Show DISCOURSE delivered Ol at the general Conf conference irenee of the church in the tabernacle bormack Ta salt lake city friday april apfl ath rigs by ELDER JOHN W TAYLOR BY ARTHUR WINTER it gives we me great pleasure basure to have the privilege of meeting with the latter day saints ln in this ls conference I 1 need not say to you that I 1 have been highly delighted with the sound instruction that we have received this morning and the testimonies that have been borne by fitters A H cannon and M W merrill these brethren have been portraying to this congregation the great aea necessity for the people being emp employed loyod emagine that some people also need their minds employed I 1 delights delight city my brethren I 1 I 1 and sisters to belong to an association that hat worships god and where here a all things are done by common consent I 1 delight to be numbered among that people where every can speak his own views without feeling under any restrictions 1 delight in in being associated with an or bation where anere is it a perfect law of liberty extended unto the members thereof paul the apostle said he was not ashamed of tue toe gospel of christ tor for it was the power of god unto all am who believed and a fact law aai t tha is perdew t barty to tb do awis right fight while sitting on my seat I 1 have hav been going over a little of toe thi early history of abe church ot of jesus christ of of latter day saints in speaking of these things I 1 have to de depend pend entirely upon what I 1 have read and what I 1 have heard others say but as near as aa I 1 lean can understand stand joseph smith came to establish the church ot of chi chiist upon the earth inthis the dispensation of the falness of times he was nota graduate of college he was not a man who prepared himself to be the she leader of this great dispensation he was wag an ordinary man laboring with lais his father in the fields but the lord had mercy upon the young man and undoubtedly he had bad bied been ordained before the abe foundations ot of the earth were laid to come forth in this dispensation to be the medium through which the Lad should reveal his mind and will haxo anlo the children of min men awat there is aae thing I 1 have noticed from the ible very time the prophet joseph went out to pray in ia secret in the woodis ds in the state ot of york the be power ot of satan h has bein been manliest manifest that power attacked the young man to such an extent that it seemed like it 1 woold jd destroy des troyl biffi but father in heaven and his son esua jesup christ condescending to answer the prayers of the young prophet came down and visited him and the ahe power ot of satan was at once banished now is it not strange that the devil could not allow this young man to be alone while he be poured out his soul unto god it may seem strange to some but I 1 must confess that I 1 have ot to that condition of mind where it boes oes not look strange to me we find that the prophet ot of the lord in going to keep his appointments with the angel moroni moron was interrupted and waylaid by ruffians who desired to destroy his life we find that the ministers of the various denominations in the region in in which he lived were aroused with bitter animosity against him and from that time forth it was one continual stream of oppression and opposition until the d day a y he laid down his lite lile for the testimony te stimon y ot of our lord and savior jesus christ I 1 think the prophet was arrested some forty nine times and honorably acquitted of the charges that were made against him while traveling in the southern st states tes I 1 visited the home ot of colonel chal charles ries zachary a resident of henry county georgia he had attended a m meeting that was held by elder mathias F cowley and myself and invited us to his home after the meeting he was a man of prominence and experience his hair was as white as snow he said to me that there was something strange and remarkable about the mormon people he remembered well of hearing bearing many years ago ot of a young prophet called called joseph smith that professed to receive revelations from the lord in the state ol oi new york he also remembered hearing of him hint going 6 ohio I 1 and from mere to some ot of the western states he said he had been reading the newspaper tor for about forty years and had read a great many articles about the latter day saints but had reid read anything good about bout them but he said what rias has impressed me very strongly is the fact that you people eople nave grown and multiplied anti ana goalby finally you are am taking a part in ane politics of 01 the nation he remarked that he thought he could see something in the destiny of the mormons cormons that haci bad a greater power with it than the power oi 01 man well I 1 felt complimented to belong to the or organization to which this gen gentleman referred auter aier the prophet had left the state of new york he was busy all the time and the opposition against him became great and pott powerful erful you all know the astory ot of the persecution of the damis in missouri misouri and in illinois the per se cution began tb have its effects upon some of the latter day saint As in the parable of off c the savior some ot 61 the seed had bad fallen upon stony ground and when persecution came they turned away sorrowing sor sorrowing rowin it was found that the seed had not talen taken good food root this can be seen in the early history of the church there was one man who held the position of counselor to the prophet joseph smith he was a treat great orator and he became so enthused with the power of his hb oratory that he thought he could carry the kingdom of god before him and he told the prophet that he thou thought ht he could get along without him the the prophet said you try it sidney he did try it and he withered up and became almost unknown and lost his priesthood his gift his power as do all those who have turned their faces away from this people and opposed the presiding authority thereof from that day to this but bul the kingdom of god has not been shaken but has gone steadily forward and onward anut it has arrived at a condition when there be pros pres ent during this conference representatives of from fifteen fit teen to twenty nations who will hold up their hands to support wilford woodruff as the prophet seer and revelator to this church many of the saints found fault with the prophet jpseph joseph some of the presiding authorities found fault with him and at one time things had reached such a climax that there were only two of the twelve apostles then present who stood firm and faithful to the prophet joseph satan is a man of great intelligence having dwelt with god the eternal father and he knew that joseph smith was in in embryo one of the greatest prophets that ever came forth among the children of men therefore he sought by seizing hold of and overpowering him to out the possibility of the church of god being organized in this the dispensation of the falness of times but this is another instance which shows that the wisdom ot of the lord is greater than the cunning of the devil the lord came to the prophets aid when he knelt in the woodlands in secret prayer who was assailed by satan and he had strength given to him according to his day and he was relea released se d from the power ot of the evil one what I 1 want to bring before your minds is is this here were men who had testified god the eternal father had given them a testimony who had testified that jesus christ was the son of the true and living god and that joseph smith had been raised up as a prophet and they turned their faces away irom from the servant of god in the hour of tribulation these are brethren and sisters that the savior likened unto the seed that fell upon stony ground and it did not grow they stood oed turm tor for a little season but when persecution came they found fault with the prophet and spoke evil of the work of god now I 1 can see that same spirit just as plainly today working among the m L latter tt erday er d day S saints a ints as it worked in saat states a t of iss rh in in ariy haply mes 3 I wn oam see in ule ab I 1 background ac ro caf one i e or rt a tates tales au lis I 1 g a inet to h i they di nou noi alb it h in down behind the grass like an assassin g geft to leap upon the keaner by and stab him in the back I 1 ean can see that same 8 spirit int of apostasy lurking underneath ze the surface the present residing presiding authorities ex the church I 1 I 1 refer as an instance to the correspondence to the new york times that has bas appeared in its recent issues attacking president cawon in a very shameful mariner manner and inferring that the presiding authorities of this church are deceiving this people and plundering them bless your soul this is only another inspiration of satan who prompted the persecutions in the state of missouri until the people were worked up till they were wa willing illing to put the prophet joseph smith to death I 1 am not spek speaking king now of the people of the world but there were were latter day saints so called who willingly gave their consent to these things and we have got men and women in our midst today who give their consent to these falsehoods that are published abroad about those whom god has placed to preside over us I 1 want to tell you that no man after having held up his right hand band consenting to support certain men as the authorities of this church cm ci fight those men without breaking his covenants and transgressing the commandments of the almighty whether in a church or in a business capacity where you make covenants to do certain things it you do not do them you are covenant breakers those who are tree free and clean from this may rejoice and be exceeding glad I 1 tell you the tongue of man was given unto him to confess confess the truth the testimony of jesus christ is given unto this people that demay we may testify of him theare the presiding authorities of this church are given unto this people that they may guide ide and direct us by the revelations of na almighty god it is a day of prophets or it is a day ot nothing therefore set your houses in order and do not be finding fault with the presiding authorities ot of this church I 1 hear ot of men saying that president woodruff is an aged man and presidents cannon and smith have their own way about things president woodruff is eighty eight years 0 I 1 age how many men are here in this congregation that are eighty eight years old christ gave to peter the authority to bind on earth and it should be bound in heaven to loose on earth and it should be loosed in heaven peter called unto his assistance james and john that they might counsel with him what is the object of having a counselor Is is that he shall sit down and be like a piece of wood no the place of the counie counselors lors in the presidency of this church is to stand and hold up the arms of the prophet until the sun goes down if necessary and israel prevails A counselor is supposed to counsel he is s supposed to have an opinion of f his own he is supposed to be filled with the power and inspiration of almighty god when old arge age overtakes the prophet seer and revelator his counselors are there to stano stand by and strengthen him and give counsel by virtue of 0 the authority vested veld in them I 1 want to say that I 1 reake exceedingly when there is so fault found with the presiding authorities au of this church because I 1 ow hat the spirit of their calling is ith em ak a 1 e 30 would rake like lo 10 P ta aaa at me down from the ae w 6 4 of 10 arid leafe leae e the gatts gates unguarded an people 0 at the mercy of a drove of ravenous wolves but thanks be to the lord our god that we have bave men of long ex peri ence and men wiil who have hake been tried and in the church of god to stand io in that great and aad im important p octant position we are one bretl brethren ren and sisters one in the testimony of our lord and savior jesus christ one in a desire to build up the church and to see seethe the latter day saints exalted to that great and honorable position which god fied they should occupy in the last days we are not restricted in our opinions I 1 want to say for the benefit of the latter day saints and all the world that I 1 have belonged to the quorum of the T twelve W elve apostles for a number of years have had the great privilege of meeting with the first presidency otten often and have always had the privilege of speak ing my mind plainly and candidly without any restriction and it has deen the same with the other brethren but I 1 want to say this when a question is decided it is decided unanimously u sl Y and it 1 I being young have made a f fool of myself by differing continually with men of wisdom and they show me wherein I 1 am wrong it is not to be supposed that I 1 shall remain a fool forever and not unite with my brethren no it is my duty always to acknowledge the truth we delight that we are one I 1 delight to see the presidency of this church stand firm and steadfast and as one man even as god the father and the lord jesus christ and the holy ghost are one not one in person but one in faith one in authority one in principle and one in testimony I 1 feel with all my heart to say to the latter day saints let us not become tainted with the spirit of faultfinding fault finding let us remember that the holy ghost guides us in the ways of all truth and if we all have that spirit we all see alike I 1 want to tell you shift thi when you see the presidency of the church divided and the apostles divided divide 4 and the people divided in the things of god then you will hear the glad shouts of our enemies for they will rejoice exceedingly satan the father of lies des and the instigator of all the persecutions 1 against this people from the sixth day of april 1830 until the present day is just as full as ever of life energy and determination to carry out his mission against the principles or of truth and righteousness brethren and sisters if any of you have lound fault with the bishop of your ward or with the president of your stake or with the presiding authorities of the church go home and repent ot of your sins and put your households in I 1 order when your children ask you for bread do not give unto them a scorpion in the way ot or slandering the presiding ding authorities of the church lor for 1 tell you the seed that you sow inthe hearts of your children will be hard to uproot I 1 bear testimony unto you that no man speaking by the spirit of the lord will ever criticize the authorities of the priesthood hood which god bod has placed over him after he has bas had bad the privilege of I 1 lifting up his hand to either support or not support that man let us be oner one and not desire always to have our own way and be determined to have it iti per for that reason the devil today is in tion to the principles of di he was doter t 1 a V ITO 4 ow way ano and all 11 boose 01 arif i ar i to iriv hav their 0 wn way ay went W wibb I 1 tl LW to the number of about one third of the hosts of heaven let us feel to say our oar father who art in heaven I 1 thy hy will be done that is the spirit the latter day saints should enjoy may the lord bless you my bre brethren threw and sisters and should there be beany any strangers present I 1 say unto them god has revealed unto this people the princa principles 1 s of truth and righteousness and if you 01 awill will repent of your sins and go down into the waters ot of baptism you shall receive the testimony of the holy ghost and you shall know for yourselves that what I 1 say is true god bless you all and the honest in heart in all the world and help us to be worthy of eternal life is my prayer in the name of jesus christ amen |