Friday, March 9, 2012

LDS General Conference Archives — 1897

The Sixty-eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convened in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 4, 1897, President Wilford Woodruff presiding.

Of the general authorities present on the stand there were of the First Presidency Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith; of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Francis M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale. John W. Taylor, Marriner W. Merrill and Anthon H. Lund; Patriarch John Smith; of the First Seven Presidents of Seventies Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjelsted, B. H. Roberts, George Reynolds and Jonathan G. Kimball; of the Presiding Bishopric William B. Preston, Robert T. Burton and John R. Winder.

Heber J. Grant of the Quorum of the Twelve was absent in consequence of his being in feeble health.

54 comments:

  1. From President Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church:

    I thank God my Heavenly Father that I have again the privilege of meeting with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the capacity of a Semi-Annual Conference. This is our Sixty-eighth Semi-Annual Conference. We have passed through a great variety of history from the organization of the Church until the present day. I trust that while we are assembled together during this Conference the Spirit of God may be with us, and with the Apostles and Elders who are called upon to speak to us, that we may be edified by the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and be prepared for that work which still rests upon us to carry out. We have a great work upon our hands. It has been a labor from the organization of the Church until the present time. We have the world to preach to. That is one of the duties God requires at the hands of the Elders of Israel. We are held responsible for this work and the building up of the kingdom of God according to the best light and knowledge and revelation which God has given unto us. We ought to be thankful to the Lord for His mercies unto us. I feel as though His hand has been visible in the establishing of His Church here in the Rocky Mountains, from our first arrival as Pioneers in the valleys of the mountains, when we found a barren desert, until the present. The hand of the Lord has been with this people and with the Elders of Israel, and will continue to be. The Lord is in earnest, in fulfillment of His promises from the creation of the world down to this day, with regard to His dispensations to man. I hope and trust that while we dwell in the flesh we all may realize and understand this. It is a great blessing to receive the Gospel of Christ, to receive the Holy Priesthood, and to be called to labor in the Priesthood for the salvation of the children of men. This labor is upon us and will remain upon us until the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body.

    I pray God to bless you and to pour out His Spirit upon us all, that while we are assembled together in this capacity we may have union of heart and spirit, and the Spirit of God resting upon us, to dictate and direct us in our labors. Amen.

    (President Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897)

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  2. From Elder Anthon H. Lund of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    There is this difference between the work of God and the work of man. The work of God has a perfect Author, what He commands is not an experimental thing, but is something that was seen beforehand. The consequences were known before the law was given. By studying the word of God as given through His prophets, we find that He knew as well thousands of years ago what was for the best good of His people as today, and that when the prophets spoke of Zion they saw it understood how it should be built, and could foretell the Lord's dealings with His people.

    (Elder Anthon H. Lund, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  3. The Prophet Nephi, in speaking of Zion, gives us characteristics that should be found in the Zion of the latter days. Among them was that there should not be priestcraft; and he defines priestcraft as preaching for gain and for influence among the people. This the Lord forbids. He says that the people should work for Zion. That should be the object of their coming together, the one aim and purpose of their lives to work for Zion, and not to make anything else the object of their lives. If they make money their object, He says they shall Perish. How often have we seen this fulfilled! Those who have forgotten why the Lord called them from their homes and gathered them here, and who have made money their sole object, have perished spiritually; they have lost the faith which was once so strong in their breasts that they were able to leave everything that was dear unto them and gather here. We want to take this lesson to heart. We want to be laborers in Zion, and work for the cause of Zion, and not for other objects that is, not to make them the only objects of our lives. It is not forbidden us to work for money. We have to do this, to make our living; but the Prophet meant that we must not make it the sole aim of our lives, to enrich ourselves and gain wealth. The love of money is the root of all evil, has been said, and said truly. Not the money itself; for rightly used, I believe it is a blessing. But I am afraid that many are not willing to use this blessing aright. We certainly should not make it the one thing that we seek. We want to place our labors where they can do the most good for the upbuilding of Zion upon the earth. If we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, these other things, He has promised, shall be added. We have found the kingdom of God; but we want also His righteousness. That means that we do right in all things between man and man, and that we do not forget to do right towards our Heavenly Father, and also towards ourselves.

    (Elder Anthon H. Lund, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  4. The Lord has asked us to do certain things. We will find that they are for our own good. These commandments have been given by a kind Father to His children. He has seen our conditions and our circumstances, and what He has ordained has been calculated for our greatest benefit. When such is the case, we should all feel that we want to keep His commandments. We want to benefit ourselves. In fact, this feeling is so strong with us that often we forget what is righteousness, on account of our selfishness. But if we will work truly for our own benefit, then we will keep the laws of God, we will seek His righteousness, we will try to build up His Zion upon the earth, and we will listen to the counsels which He gives us through His servants. If we do this, the greatest amount of happiness will be ours, and we will be able to do our share towards carrying out God's purposes on the earth.

    (Elder Anthon H. Lund, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  5. Some of these remarks are quite relevent today as the headlines stir the pot a bit with regard to historic policies of the church and implications on the character of earlier church leaders.

    From Elder Marriner W. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    I believe it is possible for people to lose the testimony and evidence they have had in regard to this work, and to get into the dark, and become dissatisfied, and complain and find fault with the brethren. I have always looked upon it as a very dangerous thing for a member of the Church to find fault with the servants of God, to criticise the actions of the Priesthood, because in my experience here with the people I have witnessed many, apparently good men and good women, turn away from the Church through indulging in this spirit of fault-finding and criticising the actions of the Priesthood.

    Now, we must remember that there is not a single officer in the Church who has selected himself. There is not one of the Presidency, nor one of the Apostles, that has sought the position he occupies today. These men have not desired the position, and have not asked for it. But the Lord, in the dispensations of His providence, has placed them in office in the Church. And when we complain, and find fault, and criticise, we must surely know that we are criticising the actions of the Lord, because He is the one that has brought these things to pass and placed these men in their positions, for the reason, I suppose, that they were the ones He wanted to carry on His work. The officers of this Church have been called to these positions, and we ought to remember this. We ought to sustain this work, sustain the organization of the Church, and sustain the Priesthood. Let all other things be a secondary consideration. The Savior said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." That is the first thing for us to do; then other things will be added unto us as we may need them. As I said before, I know this work is true; and if I deny the work of the Lord, it will be because I get into the dark and lose the spirit of it. We are liable to do this. Hence it is not safe for a Latter-day Saint to forget his prayers, and to forget the Lord. We should make it the practice of our lives to entreat the Lord in the morning, and in the evening, and at midday, and have within our hearts the spirit of prayer.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  6. I am aware that there are families in the Church that neglect their prayers. Heads of households neglect to call their families around them and entreat the Lord for His protecting care over them during the day or during the night. Is there anybody under the sound of my voice that neglects to do these things? If you do, you fall that much in living up to the requirements of the Gospel.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  7. There are in some parts of the Church people who profane the name of Deity. Now, they ought to know that this is wrong. Yet this spirit of profanity is too prevalent in some parts of the country. As officers and as members of the Church, we ought to rebuke such conduct in our brethren, and tell them kindly that it is not a proper thing to do. It is a bad example. It brings the displeasure of the Lord. It drives away the Holy Spirit, and we are not in a position to have the heavens opened to us, and to have our prayers reach into the ears of the Lord. If there are any Latter-day Saints here that indulge in profanity, I want to exhort you to cease from this time forth, and turn unto the Lord with full purpose of heart.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  8. When we are living in the light of the Gospel, our feelings will harmonize with the Presidency and with the Apostles and with the Elders that are trying to carry on this work. I say our spirits will harmonize with theirs, because I want to bear record and testimony to you that they are doing the very best they can for the people and for the advancement of the work of God, and the Lord is with them and He will bring them off victorious. Hence the importance, my brethren and sisters, of trying to cultivate the spirit of humility, of meekness, and of kindness, and attending to the labors that pertain to us in the Gospel. There is something for everybody to do. We have all we can possibly do if we live the religion of Jesus Christ. We cannot afford to neglect our duties in the Gospel. Life is too short for us to think of such a thing. We are liable to be called to an account any time.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  9. Every man and woman has the right to have a testimony of this work. We may have the evidence for ourselves. The hands of the Elders of the Church have been placed upon our heads, and it has been said unto us, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," and we have a right, if we have sincerely repented of our sins and turned unto the Lord with full purpose of heart, to a witness. My conviction is that no man need be without a testimony of this work, whether he be young or old. The Lord is no respecter of persons, and we may know for ourselves, for our private use and good. Not that we may have revelation or a testimony for somebody else, only for ourselves. The heavens have been opened, and they are open to the faithful people of God today. Our prayers may be heard and answered, if they are right and inspired by the Holy Ghost. This is the privilege of the Latter-day Saints. The world do not have these things, because the Lord has not revealed the Gospel to them, only as He has done it through His ministering servants. He has organized His Church in the earth, and the Gospel is being preached as a witness to the world.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  10. I feel, my brethren and sisters, the importance of our being humble and consistent in our lives, in shunning evil and the appearance of evil, and to teach our children in a proper manner. Do you not know that it is a very bad example for any family of Saints to neglect their prayers before their children? The children will grow up and they will not know what it means to have family prayers. The Lord has said He will be sought after, and He said to ancient Israel that if they would draw near unto Him, He would draw near unto them. We need to draw near to the Lord, that He may draw near unto us. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are not able to stand alone.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  11. We ought to sustain our Bishops, and not speak evil against them, or against the Counselors, or the Teachers, or the officers of the ward. Let not our tongues be found speaking evil against our brethren. It tends to darkness and to sin, and will lead whoever indulges in it out of the Church, unless he or she repents speedily. It is a dangerous thing to be found criticising the authorities of the Church, not that they are perfect men, because no man is perfect. It is possible that I may do wrong that I may give some wrong counsel; but that can easily be corrected, because here are the living oracles of God, and they are worth more to the Latter-day Saints than all the Bibles, all the Books of Mormon and all the Books of Doctrine and Covenants that are written. The Bible is a good thing, the Book of Mormon is a good thing, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is a good thing. They are the words of the Lord. But I say that the living oracles of the Church are worth more than all of them. If we could have but one of them, give me the living oracles of the Priesthood for my guidance. Of course, it is proper and a good thing to have it all, because the living oracles of the Church work in harmony with what is written, and their counsel will not come in conflict with the words of the Lord in former ages. But the conditions of mankind change. The counsel that was suitable for the Saints forty years ago may not be so suitable today. Hence the importance of having in our midst the living oracles of God.

    (Elder Marriner W. Merrill, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  12. From Elder John W. Taylor of the Council of the Twelve Apostles (part 1 of 2):

    I desire to draw the attention of this congregation to a statement of Elder Merrill wherein he said that the living oracles are of greater importance than the written word. I desire to dwell somewhat upon this point, in order to bear testimony to this position; for it is a sweeping assertion. As Elder Merrill made this remark, my mind reverted back over the history of the world and the dealings of God the Eternal Father with the children of men ever since the days of our father Adam. We find in the beginning that the children of men multiplied from our forefather Adam and became very numerous upon the earth, and they had in their midst the written word of God. But they departed from it. What was needful under these circumstances? Why, it became necessary for the Lord to raise up a prophet, and he inspired His servant Noah to call the people unto repentance. I mention this fact to show you that while they had the written word of God in their midst, yet they had all departed from it. They needed the living word. As the prophet says, "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Another ancient prophet says, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." Under the circumstances that I have alluded to, it was necessary for the Lord to raise up a mighty prophet, and Noah therefore began to preach the Gospel of repentance unto that people. He preached for about 120 years with what success you all know who have read the scriptures. Eight souls, including himself, were saved in the ark.

    Then when these eight souls began to multiply and replenish the earth and they became a great and numerous people, while all the dealings of God with His people were carefully recorded and the word of God, as far as it was written, was handed down to them, was that sufficient to save and to guide them? No. It was necessary for the Lord to raise up another prophet; and various prophets in turn were raised up. But the people went so far away from the truth that they became idolatrous and offered human sacrifice. While the Lord had given them commandments concerning the principle of atonement by the blood of animals, etc., they began to enlarge upon God's law and instituted the practice of offering human sacrifices. The Lord was very much displeased with this. Nevertheless they had the written word before them, but they gave no heed to it. It became necessary to raise up a mighty prophet. Therefore, the Lord came down in the midst of these idolaters and appeared unto Abraham, who was the son of Terah by his second wife. The Lord had respect to Abraham, for he was a good man, and He said unto Abraham:

    "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
    "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
    "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

    The Lord commanded Abraham to leave his father's house, because his father, Terah, was preparing to offer him as a sacrifice unto his god.

    (Elder John W. Taylor, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  13. Continuing...

    Here is another instance where you will see the necessity of the Lord revealing himself and raising up a prophet, because all the children of men had gone into idolatry and had gone astray from the plan of life and salvation which the Lord had previously revealed unto them. Nevertheless they had the written word in their midst. Did the written word save them? No. Would the written word have accomplished the object of turning that great people from idolatry? No, What was necessary? It was necessary to do just what was done for our Father in heaven to come and make a personal visit to Abraham. Afterwards the Lord said, in speaking of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." Therefore, He pronounced upon him the great blessing that his posterity should become as innumerable as the stars in heaven and as countless as the sands upon the seashore. ...

    I desire to pass along a little further. The children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob began to increase and multiply upon the face of the earth, and became a great people. Nevertheless they fell short of keeping the commandments that the Lord had given unto them. But they had the written word in their midst. Did that save them? No, it did not. They went into bondage unto the Egyptians. What was the matter? Was it that there was nothing written in regard to the dealings of God with His people prior to their day that they were in this dreadful condition? No. It was because they had transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and had turned away from the laws of life and salvation. Under these circumstances, what was necessary? It was necessary to raise up a man who could communicate with God the Eternal Father. Again the written word failed to save the people. The Lord appeared unto Moses in the burning bush, and commanded him to go forth and call to his assistance his brother Aaron, and say unto Pharaoh, in the name of the Lord, to let His people go forth into the wilderness. Would the written word ever have prevailed upon King Pharaoh to release the people of Israel? No. It was necessary for the Lord to show forth His mighty power in bringing upon that people the plagues of the earth, according to the voice of His servant Moses, whom He had inspired. It was necessary also for the Lord to smite down the first-born of all the Egyptians. Would the written word have accomplished that? Moses went forth, after having conversed with God, filled with a portion of His Spirit and power. He did not go forth with the written word of something that had transpired in the days of Noah, saying, Behold, Noah was called of God to preach righteousness, and the people did not repent; therefore they were destroyed with a flood. No; King Pharaoh undoubtedly was acquainted with the history of the world, but that had no more effect upon him than the blowing of the wind. But when the Prophet Moses came into his presence, and the plagues were poured out, one by one, upon the people, according to the will of God as predicted by His servant Moses, he began to soften in his heart. Finally, when the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed, the Israelites had time enough to get out into the wilderness; but they had no sooner got out than they were immediately followed by the hosts of Pharaoh.

    I mention this to show you the necessity of another prophet being raised up. I tell you there might have lived in ages past hundreds and thousands of prophets, but that is not sufficient for the day and age in which we live. ...

    I tell you the changing scenes of life are such that we need men, living men, that are inspired of God.

    (Elder John W. Taylor, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  14. From Elder George Teasdale of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    Now, my beloved brethren and sisters, let me say unto you, as the Apostle said of old, have faith in God; for without faith it is impossible to please Him. This is what the Lord requires of us. He will be enquired after. As far as salvation is concerned, it is between the individual and God, between the child and the Father. He is our Father in heaven. We entreat you to put yourselves in harmony with Him; humble yourselves before Him and cry unto Him as a repentant sinner, and ask Him for light and truth. He will not deceive you, and truth. He will give it you. He will not deceive you, but guide you in the strait and narrow path which leads to everlasting life.

    (Elder George Teasdale, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  15. From Elder John Henry Smith of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    No people in the world have been dealt more generously with in the line of enjoyment proper enjoyment than the Latter-day Saints. Other religious peoples take little of those lighter enjoyments, and seem to regard them as sinful. But to us the Lord has been generous, in that we have been permitted to enjoy ourselves in witnessing representations upon the "mimic stage," to also have some pleasure in parties, and to enjoy ourselves in dancing. A great many religious people regard these representations upon the stage, also dancing, as improper and wrong; but I myself am most happy in the thought that our Heavenly Father, in the introducing of His work and in seeking to establish among His children a correct understanding of the obligations and requirements of life, has permitted us the opportunity of lightening our minds, changing our currents of thought, and devoting ourselves to reasonable and proper amusements, that the mind might be freed from its constant load or strain occasioned by its so continuously pursuing the directions of those weightier conditions and obligations, and the continuance of thought upon them, by which the mind becomes overcharged and, as a result, produces sickness and feebleness, without there is some way in which it can be relieved. To my mind, the spirit and feeling and sentiment engendered in legitimate and proper amusements produces a most pleasing and satisfactory effect and result upon the mind that is thus permitted to throw off its weightier thoughts and enter upon legitimate and proper amusements, freeing it and enabling it to carry its weightier burdens more easily and more fully and more thoroughly.

    (Elder John Henry Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  16. More of Elder Smith's remarks, split into two posts:

    But I notice that while this spirit of amusement is legitimate and proper in the sphere of our every-day life, the tendency seems to be growing among many to disregard the Sabbath day and to change it from the day of worship, the day of rest, the day upon which we may be enabled to commune with our own thoughts and to reach out after the inspiration of the Spirit of God that tendency, I say, is a growing one, to change that day into a day of pleasure; and to my mind, as I look around and note that tendency, I am sanguine that it is not for the best, but, upon the contrary, that, unless proper means shall be adopted to change this tendency, the sacred character of that day and the obligation that rests upon us as the children of our Heavenly Father to worship Him, is going to result badly; and it looks to me that an earnest effort should be made by the Elders of the Church to more deeply impress upon the minds of those of middle age and upon the younger and growing generations, the sacredness of that day. There is no reason that can be assigned among the Latter-day Saints why it should be turned into a day of pleasure-seeking, a day of recreation.

    The opportunities given in which we can enjoy ourselves with propriety in our social gatherings during the week should be appreciated by us; and while we may be required to labor, our time being largely utilized in the various employments upon which we enter in order to obtain our livelihood, these opportunities for recreation present themselves continuously before us. I feel in connection with this matter that we need and we need it very badly too, taken as a whole to have the entire time that comes as the Sabbath day to devote our minds and our hearts to communion with that Spirit that comes from on high. Laboring and struggling daily and hourly to meet the physical needs of man, or to gratify some desire in the line of amusement, our minds are taken away from that regard and respect to the Sabbath day, and that regard and reverence and respect to the requirements of our Heavenly Father in connection with the softening of our minds and putting our spirits in touch with Him, that the tendency to simply go to Sabbath school or to attend one service upon the Sabbath day, either in the Tabernacle or in the ward meeting houses, or other buildings, and then to hitch up our teams and drive about the city, or into the canyons, or to be found following up the streams and fishing, and indulging in these species of recreation, to my mind is not in keeping with the spirit and nature of the work the Lord has set us to do. I believe that so far as may be practicable, our animals should have the same opportunities for rest upon the Sabbath day that we have. It is true that there may be circumstances arising, in order to discharge the legitimate and proper duties that rest upon us, that we may be compelled to drive our teams, or that we may be compelled, through sickness or otherwise, to be found not performing in its strictness the duties attendant upon us as members of the body of Christ; but with the generous opportunities that have been given to us for amusement, the chance that is ours to change our current of thought, and the requirement laid upon our Father's children, not alone in the ages that have gone by, but in these days that they should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, we can avoid these evils.

    (Elder John Henry Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  17. Continuing...

    Again in this dispensation, the Lord has renewed His covenant with His children, and pointed out to them the course they should pursue in regard to His work. Yet day by day or Sabbath by Sabbath, in mingling among the people, in noting the conditions that arise, as the tendency to the violation of the Sabbath and to disregard the sacredness of that holy day increases, I see that infidelity will increase, because to indulge upon that day in the same species of labor or careless amusement common upon other days, and to neglect and disregard the obligations we owe to that day rendered sacred by our Father in Heaven, upon which we should approach Him, will increase the spirit of disregard for our Heavenly Father in the breasts of those who indulge in it. I do not wish, in any sense, to become cranky, as we sometimes say of our brethren who strike upon a hobby and seem to work at it continuously, but, to my mind, there has grown to be a reckless disregard of that sacred requirement of holding holy and sacred the Sabbath day, in the minds of a great body of people who profess to be Latter-day Saints. It is not confined to the boys and girls who drift away from the restraints that should exist in the home, but it is manifest among those of more mature years. It is seen in many places and under many conditions, and it is repeated Sabbath after Sabbath, from month's end to month's end, and from year's end to year's end, and I trust that the faith and respect and reverence that should be shown in connection with the sacred observance of that day, devoted by our Heavenly Father to the enlightenment and uplifting of His children in the knowledge of Himself, shall not be held so lightly as it seems to be growing to be in the minds of many people who profess to believe upon His name, but that, wherever it may be possible, they will obey His wish, and hold sacred His day, that with themselves and their households, they will attend the services of the Church, and, if unable so to do, within the sacred folds of their own home circle will study the scriptures and seek to impress upon their minds a knowledge of His purposes, as shown in the sacred things which have come to us.

    (Elder John Henry Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  18. Looks like it will take a couple more installments...

    I feel that in connection with this matter, a change should take place with us; and while we may not be enabled to avoid some seeming violations of that sacred day, I believe that the spirit of every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints should be directed to a more careful and thoughtful and prudent observance of the obligations which attach to us in connection with that day; that those teams and our vehicles, that those that are dependent upon us, shall be made to feel and sense the sacredness of that day and their duty to their Maker; that their minds may be eased of the strain of their week-day labor, and have communion with the Holy Spirit, that spirit that brings joy and gladness, that awakens hope, that puts us in sacred touch with our Heavenly Father, and renders us obedient to His holy wish, that that spirit may be with them and direct and guide them into its strict observance. I believe that carriage riding and buggy riding in this city and in these larger cities among the Saints, has grown to be a crime, and that our Heavenly Father is not pleased with it. That is my spirit and feeling in regard to that matter. President Cannon asks, "What about bicycles?" Well, I say this, my brethren and sisters, in regard to this question of riding of horses and bicycles, the driving of teams, and such like upon the Sabbath day: I recognize that many are so situated, being miles away from places of worship, that they must of necessity drive their teams in order to take their families to their legitimate and proper places of worship, I have nothing to say with reference to this matter, but when our teams are hitched up every Sabbath afternoon and driven for hours and hours for pleasure, I think we trench upon ground upon which we should not enter. I think, brethren and sisters remembering the goodness of our father to us, that while the rest of the religious world feel that it is a crime upon their part to have social enjoyments, our Father has permitted us to have these, going upon the basis that reasonable pleasure is legitimate and right, and drawing our minds from the weighty loads that come to men and women in their struggle of life; but O, let us hold sacred that day that our Father has named as the day upon which we, as His children, taught in the principles of righteousness, should show our love for Him, and our love for the principles involved in good government, in the balancing and shaping of the mind in its currents of thought along religious channels, and not be in a condition that our minds shall be given wholly to the enjoyment or pursuit of pleasure alone, or to the weighty obligations of life, to the course that they pursue.


    (Elder John Henry Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  19. Concluding...

    My brethren and sisters, I ask that you who are under the sound of my voice this day will bear in remembrance that God has decreed that the Sabbath day should be held sacred and holy in His sight, and He expects us, His sons and His daughters, to so regard it in our ministrations and labors, to only discharge such duties as rest upon us, that are impossible for us to avoid but which come legitimately and cannot be avoided. My witness to you is that they who remember the Sabbath day, who shall take the rest proposed in the change of thought, who shall do it in attendance upon the sacred service, where the worship of God is present, will live longer lives, will be made more acceptable in every respect to our Heavenly Father; and in their children and their children's children will the impress of that spirit to hold sacred the day of rest and worship be manifest in their lives, which will bring joy and satisfaction to the fathers and mothers because of the course that they pursue.

    I pray that the Spirit of the Lord may indeed be in our midst, that the determination shall be a fixed and established one that in the homes of the Latter-day Saints wherever they may be situated, shall be found a people who revere and respect the sacred day which God has designated as a day of rest, that that day shall not become a day of pleasure but, upon the contrary, a day of worship, of reverence, and love for the Supreme Being, and that each one will seek to do his Father's bidding in this respect, and keep His commandments.

    (Elder John Henry Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, First Day—Morning Session)

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  20. From Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    It is not possible that a man can fail if he does the will of God.

    (Elder Francis M. Lyman, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  21. When the design, the rule and the order of the Church are announced by the Prophet of God, know all Israel that God hath said it; and we know He hath spoken. We know when we hear his voice. We know His spirit, and we know the voice of the true shepherd.

    (Elder Francis M. Lyman, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  22. From Elder Brigham Young (son of the Brigham Young), of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    We claim to be Christians. What is a Christian? It is one who does the will of the Father, that lives in obedience to the commandments of Christ. If I do not these things, I am not a Christian.

    (Elder Brigham Young, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  23. No man nor woman need stumble when the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are taught and they are lived up to. That man or that woman who so lives is a Christian in the true sense of the word.

    (Elder Brigham Young, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  24. It is said by one of the poets, "What's in a name?" I may bear the name of a Latter-day Saint, but I will tell you that I have not the flavor nor the odor of a Saint when I do not the will of the Father. It is said that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But when I do not live the religion of Jesus Christ, I have not the confidence to present to the people, nor the Spirit of God in me to be witnessed by the congregations of the Latter-day Saints, and I cannot deceive them, it is impossible. No man can deceive this people. He cannot do it, because they are so strongly entrenched, every man and woman that is living his or her religion.

    (Elder Brigham Young, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  25. I ought to receive whatever God sends me. It is a very hard job sometimes. If it doesn't agree with me, it is because I am crossgrained. But we should learn this lesson, that God will hold us responsible, because the means, as has been said, are in our power by which we can walk a straight line without deviation. Although we have weaknesses, yet we can walk the straight line back into the presence of our Father. He has given us this power, and He holds us responsible for its use, just as the ten talents were given, and those who had them were held responsible for their use. God holds you and me responsible for the talents he gives us, or has given us, and if these talents are allowed to lie in the ground unproductive, we may pray to Him but it will be in vain, comparatively, for there will be nothing for us by way of reward. But when they are improved, we develop until we become like God, for the attributes which He has implanted within us are godlike in every particular. If we do these things, Latter-day Saints, God will approve of us.

    (Elder Brigham Young, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  26. Brethren and sisters, God has commanded us to listen to the voice of inspiration from our brethren that we have heard this day, especially to the voice of our leader. Listen to him. His words are to me like "apples of gold in pictures of silver." Every word that falls from his mouth, the simplest word that he utters, is to me a revelation, although his words may not be quick and powerful; but every word that he utters in conversation is revelation to me, for I look upon him as the vicegerent of God upon the earth.

    (Elder Brigham Young, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  27. Following is the entire First Day Afternoon Session talk from President Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church, perhaps one of the most important talks ever given in this dispensation:

    There are a few moments I would like to spend in talking upon one particular point that has been spoken about today. Brother Brigham has referred to it, and our brethren this forenoon alluded to it. It is in regard to the written word of God and the living oracles. Perhaps you may think that Brother Woodruff is hardly a suitable man to speak upon this subject, seeing he is President of the Church, but I think you will find I am when I get through. I will refer to a certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland in my early days. At that meeting some remarks were made that have been made here today, with regard to the living oracles and with regard to the written word of God. The same principle was presented, although not as extensively as it has been here, when a leading man in the Church got up and talked upon the subject, and said: "You have got the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to them." When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and said, "Brother Brigham I want you to take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the written oracles and the written word of God." Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: "There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day." "And now," said he, "when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books." That was the course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation: "Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth."

    And now, I wanted to speak a word upon this subject. Whenever the Lord requires any Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Apostle or leading man of the Church to speak, the Spirit of the Lord is with him to give counsel to the people from time to time as he is moved upon, and such as the people ought to hear. But I want you to understand this one thing: the Holy Priesthood and power of God do not stop there; it does not stop with the Presidency, it does not stop with the Twelve Apostles, it does not stop with our leading men of Israel; there is not a man on God's footstool that is sent forth into the world to preach the Gospel but ought to have the Spirit of the Lord upon him and the revelation of God to him. And by that power these valleys of the mountains have been filled with the inhabitants of the world today; by that power this Tabernacle has been built; by that power have the Elders, from the organization of this Church until today, performed their work. There is no end to the Holy Ghost and the power of God and the revelations of God to man. This is our position today before the world. Every man should have the Holy Priesthood with him, of some kind or other, when he goes to preach the Gospel; he should occupy some position of that kind. The Holy Ghost should be with that man. The Holy Ghost is with that man, revelation is with that man, if he lives his religion and does his duty before God.

    (President Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  28. Concluding:


    I have before me the Twelve Apostles who were boys who were young men when they were thrust into the vineyard in their boyhood, as it were, when they went forth to the islands of the sea and the nations of the earth, and they have done that work in their young days by the inspiration and the power of God, and He will be with them until the end. We should all understand this. The Bible is all right, the Book of Mormon is all right, the Doctrine and Covenants is all right, and they proclaim the work of God and the word of God in the earth in this day and generation until the coming of the Son of Man; but the Holy Priesthood is not confined particularly to those books, that is, it did not cease when those books were made. It belongs to every man that goes forth into the world, and these are our principles, and these are our rights, and these are our duties, and these are our gifts. The Holy Ghost is not confined to any one man, but every one should have it. As the Lord said to Orson Hyde and the brethren with him, that were going to preach the Gospel: "Go forth and speak as you are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and when you speak as you are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, that is the word of the Lord, that is the mind of the Lord, that is His Spirit, that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes."

    Well, I felt I wanted to name this in this connection. This subject has been brought up so strongly here today, I felt I wanted to bear my testimony of these things. God bless you. Amen.

    (President Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  29. From Elder Franklin D. Richards of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    Yesterday I felt peculiar pleasure and joy of spirit in listening to the testimonies of the brethren, because of the simplicity and force of many of the truths that were uttered. One of them came forcibly to my mind, as well as to the rest of the hearers, concerning the value and importance of the living oracles to the Church of God on the earth as being the principle of precedence in the midst of God's people over written instructions that are given by men. Inasmuch as the Elders speak by the Holy Spirit, the word of the Lord is that their instructions should be scripture "shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord and the power of God unto salvation." When the declaration was made concerning the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants how deficient they would be in administering salvation, if they alone were enjoyed by the people. Now we know just how it has worked with all Christendom, to have the Bible without having authority to administer the ordinances mentioned in it. Now we may possess either of these books, or all of them, and they can not baptize a single man, or woman, into the Church. There is not power enough in all the books to do it, nor is there power in all the books to give any man authority to do it. Consequently, then, it requires the authority from the Lord to be present to administer in all His ordinances. The highest authority that we have known, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, stated, that it was not possible without the birth of the water and of the spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven. Said He to the learned Nicodemus, "Except a man be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." That was a declaration of principle that was inexorable. He who created this earth and causes it to travel round the sun every three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours, established those great eternal principles that rule the heavens, also the law that except a man be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; and one is just as much a law of nature as the other. The latter is the law of nature and of grace to man. Who could administer these ordinances except they received the authority from God to do it? These books can neither baptize, nor confirm us. They cannot confirm upon us the Holy Ghost nor a membership in the Church of Christ, neither can they administer to us any other of the ordinances which we are receiving, and in which we rejoice so much, in the house of our God. It requires nothing less than a present living minister in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to administer in all the ordinances, in counsel, and in directing all the affairs of the Church of Christ. We have learned this, and understand it, or else we do not know where our safety lies.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session .)

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  30. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a system of things which, in order to be known and understood, must be lived. A man cannot preach with effect and power to another the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or baptism for the remission of his sins, unless he has himself been baptized for the remission of his sins and has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. No man can administer in the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ with effect and with power, unless he has first been made partaker of them himself; and that is how we cannot, any of us, preach the power of the resurrection, because none of us have been raised from the dead. When, by and by, the time of the resurrection comes, men will teach it to us who have been raised from the dead, and who understand and have the power of it and the keys of it. That is why you cannot be baptized for your dead in the house of the Lord, until you have been first baptized and received ordinances yourself. The Gospel has to be lived in order to be realized and its power received. The man who goes forward with real repentance of heart for all his sins and covenants with God that he will serve Him the rest of his days, according to the best of his ability, with the grace of God bestowed upon him, and goes forward and receives this ordinance, rejoices in this Gospel; because this is the first step in it, and when a man does this with full purpose of heart and enters upon keeping the commandments of God he receives the Holy Spirit. The promise made to him is true, and is fulfilled, and everybody under the sound of my voice that has ever pursued that course knows that it is true. They know that in entering into the service and keeping the commandments of God they receive the Holy Spirit, when administered to by those who are authorized of God; and it gives to one the gift of tongues, to talk in a language that he does not know himself. That same spirit gives to another the gift of interpretation of what the first has been talking about, to the edification of all who have listened. It gives to another the gift of healing, that if he is sick, afflicted and distressed, and is living his religion, he can call upon the Elders, receive their blessing and be healed. If he is a minister, of the Lord himself, and labors to receive it, he will have the gift to administer the anointing to others, and they will be healed; or he may receive the gift of prophecy, of faith, of wisdom, of visions, of dreams, or to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit giving inspiration to his soul. It requires a man to live in the continual state of humility and obedience towards God, of repentance for every imperfection, folly and vanity, and an effort to depart therefrom, and to sanctify himself by the working of the Spirit and the belief of the truth unto everlasting life. This Gospel brings with it the gifts, the blessings and the grace of God, so that the faithful Saint, as he goes along in the straight and narrow path, knows of the goodness of God, that he is in fellowship with the Lord; that he is not alone and without God in the world, but that the angels are about him, and the care of the Lord is over him.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session)

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  31. Well, now, we have a Gospel that is full of joy and consolation. It opens up principles of intelligence, and revelation, of the knowledge of things past and present and to come. There are a great many other religions in the world, and some very powerful ones. For instance, there is the Mohammedan religion, and those people have a faith of their own, and they are very numerous, about 175,000,000, they estimate, I believe. They have their prophet, they have their faith, they have their ideas of futurity, and they are a sort of cousin in the relation to father Abraham's family. His son, Ishmael, and Isaac's son, Esau, in their seed, constitute a great portion of that class of people. They have had apostles raised up among them, from the seed of Abraham as they say, and they entertain a certain amount of faith. In fact, the promise of the Lord, wherein he said he knew Abraham, that he would command his children after him, is manifest in that people, in that they believe in one God, and they claim one prophet, Mohammed. Then, again, we look to the eastern world, in China, for instance, where are said to be about four hundred millions of human beings, and they believe in doctrines given them by Confucius and by Buddha, and others. But those four hundred millions are given up to the worship of idols. They are idolaters, with the rest; and so we may go on over the world, and find scores of the so great branches of religion that have had their heads and chiefs, their faiths and beliefs. What I want to call your special attention to in this connection is this: Has any one of them ever had a man of their number pass through death, rise again from the grave and declare to them the principles of having obtained through him or by him, a resurrection been lifted up to immortality through their faith? We do not find it in history anywhere in the earth that they have ever had such a testimony or evidence of a resurrection and immortality beyond the grave. All that they have given to them is the exercise of a certain faith that lasts them through this life. But the Gospel of the Latter-day Saints, which is the Gospel of the former day Saints, as well, is different from any believed in by any other people as to all these things, and people who believe in the real Gospel of Jesus Christ the Gospel that He instituted, have something more and better and beyond what any other portion of the human family have to look to.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session)

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  32. The great Captain of our salvation went into the grave with marks in His hands and in His feet and in His side, and He came forth out of that grave in three days, and He did not go away without being seen. He made Himself known, communicated with them, associated with them, in fact, and gave them a certain knowledge of the truth of the sayings he uttered Himself to Moses a good many years before, on the mountain. He said to Moses: "this is My work and My glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." This is His great work. The human family had, through transgression, come under the law of sin and death, and He had come to restore that which was lost, and to bring to pass the resurrection, to open the prison doors to the spirits in prison, them that were bound, and declared the acceptable day of the Lord, and bestowed gifts to men. This is the kind of a Captain of our salvation that we have, one who has revealed this knowledge. Said He, "As the Father hath power in Himself to lay down His life and take it again, so hath He given unto the Son power to lay down His life and to take it again," and He did so. Now where is there another among those strange religions that do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Redeemer that entertain any such knowledge and understanding of eternal life and of the resurrection of the dead? That He has obtained these, we have abundant testimony. Stephen said he saw Him sitting at the right hand of God, while he, Stephen, was being persecuted and stoned to death; and Paul said he had seen and heard things not lawful for a man to utter. And the Savior, after He had done those wonderful works in His own land, came over here to America, and there was here no chance for deception, because He showed them the wounds in His hands and in His feet. He was the same person that went down into the grave and came out triumphant over the grave. Now, if any of these other religions have had any man that has gone through the grave and risen again, they certainly have been very lacking in kindness not to come and show their fellow worshippers of that knowledge and that power and that great attainment. But the Lord Jesus has shown unto the Saints composing His Church in the different parts of the world, the gifts and blessings of immortality and eternal life which He came and brought to light. The Apostles understood the same thing. Paul, in writing to Timothy, says that "life and immortality is brought to light through the Gospel." So then, we have the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as something that endures beyond the grave, while the knowledge that the rest of the human family possesses only leads them to the grave, and beyond that is to them darkness and ignorance, and they know nothing about the future, comparatively speaking.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session)

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  33. This Sabbath day may become a very grave question if we are to build up the New Jerusalem. It was one of the first things that the Lord complained of through the prophets anciently, that they had polluted His Sabbath, and they had profaned it, and they had not observed it: and when they got so they could do these things with impunity, they left off paying their tithing, and the Lord told them they had robbed God, the whole nation of them they had robbed Him because they had withheld the tithing which they owed Him. And when they could do a few of these things, they went on in their transgressions into fornications, adulteries and murder, from one step to another, to the most heinous crimes, until, finally, they could crucify the Lord Jesus Christ. We must look out that we do not roll any manner of sin as a sweet morsel under our tongue, but strive with penitence day by day to put away from us everything that is contrary to godliness that would hinder the working of the Spirit within us, that we may be able to get grace for grace, and go from faith to faith, until we can become pure in heart, for we are assured in the word of the Lord that nothing that is unholy or impure can enter into His presence. What a saying! No wonder the brethren said to Him. "Lord, are there any that shall be saved?" when we look at the touchstone, look at the criterion, look at the rule by which these things have to be brought about. And we should labor continually, striving to subdue ourselves and to put away the vices, the sins and the besetments that do so daily and so easily beset us, until we bring this living body of clay into the subjection of the Spirit, that our souls may live.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session)

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  34. The Sabbath is the day that the Lord has appointed for a time of rest. He says that He finished His work, and that He rested on the Sabbath day, the seventh day. When the Lord came, in His day, He instituted the first day of the week, and ever since then it has been "His day," and He says, that we may keep ourselves unspotted from the world, we are required to meet together on His day and offer our sacraments, and make our acknowledgements, and our confessions, paying our devotions to the Most High. It is a common thing for the people to violate that sacred law concerning the Sabbath day. Many of the people, if they go on a journey, take pains in their calculation to make the Sabbath count one day in the trip; and many things are put off for Sunday especially. I would like to have it taken up with the people, and have the women make calculations on Saturday, and have the food cooked on that day, for the Sunday, and then go to meeting, instead of roasting over the stove cooking, and see to having a little more leisure and good instruction, and feed the soul, instead of being so much at work and having so much to do on that day. The Lord said to Israel: "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, for on the seventh day, the Lord thy God rested from His labors; and thou shalt not do any work, neither thy son nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates." Now it was a strict rule and law and commandment to Israel anciently, and you will find if you will look into the Book of Mormon that it was so there, and is going to become just as binding upon God's people in all time as it ever was with them, and we ought to be looking to it and practicing on it, so that we can do right, so as to be able to do the right thing when we get to it.

    (Elder Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day Morning Session)

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  35. From President Lorenzo Snow, President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    The wife should never in the presence of her children speak disrespectfully of her husband. If she thinks her husband has done wrong (he might have done), she should never speak of it in the presence of her children. She should take him out of the presence of her children and there tell him of his faults, in a pleasant way, but never in the presence of the children speak disrespectfully of the father. And the father the same. He has no right to speak disrespectfully of his wife in the presence of her children.

    (President Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Morning Session)

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  36. From President Joseph F. Smith, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency:

    I know that God has blessed the widow and the fatherless when they have been obedient to His laws and have kept His commandments.

    I can tell you the history of a widow woman, with a large family, who was more particular, if possible, to pay to the Lord what belonged to Him than she was to pay to her neighbors to whom she might be indebted, and she never was indebted to her neighbors, thank God, for anything that she did not pay to the last cent, because the Lord blessed her with plenty, and in her latter years she did not have to borrow of her neighbors, nor did she have to call upon the Church for support either, but she paid thousands of dollars in products and money into the storehouse of the Lord, although she was a widow with a large family to support. I know this. I can testify of this, and that the Lord Almighty blessed her, not only in the products of her fields, but in her flocks and herds. They were not devoured. They were not destroyed. They did not lie down and die. They increased. They did not stray away; and thieves did not steal them. One reason for that was she had a little boy that watched them very carefully under her direction, and prompting. Her eye was upon everything, she had supervision over everything, she directed those whom she employed, and her children; and I am a witness and here sits another witness [Patriarch John Smith] that God, the Eternal Father, blessed her and prospered her while she lived, and she was not only enabled to maintain herself and children that were left to her in poverty, in a day of trial, and when she was driven out into the wilderness, but she was able to feed scores of the poor, and to pay her tithes besides. Verily the Lord prospered her, and she was blessed.

    (Continued in the next post)

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  37. I remember one time when that same widow went to the tithing storehouse in this city with a load of potatoes in the spring they had been kept over winter. And one of the tithing office clerks said to her, "Widow -., I don't see any use of your having to pay tithing; you ought not to pay tithing. You ought to keep what you have." She said to him, "William, you don't know what you are talking about. I pay my tithing that I may be blessed." "Would you deprive me," she said, "of a blessing?" "No," he said, "I would have you keep your tithing and bless yourself with it." Said he, "There are a number of able-bodied people here that are well qualified to work and produce their living, but they are living from the tithing, and I don't see that a widow should be required to pay her tithing to feed those that are not working for it." Now these are about the words of this man, who was employed at the tithing office. But "no," said the widow, "I propose to pay my dues to the Lord; I propose to pay my tithing, and any man that would prevent me from doing this would deprive me of a blessing." Where is that man and his family today? He apostatized. He didn't last long in the Church. He turned away, and went back to the east somewhere and took his family with him. He probably long since has gone to his rest. And not one of his family is in the Church. I bear testimony of these things because I know what I am talking about. I want to tell you a little more: While this widow was paying her tithing and being blessed, there was a little boy who really thought that tithing office clerk was about right. That widow's boys had to work very hard, and they knew how those potatoes were raised. They knew how the corn and other grain was raised, they knew what it was to take care of the sheep, and the horses and the cows that were tithed, and all about it. They knew how it was done, for they had it to do. And one of the little boys of that widow thought that clerk was more than two-thirds right about it. By and by the widow died, but she left very comfortable property for her children, dug out of the desert here: the children were young, and I confess to you that they were not as faithful in paying their tithes and their offerings as their mother was; they had lost their mother, and what was the result? In a few years, everything that she left them had gone to rack and ruin. That was the result. The cattle were turned out upon the range, and that was the last they ever saw of them. The neighbors' cattle broke into the fields and destroyed the crops, and they did not reap the harvests they had done before; and it was only a few years after the death of the widow when the children had not much to show for what was left them, and it was not until they became old enough to appreciate the truth, and to commence to obey the laws of God and keep His commandments, that the Lord began to bless them again, to build them up, to increase their substance, and to give them what was necessary for their good. And as they have obeyed the commandments of God, the Lord has blessed them. He will continue to do it while time endures, if they continue faithful; and throughout the countless ages of eternity they will reap the reward of fidelity to the cause of truth and to the laws of God; and so will all the people of Israel. I testify of this to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

    (President Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Morning Session)

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  38. From President George Q. Cannon, First Counselor in the First Presidency:

    I have noticed myself among the Latter-day Saints that where the people of God pay attention to the written word, and cherish and observe the written word, they are always better prepared to hear the oral instructions of the servants of God; they are better prepared to receive those instructions; they have greater interest in seeking to obtain instructions, than they have when they are careless about the written word of God. I have felt for some time that there is an indifference, not to call it by any stronger name, among the Latter-day Saints in regard to the word of God. I would like to ask this congregation, how many of you read the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and the discourses of the Elders as they are published? How many of you make a practice of reading the word of God as it is in these records, and as it appears in published discourses? I am afraid that if you were interrogated upon this point many would say, "I have not read the Bible for such a length of time; I have not read the Book of Mormon for such a length of time; I have not read the Book of Doctrine and Covenants for such a length of time; I do not read the discourses of the Elders that are published; I do not take the paper that contains them; I prefer other papers."

    I hope I am not doing the people of God injustice in making this statement; but I believe that comparatively few of the Latter-day Saints are in the habit of reading the words of God that He has given to us in the records that have come to us. I believe there are families, from what I hear and what I notice myself, that do not open the Book of Mormon, or the Bible, or the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, from one month's end to another. These books, if they are in possession of families, too frequently lie covered with dust, untouched, and not read. Do I do any injustice in making this statement? If I do, I am glad of it that is, I would be very glad if what I say is not correct, and that the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants and the discourses of the Elders are perused regularly, and sought for with avidity. If we talk about the living oracles and want to pay respect to them, how shall we do this? Shall we do it by never reading their words by paying no attention to that which they say? That is a very poor way of doing. We ought to listen to their words.

    (President George Q. Cannon, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Afternoon Session)

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  39. When we cannot hear their words, we should read them; for they are the words of the authorized servants of God. I feel that there is a great neglect among us in this respect. I notice it in my own family, I notice it in other families, and still in my own family I do the best I can in these matters. But you will find that, among certain classes, scientific works are more read, magazines are more read, novels are more read, publications that do not contribute to faith are more read, and the result is that we are in danger of a wave of infidelity and unbelief sweeping through our land, to the injury of the faith of the rising generation. It is a thing that fills me with more fear than almost any thing else concerning ourselves and our children. You cannot take a magazine up the best and most popular magazines without finding articles in it that are I was going to say designed but their purport and the drift of their arguments are opposed to the truths that are contained in the Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. Talk with young men who go to universities and colleges, and you will find that many are more or less imbued with these ideas. I need only refer to a few the age of the earth, prehistoric man, the creation of man, man's entrance upon the earth, the nature of man's descent. The truth concerning these principles, is being undermined and weakened so that at the present time, if it were not for the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, we ourselves would be at sea. But those who do not receive the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants as divine are in a deplorable condition; they do not know what is true. Many of the clergy are in the same position as the rest of the world; they have adopted the new ideas concerning these scientific discoveries. Hundreds of clergymen, who call themselves ministers of the Gospel, do not believe in Adam and Eve and their creation; do not believe in the Mosaic account of creation; do not believe that man is a son of God, descended from God; but they believe that the earth has been in existence and peopled by man ages before the period given in the Mosaic account. There is no doubt that the earth is much older than many of us think it is. But they mingle truth with error, and they build up fallacies, and they are propagating them; and the Latter-day Saints, who read this literature, and do not read the word of God, are in danger of losing their faith.

    We have in these three books to which I have referred the pure word of God at least in two of them uncorrupted, undefiled; and we can read them with a knowledge that they are true. We have the word of God in the Bible; but it has been translated by uninspired men. And no matter how men may pile up arguments and build theories they may build them as high as these mountains of ours, and they may appear to be true, yet we know they are not true where they come in contact with these records of ours, because we know that these records are true. God has revealed them, and the Book of Mormon has been translated by a man of God and has come to us in purity. Therefore, when we read about our father Adam and our mother Eve, read about the fall of man, the creation of the earth or the peopling of the earth, about the Son of God and His atonement to redeem us from the fall, we know that those principles are true and from God.

    It is important that we as a people should understand these things, and that we should build our faith impregnably upon the rock of revelation, constant revelation; not alone the revelation given two thousand years ago, but also the revelation given today, and which comes to us in its purity.

    (President George Q. Cannon, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Afternoon Session)

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  40. I have been impressed very much of late with the danger to which our young people are exposed. When the parents neglect to read the word of God, when they prefer novels, magazines, or any kind of light reading, and do not set the example by reading that which God has given to us, you may expect the children to do the same. They will not take up the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants to read, because when they read these illustrated papers, these catchy prints, these light novels, everything of a serious nature loses its interest. To people who are fed on highly seasoned food, a plain diet is not inviting; men who have been accustomed to stimulants crave stimulants. People who read the class of literature I refer to are in the same condition mentally; they desire the sensational, and reading which does not have some of this element in it possesses but little interest. The result is, our books and our discourses, that which God reveals go without being perused.

    I do not want to dwell on this it is not necessary. I leave it with you to reflect upon it. I look upon it as a most serious matter that should be called to the attention of this Conference. I wish I had language to make you all realize the danger we are in from mischievous literature, and the necessity for a reformation in our reading habits. Do not wonder at your sons and daughters going astray and losing the faith, when they do not read the word of God.

    (President George Q. Cannon, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Afternoon Session)

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  41. A little church business conducted by President Cannon:

    The General Authorities were presented to the Conference by President George Q. Cannon, as follows:

    Wilford Woodruff, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.

    George Q. Cannon as First Counselor in the First Presidency.

    Joseph F. Smith as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

    Lorenzo Snow as President of the Twelve Apostles.

    As members of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Brigham Young, Francis M. Lyman, John Henry Smith, George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor, Marriner W. Merrill and Anthon H. Lund.

    The Counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as Prophets, Seers and Revelators.

    Patriarch to the Church—John Smith.

    First Seven Presidents of the Seventies Seymour B. Young, C. D. Fjeldsted, B. H. Roberts, George Reynolds, Jonathan G. Kimball and Rulon S. Wells.

    William B. Preston as Presiding Bishop, with Robert T. Burton as his first and John R. Winder as his second counselor.

    Franklin D. Richards as Church historian and general Church recorder, with John Jaques and Charles W. Penrose as his assistants.

    As the General Church Board of Education Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Karl G. Maeser, Willard Young, Anthon H. Lund, James Sharp, Joseph F. Smith and John Nicholson.

    As Trustee-in-Trust for the body of religious worshippers known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Wilford Woodruff.

    John Nicholson as Clerk of the General Conference.

    All of the voting to sustain the authorities was unanimous.

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  42. In presenting the names to fill the vacancies in the quorum of the Apostles and the First Council of Seventies, President George Q. Cannon said:

    It is well known to the Latter-day Saints that there are two vacancies in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one through death, and another through the severance of a person from the quorum. We now propose to fill those vacancies, and present to the Conference the name of Matthias F. Cowley to be one of the Twelve Apostles.

    It may be well to state to this Conference that Brother Matthias F. Cowley is at present the second counselor to the President of the Oneida Stake of Zion. He is a man that has labored in the ministry very zealously, and is known, to all acquainted with him, as a man of worth. (His name was then put to the Conference, and he was sustained by unanimous vote.)

    It is now proposed that Abraham Owen Woodruff be ordained one of the Twelve Apostles.

    He has been a missionary to Germany, has acquired the language there, has labored very zealously in that mission, and since his return has been very zealous and indefatigable in his labors here among us. He is a youthful, but a promising man. (His name was then presented, and the vote to sustain him was also unanimous.)

    I may say, before sitting down, that the mind of the Lord was diligently sought for in relation to these appointments, and we can say to you that the mind of the Lord was obtained, and we know that the men who have been chosen are the men whom the Lord has designated to us to fill these positions.

    There is a vacancy in the Seven Presidents of the Seventies. It is now proposed that Joseph W. McMurrin be ordained to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Elder Edward Stevenson. (His name was presented, and he likewise was sustained by unanimous vote of the Conference.)

    I wish to add in relation to this appointment, the mind of the Lord was also sought, and this is as it came to us. Elder McMurrin is now on a mission in Great Britain, and is one of the Presidency of the European mission.

    We wish to say to the Saints who are assembled here that neither of these brethren has known of this till now; so you must not be surprised if they are embarrassed. When we decided upon it, it was understood that we should keep this to ourselves until they should be presented here. We did not want anyone to know about it or to talk about it, and they are as much surprised, I suppose, as any of you can be.

    (President George Q. Cannon, Conference Report, October 1897, Second Day—Afternoon Session)

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  43. The Testimony of Elder Matthias F. Cowley after his sustaining vote to the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    My brethren and sisters, I feel very weak on this occasion, and I do not know how to express myself. But I accept of the call with the same feeling that I have always accepted of the calls made of me by the authorities of this Church. I am in full sympathy with the organization of the Holy Priesthood, and every sentiment which has been expressed at this Conference finds a cheerful and a complete response in my heart. I am grateful to the Lord for the testimony which He has given unto me in my youth concerning the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the work which he was instrumental in the hands of God in establishing upon the earth. I know that it is true. I am grateful for this witness, and I trust that I shall be able, by the help of the Lord and by your faith and prayers, my brethren and sisters for I ask them, and I need them, to be able to show my appreciation of the truth and the work in which we are engaged, by my course in life. I recognize the fact that there is no amount of profession or pretension which satisfies the injunctions of the Gospel and that which goes to constitute the characteristics of a true Latter-day Saint. It requires that we shall square our lives by the precepts of the Gospel and the commandments which have been delivered unto us by the authority of God in this dispensation.

    I do not know that I need to occupy more of your time, my brethren and sisters. I feel weak and humble; indeed, I feel unworthy; for I know myself better than my friends know me, and I cannot express my feelings on this occasion. But I will endeavor to do my duty, by the help of the Lord. I will endeavor to keep the counsel of the servants of God, and to obey the requirements that are made of me from time to time, by the servants of God that are appointed to preside in the Church of Christ in this dispensation. I know that these men are Prophets of the living God. And I know this day that a prophecy has been fulfilled which was uttered by Apostle John W. Taylor many years ago.

    May God bless you, my brethren and sisters, and all Israel, and enable us to accept, not only in sentiment and theory, but in actual practice, all the counsel that is given unto us bearing upon the duties which the Gospel enjoins upon the Latter-day Saints; and if we do this I know that God will bless us and sustain us as his people, and no power will prevail against this work. May God bless you, and may I have your faith and prayers in my calling. I humbly ask it, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

    (Elder Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  44. The Testimony of Elder Abraham Owen Woodruff after his sustaining vote to the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    My brethren and sisters, I feel very weak in attempting to express myself on this occasion, and I pray that the blessings of God may rest upon me, that I may enjoy your sympathy, while I seek to do so. Though I have not placed myself in this position, I have no doubt as to the inspiration of those men who have called me; and in occupying it I realize that I am not called to a position above the people, but to be one of them and a servant of the people of God. I feel that this is my mission. As Brother Cowley says that this day a prophecy was fulfilled which was uttered some years ago by one of the Apostles present today, I can indeed say the same as being fulfilled in my case. My father intimated as much to me something over three years ago, while I was upon a mission to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, although I have never mentioned this matter to a living soul. He told me that that was the mind and will of God concerning me at that time. I have sought to overcome my weaknesses; and in standing before you I realize that I stand before my God, stripped of everything which will hide any of the deeds of my life, and realize that I appear in His eyes in a different light to what I appear in your eyes. I realize that I have had weaknesses, but God knows that I have sought with all my heart to overcome them and to fit and prepare myself for any call which He might make of me. It will be the pleasure of my life, and my greatest object and desire, to be your servant, and to assist in building up Zion. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that there is a living God. I have been placed in circumstances in my short life where I have had to prove this to be the case or to prove that belief in God was a deception. I also believe that Joseph Smith was a true, inspired servant of the living God, and that the principles which were revealed through him, of faith in God, of repentance, of baptism, of the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and the other principles connected with this Gospel, are of God and are necessary to salvation. I believe that the organization that existed in the primitive church exists in this Church today; that we have the living oracles of God, and that these men who have been called to these positions are inspired servants of God. My Father in Heaven is a witness that I have never sought or desired any prominence in this world, but have rather desired to lead a quiet life, thinking myself not worthy to be anything but the least in the kingdom of God. And I know not why I should have been called to this position, were it not that I am the least, or have cause to be the most humble among you all.

    May God help me, and give me strength to do what is right and to discharge my duties, and be true to the confidence which my brethren have placed in me, and which you place in me upon this occasion. This is my greatest desire, and that I may be true and faithful, and useful in doing good, proclaiming the word of God, sustaining the authorities of the Church, and in looking out for your general welfare. May God give me this power; and if so, I will covenant if He will give me strength, to overcome my weaknesses and to resist the evil of this world. I do covenant with you, as I have done with my God and do now with my God, that I will seek with all the power which He will give me and which He has given me, to be a faithful servant unto you, and to dedicate my life and all the energies which God has given me to the building up of His kingdom and to the proclaiming of His word. May God help me to this end, and help us all to fulfill our duties, is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

    (Elder Abraham Owen Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  45. From President Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church:

    No matter what we may be called to do, or what office we may be called to fill, if we trust in God and do our duty, we will be carried through.

    (President Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  46. You hold the keys of the destiny of your fathers, your mothers, your Progenitors, from generation to generation; you hold the keys of their salvation. God has put that power into your hands. But if we do not do what is required of us in this thing, we are under condemnation. If we do attend to this, then when we come to meet our friends in the celestial kingdom, they will say, "You have been our saviors, because you had power to do it. You have attended to these ordinances that God has required."

    (President Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, October 1897, Afternoon Session)

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  47. From the immortal J. Golden Kimball of the Presidency of the Seventy:

    In our associating among the people, we discovered, and I want to testify to what one of the brethren spoke in reference to that matter, that our people are not a reading people, they do not diligently read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. I want to say to you that I was so surprised that I have not language to express it, when we discovered how few of our people, with the numerous hosts of children, there are that are taking the Juvenile Instructor. Why, we found places where a few years ago they took thirty or forty Juveniles, in some instances they are only taking three or four now. If that is not proof enough that they are not reading, why, I don't know what other proof you want. We have, however been sustained by the people of the south, and in the Stakes of St. George, and Kanab, and Panguitch, and Parowan we have met with a very kindly reception; and I believe there has been a re-awakening.

    But I want to say to the people, if you will permit me, something I have on my mind here. I would like to read to you a little from the Doctrine and Covenants, to show you the condition that we are in, some of us. It is a revelation given to Oliver Cowdery. It seems that he had the gift of translation, and he was somewhat impatient; and the Lord spoke to him in this manner and I want to apply this to the rising generation, I want to apply it to the Latter-day Saints, from the age of fourteen to ninety we expect all of them to join the Young Men's Association between those ages, and as Apostle Lyman said, there is not anybody permitted to join the association who is older than President Woodruff. We believe that men who are aged should study just as much as young men. I want to ask the Latter-day Saints if that is a true doctrine, that when a man gets old he should quit learning and stop studying, and cease to progress. I want to read you what the Lord has said in this line, speaking to Oliver Cowdery: "Behold, you have not understood. You have supposed that I would give it unto you when you took no thought save it was to ask."

    (continued below)

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  48. Have you misunderstood, my brethren and sisters? Have you fancied that all you have to do is to ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you, and if you lack wisdom, ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and that you can sit down and make no other effort? As one of the brethren expressed it: "I fancy that the minds of some of us are chloroformed," and we have imagined that we would be saved in our ignorance, when the Lord has said, "Whatever intelligence you attain unto in this life will rise with you in the resurrection." Now He taught this lesson to Oliver Cowdery: "But, behold I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind. Then you must ask me if it be right; and if it is right, I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right." Now these are the last days spoken of by the prophets; these are the "perilous times." And I want to say to you that mountains of obstructions will be placed before this people, and if you have not been tried, you will be; if you have not been tested, you will be, before you gain eternal life. And before we pass our opinion unwisely, as we do, it is well for us to "study it out in our minds."

    I am fearful that some of the Latter-day Saints simply come to the leaders and listen to the servants of God, and they never study it out in their minds; they never go to the written word, and compare it with the servants of God in their doctrines and teachings, and consequently they are unable to judge righteously, and they are losing confidence. Their confidence is being shaken, and they are unable to judge, because they have not first studied it out in their minds, because, as a people, we are mentally lazy. I will say that, because I do not expect to preach here again for a long time, if any of us have got a bad taste in our mouth for anything that has transpired, why, let us repent, let us study it out in our minds, and then go to our Father, in humility, and ask Him if it is right, and if it is right He will cause a burning within our bosoms, and we shall know that it is right; but if it be not right, we shall have no such feelings, but we shall have a stupor of thought. And how greatly blessed are we in that direction! We are all blessed, more or less, with a stupor of thought.

    (Elder Jonathan Golden Kimball, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  49. From Elder Matthias F. Cowley, newly called member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles:

    I think it is in section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants where the injunction is placed upon us by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph, and it is always binding, that we should seek for wisdom by study, out of the best books, by prayer and also by faith; that we should become acquainted with the laws of the kingdoms and nations of the earth, and with the law of the kingdom of God; should become acquainted with things which are above the earth and which are in the earth; we might say, become informed regarding all things as the Lord, through various agencies, gives us opportunities for acquiring knowledge.

    What a broad field of study for the youth of Zion! Would any man with intelligence and honesty dare to attribute narrow-mindedness to the Latter-day Saints? I think not. The Latter-day Saints are not afraid to come in contact with the world in every form. They are not so narrow but what they are willing to receive truth wherever it can be found. We recognize the fact that there are fragments of truth scattered abroad in the earth, that they have been handed down among the children of men on the pages of history and by tradition from generation to generation. Many of the oriental religionists that are designated by the more enlightened as heathen have ideas which are not at variance with some of the principles of the Gospel. In reading the history of Mexico, we find statements there regarding traditions of the ancient inhabitants of that land in reference to the Deity and in regard to the coming of a God to this earth; and we can see that it has reference to the mission of the Son of God among the children of men. And so in regard to the people of Asia and other countries of the globe. The youth of Zion should be conversant with these things.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  50. There is one grand and glorious principle, that should be understood by the young people to guide them in their studies and investigation in regard to all things, and that is, the possession of the Holy Spirit. No man, says the Apostle Paul and it has been repeated in every Gospel dispensation "can understand the things of God but by the Spirit of God." He may understand the things of man by the spirit of man; but the Spirit of God has a mission, as stated by the Savior in the 16th chapter of St. John, where he says, "Howbeit, when the spirit of truth is come, he shall guide you into all truth, for," he says, "he shall not speak of himself" here is another lesson in that passage: even the Holy Spirit does not assume authority to speak "for he shall not speak of himself, but that which he heareth, that shall he also speak. He shall take of the things of the Father and shall show them unto you," showing that the Spirit of the Lord associates with the Father and the Son, and communicates the mind and will of the Lord to the people, who are so happy and so blessed as to enjoy that great gift. If we can understand the things of man by the spirit of man, we can also understand the things of man by the Spirit of God, for it "searcheth all things." How essential it is that the young men and the young women of Zion should enjoy the companionship of the Holy Spirit, the importance of which cannot be spoken, it cannot be fully realized. And to enjoy that spirit, we should understand another principle, and that is that to possess it we must harmonize our lives, our daily walk and conversation with certain requirements that the Lord has made of us. It is one thing to receive the Holy Spirit; it is another thing to keep it constantly with us. We received it on condition of faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ, and the condition of repentance from all sin a genuine repentance, a laying aside of the things which are obnoxious to God. We received it on condition of accepting the simple ordinance of baptism in water for the remission of sin. We received it on condition of the imposition of hands by men authorized of the Almighty to perform that sacred ordinance for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We never can isolate the principles of the Gospel, and expect by the mere outward acceptance of that principle, to enjoy the blessing which is attached to it. No man has received a remission of sins by baptism alone. No man has received the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands alone. There must be associated with it the fulfillment of the conditions that belong to these fundamental steps which introduce us into the Church of Christ.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  51. I want to impress upon the youth that to enjoy this Spirit, we must not only receive it by the ordinances of the Gospel, but we must take a course in life that we can keep it constantly with us. The Spirit of the Lord will not associate with evil in any form. As quoted by Brother Kimball, the Spirit of the Lord will not dwell in unclean temples; and the Apostle Paul felt so impressed with this that on one occasion he said to the Corinthian Saints: "Evil communications corrupt good manners," and he cautioned them to avoid evil association, to avoid coming in contact with the influences that were of the world. The Savior gave this caution to his disciples, when He said unto them, "Beware of the leaven of the Gentiles." The young people should understand that the foundation, the stepping stone to Mutual Improvement is the reformation of life. If there is a young man that is guilty of any habit that is contrary to the injunctions of the Gospel, the first step necessary is to lay that aside. Lay aside the habit of smoking cigarettes, lay aside the habit of chewing tobacco, lay aside the habit of swearing and profanity, and Sabbath breaking, and seek unto God in humble prayer for the enjoyment and the impressions of the Holy Spirit.

    If we will do that, the Lord will preserve us from scepticism and infidelity.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  52. [W]e should become so conversant with the principles of truth, and also with the theories, if necessary, that are advanced by the world against the true doctrines of Christ, that we may be able, when under the influence of the Spirit of God, to refute them and show their inconsistency by the light of truth.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  53. [T]he mere education of the intellect is not sufficient. Men may understand astronomy, they may understand mathematics, they may be efficient in the beautiful art of music, they may be conversant with law and the science of civil government as it obtains in the nations of the earth, and at the same time they my be corrupt, they may be dishonest men, their motives may be impure in the sight of God.

    No man, no matter what may be his natural attainments, if he does not enjoy the Spirit of the living God, if his life is not circumspect, squared by the principles and doctrines of the Son of God, is a well educated Latter-day Saint, he does not enjoy the true light, he is not a safe man to follow.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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  54. It is a testimony of the divine authenticity of this work, that no man has a monopoly on the mercy of God. He may be ever so great in the eyes of the people, he may be ever so prominent in his position in the Holy Priesthood, but he must comply with the conditions, as every man and woman in this Church must do, in order to retain the blessing and the favor of God. No man has a monopoly on the work of God. No man can sin with impunity. No man can turn aside from the path of rectitude, without meeting the consequences which are specified in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior. So, my young brethren, remember this, that while men may become educated in the world, they may become powerful physically, they may become powerful mentally, but until they are educated spiritually and the moral properties of their natures are reached and touched and cultivated, the soul is not educated, for "the spirit and the body is the soul of man." It is not complete without, and God has provided that in this Church, and in the glorious plan of salvation, the entire soul shall be educated in the ways of truth, and in the knowledge of things that are good and elevating in the sight of God. Remember, therefore, that we should cultivate the Spirit of the Lord in our hearts, and keep it ever as our constant guide. Lay aside everything that would grieve that Spirit, listen to the counsel of the servants of God, heed the warning voice which they have given unto us; and then I testify unto you, that the doctrines of this Church as stated by the Lord to Joseph, the Prophet, will be distilled upon your minds as the dews from heaven, and you will be proof against scepticism and infidelity; and the day will come when the sons and daughters of Zion shall grow up without sin unto salvation.

    (Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1897, Third Day—Morning Session)

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