| Show REMARKS g erda elder r WILFORD 11 ali ond ORD WOODRUFF GS L f itu ily 01 october ober edd 1807 1865 REPORTED L SLOAN there is a great responsibility resting upon any prophet apostle high priest elder or any messenger or servant of god who is called to preach the gospel and any person who is called to preach the gospel to the children of or men is en tirel dependent upon tho the spirit of the lord lord fog for all the principles he may present unto those who hear him any generation also aiso 0 to whom a message is sent from heaven Is held responsible for the receiving or rejecting of that message it is a very hard matter for the lord to build up his kingdom upon the earth thorp the devil la has power and domin dominion loil over oven the thy minds of the ehll chu j dren of men it would impossible for hinto nim him to do so in this or any other age tige of the world unless he folind toworu to work with illi 1111 hith adt the very reason that he has ivill coall ail all men an agency Q C choose the pall pail in iii they will walk 1 this is 18 the reason why there has hai licen lieen deen neen so silia small ill wil a portion apportion of of time the creation daf the world in which goa hs had an qa kingdom up p wi bu the alib earth hen ben he has bas had hid a chulchi chut chul eil ell gil cli that he himself has organ organized organised ded sed guided dictated directed and controlled d f the tho devil the son of the morning has had great greab do dominion Winlon here herc upon the el earth artil he a has hud had great do minian ov erthe minds of the NO children of bf ilen men and the tife lord has taken great reat rent pains I 1 may say from the creation ere cre atIA to endeavor ende ajor to establish his kingdom to preson presen tris this laws u upon on ta this is c earth rab rah and annd ta boget gea t the children ok oman omen men to obey those laws that they might tho the object of their creation the tho lord gave father adam the and the gospel of the lord jesus esus christ after the fall when he lib went iv ent out into the dreary drears world I 1 driven frona irona luo ino garden gorden of eden he received tho the gospel lie received the tho priesthood and so he stained forth upon tho face of tho the earth barill with the tho keys of the kingdom of df god to endeavor to establish tho works of righteousness i upon the earth he gao gave gae this priesthood to his sons A number of them ware were ordained high priests priests but in the commencement we A nind find d not only the work of god but the work of tho devil doyll manifest in the hearts of men cain was stirred tl up in anger against his brother abel and rosi rose rose u up aud and slew slow him bim shedding innocent blood bloo and the power of evil commenced I 1 in the beginning wo we find from the bible biblo as well as from other revelations which god has given us that adam and the early patriarchs those who were willing to be led fed by the the law of god in that generation era tion received the tile high priesthood 1 and lived to a great age it is said me ile thuela lived to he be almost 1000 1000 years old oid and so did father adam and others PT they ley held the priesthood and tau taught lit their children truth and rl righteousness to establish the kingdom of god god in their day and generation herein is where J say the lord commenced and labored to establish his kingdom audgo and to guide map mento monto aito alto lecel leeel receive ve t the he word of the lord althey tb might walk in obedience to his jaws paws laws ful fui fulfill ifill the oba object eject of their creation ancy anti and ib ba saved when they got tiou th gli gif probation that they might keep their estate and receive an ex exaltation It atlon and glory in the presence of god we arc are ly by revelation it elation that adam tb three ree years A iou lou tb Ms his death called seth eno enols s cainan hala leel jared enoch and methuselah who were all high priests with the rea rez re sadue of his posterity who I 1 into the valley of adam ondi ahman I 1 and there bes bestowed toed upon them his last patri patriarch arthial ial lal blessing and he prophesied what should take place lace even till the tho comin coming of messiah which prophecy is said ro to be written jin tin m the book of enoch but men soon began to work corruption and on the earth in that early I 1 age me t and in tracing the history of the church church and king hIng kingdom dorn doin of god from those prophets down wo we find that the majority of the human fiuman family were unwilling un unwilling willin to keep the commandments mand ments of godor god or to live ac according accordia cordin to those principles which were revealed to them for tor their salvation it was but a little time after comparatively speaking that enoch who was aM acquainted tainted with with the teachings of adam and of liis his fathers who held the holy priesthood labored to gather the people to together ether to practise righteousness but the tho majority of them would not bo be guided by him he labored years we are informed by revelation teaching them principles of righteousness that they might inight become sanctified and prepared rep dred to receive celestial 1 glory flori flora but flis fils his labors were vere not appreciated by y them thern why did not enoch remain on the earth abid andrion an dZion zion prevail because wickedness duess prevailed the maior major majority lt of the human family in that generation were wicked they were not ruled over by the lord and hence Ilo lie lleo idee there were pere were not men e enough on tho the face of the earth in that generation who were willing to receive the gospel keep the commandments of god gad and vork the works of righteousness for 1 to have power to remain on fhe the tile aile c 6 irali rth therefore it was waa that tho Lord ook took enoch and vind tho the city cuy of enoch to JA lim seif self for we xe are informed d by that 1119 city was tas fas trans translated abed and dud all its inhabitants there were not men enough in the he days of enoch who were willing to sustain that which was right one bonepart part or other had to leave the earth and ana the lord translated enoch b and his city and took them home to himself irace frace the history of the kingdom of god from that time lime down and you xou will find this prevailing among the nations of f the earth carth til ali they exl eyl were prone to evil ao to sin to blaspheme to ile lie to steal to swear to commit adul gryto pollute the tho ci earth carth which they inherited her ber he itol in their day aed and generation and hence it atvas aa an impossibility for the lord loid to establish his hin kin kindom kingdom hindom dom among tho the ehll chil children dren drea 0 of men unless kinles s he could find willit willing ng minds enough tb receive that kingdom to buil bull iou lOU dit up and sustain it vald and do the works of right ness the devil dovil did not niale make this thib earth it neven never belonged to him and never will but lucifer was cast down tp to the earth with tife tile third part odthe of the I 1 hosts of heaven and they have dalt here until today to day they remain here j yet and they have had their effect up I 1 on the hearts and minds and lives of the children of men for foi nearly mearly ix thousand j jears years from voin the time that man was vas cast out of or the garden of eden into the cold and dreary world the lord Lorl has bas set his hand many times in different dispensations to establish his king kingdom doril upon the ci earth r 1 he has raised up men eeli noble nobie spirl spirits ts who havo have come forth and taberna cleil in in the tho flesh at different periods and times ho he has inspired those men given givon them revelations filled thein them with inspiration with light 0 1 with truth aruth I 1 with the things of the kingdom of god and many of them had the vision of their minds opened to beb behold old oid the fate of the work of god in all generations the beginning the middle and tho the end many old prophets have seen by revelation ibur bur day have seen t the e sorrow calan calamity lity ilis war and afflict afflictions lons ions in various dispensations and ages of the world the earth had become bacon e so corrupted under its inhabitants in the days of noah that the word of the lord came to him to build an ark he received revelation from god to prepare to save himself and his family whilo while the wicked were destroyed st E enoch noeh before him had bad seen this event lie he had llad seen the same things as noah the lord had shown him what was in the autu futuik whenever a generation havo have corrupted themselves and nud defiled tho earth and abid the cup of their iniquity is full fuli full fuli the lord ha has s brought judgments upon that generation this we hava ample ampie testimony of from flom the commenced commencement nent dent odthe world noah was years building the ark we are informed iu in the scriptures and during that time he lie preached the gospel how many were there who were willing to believe his only eight souls in hi all including himself he was very unpopular I 1 presume i e and I 1 had llad as much mugil derision heaped upon his head for fur an ark on d dry ry gi aund I 1 ng anat maick matr mair that thai ever everlie lle ile tip NIP d anth earth but noall noah w was as a prophet aud and anda auda a messenger of god called to warn that generation and to build un lan ark and if he had bad not don done e it ho he would have been held responsible for the lives of himself add family and all that generation but he had bad the spirit of god and was willing to do as he was told whether the doctrine he preached was popular or unpopular he built the ark and ana went into it with his family and they were saved the history of the flood and of the salvation of noah and his family is well known ho he performed tho the work assigned laim him to do 40 and was saved and that generation went to hell there to remain until christ went and preached the gospel to their spirits in prison that the tho they thoy might be judged like men lilen in the flesh flesh so you yop may trace the history of the kingdom of god through the world generation after gc generation gyration ration and theyo there is Ys no generation that wo we have ever read of the majority of whom have havo been willing to serve the lord look at the days of abraham whose faith was so great that ho he was called the father of the faithful ho he was an heir to tho the royal coyal priesthood another noble spirit the friend of god ho he came upon this earth not in a way of light but through idolatrous parents his father was an idolater J I 1 do not know who his grandfather was but his father had false gods that he worshipped wor shipped and sacrificed to god inspired abraham a anil his eyes were opened d so that he saw and understood something h in g odthe of the dealings of the lord with the children of men he understood that there was a god in heaven a 1 living and true god and that no man should worship sha any other god but him these were weye to the feelings of abraham and he tati tali taught hv his fathers house ani and and all around tim him as far as he had tie tiie tle privilege the consequence was his bis father and the idolatrous priests of hat day sought to take his life in the book of abraham translated translate dIn in our out day oay and generation we are informed that abraham was bound and add tho those sio nio priests pr lestr sought to take hi bt but the lord delivered him from them onci ones rehon reason ibby why they did so was that he ile had gone into choso places which which his father considered coh sacred and among the wooden gods which were vere were there and being filled with anter anger that hai hat his father should should bow down and worship gods of wood and stone he broko broke them ahon nyhof his father saw that his san sn abraham had broke broken i ii his gods he be was very angry with him but abraham trying to father said that probably the tha godshaw god shad got dot to fighting fight hizo higo among themselves and had killed one another he tried to brn bri to reason rca rea Ica sori but his nather father did R not believe they had life elou rh to kill one another iulio if he had possess i I 1 L it which bh had lie lle would havo said there is no power powell with these gods but ho lit did not and Abraham had and to flee from ills his fathers bouse house confiding in lia the lord who gave many promis sto eato him and concerning con eon corning h his bis posterity we wb have no account of the lords h baving having avi ati rig organized organ iced a hin kin kingdom upon ther earth in that lay day but lie he gave the priest hood to abraham abrahm aho who vho taught his bis children the principles Inci inel ples pies of righteousness isaae isaac t taught a ug ff jacob alid and jacobs sons the tw twelve 0 ive lve I 1 patriarchs a tr 1 ar 6 were taught by tit the e priesthood and god gave unto them many great and glorious blessings from that time until the dayh daya of moses we can tram trace in sacred history that the lord had witnesses on the earth from time to time who were raised up and bore record of the truth to the people moses was raised up and und led israel forty years ye arshie arslie he was a high priest after the order of Melchi zadek and received his priesthood from jethro his father in law who received it through abraham moses undertook to preach the gospel to the IsrA isna israelites clites but tey were very dark very prone to evil as well as the gentiles around them and they had not that faith and the fullness fuli fuji ness of inspiration which the lord lort dO desired sired to build tip up his kingdom consequently they had bad a law ofie of arnal carnal commandments given to them tp bring them to christ the tho lord labored with them and moses apses labored with them then he could liot not for a short timo time but they were ready to turn to idolatry and make a golden calf to worship or wi something contrary to the kingdom of god TracA trace his this down to the days of christ and you will find it has hns been a hard bard matter for the lord to get people to have f faith falth in him to build up ills his king kingdom dim J jesus lesu stame stamo came in fulfillment of the prophecies H he c was the son of god and a literal descan dant 0 f abraham ho cameto cam eam e to his olvil own and his own received him not though he be was the son of god take the jews jew s today to day anywhere inthe in the world and they do not believe in Xe jesus sus I 1 do not say this because I 1 wish to find fault I 1 j wiehl th them m I 1 have a areat love for ih them em as la liu thym th eyth b ave rejected the messiah and t they bey will remain in unbelief until they go back and rebuild jerusalem which they will do inthis in this generation and until the messiah comes 1 the danwill day will come when judah will wil I 1 h know now who shiloh is and that day is not very far distant jesus came organized his church and kingdom and sent the gospel go to the jews I 1 but the jews failed through unbelief and the gospel was ven to the gentiles to whom one of the ancient alost apostles les ies said eaid if god spared not the natural branches take heed lest he also spare not vou von you vou did the kingdom of or god remain mahlin in the days of christ with apostles pastors teachers and the gift of the holy spirit but P a little time elapsed until the lord could not find men enough throughout the whole gentile world who would receive the kingdom of god in its purity embrace its 16 principles les ies and maintain it on tho the earth dence vence hence there was a falling away the gifts and graces races raees of the gospel were lost loat to men those those who held beld the priesthood were overpowered and put to death by wicked men the church went into the wilder wilderness nW and all |
