| Show DISCOURSE teU vered by Pre president adent george geirge Q cannon cd ai ogden weber stake sunday morning july 21 1889 affia very pleased to have the op anity of meeting with you 0 U toshy coue in your quarterly conference rence OWE trust that while we shall be 99 another tether we shall have the presence nd the assistance of the spirit of agwu god that teat this th meeting and all the meetings that shall be held may vv e profitable unto us our experience pwe peri iles ence hm has taught us that the plan devised by our father for the in attraction of his children is the one trtat ia best adapted to attain the find end which to is designed the lord has us to ponder upon his word ord and when we arise ahn watt his people deop I 1 e to rely upon Is bring forth forte from the e of knowledge that he aly opened ed to us the counsel and F which shall be suited to of those who are we are commanded to aa 6 t to the direction of the strife when we arise to speak ir wie speak as we should do it is hot t we who speak k but it is the L of god clod which speaks through beoo By jr 0 Oo 0 thib account the elders of the burch do not at least as a fate F i ej pare themselves beforehand twite aher written aten or memorized if they were to do so depart lepart raam the order of heaven and would prove utter failures there is scarcely an elder probably who has traveled for any length of time who has not at some ti time me or other tb thought ought well now when I 1 attend this meeting I 1 will preach on a certain subject and he has perhaps made some attempt to get something framed in his mind that he would like to say but I 1 have not met an elder yet who did any such thing who has not confessed that when he attempted to speak to the people in this way the result was a failure it is right that it should be so because who knows the hearts of those who are here today what man can arise here with a prepared discourse to deliver to this congregation and at the same time give to them the bread that they may need to fee feed d their souls on this occasion the bread of life it requires the k knowledge now of god to penetrate the hearts of the children of men and know their secret thoughts and their varied wants there the re may be some souls come here this morning hungering for comfort and for instruction st upon some particular pol point nt and iff unless iless that soul is fed by the influence and power of f the spirit of god it is likely to go away dissatisfied therefore it is our duty when we come together as we now do to offer from our hearts prayer to god that he will give unto us his holy spirit to guide the speaker and to prepare the hearts ot of the hearers bearers to receive the word as it shall be spoken if we meet in this spirit that which we hear bear becomes the word of god and Is profitable to all who listen our situation always has been such that we have stood in constant need of the counsel of heaven our circumstances have been of such a peculiar dhar character acter that we have needed to be sustained and to be instructed ted of the lord no other people in our day have been similarly situated to us no other people have had the difficulties to contend with that we have had to meet on this account we have needed day by day and it may be said minute by minute the guidance of our father in heaver ff look at our situation today and what is there but the power of god that could sustain us and that would comfort our hearts and cause us to feel strong in our religion and in the anticipation of the fulfilment fulfillment of the word of god concerning the work with we are identified looking at the work from a human standpoint without being enlightened by the spirit of god and without faith in god the conclusion would be that the story of mormonism as it is called would soon be told that its history would soon be written and that its future was not one that could inspire hope that in fact its death knell it might be said was ringing this doubtless is the general opinion concerning us and our religion in these days we came to these mountains and for many years we were here secluded from contact with surrounding roun dlug peoples long stretches of unsettled wilderness extended between our settlements and other settlements we were only within reach by long months of travel during those days of seclusion utah was left comparatively speaking to itself there was very little to be seen inside of utah that wai was opposed to the system of religion which the people believed in or that could show any particular enmity to the people themselves we lived in this way for many years and the idea had almost grown up in the hearts hearte of a great many that this was to be our future condition that we had separated ourselves from the world and that we should grow aud and increase until we should become a mighty power in these mountains and that nothing could be permitted to interfere with outgrowth our growth but had we reflected upon it we might have known and no doubt many did know that it was impossible for a people posa possessing the characteristics that we doto do to kee keep secluded we could not be eidsen hidden in spite of all the obstacles that we naturally had to conte contend lad with the qualities that we possessed had the effect to push us to the front and to make us an object of curiosity and note travelers viewed us with great interests interest and books of various kinds were written describing our situation and surroundings roun dings and attempting to describe our character e te r in th the e providence of god also we were led to occupy a place on the continent that of itself was naturally attract attractive ivel these valleys surrounded by these towering mountains were by nature made grand but when they became the abode of men when they were made habitable by the industry of the people who came here and beautiful cities were founded and grew up all through these valleys mens attention was naturally drawn to our situation and it was felt that our position was a very commanding one and in some respects a unique one situated as it were midway between the two oceans and in a sort of half way house hoube for travelers across the continent all these causes combined to make utah a noted place then the railroad was built across the continent this brought travelers to our land and their descriptions of what they saw of the beauty of our country and the magnificence of our scenery naturally created additional interest in regard to us and our land and it is not too much to say there is probably no portion of our continent more talked about and looked upon as more favored than the land which we inherit for beauty for health for magnificent scenery for the agricultural mineral and other resources utah is considered superior almost to every other portion of this favored continent the result to is immigration not mormon immigration altogether has rushed in and today to day the expectation pec tation is generally indulged in by those who are not of us that the fate of mormonism is is nearly sealed that the day is not fu distant when when the people will be overwhelmed whelmed ed when the land will be possessed by y 0 others ers an and we be compelled either to bow to the dictates or of others in regard to our religion or do as we have done in times past vacate our homes and go elsewhere I 1 do not describe these expectations so much from what I 1 have been told as I 1 do from a knowledge of the spirit which prevails and ot of the failings which exist in the breasts of men concerning this religion of ours oure which we testify in the most solemn manner that god has revealed under these circumstances as I 1 have said we require as we always have done the guidance the assistance and the comfort of the spirit of god many have been the hours that the only light the saints of god have had has been that which god has haa given through his holy spirit the only comfort which they have had has been the comfort that gods spirit has haa imparted imparate unto them we e have d through troublous scenes we have ve witnessed many times in our lives when it has seemed as though we should be overwhelmed israel fleeing before the hosts of pharaoh with the red bed sea in front and the armies of pharaoh behind was not a more threatening prospect than the latter day saints have witnessed many times in their career metaphorically hori cally speaking we have had the t he sea am in front we have had the armies in the rear and we have had mountains on either side and there has seemed to be no esca escape for us but god by his wonderful br power has haa interposed and has delivered us and we have emerged from our trials and from these seemingly inextricable difficulties stronger and more famous and with greater faith than when we entered upon them will this be the case at the pres ent time this is a serious question for all of us what shall our future be shall we emerge from the seemingly overwhelming difficulties that now surround us as we have done in the past and be stronger for the trials that we have endured or shall we be overcome bethem by them and be compelled to succumb to these influences which are so threatening these are questions that we should ponder upon and answer in our own hearts there is only one thing that we as a people have to dread and that is our own weaknesses and our failure to keep the commandments of god this alone can do us injury if all the hosts of earth were to band tos gether ether with their wealth their in fluence bence and with all the power at their control and they were to oppose this work of our god and the latter day saints were united and full of faith and in integrity teg rity and determined to keep the commandments mand ments of god I 1 say to you this day in the presence of all that I 1 have attempted to describe to you that there is no power upon earth that can injure or in any manner retard the advancement of this cause and the deliverance of this people from every peril to which they may be exposed I 1 care not how threatening the prospect may be I 1 care not how many may be the seeming causes that menace us with overthrow and with destruction if the latter day saints are only devoted to their religion and are determined ter mined to keep the commandments of the lord there has not been a step taken by this church that has not been foretold in revelation from the commencement of this work until the present time the pathway of this church and the obstacles with which it would have to contend and overcome have been described in plain language to the saints through the spirit of prophecy has rested upon those whose right it was to teach the people upon these points have you not heard from the time that you entered the church oi or if you were boria bora in the church from the time that you were old enough to understand that joseph smith in the begin beginning nin of this work predicted that it boull would have to meet with obstacles and difficulties of the most formidable character and that it would have influence brought to bear against it that would be very potent did he not prophesy that in the commencement it bouli excite the opposition of a neighborhood but said he it will not be confined to this it will excite the opposition of a township and of a county and then of a state i and after awhile it will meet with opposition of a national character would it stop there no but it would extend until it would call forth the opposition of the world itself have you not therefore been prepared for 4 such scenes as we now low Wit witness newt T and we have not only his word bordi but the concurrent testimony of af ah who have had the spirit of pro prophecy beey and who have spoken to the ta latter ater day saints under its influence is to the same effect there has been no elder whose mind has been en lightened by the spirit of god and who has looked forward to the fu future durw who has not had visions of this chara cham cLerin eLerin which he has plainly foreseen that such would be the suit of the growth and advancement 1 of this work of our god on thea e earth besides this we have the aba book of mormon a record tm translated and published before church itself was organized organize to which all these scenes that we aw now passing through are deac described with wonderful minuteness adf accuracy the opposition that we now have to contend with and the character of that opposition are fo foro told in that book with exceed iri great plainness and the pro prop prophett heft of god have written these thi things uch simple language that a eh can read and understand them the prophet nephi descar describes condition of the world at t the tr timar that this record should come fo i had he been in mortality and hessed these scenes he could baki have described them it seems tox me with more minuteness and all curacy than he has haa done althou jk he wrote about twenty four hund hundred years ago he describes that ahl wl should be done when this w should come forth and the ch chara of the opposition it would have meet he has told us the V vei words that men would u use be in n fig fegl fl ing this work he says that them would be but two churches up 1 on the earth one the church it rf the lamb of god and the other describes as the whore of VA all earth he sa says ys the there re wu would 0 id such a combination against tw church of the lamb of 0 f god go would threaten it with destruct destra because the people of the chui chu the lamb of god would be few and their possessions would woula very small and they would be v insignificant compared with forces that should be opposed i them but he makes this rem ble declaration and repeats it BI the righteous need not fear oj what comfort there has been 3 those words to those who ln perused them in hours of buarl trial 99 darkness when difficulties and andem gers ers have surrounded the sai sain gack and when it has seemed i tho though 0 agh there was no deliverance them they have brought 00 iobst iOB pt tion no doubt to many a soul such circumstances I 1 know 71 have comforted my heart time I 1 have felt that ii if I 1 coh only be numbered among the ifal bous eons I 1 had no cause for fear A no one elso else if he is righteous ou ak any cause for fear however ening the prospects may be 1 brethren and sisters we are in the position that the described if you will read 4 ae words you will derive not great comfort from them but light also for you will i J plainly the lord by tha A prophecy revealed twenty four hundred years ago the present condition of the world and the situation that his church would be in when it should be established upon the earth in our day and we need not fear no matter what may happen we have no need for fear the only cause that will create fear in my mind and that feeling does sometimes assail me is the knowledge that the latter day saints are not living as aa they should do that there te is division among them that there is strife that they are loving the world and the things of the world and that they are placing their affections factions upon something else more than upon the building up of the kingdom of god when I 1 witness such a spirit I 1 confess that I 1 am assal assailed led with fear not that the work of god win will be endangered not that the purposes of god will be turned aside but I 1 fear lest the latter day saints as a people will be scourged urged because of the conduct of those who profess to be saints and bear the name of the lord jesus christ if however we are living as we should CIO to keeping the commandments of god glod and walking in the straight and narrow path then we have no need for fear the question that I 1 propounded awhile ago as to whether these forces that are arrayed against us would have power over us can easily be answered if this he be our condition if you lat berday saints in weber county are an all living as you should be I 1 |
