Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-11-24


Taught aud TO yield to 90. spirit Vi un.
belief that Is prevalent In these in,titu
tons Of learning.
we nave also another influence that
' seeking To obtain power in the midst
OF lhc people o Col. There was
Umr when rove alton from God was
universally denied. The religious world
announced ihtt the day OF miracles had
passed. that God had given 40 Hi, rcyc.
iauons, aud they were embodied IN the
bl1.c' ana that q was iu vain 10 look Tor
iurihcr revelation from Him. This be.
liei was universally taught. Even the
catholic Church, that considers ihcli
lnc successor OF the churches organized
10y the Apostles, while claiming great
power Tor lis priesthood, did not believe
in revelation from God. OF course.
those who did not believe in God denied
lt as q natural consequence Of their I'm.
belief. But what a change has taken
PLACED In the days when lie
saint, were driven from Jackson
County Missouri, one OF the chief
charges brought against the Latter.day
Siln 3 was that they believed In mira.
that they believed 90 q prophet, and
thdt that prophet received revelations
from God But who Is there now that
does not believe that there are means
OF obtaining communication with the
spirit world' That belief has become
almost us universal as the former un.
belief was. The spintuilists, as they
are called, have risen up, as well as
other organizations, entertaining thu
uglic, unul now no one scarcely will
assert that communication with the
splul world Is not attanablc. The
PROBABILITY OF it, at least. will be adj
miited. Right In this Territory We have
prgtendcrs arising, claiming that they
nave the authority ul the Priesthood. or
mat they have the power to work mira
Giles, and even going 50 lar. In some
instances, as TO reprodCh the l.attcf-da,
saints for a lack OF power to WORK
miracles, asserting that they possess IL
10 greater extent than we do. An
heae influences exist around as, TEMPT.
INK the uuwary and having influence
upon those " are weak M their hith
concerning the divinity OF the work Of
GOD and the authority Of the Holy
Priesthood
Then, again, there are influences al
work which deny the authority oil the
Holy Priesthood, asserting that IL b
contrary to mans liberty; that Ii Il IN
opposition To the principle OF liberty Ia
pay any special respect To the utterancr,
OF the bearers Of the Priesthood OF the
Son Of God. This IS becoming some.
what common. There Is "a iear In the
minds OF many that some influence of
an improper kind, and which they do
not want, wlll operate upon the minds
OF the Laterday Saints, because they
believe lnat God has appointed a Priest.
hood in His Church, ami that lie has
gwen authority 20 that Priesthood. The
eliorl seems to'bc to destroy, II possible,
the influence Of the Priesthood, and to
show how dangerous a power Il would
be II Il were allowed 10 be exercised as
u is supposed that the latter-iay Saints
believe It should &c exercised.
All these things arc operating at the
present time IA our midst, as well as IN
The earth, the evident object being 10
destroy u possible, the work OF God
and TO deceive the people, so that they
will not receive the doctrine OF the son
OF God. on course, III men can be
taught to believe that miracles can be
wrought by some power that they can
obtain without submitting to the ordin-
lnccs OF the Gospel, that weakens the
influence OF the Gospel. II YOU say to
mankind, You must believe IN lesus
Christ, you must repent Of your sins,
you must put away evil Tar from you,
you must deny yourselves, and bring
your appctites and passions into sub.
lection TO the Gospel Of Christ, IA order
to receive the Holy Ghost and the
power which accompanies 10, and II at
tnc same time they are taught, through
some other agency that Il IS not nuces-
saty TO repent OF sin, to iurego the
qualification of lust and to put away
evil, can you not see how Il wcakuns the
influence OF the Gospel, and now Gun.
ming a plan Il Is TO destroy the children
of mun1 So In relation To these other
things OF which / have spoken, When
mcn aud women found that they could
receive communication from the spirit
world through some other agency than
the Gospel, OF course they seized hold
OF that. They did not want revelation
and communication from God wuen IL
had to be obtained by seli.denial and by
a strict compliance with the laws OF Goa.
hut when the bars were thrown down
and they were told that, no matter what
u
or sinful IN every respect-they could
obtain spiritual communication, then
the whole world, speaking generally,
ran after this false doctrine and these
pernicious practices, because they cou d
obtain these without any regard 10 puf'
ity Of conduct or OF life. Satan has
taken these methods to destroy the
children OF men, Men say, Oh, there
is no devil" They deny the existence
Of that being. But You Latler-day
Saints who have received the Gospel,
do you not know, by your personal eX %
perence, that there Is a being ol this
kind, though your eyes may never have
beheld hum2 Certainly YOU do. You
know It by these evidences that have
mentioned; but you know Il better per
haps By personal experience. When
non Joined the Church IN your native
lands, you know the storm OF opposi-
ton that ragged against you. You saw
The effect oi Satans Influence; and you
have seen Il ever since. We have con-
slant evidence OF The existence OF this
power IN the ialsuhuod5 aud mlsrepre-
Sensations that have been indulgedI in
and the murderOus splri, that has been
manifested against the people Of God.
If the world were to open their eyes
lhey would behold before them the
evldences OF these two great powers
the power OF God aud the power Of
Satan, Satan has inspired men with
murderous hate and with the spirit OF
Ia school lie has done this from the
beginning. Jesus, in speaking OF Satan,
said he was a liar and a murderer from
the beginning. And those VIVA iauav