| Show DISCOURSE delivered at the general conference of church in the tabernacle salt lake city sunday october ath 1896 by PRESIDENT GEORGE Q CANNON REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER I 1 trust that the latter day saints will exercise faith in behalf of those who address them A congregation of people like those present who have come together to worship the lord have come coad doubtless with great desire that eliat they may be fed the bread of life and one aou would ld naturally natural lir be appalled at attempting to address waddress a gathering of this size an and character unless he had the assurance that the lord would help him this hymn that we have just sung 0 O my father thou that dwell est 0 etc is full of meaning and inspires solemn thoughts it seems to be almost a revelation of itself in fact the grand truths which it contains were revealed through the prophet joseph and while it was being sung I 1 thought how little mankind know of the truths which are embodied in those four verses of poetry the lord has been very kind and merciful unto his children in these latter days in revealing the relationship which ex ests between himself and the children of men and in communicating some of his purposes in placing man here upon the earth in this respect the latter day saints ts or those who have received the jeisi gospel 0 p 61 have the advantage of the rest of mankind while the scientific world and a large portion of the religious world are groping in dense darkness concerning the me or angin of man and the he purpose of of the cr creator r in placing him purpose here ere and while they are striving to arrive at some conclusion that will prove satisfactory the latter day saints possess knowledge concerning their origin they do not believe that they have been evolved from some lower order of creation nor that they have come on the earth by chance if the gospel did no more anore for us than this what a great boon it would atwould be dispelling darkness and uncertainty and mens theories concerning the origin of man and we could go on and touch upon a great many principles in like manner concerning which the revelations of jesus have given us knowledge and understanding the latter day saints Saint are sare in a position to progress and to become informed in every direction without having to stop to investigate the theories ano and views of men the lord has revealed with plainness and simp simplicity lAcity accompanied vainness by y the testimony tos ot the holy ghost many anany things about which the world is in doubt books have been written and years of time spent by learned men to establish what is called the darwinian theory while others have endeavored to c combat that theory it has bas disturbed the whole r religious e bigio s world many preachers of the gospel have adopted this theory the result is infidelity has spread doubt has been thrown upon the mosaic account of creation the whole religious world has been agitated and in many instances faith in the scriptures has been destroyed by this theory of the eminent philosopher charles darwin I 1 suppose the majority of theologians who have been trained in the universities during the last quarter of a century are inclined to look upon the mosaic account of the creation as mythical in character men will try to show you and apparently succeed that this earth and its inhabitants have I 1 existed for a far longer period than the bible warrants us in believing only a week or two ago it was published that some scientific man in digging in the ruins of one of the ancient cities found as he claims evidences that that city was in existence thousands of years before the biblical time of the creation ol of man according to the chronology in the bible the savior came about four thousand years after the placing of adam on the earth but this man of science says this city must have been in existence seven or eight thousand years before the birth of the savior he produces evidence of this in the form of pottery upon which the records of those days were kept and which he has sue suc ceedee in deciphering decipher ine other scientific men attempt to prove in different ways that tho th earth has been in existence long periods anterior to the time that those who believe in the bible accept they talk of the flint age of the bronze age of the iron age etc and try to prove from these things that the antiquity of man is far greater than we the bible chronology gives evidence of had not the lord given us revelation confirmed by the gift of the holy ghost what a condition we would have been in as well as the rest of mankind how we would have been agitated and left a prey to doubt and uncertainty con concerning ern these vital truths but the lord has given unto us evidences that are indis mutable ou table he has given unto us the bible which has come down from the jews he has corroborated that by the revelation of the book of mormon one though translated by the learning of man contains many precious truths and the other has been translated by the power ot of god there is no other book that it is calmed has been translated by the power of god but the book of mormon this has come to us pure and authentic and we can rely upon its testimony in addition to these books we have the revelations of the lord to this church contained in the book of doctrine and covenants these three witnesses agree president woodruff used a very happy and expressive phrase this morning when he said that this dispensation dovetailed ove tailed into the former dispensations so with these books they dovetail into each other and they form a combination that cannot be broken because they agree exactly every truth harmonizes with every 0 other i er truth and there is no conflict deverg between them i this people are exceedingly happy in having possession of these indisputable evidences concerning such important subjects do the latter day saints believe that they have ascended of or been evolved from a lower order of creation iW no tor for god has revealed to this churco that we are his children made in his image and possessing the gifts and fit at tributes of god not in cheit perfection not in their developed condition but batt possessing them nevertheless W we have these godlike powers and attributes we have descended from god and can claim our parentage from H him im as emiah as our children can claim their parentage from us men may have lived in a io low condition the evidences of this can be produced it can be proved that men fell from their high estate and that in in many instances they have lived in degradation just as the Lama hate descended to their low estate PAA but we know from the record that god has given ghen to us the causes that have produced this we know that the Lama we were once a noble race of people but through centuries of wrongdoing wrong doing they have become degraded and low jow this IM hs been the case with many races I 1 0 our own ancestors have been in this COUX condition if we trace back far enough originally however man stood in the presence ot of uis is maker and his maker recognized him as his son he bestowed upon man blessings such as one so 0 o exalted would naturally bestow upon his offs offspring prin but there was another power ogk at work satan who rebelled against god and sough tto destroy the purposes of jehovah spread abroad his baneful influences and these evil influences have had to be contended with through all the generations of men until ibe te present time you can see my brethren and sisters the advantage that we possess in having the truth revealed to us it ought to be the aim of our lives jives to preserve that truth and to teach it to our children childrel that they may be the custodians ot it t and preserve it from the false ideas and vain philosophy that are re being so incani industriously triou sly propagated at t the present an lime T 1 in the highest institutions of learning in our land this is one of the reasons wh why our young men who go away to coriene ollege incur such risks of losing abaz their air faith nearly all the text books and the teachings ot of these institutions of learning not excepting theological institutions eions have a tendency to make the students accept as true the modern ideas concerning the antiquity of man and the age of the earth now this church is the repository ot of the truth I 1 know ot of no other bation on the earth that is made the custodian of these grand truths which the church of jesus christ of latter day saints holds bolds this is a very important mission that god has entrusted to us he has communicated to us these truths and has borne testimony to them unto us by his holy spirit men may philosophize and say they can prove that man lived on the earth more than four thousand years before the savior came and that the earth itself was organized and inhabited long anterior to the time assigned in the mosaic account suppose the they entertain this idea and think they can do 0 this it ought not to disturb our faith we have seen theory after theory dissipated scientific men are continually advancing theories and creating hypothetical conditions only to be 9 shattered in at later on almost every generation changes its views in regard to these things that which was believed fifty years ago is overturned today that which is believed by the scientific world today may be upset if things dont change fifty years hence by new the ories as unsound probably as those they displace but this is not our condition the lord has revealed the truth to us and the records that we have confirm his revelations to us we may be called ignorant and fanatical lor for clin clinging ging to these things but it is like the rod ot iron that lehi saw in his vision if we cling to it we have got something firm in our gra though the mists of darkness may surround us making it difficult to see the path before us we may rest assured that we will be brought safely through aside from these evidences however I 1 would rather believe that I 1 was a literal descendant of the almighty and lift my eyes to him as my father and aspire to be like him than to entertain any other belief however well supported it might be by the evidences of men no no we have not ascended from any interior order of beings we have I 1 repeat descended from the god of heaven the creator of the heavens and the earth the sublime words of this hymn that we have sung this afternoon are true my brethren breth renand and sisters we come together on these occasions to be taught ta ht of the lord by the outpouring of his holy spirit upon us and when we come with this feeling I 1 am sure none of us go away empty how often we hear the expression 1 I have enjoyed this conference better than any conference I 1 ever attended and there is no reason why this presents present conference should be an exception the lord is willing to bestow his blessings upon us and to fill out our souls with light and intelligence we have heard he ard this morning testimonies that I 1 consider of the greatest importance to us too much stress cannot be laid upon the principle of recognizing and acknowledging the counsels and the guidance of the priesthood of the son of god ohl obi that our eyes could be open to see and our hearts be made to understand that which god has done lor for us in placing the holy priesthood in his church if we could but comprehend it every heart would swell to its utmost capacity in thanksgiving and praise to the god of heaven for his infinite kindness and mercy in bestowing the priesthood upon men in this day and age in giving unto us the organization oi of the church and the gospel with its glorious principles and in giving unto us men who who have the authority to officiate in all the ordinances of the gospel do the servants of god want to lilt themselves up and become objects ot of adoration among the people do they want you to bow to them and to do reverence to them if there are any among those who occupy official positions in this church that have this feeling I 1 have not met them my observation has been that while these men feel the importance of the priesthood god has bestowed upon them and have a desire to magnify and honor it and to see it honored yet they recognize that in in and ot of themselves they are very weak and they feel the lack of that ability and power which they ought to have to magnify their offices to the acceptance of god and the satisfaction of the peo P pie le you know the president of this church I 1 need not in in his presence at least enumerate his qualities nor speak to you of his bis humility and his un assuming character you know him so it is with the rest some may not have so happy a faculty of appearing humble in public as others but in the hearts of these men there is no desire to exercise any improper authority among this people I 1 can testify of this for I 1 know these men and their spirit what then is is it that prompts them to talk about the priesthood and to appeal to the saints to honor that priesthood it is is that god our eternal father may be honored he has bestowed this authority and it is representative of him I 1 and we should honor it as we desire to honor him I 1 know that if this people will listen to the counsel of gods servants they will be prospered and blessed and the gifts and graces of the gospel will be enjoyed by them to their fullest extent I 1 know that those who have this spirit grow in in knowledge in strength and in the gifts of the gospel and are I 1 might say better latter day saints than those who do not you take the leading men of this church not only the twelve but the presidents of stakes the high council ors and the bishops and I 1 do not believe you can find in any organization religious political or social a body of men so independent so desirous ot of hav ing their own way so firm and so determined ter mined as those to whom I 1 allude take the first presidency those who know us know what our characteristics are take the twelve the seven dents dens of seventies the presidents ot of stakes the high councilors councillors Counci lors and the bishops of wards those who know these men know to a great extent what their characteristics are these men generally speaking are men of independent thought men that will not bow lightly to the behests behesta of others they are men that would rather die than sacrifice a principle they would suffer their goods to be destroyed and their bodies to be burned rather than to bow to that which in their estimation was not right I 1 call attention to this because these men are submissive men it is not because they are easily influenced what is the cause of their submission mission and their obedience it is be because ause god has revealed the priesthood and has re stored the authority that is what I 1 bow to when I 1 respect and honor willord wilford woodruff I 1 bow to god who has chosen him my neck does not nor never did bow to man those who know me know that I 1 am unbending in that respect I 1 may get along quietly I 1 do not like to quarrel but I 1 never yet bowed to ir man an I 1 only bow to proper authority it I 1 listen to wilford woodruff if I 1 look tol to him to see how the spirit of god moves upon him if I 1 ask his counsel and take it it is because god has commanded me god has given him the keys of authority let anybody else try it and see what effect their action would have when joseph F smith obeys wilford woodruff he does it upon the same principle we reverence him as the prophet ot or god and as our leader we listen to him and are guided by his slightest wish it is because we know that he is the servant of god chosen by the almighty to fill that place and that be holds the keys of the priesthood to this generation on the earth at the present time I 1 can say truthfully that we strive to consult his slightest wish and honor him in in his position because we know that god has chosen him |
