Show DISCOURSE at syracuse davig da vis county T joa on sunday august 22 1897 by esa DENT JOSEPH F SMITH BY ARTHUR WIN wintie Tim I 1 feel grateful this morning for tams privilege that we all enjoy of meet afar together ther on the sabbath day where ape may call in the wanderings of our and con concentrate cen them for a e beason upon our spiritual duties att the very nature of the response acles that rest upon us a large port of at our time is d devoted to providing ouro ourselves elves the temporal things of and it Is only on occasions like that we are enabled to throw off certain extent our worldly cares daiy tolls toils and labors and place upon some things that F r and more important to us w the temporal affairs of life are a aware that it to is a difficult matter teake people sense the fact that re la something more beneficial and reater ter lin importance to us than ad and butter there area are a great by people in the world who esteem aee and the temporal things of life greater ier importance than anything when such a thought arises in a ednd 3 I 1 hasten to call the fact to pm rance brance that long as we may fc this world our lives are but g in looking back over my own which has been only very ri fince lee in comparison to some mens I 1 how bow very many of the ac to aces of my youth and of the I 1 who 0 officiated in responsible then have passed away and how lew v of them remain today by y greatest number of my early V W are now beyond this fe of tears in another sphere of ac and this has not been dined ed to those that were nor to those that erous Kp less favored in temporal things re hot lot has befallen the great and the ill the learned and the unlearned leaders and those who were led with which I 1 used to be so i aap faces tillar r bave nave passed beyond the veil now it I see pee growing up around me young m men en and generations jg Ss women who in a few years will bews yews the positions that are now held leaders of the people while we the r turn will have passed to the aber sphere this proves to me that world are of com te affairs irs of this ely small importance import anc e in conation of the great things that are ioime to us tn in the future our lives er but a few years when a tracts beyond ond 60 years of age he djs to 0 feel the weight of age resting itt him M and both his bis body and his weighed down by ifal and labors of his life he es to look over on the other F to eft consider sider that his days are d that his turn will gome come effit it seems to me that if ng which ought to bring to our minds the great importance of preparing ourselves for that state which all nature and all the evidences of the divine power go to prove is immortal and eternal it is the fact that our lives are so brief here and that whatever extent of power we may possess here it is only for a very brief space it is not ours by right but it is loaned to us for the time being whatever influence or power we may have in this world gold or silver houses or lands or whatever else we may set our affections upon they are ours only for a few moments this proves to me and it ought to prove to every intelligent man that the earth and the fullness thereof belong to god and not to us no matter what we may gather together of this worlds I 1 goods we can only use it tor for a little while by and by we will be called away from iland it will be left to our successors or it will perish and fade away then I 1 say while it is a good thing to have comfortable homes and while it to is encouraging and calculated to fill our hearts with joy and gratitude to be surrounded by that which is needful in this world and while god designs that we should enjoy all these blessings to the f full ull extent of our necessities yet there Is something that is of more importance to us than these temporal things and what is it it is a knowledge of df the principles which pertain to immortal life a knowledge of the principles which pertain to the govern government meni of god among the children of men a knowledge of those principles which are calculated to make pure men and women of us to exalt us in the scale of intelligence to make us pure and noble minded and to influence us to feel for others as well as for ourselves god has taken the pains in this dispensation pensa tion to reveal to us the falness of the gospel which deals with th these se things which teaches to men this principle of self sacrifice for the good of others and which teaches us that w we le are doing ourselves good when we are doing good to other men As president cannon said this feeling is ia almost extinct in the world nowadays you find almost every man struggling for himself and for his immediate associates socia tes if a man happens to have a family his whole thought is for himself and for his family and he cares cars not how he may get wealth so he gets it tao many in the world are so bound up in themselves and so no 4 illiberal 1 in their souls that they are not even willing to struggle for any but themselves you find thousands of men today who to gratify their own lust would ruin hundreds if it were in their power while they would not turn their hand over to build up to save to bless and to comfort anybody but themselves there are many who live upon that principle they live apparently for that which they can obtain and use upon the their ir own lusts and tor for the gratification of their oven own desires in this world and they do not care for anything beyond it what will be the condition of such men when they stand before the judge of the quick and the dead to give an ac account C aunt of the deeds done in the flesh will it rot pot be said take from him that which he to have and give it to him that hath for unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath the duty of mankind as I 1 understand it under the holy gospel which we have received is to protect the innocence the virtue the honor and the rights of all men and women as jealously as we would protect our own that is the great principle that is taught us in this gospel of freedom and liberty that we have received from the lord in our day and generation and when you talk about the priesthood and the servants of the lord trying to take advantage of the people trying to fasten upon their limbs and minds chains and to bring them into bondage I 1 ask you what have they been doing all the time that they have been laboring for the cause of zion have they not been trying to make men free have they not been trying to teach men the principles of righteousness and truth have they not been trying to make men pure and godlike I lave have they not been continually seeking the welfare of the people the building up of zion and the establishment of the kingdom of god in the earth what did joseph smith do all the time he lived after god revealed himself to him and he became an instrument in his hands of bringing forth the book of mormon and the revelations contained in the doctrine and covenants did lie he seek to trample upon he rights of the peo people or to curtail them in their privileges did he be seek to fasten chains of superstition end and bondage upon them no he sought to strike off from their minds all the shackles of tradition and superstition and to instill into them pure principles of knowledge truth and understand understanding ng which came from god he taught the people correct principle that they might be able to govern themselves he gave as a 86 reason why he could control so so many people so effectively that he taught them correct principles and they therefore were easily governed when you teach the people true principles and they obey them they need no governors or rulers because they are united they see eye to eye and they seek each others good when the spirit of god is with a people they do not need rulers and they will not have rulers there are no rulers in zion there are teachers eachers jt exemplars counselors and advisers but there are no rulers there is nothing so dangerous that I 1 can conceive of as a man mah attempting to become a ruler in the midst of the latter day saints when a man undertakes to rule he is on dangerous ground and unless he re fe that ambition he will assuredly fall the lord loid has riot not called no as to be rulers in the midst of the people he has called us to be teachers to be exemplars to exhort to admonish re prove counsel and to guide the people in the ways of truth and righteousness and to say to the people follow UZ us as we follow christ that Is what the lord requires of his servants and we are not seeking to fasten shackles upon the latter day saints but we are seeking to make them free by the reception of truth in their own hearts that they may be free from sin and when a man is free from sin he is a free man indeed for he then becomes a son of god and he is not in bondage to error or to darkness or to any foul spirit because the liberty wherewith god has surrounded him has made him free indeed therefore you need not be afraid of your brethren even it if they should attempt to counsel you sometimes with ra regard gaid to temporal matters you need not be afraid of them because it if they ever deign to counsel you on such matters it will be according to the light and wisdom they have received from god tor for your good and not tor for your hurt they are not going to advise you for your hurt they are not going to wrong you they are not going to lead you into traps but they are going to lead you out of traps and enable you to escape the pitfalls that are dug for your feet they may try to cut you loose from the leading strings of designing politicians of atheists and of un believers in god and the truth that you may be led more fully by the spirit of the gospel of jesus christ you do not need to be afraid of president wilford allford woodruff you need not be afraid of brother cannon nor of joseph P F smith because we are not here to injure you or to counsel you to do that which to is not right in the sight eight of god neither axe we here to deprive you of any privilege or right that god designs you should enjoy and he designs that you should enjoy all rights and all privileges and that you should be a free people and the richest of all people upon the face of the earth As we were going home last night one of the brethren remarked how true the saying of the lord was that we should be the richest of all people he said it was indeed true poor as we may seem to be there is not another people of the same number gathered together anywhere in the world with a community of interest that are possessed of so 80 many blessings and are so universally surrounded with the favors of heaven and earth as are the latter day saints there is not another people on the face of the globe to my knowledge that possess their own homes to the extent that the latter day i saints do nor another community in the world that possesses as many of the comforts and blessings of life as this community A greater percentage of them own their own homes are better clad better fed better housed mori more intelligent and are nearer god than any other people that I 1 know of take all the different churches as you find them and they cannot show a parallel to this church in this regard they may show very rich men and a larger amount of property in the hands of a few feni but among them wealth is not too so evenly distributed as you yon find it niong the latter day saints what among nes aee that prove it proves that the leaders the teachers and the counselors of this people have been wise leaders rs and counselors and they have sought to erta establish blish sound doctrine and principle in the hearts of the people they have sought to teach hem in atry economy prudence and abstinence att sti nence from every practice and ap injurious to them they rhe v have bt to teach them love uh uba arity rity hudness and forgiveness one on tov towards ards another indeed they have sought soup tit to teach them the truth and as tar far as aa the people h have ve learned to hsen to 4 teachings and have bv e adopted tho ir 2 lff instructions and counsels they have prospered for god has blesse bles them and they have their own homes and an abundance of this worlds goods this is what god designs they should have and more abundantly too if they will only 0 ay iy be wise in the use of it and still remember him from whom tait hase se ble blessings come for it would be sinful to berget id pet the giver of the gift in ane en nt of it nother another thing men that have been t trio ac to the principles of ai the gosp and to their wives and children bcd od has haa prospered and blessed thern them their arut t has not cast itself boef I its time tillio and it has not been destroy d by th ahn devourer the blight and the nilde v and tho curses that infest the earth whit wh it xi god clod is displeased with men nae not followed and rested upon lipon thor those e v N iio ho have been faithful ani diligent in the performance of their duties any man would be foolish to say that god will bless the idler and him who squanders his time and who does not seek wisdom in the he direction of his labors it is not expected that god will bless such people as this when a man seeks the spirit of wisdom and of hi inspiration from the almighty he will cease to sleep longer than is needful when he tolls toils he will not become so absorbed in the accomplishment of his purpose that he will labor i unwisely and until he destroys his physical energy and vitality but he will take proper rest and will not run until he faints thus he will direct himself in the channels of wisdom economy industry patience and perseverance and god will give him the increase the earth will yield in its strength for him his flocks and herds will prosper he will be blessed in his basket and in his store he will be blessed when he lies down and when he rises up when he goes out and when he comes in and the lord will build him up because he has the fear of god before his eyes because he loves his neighbor as he loves himself and he is not praying 0 lord bless me and my wife my son john and his wife us four and no more amen such a man does not pray in this way but he prays for the welfare of zion and the longevity of these men who have been raised up of the lord to be our leaders our counselors and our advisers in the principles of the gospel for his neighbor and he will arh drie e the cattle out of his neighbors to tc save the property as hu ha would save his own he will not rob his neighbor of lit his water rights right no matter how badly he may need the water himself but he will I 1 beep the commandments of god and do his duty as a latter day saint when however a man has the spirit of evil in his heart when he is overcome by selfishness and by covetousness look out for him tor for he may steal your batet water he may pull down your bars and let the cattle into your fields in order to keep them out of his own and he will do anything in the world to build himself up whether it be at the expense of his neighbor or not that is the way men do who are actuated by the spirit of man but latter day saints do not that sort of thing they are taught better they know better they live above such groveling contemptible and wicked conduct instead of that they seek to do good to their neighbor and build up as well as do good to themselves this is what we are trying to teach you for the gospel inspires us to do this we are trying to teach you to be united to love the lord to help your neighbor and to love your wives and your husbands and your children we are not only trying fiting to teach it ft to you by word of mouth but also by examples as 40 god gives given us the wisdom to do it now if any can gha ehor tal ra can do better than I 1 am doing in the gov of my family or in nay my con duct toward my neighbor or in |