| Show PROMISES OF GOD the subject of a discourse at salt lake tabernacle by elder lorenzo snow delivered to lerzo at ine seral anguil conference aorel ath brethren and sisters with your help through the exercise of your faith and prayers I 1 wish to eay a few things I 1 have been very cueli pleased and edified by what has been aid duriac thia conference it has been to feast of fat ti lings the instructions that have been elucidated havo been presented to the people by alio power of god I 1 often ask myself what am I 1 in the world for where did I 1 come from and where am I 1 coins well we have learned something in to this we have learned that we existed with god in eternity before wo came into this life and that we kept our estate had we not kept what is called our first estate and observed the laws that governed there you and I 1 would not be here today we are here because we are worthy to be here and blat arises to a great extent at least irom the fact that we kept our first estate I 1 believe that when you and I 1 were in yonder life we made certain covenants with those that had the control that in abie life when we should be permitted to enter it we would do what we had done in that life find out the will of god and conform to it I 1 have not the least idea that I 1 would bo here bodny talking to you unless it was distinctly understood in that life that when I 1 came into abie I 1 would bo obedient to the will of god as it should be revealed of course we have forgotten these thines but the lord is to illuminate our understandings and is bringing to our recollection certain things in leeard to how we were there and for what we have come into this world what you and I 1 now want to know is liow to secure the position we occupied in the other life when we go back and that which will naturally bo added to us in consequence of the experience that we had in tills life for the lord has told us that those who would keep their second estate glory should be added upon their beads for ever and ever it eeeline to me that no man or can afford to do anything in thia life only that which directly or indirectly will ba in conformity to the will of god there is a course that men and women may pursue wherein there will be no failure whatever disappointments may arise or seeming failures may result there will be in reality no failure as a general thing As we have heard from the different suea kera there has been no stoppage with thie church apparently there has been there have been times when it seemed as though we were bovins backward at least it has to those who were not fully enlightened in regard to the mind and will of god the church lias passed through very strange experiences and the people have made great sacrifice no people were aver raised up perhaps enoche that leave to the ex tent that this people have but wo have come along through these sacrifices and as the there has been no failure why lias there been no failure because abe people as a whole have had their minde fixed apon the true principles of life and they have conformed to their duly as they did in the other life the people generally bavo had the spirit of the lord and have followed it hence there has been no failure so it may bo with individuals there is a course for every person to pursue in which there will be no failure it will apply to temporal as well as spiritual mattera the lord has given ua the keyword in these verses that I 1 have read from the book of doctrine and covenants if your eye be single to my whore bodies ahall be filled with light nd there shall be no darkness in yon and that body which is filled with light cora all things therefore sanctify yourselves that conr become single to god I 1 will read from lion 84 of the book of doctrine and covenants for who so la faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthood of which I 1 have spoken and the magnifying their calling are sanctified by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies they become the sons of moses and aaron and the seed of abraham and the church and the elect of god and also all they who receive the pries hood receive th me bilth the lord bor he that receive th my servants re me and be that recel veth me receive th my father and that receive th mv father resel veth my fathers kingdom therefore all that my father hath shall be given unto him and this ie to the oath and covenant which to the priesthood therefore all those who receive the priesthood receive th this anth and covenant of my father which he cannot break neither can it be moved but those who brea keth this covenant after he hath received it and altogether burneth thew form shall not have the forgiveness gi veness of sins in this world nor in the world to come in connection with thie I 1 will read the following from alie section and if your eye bo single to my glora your whole bodler ahall be filled with light and there shall bo no darkness in you and that body which ie filled with licht nil things therefore sanctify yourselves that conr minds become single to boil and the day will conio that you shall gee him for be will unveil hi face unto you and it shall be in his own time and in hia own way and according to his own will that is the key by which a person can always be successful paul ays I 1 press toward the mark for the prize of the high callum of god in jesus christ A grand object that every latter day ought to have before him constantly what is that prize I 1 have been reading it all that mv father hath shall be given ento him the savior on one occasion made an extraordinary statement it is in the ditth chapter of st john and is as follows I 1 can of mine own self do nothing it is remarkable that the god who made the worlds who came down here clothed with flesh performed mighty miracles mounts cavalry for the salvation of the human family that should eay 1 I can of mine own self do nothing and he goes on to say As I 1 hear I 1 judge and my judgment li lust because I 1 seek not mine own will hut the will of the father which bath sent me that is a wonderful saying and there is a great deal in it now what we want is to have eliat spirit in every act of our lives and iu every undertaking whether temporal or spiritual and not think of self we should try to ascertain how wo should spend the money and the information eliat god has given us the answer is simple for the glory of god our eye should bo single to the glory of god that is what WB have deft the other life for and come into this we should cepek to promote the interests of the most high god and to feel us jesua fell 1 I can of mine own self do nothing inasmuch as we act today and tomorrow thia week and next week in the interest of god and have our eye single to liis glory there can bo no failure wo send our elders to preach the dospel who senda them president woodruff in sense no the god of israel sends them it is work there is no mortal man that ia so muan interested in alie of an elder when ho ia preaching the gospel as the lord that cent him to preach to tho people win are the lords children he begot them in yonder world and they came here because tho L rd wanted them to come ae are told by the apostil paul the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason 0 him who hath subjected the same in hope it was not a pleasing idea to come here no one wished to como only as it was tho will of god and that we would receive through this greater glory I 1 have not found it so very pleasant in my experience still I 1 have tried in the scenes through which I 1 have been called to pass to enjoy the as far as god would give me wisdom and power to do mane mind should be single to the glory of god in everything that he starts to accomplish we debould consider that of ourselves we can do nothing we are the children of god wo are in darkness only as god enlightens our understanding we are powerless only as god helps us the work that we have to do here is of that nature that we can not do it unless we have the assistance of the almighty those who go into these temples to perform tha glorious labors there performed feel that they cannot do this word satisfactorily facto rily to the parties in whose interest iliev are unless god gevea them his holy spirit here ia the great trouble with men of alie world and too much so with of israel wo forget that we are working for god we forget that we are hero in order to carry out certain purposes that we leavo promised the lord thai we would carry out il is a glorious work that we are engaged in it is the work of the almighty and he haa selected tho men and tho women whom he knows from past experience peri ence will carry out hia purposes na a general thing what wonderful promises are contained in this section 1 can you comprehend them I 1 cannot I 1 can see that god means great deal in which he haa made to us there may be some strangers here who will say you read eliat from the book of doctrine and covenants we do not know anything about eliy dont you read something from the OS LAST PAGE books that we believe in now what I 1 have read here conforms exactly with what the lord has said in the bible tha lord bae said that he will give ua all that bo hath and this according to the oath and covenant which belong to alio priesthood nobody ought to doubt what jesus saya and be declares as recorded in the revelations of st john to him that over cometh will I 1 grant to sit with me in my throne even as I 1 1 overcame and am beet down with my father in his throne can anything be enid greater alian that does not that comprehend everything and there are many statements of this kind recorded in alie old and new testament brethren and eisterer ei stere my testimony is that this is the work of god in which we are engaged I 1 had not been in this church two weeks alien the lord revealed to me a knowledge that ho was god and that he tent his son into tho world to lo 10 crucified for the sins of the world no man ever did or ever could receive a more perfect knowledge in regard to llie existence of god and the truth of this work than god gave to me by revelation and the operine of the heavens from that time on 1 have tried to live in euch a way as not to lose holy spirit but to be guided by it continually trying to get rid of my selfishness and any wrongful ambition and endeavoring to work in llie interest I 1 believe these are the intentions and feelings of the latter day saints generally god bless president Pre ruf and his two counselors with a fullness ot ilia holy spirit anamay we all live in that wa that we may be prepared at any moment to go back into the other life and inherit alie position that we occupied there with the additional blessing and glory that we receive by conforming to the mind and will of god in this life the prayer which jesus made before his crucifixion may be offered by alie latter day saints and now 6 father glorify thou me with thine own belf with the glory which I 1 had with thee before the world was god bless you my brethren and sisters and may we so live as to be worthy to receive these wonderful blessings and promises is my prayer in the name ot jesus amen |
