Imatges de pàgina
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as God lives, be entitled to their support and to their education. It is our duty to look after these children and see that they have an equal chance with those who are more favored with parents to look after them.

"And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not he beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them."

These are the promises that the Lord made to the people of Israel anciently, if they would hearken unto His words and obey His laws.

Now, I want to say to you without any hesitancy or fear of successful contradiction, that the words which I have read in your hearing are as applicable to you as they were to the children of Israel. You are modern Israel and they were ancient Israel. The same God spake through His servant Moses that speaks today through His servant Lorenzo Snow. Obedience to the laws of God will produce the same results today that it did anciently. To those who know the history of ancient Israel it is perhaps not necessary for me to say that these words were fulfilled upon Israel. As long as they hearkened to His word, God did prosper them; He did bless their land; He did send them the early and the latter rains; He did multiply them and strengthen them in the land; He did set them on high; He did make them His covenant people, and they became famous throughout the known world. The glory of Solomon reached to the uttermost parts of the earth. The kings and queens of the earth heard of his greatness and of his wisdom. They took pilgrimages to Jerusalem to see for themselves and to verify the reports they had heard of the greatness of the children of Israel. The Queen of Sheba went and saw Solomon in his glory. She heard of the wisdom that fell from his lips and beheld the greatness of his kingdom, and she said to the king: "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and behold, the half was not told me; thy

wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom."

I commend to you the careful reading of the remaining portion of this chapter in Deuteronomy. Time will not permit me to read it, but I would like you to read and contemplate it at your leisure, for there you will find, as if written by eye-witnesses, history of the judgments of God that subsequently fell upon the children of Israel, with an acurate account of the downfall and disintegration of the people. They became a hiss and a byword among the nations of the earth. They were broken asunder, they were carried captive into the various nations of the earth; they served under taskmasters; from that day unto the present they have been under the curse of God through disobedience to His laws, and they will remain under that curse of disobedience so long as they fail to repent of their sins and return not unto the Lord. But just as soon as they will hearken to the voice of Malachi and return unto the Lord and begin to observe His laws and ordinances, then will be fulfilled the promise of the ancient Prophet that God will open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings upon them till they will not have room to contain them. But this will not be until they repent and turn unto the Lord. Neither will it be with us until we repent for there are many of us who are just as guilty of disobedience to the laws of God today as were ancient Israel. Some of us, too, who have pretended to do our duty in regard to this law, and who have preached obedience to it, have not kept it. We go to the books, we see the records of men, and in a great measure we know what they have done, and I can tell you that there are men amongst us who stand high in their own estimation and in the estimation of the people, who have never paid their tithing. Yet these men ought to be examples to the people. They ought to be saying to the people, "come follow me, and do the things that I do," but they have not been that class of men, though I trust they will be in the future. I hope that when they pay

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Sunday, October 8th, 10 a. m.
Singing by the choir:

Lo! the mighty God appearing,
From on high, Jehovah speaks!
Eastern lands the summons hearing,
O'er the west his thunder breaks.
Prayer by Elder Benjamin E. Rich.
The choir sang:

Zion stands with hills surrounded-
Zion, kept by power divine;
All her foes shall be confounded,
Though the world in arms combine;
Happy Zion,

What a favored lot is thine.

DAY.

"23. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

"24. But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence, therefore the Lord in His wrath (for His anger was kindled against them) swore that they should not enter into His rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fullness of His glory.

"25. Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

**26. And the lesser Priesthood continued, which Priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory Gospel;

**27. Which Gospel is the Gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the re

PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON. mission of sins, and the law of carnal

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I will read a portion of the 84th Section of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:

"17. Which Priesthood continueth in the Church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or end of years.

"18. And the Lord confirmed a Priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations which Priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the Priesthood, which is after the holiest order of God.

"19. And this greater Priesthood administereth the Gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom even the key of the knowledge of God; "20. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest;

"21. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the Priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22. For without this no man can A the face of God, even the Father, live.

commandments, which the Lord in His wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up. being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb;

**28. For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of His people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power. **29. And again, the offices of Elder and Bishop are necessary appendages belonging unto the High Priesthood.

"30. And again, the offices of Teacher and Deacon are necessary appendages belonging to the lesser Priesthood, which Priesthood was confirmed upon Aaron and his sons.

"31. Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses-for the sons of Moses, and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed;

"32. And the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord's house, whose sons are ye; and

"33. For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two Priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies;

also many whom I have called and sent The Spirit has been abundantly poured forth to build up my Church. out. It seems to me that no man or woman could listen to the words of the Apostles who have spoken without being convinced that God was with them. This is my feeling, and I can bear testimony to the truth of that which has been said. It will be a savor of life unto life or of death unto death to all those who have listened.

34. They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the Church and kingdom, and the elect of God;

35. And also all they who receive this Priesthood receiveth me, saith the Lord;

36. For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

"37. And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

er,

38. And he that receiveth my Fathreceiveth my Father's kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him;

"39. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the Priesthood.

"40. Therefore, all those who receive the Priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved;

"41. But whoso breaketh this covenant, after he hath received it and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.

not

"42. And all those who come unto this Priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by mine own voice out of the Heavens, and even I have given the Heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you.

"43. And I now give unto you а commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life:

"44. For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth

of God.

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45. For the word of the Lord truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ;"

In standing up to address you I do so relying entirely upon the blessing of God, which I hope to obtain by the as sistance of your faith and prayers. To my mind, it is one of the most responsible positions a human being can occupy, to address a congregation upon the things pertaining to God and eternity. I feel the weight of this responsibility, and I would not attempt to speak to you, did I not know that it is our privilege to have the assistance of the Spirit of God. During this conference we have heard most excellent discourses, accompanied by the power of God.

We are living in a very important time. The Lord is evidently working with His servants and people. He is manifesting His Spirit in a remarkable manner. I think it has been felt by every faithful Latter-day Saint throughout the Church. Not only has it extended throughout Zion, but it has been felt by the Elders and Saints, so far as we have heard, in distant places.. In 1856 the Spirit of God was poured out in great power upon the servants of God in Zion. I was on a mission at the time, as doubtless were very many Elders, some of whom may be present today; and we had the same Spirit where I was laboring. The Lord stirred us up in the same way that our brethren at home were being stirred up. The Spirit of reformation went throughout the entire Church. The people were stirred from the depth of their hearts by the power of God. The effects of that reformation were most excellent. A great many adopted good tions which, I am led to believe, they clung to all their lives, and are still clinging to them if they are alive. They have served God with greater diligence than they ever did before. I do not doubt that will be the effect of these meetings. I expect to see a thorough reformation of the people, and renewed determination to keep the commandments of God more strictly than ever before.

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In connection with this I will read another portion of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants that occurs to my mind. It is a revelation that was given in 1834, soon after the occurrences which President Snow read about yesterday. They took place in Jackson county, November, 1833, and this revelation was given to the Prophet the succeeding February. The Lord says:

"1. Verily I say unto you, my friends,

behold I will give unto you a revelation and commandment, that you may know how to act in the discharge of your duties concerning the salvation and redemption of your brethren, who have been scattered on the land of Zion;

2. Being driven and smitten by the hands of mine enemies, on whom I will pour out my wrath without measure in mine own time;

"3. For I have suffered them thus far, that they might fill up the measure of their iniquities, that their cup might be full;

sore

"4. And that those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them."

This has been dwelt upon with great fullness by nearly all the brethren who have spoken at this conference. They have called attention to the fact that

the Saints were scourged in those early days because of their disobedience. The Lord here explains and describes to the Church very plainly the reasons why they were so grievously and severely

chastened:

"And that those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them."

The Lord continues:

"5. But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour, unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.

"6. Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour,

"7. And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is given unto the Saints, to possess it for ever and ever.

"8. But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them,

"9. For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men;

"10. And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men."

They

There cannot be a doubt in any faithful man's mind concerning the truth of this promise-the promise of victory and deliverance on the one hand, the promise of punishment, disaster and trouble on the other. The Latter-day Saints have in their experience proved fully the truth of these words. have seen them fulfilled to the very letter. When they have been faithful in keeping the commandments of God they have prospered and they have had deliverance. When they have been unfaithful they met with trouble and serious difficulty. It is necessary that the wicked should have the opportunity to exercise their agency in relation to the work of God; for they have an agency as well as we. It is their privilege to assist in building up the work of God, or they can exercise their agency in fighting the work of God. They have the privilege to do everything in their power to destroy it, and they will be permitted to do this until the cup of their iniquity is full. The Lord deals justly with His children, no matter who they are. Not only Latter-day Saints, but all mankind are the children of our Heavenly Father, and all have their agency.

When we quote these sayings

of the Lord concerning this work, they are not peculiar to us; the promises are not intended for us alone; they are intended for all who will believe and obey His Gospel. Many people imagine that when we talk about the triumph of the Church of God we mean to confine that triumph to those who belong to our Church. Not so; this is for the whole world. It is for all America, as well as for Utah. God has made most glorious promises to this nation. According to the revelations in the Book of Mormon concerning our own nation, the Lord has destined to make it the head of all the nations of the earth, to adopt it as His nation and as His government, if the people would receive the Gospel; and He would make them the means of saving the remnants of His covenant people, and doing other mighty works. This is all foreshadowed in the prophecies contained in the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith, prompted by this Spirit -the man whom God has spoken to; a

Prophet of God-condescended to proffer himself as a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Many people thought this was ambition on his part; that he wanted to rule; that he aspired to power, and that he would use it for the carrying out of his own plans and forwarding the interests of his own people. Joseph Smith had no such idea. He was prompted, as a Prophet of God and as a patriot, to step forward and offer himself as a candidate, that the nation might receive the fulfillment of the promises which the Lord had made concerning it. He gave his views on the power and policy of the United States; and any man who will read those views today will see how much salvation there is embodied in the principles he set forth. A bloody war might have been averted; millions of treasure might have been saved; thousands upon thousands of lives might also have been saved, if they had only received him as a deliverer, God having inspired him to take that course. In relation to this we have the same feelings today. Men accuse us of being unpatriotic, of not being friendly, and of having designs inimical to the peace and prosperity of the land. I say to you today, in the presence of God, that no more patriotic people live upon the continent of America than the Latter-day Saints. We want to see the Constitution of this country preserved, that every man shall enjoy the rights guaranteed by that grand instrument of liberty which God inspired the framers to make. But we differ from many people in regard to our views concerning the manner in which the government should be administered. And we think, as free men, descended from a free ancestry, we have a right to differ from them, and to express our feelings upon this point with the utmost freedom; that we are not traitors when we do so, but are the friends of the government and of the rights of human beings in the government. You know, my brethren and sisters, that this is our attitude on this question. We would like to see this government so stable that it will never be thrown down. It can only be made so by adhering to the principles which animated the founders of the govern

ment, and which they hoped to perpetuate through the constitution and the laws that were enacted.

We are told in this revelation that the wicked, when the cup of their iniquity is full, will receive their judgment. But the Latter-day Saints are called upon to obey the commandments of God. He has revealed himself with power to them. He bears testimony to them all the time concerning His great work that He is seeking to establish in the earth. He wants to make us the saviors of men. He calls us the salt of the earth. We are the salt of the earth. We are not conceited in saying this, because the acts of the faithful Latter-day Saints are such as to bring salvation to those who are connected with them. I wish to illustrate this so that you can see it for yourselves. Look around you and see the men and the women who have proved themselves unworthy of the principles of the Gospel, and have departed from them. Are they not like salt that has lost its savor? We have had hundreds of them; they have got indifferent; they have lost their savor, and are good for nothing. The Saints are compared to salt that has its saving poperties. Wherever we go we should be saviors of men.

We should seek for the salva. tion of the human family to the fullest extent in our power. God has called us to this. He has given unto us the Holy Priesthood, and He has pled with us now for these many years. Think of it! this revelation from which I have read last was given in 1834, nearly sixty-six years ago. The promise was then made unto the Saints that if they would keep the commandments of God they should prevail from that very hour. Is it not true that this would have been fulfilled to the very letter if we had kept His commandments? But we have not done so. We have been a disobedient people, notwithstanding all that God has done for us. We have not honored His laws; and I sometimes thnk we are like our ancestors, the children of Israel (for God has said that we are of the seed of Abraham) who were led out of Egypt by mighty power. The Lord wrought wonders in their behalf. He inspired Moses to lead the people along so that

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