| Show BY ua AM ai U M L CAM y 1 the ae special conference of the salt lake stake of zion held in the tabernacle salt lake city on on sunday afternoon ter noon may ath if 87 REPORTED BY JAMES D STIRLING As the sacrament is not yet passed around I 1 thought I 1 would make a few remarks before we closed our conference ence a I 1 desire you to pray for me that 1 I 1 may be able to yay say that ahat which is in my heart bearl I 1 see a gr great grat at multitude of people with upturned faces before me and they view this stand the ai of which formerly occupied seal by the first presidency of she he church now made vacant through the actions of wicked men meni 1 know how the hearts of our leaders beat with anxiety ano and the desire they have to approach you my brethren and sisters I 1 also know the fervor and faith that you yon exhibit and the fond hopes you cherish in i looking forward ica the day to come when they will be del delivered evered to us and address us once more from this stand my heart has rejoiced in the testimony 0 of f the lord jesus christ as his spirit has been made manifest through his servants who have addressed us during daring this conference many precious truths have been enunciated which I 1 know that you have rejoiced to hear bear repentance is essential to us as a people for we have bave been neglectful in listening to the voice of god through his servants it has been predicted that our leaders liberties would be placed in peril and the people of god be left to themselves for a season thena how necessary it is that we should seek unto god repent of our sins and serve him my heart rejoices in witnessing the manner in which our desires are being turned unto the lord we approach the sacred aliar altar that has been erected in our mic stand and our syn cathles are being exhibited in a marked degree towards each other the people of god are turning to him with full purpose of heart and alad when this spirit predominates and is made manifest we know the servants of god will yet obtain their liberty the day will come when they will have the privilege of addressing the saints and administering his word unto our salvation shall we then turn from our sins shall we turn from our iniquity shall we were regard g ard sacredly the sabbath abbath Ag day shall we pay our offerings unto the lord consider the condition of the Poo po orand raud labor to promote each others happiness give evidence to god of our faithfulness turn from every form of wickedness purify our hearts and and turn burn our souls unto godit we will then god will deliver our leaders he will restore them unto us I 1 know how president taylors heart pulsates pulsates gul sates with anxiety and the desire he e has to see this people turn to rights right he does docs not care for himself but he be cares for the people whom he is called to preside over and ise is solicitous that we maintain correct principles he is the oracle of god unto us and labors for the salvation of the pure in heart his heart goes out towards the people and his bis desires are that they turn irom from their iniquity he 8 says s to the presidents ot of stakes vill will you magnify your callings will you purge out iniquity from your hearts will you teach the high councils to oserve 0 serve the words of god and cleanse themselves and their families and again hesayo he says quoting the words of the lord on the subject semyour set jod your ur houses bouses in order before me a as god has required will the bishops and their counselors set their hou houses in or order derand and repent repeat of their sirls sins and turn unto god with full purpose of heart if they will not purify themselves horican they judge the people tests are being made of us today to day with regard to our faith and I 1 integrity ity in the lord the law of celestial marriage r age concerning which much nas has been een said was revealed from god to t the e prophet r phet joseph smith was written 1 in 1 1843 3 an and publish published ed to the world in 1852 1 since ince that time this principle i I 1 le ha has S been bee U entered into and embraced eaby by a considerable proportion of this people As a consequence we have been put ut through a flery fiery birteal and but few gave have swerved from their integrity what has been the result if we have not been cast into a fiery furnaces and fed to wild beasts we have been imprisoned with the basest of criminals we e have been isolated from our loved ones deprived of their presence and permitted wiver t to 9 gaze ze upon the lp pale ale faces of oar oaf wives and children as they looked down upon us from the summit of the wall enclosing the prison in which we were confined if we had forsaken our wives forsaken our oar ch children gone back upon the covenants made alade with god and preferred liberty and freedom to imprisonment we could have obtained freedom but we preferred prison bars to liberty at such a price laws have been enacted by which men are compelled to make oath eath before they can register re eister and vote A threat great many of us cannot subscribe to this oath your humble servant is iq among that number it is only two years past since I 1 underwent the jud ment of the court and bowed my neck and relieved reci eved my sentence of imprisonment tor seven months and since that time my wives and the children whom god gave me as pledges of eternal union between them and and me have been compelled to dwell apart my children are without a fathers care the mothers of my children are left without my voice to encourage them for the time being and why because I 1 have said I 1 can not live with one and cast off the others to he be consistent with my god my country and my mv family I 1 will live with all or I 1 will live with none of them hagar was sent away at the bidding of god although abraham refused to do it at the request of sarah abraham sent ishmael away at the bidding of god he did not love isaac and sarah beyond the counsels of god and what was the result it was accounted to him for righteousness it is written thou not kill kil 1 11 notwithstanding this we III find a d abraham taking isaac probably in a clandestine manner upon mt riah for thel purpose of offering him n up for a sacrifice as the lord had bad commanded after ascending to the summit of the mount we read of him making preparations and even lifting his bis hand to slay his son this offering was madie at the request of the almighty alright y but 0 abraham what are the consequences of this to be branded the murderer of your own son to return to tent and meet her reproach and be ac aused of being the murderer of her only child that was given as a prom ise in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed and you would murder him awby yes 11 said abraham 1 I will ony goa god and aar I 1 am willing to endure the brand of infamy yes and I 1 am willing to be denominated a murderer As to sarah hagar and keturah Ee turah his bis sand Ishma elbe was also willing it if necessary to give them up at the bidding of god for said he be the abe lord told me if I 1 was obedient to him that I 1 should have an everlasting inheritance incorruptible incorrupt able and eternal with his fellowship and love forever he was willing to undergo all these thin things a that he be might secure the friendship of of god but a voice was heard beard and looking around abraham discovered a ram jn in the thicket and isaac was men who have entered into celestial marriage that is those who have taken plural wives are barred from taking the oath they should not take the oath they cannot take the oath what then cas As to zhe the condition of our eur country laws are passed in which an oath is required of our people very many of you have not taken u upon DR you the responsibility of the marriage marriage covenant with regard to plural wives A gentleman of our faith came to me recently and said brother cannon canno n I 1 want to take another wife what dx do you think about it my reply was waa if you do such a thing you cannot take that oath you will receive punishment at the hands of the officers of the law if they catch you they will shave your head put striped clothes on you and send you up he left me looking very sorrowful congress has recently passed a law and some men here have gone so far as to say that our people cannot take the oath that they are ineligible it has been tested on jurors to make it appear that they are ineligible to take that oath the question has resolved itself litto into this shape would they the latter day saints obey god hereafter if he was to give a revelation to them from froin the explanation brother caine made to us yesterday on the subject and the quotations lations read by him with regard to the opinions of prominent linen in congress during the abe passage of the edmunds tucker bill I 1 do not understand that those who represent the judiciary here are administering the law with fidelity but then this is only my opinion and I 1 am denominated a rebel I 1 mal maintain etain that every one of you my brethren who have not received the law of nd god with regard to celestial or plural marriage can subscribe to the conditions named in the oath as defined by the law some may have been dilatory dilator tor in keeping the commandments of M god regarding one of his laws the great majority of our brethren have never embraced it neither is it expected that all can receive it J jesus esus said that the conditions of divorce that moses had proclaimed unto the people of his day were not applicable to the whole of israel and all men he said could not receive them Con concerning concertin cernin 9 the principle of plurality of wives all men are not commanded constituted nor ina in a condition in this great community to receive it neither can they embrace it asa as a whole this we know I 1 say av this unto men who propose to take tak the baab if you vou take it do so with a sacred feeling honor god and AN honor orthe abe constitution of your country and stand as sf ap Val bulwark wark in defending his people against the horde of robbers land who seek to despoil us and bring us ua down into captivity and bonda bondage e I 1 believe that men a obey god I 1 in all things I 1 am willing to undergo humiliation have my lead shaved and wear weal striped clothing rather than dishonor god I 1 said to the warden when he be decked me in that I 1 never was prouder of clothes in my life wh why so go said he because when I 1 1001 look upon them they bear evidence of my integrity alt to my god my fidelity to my wives a and in my children they are evidences that I 1 K have ave not been beau false to my my covenant with my maker and further because I 1 am not asha ashamed ined of the mothers of my children the lord jesus was nailed to the cursed tree while the murderer barrabas barbabas Bar was turned loose on the community as were also two murderers turned loose within two weeks after I 1 I 1 entered into prison one ofie man was sentenced to death at ogden but his sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life and he and another imprisoned tor for murder were pardoned by the governor and set free over halt half a dozen murderers nave have been pardoned since why history is only repeating ing itself in this sal as well as many other respects havi have you you ever known an elder of this church being par boned yes one joseph evans evan this esthe only instance on record mgt that I 1 know of he was an old man and his sentence had neatly nearly expired now then it if you should change your mind after taking this oath upon you to sustain the law as passed against us as a people and act according I 1 ng to that change the result will be t that hat you will be as I 1 h have five abeen been you will not beaH owed to vote then nor hold office neither would I 1 expect it if you want the approval of god and are willing to take the conse consequences bences go ahead and do the things eifle he tells iati you but bat the officers must do their duty they should do their duty no one blames them for doing it the responsibility rests resta between the congress conrest rest of our nation and our god god cows knows his servants are doing his will and it if congress passes laws making it a crime to do this they are responsible the judiciary are a appointed to administer the law and ta the way they do it here is beyond all justification fi 1 it t is not only a stretch of authority on the part of the federal officials here to r require eq ulie a man to promise what he will do in the future under biml imagined conditions out but also an infringement gement of law if your motives are pure go and take that oath you are justified before god if you take that oath and intend keeping it what is the difference in saying that you will observe all the laws of your country in short tac including luding that one called the edmunds law passed on the of march 1882 and the more recent act of congress called the ed act and agreeing to obey them in detail there is no nece necessity for you to aid or abet others to break the laws it is proper that you should be faithful to the oata it if you take it As you have not obeyed the celestial law of marriage by taking a a plurality ot of wives I 1 cannot see anything existing in the the way to preveat you from being faithful to the law for you never have aided and never have abetted in breaking it Inaam inasmuch uch as you have tailed failed to obey that law you are free to take the oath and I 1 do pray that the light of truth may dawn within your minds that you IOU may oe be true to god true to your country true to every principle that has been revealed for our guidance and mis his glory if you aiu do this you will defend our liberties save the people and their property from destruction but it if you yop do not we will feel the effects god will justify you in doing this you can do it honestly and fearlessly before god it if you are ever required to that you will nev never er obey god then I 1 say never take such an oath I 1 would not noc make such a promise while I 1 lived upon the earth tor for I 1 tiro pose to hearken unto the voice ot of god let the result be prison bars penitentiary walls or death I 1 propose r to obey almighty god wu but t the law does not require this it II requires you to observe the law that you have observed and it if you have not entered into celestial or plural marriage you have observed it but if you obey the law of god finally the result will be you will be barred from taking that oath and from voting or performing other duties unless god in his strikes down these barriers until then there will not be a change from the condition of affairs as they exist today to day may god give you his spirit that you way may be humble and never shrink from the performance of the duties devol devolving vink upon you be faithful to our god offer offering lug earnest supplications ions to him that our leaders be made free and delivered unto muto his people and occupy their accustomed seats and address occupy t the a p people ile again to the glory of the lord an and eap the joy of our souls this is my prayer in in the ahe name of jesus christ amen |
