Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-02

~ not In their character. Men would
actually seek 10 take their lives and, AZ
an Illustration of the saying Of our
l,ori, think that they would Deserving
God i,y killing those men.
The mct " that there IL not n ffecr
people on the earth than the Latter
day Saints. They are at liberty 10 act
and tree from spiritual bondage. Every
man who holds Office among us holds
u because the Saints choose 10 sustain
him'in that position, and the people
are untrammellcd In tho exercise Of
their power In this respect. When God
selects servant, It u for the people 70
say whether they will sustain him or
not. True, whore the Spirit of God is,
there IL unity, and there ~ no reason
| why human beings should NOT live
together In unity, but II does not follow
that they surrender their rights or
their Individual Judgment. The Spirit
Of God IL the cause OF our unity. II
men nom the most distant parts Of the
earth are endowed with this Spirit,
they will, when brought together, find
that they see things alike. This Is
what IL done In the work In which
the Saints are engaged and II can he
truly said Of II that II Is n "maryelous
work aud n wonder" IL Il phenomen.
al. People say all sorts Of things about
Y, because II IL strange TO them, and
they have recourse TO all manner Of
explanations ofthc things they witness
IN these valleys, Ignoring, however,
the true cause and denying that II IN
God who IA In the work. But this n
the only way In which such effects
can he accounted for. IL requires moth
ing short Of Divine power To bring
about such results. IL IL indeed
grand power onc beyond man, which
has been able TO bring this people to-
galher. To my that there IL no God In
this work requires more effort than Ia
admit that God IL IN IL. ! eau account
Tot this Church only by seeing the Al
mighty In II.
We have heard about the officers Of
the Church and that We should listen
70 their counsel. This Is very well 30
far ~ u goes. hut we may ask, Has
any man right 10 teach doctrines
independent of the research Of
the other individuals OF the
pcoplcg Everyone has n right 10 know
Tor himself the truth, and this II an
other characteristic OF this community.
The constant exhortation 10 W,
whether nj home OF abroad, II 10 ask
God, each one for himself, and plead
with Him for a personal knowledge Of
the Divinity Of the Gospel. The Saints
desire no converts who DO not seek
such knowledge for themselves.
This Is the secret Of the
tenacity with which tho Saints cling
together aud TO the principles In which
they believe, even In the face Of death
aud the most bitter prosecutions. This
Is not process Of leading men hllndly
or taking away their Judgment, or do.
luding them by falsehoods. "Mormon-
ism" includes nothing Of the kind. II
Is system u salvation, revealed for
tho redemption Of man. Take this
view, and you can account for all the
influences that have brought the Saints
togcthor--.for their cohrslon, for their
love, for everything which Ia different
from what you petoclve In other men.
Take any other vicw, and the whole Is
incompFehcnsiblc.
anu exceedingly thankful that we
all can have testimony In answer 10
our prayers. Many OF those here pres.
ent were once apprchensise for their
eternal future. There are divisions
all through tho world and you
did not know which way To
20. Every minister had his own
way Of reaching heaven. In the
midst OF all this. II was clear that
there IA but one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, etc., and men were gropiny
about In darkness TO find the true path.
each one pointing out his road a. tbe
right one. In the midst OF all this un.
certainty, n man Appeared " no claimed
TO 10 a servant Of God and told YOU
that he had authority 10 bapti.e and 10
lay hands on you for the reception OF
the Holy Ghost, plomlslng, at the
same tlme, that II you repenicd OF
your sins and accepted the m. sage,
you should know for yourself that II
was the gospel Of the Lamb. How
you relulced at this, feeling TINT Il was
almost too good 10 be true. Hut Won
did repent and was baptized and 70.
ceiyei the Holy Chest, and the result
was, that every apprehension has dIs.
hpp9rel' iou KNOW you nave found
You have received the t.stimony y;