The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-02-26

N gut De the result. LII mas D0en lar
better with me thus far in the progress
If this work and In my connection
With it than l ever expected
it 20 be. l have had more happiness.
happiness of a worldly character, |
have had more means, l have had
more substance, have had more
quietude, have had more rest and less
affection and less trouble, and less
evil to Contend with and less persecu-
tion-lhat is as far as | am concerned
personally [ expected might be
the case in my life.
This great work which God our
Eternal ather has founded is destined,
is destined-hear it all ye ter-day
saints; hear it all ye ends of the
earth-tbis great work is destined to
fill the whole earth. IL is the work
that the prophets spoke about. 1t is the
work that they described in glorious
language The predictions Of the holy
prophets upon this subject are the most
glorious 10 be found in the volume of
Scripture-we refer to the work of the
last days-small as 1t is in the Begin
nlng, insignificant, destitute of influ-
ence. destitute OF worldly advantages,
| it is q power, nevertheless, that will
continue to grow; it will continue TO
increase, it will continue to spread,
until from pole to pole, from the centre
to the circumference of our globe, in
| every land, the power and influence of
this great work which our Father in
heaven has laid the foundation of, will
be felt. Will it be accomplished by US
as mortal men, by the human agencies
which We have at our disposal? No.
No. We have proven by experience
that in and of ourselves We can do but
very little. Why, there are events &C.
curing every little while that put our
human wisdom to shame; that cause US
to fall back and wonder what next shall
be done. what move next shall be made,
what step shall we take to counteract
this affliction or this evil? How shall
we escape this threatening danger :?
How shall we penetrate this seemingly
| impenetrable wall that is before us? Is
no: this the feeling experienced very
frequently l confess to having it..
Time and time again | have been at a
| loss, looking at it as man, to tell
how we shall escape the evils that
menace US, and from which it seemed
there was no possible outlet or means
of escape. 1t is at such times that men,
who look upon this work and who do
not understand it, who do not recognize
| in it the work of God, raise the cry
! that "Mormonism" has received its
deathblow, and will most assuredly
perish.
1t is easy enough to understand why
this is the case. rhis work to be un-
derstood must be viewed with the eye
of faith. The man who looks at it to
comprehend it must have some knowl-
edge of the power that founded it, the
power that accompanies it, the power
that sustains it. In the ab-
sence of this knowledge, of course,
men Judge OF it as they would of any
other system, looking at it as they
would at something else that has its
origin in mans device. But there has
never been q moment since the Lord
laid the foundation of this church until
the present time that God has left His
servants in the hour of extremity, in
the hour of trial, in the hour of peril,
without the voice of His spirit directing
them the path to take, to show them
the next step forward when seemingly
confronted by obstacles not to be over
come. AS these obstacles have been
approached, they have vanished, and
the way has been opened up for the
progress of the work.
work of man, it is not the wisdom of
man, it is not the ingenuity of man,
that has carried this work forward to
its present issue. If it had been ours
it would have been a most woeful one.
We would have BEEN in the midst of
the most deplorable circumstances.
What would We do to- day il God were
not with us? If He did not aid it
in every step of its progress, what
would become of us7 Why, thousands
and thousands of US in this land would
be ready to lie down and die, expect
ing nothing else than overwhelming
ruin. Now, my brethren and sisters
you are the ones to whom l address
myself this day. L desire that my
testimony shall be encouraging so far
as 1 have the spirit to encourage. the
spirit of hope to lift up those who are
cast down, who mourn, who feel
respondent, those who ask themselves
HAS God forsaken or has God for
gotten us2' And l address myself to
these; and bear my testimony to them
that this is not the case. God reigns
to-day in the heavens. God is near to
US; His revelations are poured out
upon us o.day; He gives to US knowl-
edge; He gives His Holy Spirit to-day
as much as ever in the history of
the church. This work did not
depend upon the Prophet Joseph.
What was to become of the people
thenf To whom should we look for
the word of the Lord. The prophet,
the seer, the revelator, he who beheld
the Father, and the Son, and was min
istered unto by holy angels, He to
whom had been restored the everlasting
gospel in its original purity and power,
and the glorious priesthood and the
authority by which man could ad
minister in Gods name, had been taken
away by the cruel hand of assassins;
and to whom then should we look for
guidance? Who was there among the
elders of Israel WHO could step forward
and lead the people of God? There
were discussions among the elders of
Israel and their opinions were as varied
as themselves. There was no man ap-
parently that was prominent enough
to lead Israel. But when the time
came and the congregation met with
| the twelve apostles, it vas clearly man
ifested that there was man whom God
had chosed, who was fully en-
powered with the authority of
the priesthood to lead Israel.
The Spirit of God bore powerful testi-
mony to every man present that he was
tho nan II Unq nannesarv in that