites that it is necessary for us to be self sacrificing to overcome and subdue those appetites wi en we come to examine the requirements such as the burds of wisdom we find that by obeying these we grow in strength of mind and strength of body and our tabernacles are fit dwelling places p ac e s for 0 r the holy spirit of god we expand and become more and more godlike when we subdue and put under our feet these passions and appetites which are contrary to the mind and will ot of our heavenly father so I 1 might go goon on and enumerate all the re quire ments that are made of us the natural disposition of man is to become titled lifted up in the pride of his own heart to be self to forget god but the gospel requires thit that we snail every day cia I 1 of our lives not only with our farm fam thes ies but in secret this requirement qui rement prevents us from g self sufficient for it makes us like little eh children ildren bowing down anil and praying to god for the light and inspiration of 01 his holy spirit As latter Latt erday day saints having received the testimony of the goshet it devolves upon us to improve upon this testimony by keeping the commandments ot of god and I 1 say to you that hat the man that grows each day ot of his bis life is the man that fills the plain lain simple everyday duties which revolve devolve upon him it is not the testimonies that we have had it is not the many visions that have coie to us why the men above all men who were abundantly blessed by seeing angels by even seeing our lord and savior jesus christ as did sidney rigdon and oliver cowdery these men were not noi kept firm and steadfast in the church by these great blessings and manifesta eions but the men who kept the corn mand ments of god the men who were faithful int beir prayers the men who sustained and upheld the priesthood god at all times and under all circumstances the men who obeyed the words of wisdom the men who paid their tithing have always been true and aid faithful and have never lost the spirit of god those however who have got in a corner faultfinding fault finding drinking and having a good time and associating together and having secret meetings thinking inking tn they are not treated right and are not respected enough avis tvis in is class of men lose the spirit of god do you know I 1 always feel happy when I 1 am with my brethren I 1 never want to get away awal from them it I 1 have the blues the best way in the world to get over them is to get out and do my duty and go off with my brethren in the stakes ot of zion if any man lacks the spirit of god let him go to work and labor for the advancement van cement of the kingdom of god and he will have the spirit of god when ever any one of us gets the idea into our heads that because we have had bad some manifestations seme wonderful dream or visions v ision because we have been able to stand up and testify that jesus was the christ that joseph smith was a prophet of god and think this knowledge alone is going to save us the quicker we get that idea out of our beaus the better it is is keeping the commandments of god it is respecting and honoring the priesthood of god that we hold and the servants ot of god who preside over us that will bring to us the blessings of god and that will save and exalt us not only in in this life but in in the life to come I 1 say that the more faithful and the more diligent a man is is in paying his tithes and his offerings among the lat ter day saints the mori more he will prosper in the material things of the kingdom the most moat prosperous men all over this country wherever the latter day sams sains are scattered are those who have paid an honest tithing and who have been the most liberal in in donating for temples so it will always be and in addition to anis they are blessed by having the windows of heaven opened and the spirit ot of god pour poured d down upon their heads and they have the ny ut of the gospel gobbel burning in their hearts hearth while those who are neglecting anee wings are losing the testimony ol of the gospel and the ought and shining aing light that was once with them is is depart ing from them if you want to know how to be saved I 1 can tell you it is by keeping the corn mand menis ments ot of god no power on earth no power beneath the martn will ever prevent you or me or any latter day saint irom from being aved except elc our elves we are the architects of our own lives not onla of the lives here nut the lives to come in in the eternity we ourselves are able to perform every bouty and obligation that god has required of men nu commandment was ever given to us but what god has given us the power powei to 10 keep that commandment if we fall fail we and we abune are responsible fur for the failure because aja his servants irom from the president of the church down to the cumbest hum bumb best est member with all the ability all al ane knowledge a I 1 the power anat is is necessary to faithfully diligently and properly discharge every duty ana every obligation that rests upon them and we and we alone will have to answer it we tail ail in this re gard we as latter day baines holding the ane priesthood of god should magnify it and we should respect mose who preside over us in the different wards ind and stakes and we should respect the general authorities of the church and as we respect them god will respect us As we respect the authorities in the nation of which we form a part and up hold and sustain the government just in that proportion are we loyal citizens and our government will respect and uphold us I 1 say to you that it is not an insignificant thing to hold the priesthood of god to have the right to idl fluence the powers of the heavens for good and it is not a slight thing for us to neglect to honor that priesthood that god has bestowed upon us and the priesthood of god in those who preside over us may the light and the in spira tion of god be our constant guide and companion may we grow and increase in the spirit of god and in the testimony of the gospel and in power and ability to accomplish the purposes of our heavenly father here on the earth and may we grow in the desire to do so is my prayer and desire and I 1 ask it in the name of jesus amen |
