Show remarks by president brigham cowig I in fit the me i G LZ city clity aune june ad 1806 MO REPORTED DEPORTED BY G D WATT lia zia I 1 I 1 aivish wish the few remarks which I 1 ma may y now make to be comprehensive and instructive tive the subject upon which br wells has spoken this afternoon is a avery very intricate one to define it is very difficult to convey even tile the ideas which we may have respecting the operations of to us invisible spirits upon the hearts of the children of men and it is very difficult to ta frame in the mind a system of thinking and reasoning upon tipon this subject that is at all satisfactory it is very difficult to form in the mind an even and unbroken and correct thread of ideas which will truthfully and satisfactorily explain the variations which wesee in the motives and actions of mankind j and to understand the varied motives and feelings of the people and what they deign design in performing such and griffi u ch acts there are some who have a correct and clear thread of ideas framed in their minds relating to this thia subject bl but ut cannot convey them to their fellow beings this is a weakness that I 1 believe is inherent to a greater or less degree greo gree in each and every one of us the opposition which we find in the hearts odthe of the children of men to the gospel of life and salvation br wells has been bien setting before us this afternoon in a very able manner upon this subject I 1 have my own reflections and my own way of re revealing those reflections to others the opposition which we see manifested against truth in this our day has be been en manifested in everyday every day and age of the world wherein the gospel of the son of god has been preached to the children of men there is no difference today to darin day in this respect from what it was formerly our opponents tell us that were it not for the doctrine we believe teach and practice there would be no difficulty nu no strife between the latter day saints and those who call themselves gentiles we are all gentiles b by birth who are not of jewish descent descent we ve who are called latter day saints are gentiles by birth we are nationally so the opposition which we have to not because we believe in polygamy that principle is not the real bone bf contention but it Is the power of satan against the power of jesus christ here upon this earth it is no matter what the doctrines are it is no matter by what name they are called in what whai manner they are presented or by whom they are believed be lived it is the power bf god on the one hand and the power of satan on the other we can see seethe the workings of the two spirits ll 11 upon on the hearts and dispositions of the children of men opposition to the truth is made manifest by those who render themselves servants to obey false principles or false ideas and their actions are directed by the power of satan against the truth of heaven in the per pec sons of those who love and advocate it we have havo been told that thab when error is introduced it is generally done in a most genteel religious scientific and most refined and civilized manner the servants of sin should appear polished and pious it is necessary they should be learned and be able to call to their assistance the accomplishments and elegan cies cles of science and art and the th flub subtle tle tie persuasive power of rhetoric T NS jesus chr christ describes wese r ibes t this it Is class sst fit deceivers ce I 1 ers very iii the following dav words ads but all their works they do to be seen of men they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments and love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets and to be called of men nabbi rabbi rabbi this external polish polls is really ne necessary essary for them as a covering to make successful the introduction of false theories and false principles and to cover up licentious and wicked lives the servants of god have truth and nothing but truth to present to the world that the world may be sanctified by the truth the truth reedeth no polish to make it lovely and desirable to those who love i it t the princ principles les ies of truth and goodness and of eternal eternal lives and the power of lod iod god led are from eternity to eternity the principle of falsehood and lck wickedness Ick edness the power of the devil and the power of death are also from eternity to eternity these two powers have ever existed and always will exist in all the eternities that are yet to come although in relation to this earth sometime in its future history there will bp bip no death and him that hath the power of death will be destroy ed it is written writ in the book of mormon for it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things if not so righteousness could not be brought brough tto to pass neither wickedness neither holiness nor misery neither good nor bad when man is born into the world he is ig at once subject to the influences of life and death and to the innumerable and varied vicissitudes which he meets in his passage from birth to the grave to give him an experience which will prepare him to enter into and enjoy life everlasting he is endow edwith agency to choose either life ilfe lifbor or death and must abide the consequences in the tho he next life of the choice which he makes in this were it not that evil existed with good man could not have been an agent unto himself when the spirit of man enters the earthly tabernacle it is as pure as an angel of god when man as achild achild is brought forth to the light and begins to live move and have a visible and an individual being in this world he is brought in contact with the principle of evil he receives the mark of sin and as he passes the usual stages from infancy to manhood he learns to become disobedient to the requirements of heaven heavert disobedient to the laws of man and disobedient to the laws of his own nature he engenders the spirit of hatred I 1 malice wrath strife and all that class of evils which render him unfit to return again to the presence of his father and god but if he will obey the godi godl gospel and wa walk k in the ways of tile tilo lord his mortal existence and his proneness to sin which he has inherited through the fall become profitable and essentially necessary to the full enjoyment of salvation and eternal life these ideas may be profitable to the saints and aid them in understanding extent why things are as they are then the opposition to the truth is nta not because we have no wife because we have one wife or many wives it is not because we are socialists and have all things common it is not because we believe in or practice this or that doctrine as individuals and as a people but it is the spirit of him who is an enemy to all righteousness that is in the hearts of those who yield themselves to obey false principles paul in his writing to the romans says I 1 neither yield ye your members as in instruments st of unrighteousness unto bin sin in but yield yourselves unto god as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto god know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his servants ye are whom ye obey whether of 0 feln gin sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness when truth comes error comes also when the gospel of the son of god is introduced among the children of men it comes with light and intelligence with pure and holy principles it embraces all morality all virtue all light all intelligence li gence all greatness and all goodness it introduces a h system df of laws and ordinances in ances and a moral rectitude which if obeyed by the human family will lead them back to the presence of god As we were exhorted this morning to believe in the lord jesus christ be baptized for the remission of sins receive the laying on of hands for the reception of the holy ghost receive the spirit of prophecy the spirit of discerning of spirits the gift of healing and in short all tb the e gifts and graces and ana laws and ordinances of the gospel which are for life and salvation now the power of is opposed to all this now let tet me state so somewhat in cha ehn a th theal e M ea j I 1 son ach the devil appears ri aea ava asa g gentle gentie j man madmen when he children of men the children of men riidu have good principles dwelling within them when their spirits came into this mortal flesh they brought with them the love of all truth virtue and goodness but the sin that has las has contaminated the mortal tabernacle through the fall creates bhat what khat the apostle paul when writing to timothy calls a warfare when joseph smith first preached the gospel to this generation the spirit of god attended ita tf and that spirit met an opposing spirit which was the spirit of satan exerting his power to lead away mankind from the truth to everlasting ruin while the spirit of the gospel the spirit of the lord jesus christ sought to lead to exaltation and everlasting life here are the two powers in opposition to each other now remember that it is not because we are called I 1 mormons cormons Mor Alor mons or latter day saints that we meet opposition there is nothing odious in mere names and titles joseph smith has as good a right to his name as john smith has to his hib there ia is nothing criminal in the simple name of joseph joseh smith yet he being a servant of G god 0 and a preacher of righteousness ness his name became odious to the wicked and the three simple words old joe smith were sufficient to arouse in their hearts every vindictive and bloodthirsty blood thirsty desire it was not however this simple name that aroused the worst feelings of the human heart against those who loved and obeyed the truth but it was the spirit of satan working in the hearts of the children of disobedience a against adust the truth why was joseph smith ermith and why are his brethren so odious to those who are not of us nee bee because ause w we e have the words of eternal life to offer to the world the devil is opp opposed sed to this and offers resistance si to the progress of the spirit of the gospel by arousing the wicked who are under tinder his influence to hate and persecute and annoy in every possible way the true followers of the lord jesus let me say to you my friends and if I 1 have foes here isay I 1 say it also to them there is no spirit inhabiting a moi mol mortal tabernacle that has not sinned away the day of grace race but what naturally loves and abores adores the truth and would bless and honor all those who seek seel to walk in the way of the lord were it not for the influence and power of evil by which they are controlled there is 4 constant warfare between the goed good alydthe and tue the evil thel them mortal ta bernado tabernacle is of the earth earthy and came forth for the express purpose of being prepared to serve as a dwelling for nor the eternal spirit and the spirit bascome has come como here for the express purpose of getting a tabernacle and the sin that is 19 in the fleshy tabernacle is against the good that is in the spirit the apostle paul when writing to the romans says for I 1 delight in the law of god after the inward man but I 1 see another law in my members warring against the law of my iny mind and bringing me into info captivity to the law of sin which is in my members I 1 i it is not the name of a manor manon manton manner the name of a sect which inspires this warfare but it is a war which has always existed and will always continue to exist between the good and the bad between the power of god and the power of the devil to those who are not instructed ted in the things of god it appears to be he a warfare between sects and parties the votaries vot aries of the bad excuse themselves for their persecutions of the goodby supposing that they themselves as india individuals bals or their nations are about to suffer some great wrong from tile the upholders of the good As an example of this I 1 will quote from the gospel according to st luke and the whole multitude of them arose and led him jesus christ unto pilate and they be bean began an to accuse him saying we found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to ceasar saying baying gagain g that he himself is Chris chrls christa king ania anta I 1 T this S i is the cunning of the devil and a means meang by which he leads down to destruction st great numbers of the human family he gets the political world to believe that they are or are going to be infringed upon he ho makes the religious world believe that the sanctity and rights of their holy religion are in danger and thus he gets them to make his cause their own they are lashed into a frenzy of excitement and hatred against the saints every high toned honorable and truthful feeling of the human heart is blunted or entirely subdued in them they plan for the destruction of gods people eople and in many instances the alood blood of the saints he the t blood of innocence has been shed by their hands bands it is written in the book of revelation and the great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and and satan which decel deceive veth th the whole world lie he was farih ind his angels with h him 1 11 f tl r paul of jhb of this great deceiver and his host exhorted the saints sainta anciently to I 1 put on the whole armor of god that ye may he be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but hut against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness wick ednes in high places A great number of those who oppose the truth and mob and alid rob and kill the followers of the lord jesus christ know not what they oppose but they are moved to commit depredations against the people of god by men who are desperately wicked these are among the bitterest enem enemies lesof of the truth the multitude in the days of jesus cried out crucify him the chief priests had delivered him up from envy pilate knew this but the chief priests moved the people that he should rather release barrabas barbabas Bar unto them when pilate inquired what evil he had done they cried out more exceedingly crucify him they knew not what they did wherever reyer the gospel of jesus christ has been preached either in these or in former days it has met with a class of men to whom the truth looked lovely and godlike god like and the spirit within would prompt them to embrace it but they find themselves so advantageously connected in the world and have so many interests at stake if they sho bho should uld embrace it they conclude that it will not do and here comes the warfare again some few will overcome the of the flesh and follow the dictates of the spirit while the great majority of this class of persons are won over by sordid considerations and cleave to their idols the good spirit tries to overcome the wayward will of the flesh and the flesh aided by the cunning ani and and power of the devil maintains a strong warfare but notwithstanding ghis this this great power against which the spirit has bas to contend the power of god is greater than the power of the wicked one and unless the saints sin against light and knowledge and willfully neglect their plain lain iain and well understood duties I 1 and the he spirit of god is grieved and anait at ceases to strive with them the spirit is sure to prevail over the flesh and ultimately succeeds in sanctifying sanctify ing the tabernacle forn torn residence in the presence of god the spirit which inhabits these tabernacles naturally loves truth it naturally loves light and intelligence it naturally joves loves virtue go and godliness but hut being so closely united with the flesh their sympathies are blended and their union being heing necessary to the posses possession |