| Show DI DISCOURSE S C 0 IT R 8 E BY h V aa 4 the sixty fourth semiannual semi annual conference of the ilse church in the tabernacle salt sall lake city friday morning october 6 BY ARTHUR president george Q cannons remarks this morning were full fall of comfort and consolation the ideas that he has presented are true there never was 0 a day since the organization of this church when the latter day saints had 4 more cause to rejoice than they have today the he church was organized over gifty acty three years ago and from that day to the present the lord has been with is his manifestations have been our experiences and he has accomplished in ill ow our favor all that any latter day saint ever did or could anticipate his glory has been upon us as a people slid id P as individuals As president can joon has said trials and tribulations have bave been the experience of the latter day saints god so designed that it should be I 1 daresay that in the spirit world when it was proposed to us to come into this probation and pass through the experience that we are now receiving it was not altogether pleasant bud and agreeable the prospects were not ao 90 0 o delightful in all respects as might have been desired yet there is no doubt that we saw and understood dearly clearly there ithac that in order to accomplish our exaltation and glory this was necessary experience and however disagreeable it might have appeared t to 0 Vs us we were willing to conform to the will of god and consequently we are here from the time of our receiving the aspel ospel C to the present the lord has bas from time to time given us trials and afflictions if we may so call them and sometimes these trials have been of that nature that we have found it very biffi cult to receive them without murmur and complaint yet at such times the lord blessed us and gave us sufficient of his spirit to enable us to overcome the temptations and endure the trials in going through these trials and trout troubles les we are doing no more than did the captain of our salvation we are told by the apostle paul that lie was made perfect through sufferings and even he the son of god at times found it very difficult for example in the garden of gethsemane when the time approached that he was to pass 1 through the severest affliction that any mortal ever did pass through he undoubtedly had seen persons nailed to the cross because that method of execution was common at that time and he understood the torture that such persons experienced for hours he went by himself in the garden and prayed to his father it it were possible that that cup might pass from him and his feelings were such that he sweat great drops of blood and in his agony there was an angel sent to give him comfort and strength even the son of god required miraculous help under those ex ra ordinary circumstances so we have needed it at times and so we ma may in the future some of us have M had this divine help under peculiar circumstances god has wonderfully blessed zion it is remarkable the change that has occurred in our favor in the estimation of the inhabitants of the earth especially the people of our own na nation t ion the course that has been taken by the house of representatives within the last few hays days compared with their action a few years ago is is amazing it is god that has effected this change because he is disposed to favor zion and because through our suffering in the past we have secured his favor and he is determined to assist us and accomplish his purpose in regard to our redemption the work that has been accomplished in the nations of the earth and the islands of the sea is grand and glorious and this is not all within the last few months thousands of persons in in the spirit world have been placed in a condition that they may receive the word of god and be saved through the ordinances that have been administered in these four temples in this territory A wonderful work is being accomplished in our temples in favor of the spirits in prison I 1 believe strongly too that when the gospel is preached to the spirits in prison the success attending that preaching will be far greater than that attending the preaching of our elders iu in this life I 1 believe there will be very few indeed of those spirits who will not gladly receive the gospel when it is carried to them the circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable the brethren are laboring in these ae temples with their hearts and souls in the interest ot of the dead the savior said on a certain occasion verily verily I 1 say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the die voice of the son of god and he continued and made this remarkable expression and they that hear shall live I 1 believe there will be very few who will not receive the truth they will hear the voice of the son ot of god they will hear the voice of the priesthood of the son of god and they will receive the truth and live these brethren and sisters that are laboring so industriously in the temples will have the honor of being as it were saviors saviors to their kindred and ana friends in whose favor they administered these ordinances it is a glorious work it is a grand work and the kingdom of god moves on with force and power and with grand and glorious success of course our financial affairs pinch a little but we are not dependent particularly upon the condition of financial affairs in in order that we may rejoice it is very nice to have things go along pleasantly and agreeably in relation to our interests in this world yet we are not dependent upon those accidental circumstances we are told that the kingdom ot of god is not meat and drink but righteousness and joy in the holy ghost it is the privilege of the latter day saints to live in the gos gospel p ea in such a way that they will feel approved of god of course we do things sometimes that we are ashamed ot of when we come to consider them but we rep repent nt of them in our hearts and add determine to do them no more that is all the lord asks of us and men and women who so live live without condemnation they have righteousness and joy oy in the holy ghost no matter what mav be their temporal circumstances we live above and independent of these accidental things that occur today or tomorrow behave we have acted I 1 believe as the wise man that built his house upon the rock jesus said whosoever heareth these saying of mine and boeth them I 1 will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock ana and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock what rock the rock of of revelation the rock that jesus said he would found his church upon and the gates of hell should not prevail against it we read that when jesus came into the coasts of caesarea he asked his disciples whom do men say that I 1 the son of man am he wished to ascertain what sort of opinion the people round about haid had formed in regard to him he had been performing miracles in their midst he had been teaching and instructing them in their synagogues and he wished to know what the people said about him the answer was some say that thou art john the baptist some elias and others jeremias or one of the prophets but whom say ye that I 1 am he asked peter answered and said thou art the christ the son of the livin living 9 god then jesus said unto him blessed art thou simon baraona Bar jona for flesh and blood hath not reye revealed aled it unto thee but my father which is in fi heaven eaven and I 1 say also unto thee that thou art peter and upon this rock I 1 will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail v a i I 1 against it and he et did so wh when n the gospel was preached those who believed were promised that they might know for themselves whether it was true and whether the men who preached it had authority from god they were promised that they should receive the holy ghost which should be a revelation to them and upon that they should be founded and they should build their spiritual house upon it and when the storms came and the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew they should not be driven from this position if we are in this condition the trials and afflictions that we have to pass through will not have power to move us because we are founded upon the revelations of the almighty god has fulfilled his promises to us and our prospects are grand and glorious yes in the next life we will have our wives and our sons and daughters if we do not get them all at once we will have them some time lor for every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that jesus is the christ you that are mourning about your children straying away will have your sons and your daughters if you succeed in passing through these trials and afflictions and receive a resurrection you will by the power of the priesthood work and labor as the son of god has until you get all your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory this is just as sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains therefore mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the patk path that you have marked out to them or give heed to your counsels inas much as we succeed in securing eternal glory and stand as saviors and as kings and priests to our god we will save our posterity when jesus went through that terrible torture on the cross he saw what would be accomplished by it he saw that hia hb br ethern and sisters the sons and daughters of god would be gathered in with but few exceptions those who committed the unpardonable sin that sacrificed sacrifice of the divine being was effectual to destroy the powers of satan I 1 believe that every man and woman who comes into this life and passes through it that life will be a success in we the end it may not be in this life it was not with the anaide Juvia luviana luv ians ns they passed through troubles and afflictions 2500 years after that when jesus went to preach to them the dead heard beard the voice of the son of god and they lived they found after all that it was a very good thing that they had conformed to the will of god in leaving the spiritual life and passing through this world god will have his own way in his own time and he will accomplish his purposes in the salvation of his sons and daughters we are here to do what ts god od requires ot of us and in doing what god requires of us we keep ourselves established upon that rock referred to and these difficulties that arise will not affect us particularly go back sixty three years and see how we have given our coat and our overcoat to our enemies and given everything that they asked of us 1 and we would have given them more if they had asked it we do this in the name of the lord we know all things will be right with us in the end and w we e can afford to conform to their wishes to a certain extent we can afford to be stripped we can afford to sacrifice our houses and our lands as we have done more than once we can afford to do all these th things in order to carry out the purposes of god and to make this generation understand that we are the friends of the world when president woodruff and his counselors went to independence the feeling there was wonderfully changed since he had passed through therea there a good many years before then he had to skulk and hide to save his life but this time the mayor came out with a fine span ot of horses and beautiful carriage and and asked president woodruff to sit by his side and did everything that he possibly could to show him honor and respect what a wonderful change I 1 have wondered since reflecting upon these things in regard eard to our going back to jackson county u nty whether by and by they would not actually be glad to have us return and build up a city and a temple and to protect them from various troubles that they see approaching I 1 would not be astonished at all because the lord does things so differently to what man does I 1 would not imagine naturally that this would be the way we would go back but the lord may help us in this way we surely will go back there is no question about that and we will build one of the grandest temples that was ever built upon this little globe god bless you brethren and sisters do not be discouraged is the word I 1 wish to pass to you but remember that righteousness and joy in the holy ghost is what you and I 1 have the privilege of possessing at all times and may god bless our president and remove from him the effects ot of his cold that he may stand up here and that the holy ghost may be upon him that his words may cause our hearts to burn with joy amen |
