Show D DISCOURSE 11 S C 0 V R S E DELIVERED BY rader FRINK A of the sixty fourth semiannual semi annual conference of the church in the taber nacle salt lake city friday morning october BY ARTHUR it is exceedingly pleasant and refreshing to hear the words of consolation and P 1 contort corn fort which our brethren have been 1 dispels dispensing ing unto us and I 1 testify that f they are true as to those things which I 1 know of my mv own experience and the c others are true of my knowledge and t belief Jt eliet I 1 testify by the holy spirit that they are the truths of heaven I 1 rejoice lathis this morning in the progress of the inglorious 9 clorious latter day work and in so far fas as we have been blessed to witness I 1 rejoice greatly in the triumphs of the truth in the manifestation of the wisdom and the knowledge and the power of cod which he has shown forth unto his copl 0 ae in these latter days p it is a remarkable fact that at various time in in this dispensation when the gaint shave been been brought down into the I 1 most ost trying circumstances and have in temporal unmoral things and apparently in in spiritual irilua things been greatly humbled in e sight of each other and in the esti ignatiou apiou of the world and when it has elined ee ined as if the gates of hell had pre availed lied against gods people then has deeo n the outpouring of the spirit of god upon his children and when they have manifested the greatest love to each other er in the times of their great distress in n missouri when their properties were L wasted and destroyed and they were expelled from the state and everything looking like destruction every brother j and sister in that patt of the country came forward and entered into covenant with each other that they would not cease their labors until they had fiad helped the last of the saints out from the place of their exile into a freer and a better place it Is is needful that we should shoula experience times of what we call adversity and realize things which for the time beilig are not joyous but grievous but to this bitter exercise in righteousness thereby we work out a far more exceeding and eternal 1 weight of glory ewe have reason to rejoice in these things and if we will notice our past experience we wallsee will see that after every such time of trial oppression and adversity the people of god have emerged into a greatly enlarged sphere 0 of ex existence i stence and usefulness it has been exemplified to us in this land more than in any other the last most difficult trial has brought us the most and greatest enjoyment and the most widespread possession of benefits and blessings not only of th things ibe s temporal oral but of things spiritual we have been been brought here to the enjoyment of homes lands farms possessions and comforts which the saints had not enjoyed up to that time in any other place the blessings of god have abounded unto us in temporal things as they have a also iso in spiritual and eternal things fo for r he has given unto us to build four temples in this land where to manifest his good pleasure in their holy courts unto his people and to encourage us to take hold and labor not only for the living but to have a broad abroad charity to labor for them that are dead because there is an eternal principle that they without us cannot enter into the falness of joy neither can we therefore our labors are extensive and we need not look upon this as any phantom either none who are permitted to labor in the temples can entertain such a view but thre are some who feel that these things are vain and ephemeral and have no particular significance or meaning of importance to them they are however of the most vital importance to us we might go until we have gone as far as we can short of going into the temples and if we refuse to go there and do these higher and more exalted and spiritual duties by administering ordinances for or our deceased our light will go out our faith depart the testimonies that we have realized and felt will pass away and we shall lose the gem the light the diadem of glory that awaits the faithful that are coming and hoping to become not only the ministers of the most high god but kings and priests unto him tor for ever and ever while it was mentioned concerning what the lord said to peter there was a very extended signification in that answer which he made when peter told him thou art the christ the son of the living god the savior took that as a lull answer of his faith and hope and how quickly he spoke back the glorious promise to him that the gates of hell should never prevail against him the testimony of jesus which is the spirit of prophecy had come upon peter and lie he knew that jesus was the christ he realized the verification of those words when in the hour of the darkest trial when he saw the holy jesus ready to be taken away and nailed to the cross and when to all human appearances pe arances hope was gone he in his weakness was led to say 1 I know not the man yet when he sat in that court and the saviors gavi saviors ors eye rested upon him just as the cock was crowing how it went through him the savior had said all ye shall be offended tended of because of me this night but peter felt so certain with the brightness of that testimony in him that he said though all men shall be offended because of thee yet will I 1 not be offended he realized perhaps that he had th the glorious promise of the savior and felt the burning influence of that testimony and although in that weakness and in that trying time he was led to speak as he did the words of the lord jesus christ came true and the gates of hell could not prevail against him though as he said in his letter afterwards hope had well nigh gone when he saw the master led away yet theford the lord held him 1 I have prayed for thee peter that thy faith fail not his promise was secure and he made him to bear the keys of the dispensation after he himself went away how potent and how important that glorious promise I 1 hold it that that promise stands good to everybody who had obtained t that tat testimony of the lord jesus christ and lived so as to keep that bright and barnin burning g wi within thin him that same testimony stands that the gatet gate of hell shall not prevail against him individually or the church collectively then let us hold to that let us abide and endure as seeing him that is invisible it was a mighty work that the savior did in the three days that his body lay in the grave a work that we have but a very feeble conception of we read in the book of mormon that he told the brethren on this continent that he must go to the people in jerusalem and he must call on the brethren of the ten tribes and on the morrow he would be with them again think of it traveling at this rate with his exalted immortal body what was he doing three days in the spirit when his body was lying in the tomb and did not cumber his rapid powerful transit he went and opened the prison doors to them that were bound he declared the gospel to the captive he started the work to that dispensation that had been so wicked as to be cut on off that the earth might be cleansed from their ions and gave them an 0 opportunity unity in the spirit world to hear of these things it is for us to labor for those that are there who have or have not erred who have erred lightly or who have sinned greatly that we may be able to car carry ry out the plan of salvation as the savior commenced to establish it not only for here but hereafter now my brethren and sisters we have at one time and another things coming to pass among us that tend to afflict us a little tend to make us feel anxious anxious to keep our word anxious for our honor we want to be like our god fixed and true that our word is our bond and that our declarations and statements are as true and sure as any bond that can be fixed upon us we want to maintain this character and reputation inasmuch as we are true and faithful if we cannot do it just exactly as we would the lord will open the way that we shall do it ahe best we can and they around us they that are over aswill us will see and know that we are true in the intent of our hearts true and faithful in the purposes of our souls and will lift us up and bear us over these tribulations and trials and it still will be the case that the credit the character and the honor of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints will be the brightest brightest the most potent and ms ed 0 of any power that is in the earth these times must not make us to feel discouraged they must make us to feel glad where we have erred let us do so no more if we have been wasting the substance that god has given us by living in extravagance or by purchasing and having things about us that were of no use while millions of the nations around us are perishing and going down into their graves without the knowledge of god we should repent and realize that it is the duty of all israel to be sending the he gospel to these nations that president cannon has been telling us about we have no right to waste our substance in riotous living nor to consume our means upon our lusts it is our duty to make a safe and careful and righteous use of these things and let our means be spent to gather israel to preach the gospel to go to the nations of the earth and to win some from among each nation that shall rise up and be witnesses for these nations of the truth of the son of god and that shall have a responsibility to carry it to their fellow creatures of their nations and families as we have been doing to the en english lish 1 speaking peoples yh these ese are duties that devolve upon us but we are too apt to forget it was always the case with gods people when they got abundance and began to live in luxury and plenty and to adorn their persons and aw habitations they became proud and lifted up or unmindful at least of their duties so that the displeasure leasure of the lord rested upon them f if f he has brought us to see these things and enter more earnestly and honestly more humbly and powerfully into the work that is upon us it will be a benefit to us and to the human family I 1 pray the lord to pour out this spirit upon us more and more that we may sense the duty that we owe to the nations that have not been visited and that know nothing of us except by the distant rumblings gs of reports As has been the case in all our experience that we have stooped and bowed down to conquer we shall still stoop to conquer if we have to and it we do not have to io we ought to humble ourselves to that power of bod that shall enable us to have strength to overcome the appo opposing sin g influence in the earth yes brethren and sisters rs we should strive for the influence of t that h spirit in such abundance and such measure that we shall prevail over every influence in the earth that is not or bained of god this is the wa way the presidency feel the apostles beef feel and are trying to act an and d to live and we should endeavor by the experience of these times to profit ourselves so that we may be established and so that we never can be caught again in these unpleasant circumstances and conditions let me remind you my dear brethren that probably the first sermon you heard from the elders who brought brought the truth to you in your nations an and countries was that the angel came flying through the midst ot of heaven having the everlasting gospel to commit unto men to every nation kindred tongue and p people le saying with a loud voice fear ua god 09 and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come that was the kernel of the story fear god and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come and worship him that made the heavens the elarth earth and the seas and the fountains of waters too many of us have forgotten that we live in the hour of gods judgment we build castles in the air and we arrange for a great many things that we have little idea of the outcome because the lord is leading us by a strange path that people have not walked in before he has said that he would lead us in a strange path in a path that the eagles eye hath not seen nor the lions whelp walked in it is a path different from what he has led his people in any age of the world since it was created you cannot find in any of the books an account that depicts our circumstances here as they have been and as they are likely to be and it is they who get the spirit and keep it and who walk in the commandments of the lord that he can mould and change to this and that and move them as he will send them to israel today and to the gentiles tomorrow for he will bring to pass his act his strange act that a man would not believe the prophet said though his neighbor declare it unto him he has told us that he is going to operate in these times in a peculiar manner the people of the earth are getting to he fraternal almost the world around we have A a sample of it this year in their coming together at the worlds fair and it needs greater wisdom to know how to associate with peoples of such varied circumstances and conditions where are there men among them that can rise up in the name of the tord lord and prescribe the rules of ha happiness and good order it is not wite with them it is with gods people and we have reason to rejoice it we will hearken the lord will lead us in the way which he has determined to lead us and give to us the spirit of zion in the book 0 of mormon one of the prophets said that they who shall be blessed to build up zion in the last days must do it by the spirit of zion so we must live and keep the spirit of zion with us our eyes single to the glory of god faithful in keeping our covenants and in everything that he re quires of us as far as in us is that we may be sanctified to his work and get to that position that we can say as the savior did the rhe prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me we want to feel that we and all that we have influence over are sanctified and holy unto the lord our god the lord is preparing us for a very great and glorious future and he has shown it to some of the brethren too they have seen the people of god blessed greatly crowned with wisdom intelligence and ana th glorn I 1 0 r p and looked up to by the nations they e y have seen the people coming from the nations afar oft off bringing their treasures with them wanting to fina a place to dwell among us a place to store their riches because they will not be safe in the lands where they belong and he is is preparing a people that shall be full of truth purity honor integrity and all that is excellent and praiseworthy in his sight that he may make us the repository of the greatness and excellence which he is about to bestow upon his saints but he has to train asto us to discipline us and prepare us for these things else if we had them come upon us what would we do how we would monopolize over each otherl other we have got to learn how to be directed by the spirit in all things I 1 want to say to you that the lord makes manifest his mighty help to our brethren in their difficult circumstances and he raises up friends to them from anex unexpected ir acted quarters and so he will do if we live as we should and trust in him it is vain and futile for us to trust in the arm of the world we have got t to trust in him instead of looking lookin to the world for that sustenance ana and support that overruling help which shall corrol control and advance the interests of zion he is going to have the credit of it himself he is going to demonstrate the truth of that saying wo unto him that tru in man and mabeth flesh his arm I 1 rejoice in the work of today and the experience of today trying and troublesome as they are ta to us the lord will by our faithfulness bear us off triumphant and while the world will fall and break up if we hearken to the word of the lord he will make us to |