Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-08-17
DISCOURSE
,,,,n stake Conference, Provo. Sunday, April aist'
p,yerod al wv 1895.
.,rc,DFNT GEORGE Q. CANNON.


they would sactihcc everything that
they had on earth, YES. and lay down
iicitscl'. rather than deny the faith and
thereby lose the Spirit Ol God and the
fellowship ul their brethren aud sisiers'
| suppose there is scarcely q soul to be
found IN the Church that has not had
that feeling. How lovely the truth was
In their sight when they joined the
Church. How desirable salvation and
exaltation appeared before theml Every.
thing connected with the Church and
with the authority Of the Priesthood
seemed to them 10 be OF God, and they
loved H. They loved every principle OF
the Gospel with Intense love. But ai,er
awhile that love fade, away, they cease
to value their standing, and by degrees
these men aud women who at one time
lelt that they would rather part with
their life than with their standing In the
Church, cease to value that sianding and
let It 30 without any effort to retain H.
not cuude ccuding probably to ask iu.-
giyeness Tor wrong done. Do you not
know such cases. They are known by
hundreds. The hand OF fellowship -
Withdrawn, aud then they become
colder aud colder, darker aud darker
until they lose entirely al the love they
ever had for tic work OF God OF for the
people OF God.
Now, men and women do not ret into
this condition without cause. The
causes are as old as men; they have been
operating continually upon mankind
for six thousand wears, aud they have
| been producing the same results that
We nov witness. Notwithstanding the
lessons of the past, however, you will
still see men aud women pursuing pre-
I cisely the same path which has led to
| such disastrous results In thousands aud
/ thousands Of cases, Strange, Is 1t not,
[ that such should be the case, Vet it is
] land We have seen Il continuously since
/ the organization Of the Church. What
a sad thing II Is to contemplate the lite
/ Of a man who has spent many VI his days
/ and much oil his means IN the work OF
/ God aud then allows some influence to
| take possession OF him that turns him
/ aside. and after a while he loses his love
/ Tor the work OF God aud his standing IN
/ the Church, and cease, to labor Tor the
| end that he started out to rgaChl Can
| you think Of anything that Is calculated
! to cause more grief and anguish 10 tho c
| who love him than such a spectacle as
/ thisf We mourn over suicides.
! never read Of a suicide scarcely without
/ being hurnhai at the thought OF a
human being taking his own HE. The
| frequency OF these cases Is one Of the
most painful features Of our daily new
| papers. Think OF men and women
destroying this precious, God gwen
tabernacle, and rushing into eternity
without knowledge apparently Of the
dreadful fate that awaits them But Is
there anything ~ the death OF a suicide
that Is so dreadful as that which we see
IN the unisithiulness OF a LalteT.day
Saint aud his departure from the path
OF righteousness through yielding Ia
the Establishments OF Satan2 To my
mind there is nothing IN the suICidcs
death comparable with the spiritual
death OF soul.
My brethren and sisters, It seems to
me that the chief object We have in com,
Ing to conference Is to bring our,
selves together In tie light OF the Spirit
OF God, that ~ rays may illuminate every
part OF our nature aud show as In the
light Of heaven our true condition be-
fore our Great Creator, so that We may
see ourselves stripped Of everything
that would blind our sight or that wUull
dlfken our understanding, and IN thJ
light that the angels and our Rvdccmel
view ~. We should come together
with this feeling m our hearts, anu theI
baih.d as Il were ~ The cleansing poWel
OF that spirit and saucuhgd by %, go Il
J our homes carrying with Il, thai IN
! lucnCe, determined that with the hell
ut tue Lord We will remain faithful Il
the end, that we will repent OF our sin,
and bring our whole souls into suLmIs
SION to the will OF God. have nc
doubt that there is scarcely person II
this congregation that has not prayed
for the Lord to take his lite rather thar
he should deny the faith. Who is Their,
that has not entertained that feeling
Now, there are certain things that W,
cannot do and remain faithful to the
work Of God. The FIRST and ioremos
among these is, land | dwell on il,
hope, m a spirit that will be understood
even by strangefsl ipeaklns evil agains
the Prize thoOu OF tho son Of God. 1
is one Of the sutest signs OF apostasy
You may think that you have caus,
Tor this; you may see things In men tina
may appear to you wrong aud To justl
iy you m indulging IN criticism and cen,
serious remarks, and perhaps you MAJ
even feel justified In utterlng words q
condemnation; but let me say to YOU
and say II a the result OF lIle
times experience aud observations
that this cannot be done by any man u
woman IN this Church, great VI small
without mourning the displcasure OF IN,
Almighty and without gnevlng thJ
Spirit OF God. Those who hay,
entered into holy places have mad
covenants, which are sacred m the sigh
OF God aud OF their brethren and sisters
not to speak against the Lords anuln,
ed | cannot do Il; Presldeut Wood
run, who Is the greatest Imau among VI
/ because he has been chosen by IN,
Lord 10 hold the keys OF this dispense
ton at the present time, cannot do It
and no Latter day Saint can do II withou
. grIeylng the spirit OF God and cau,inl
It ~ withdraw itself Do you realz
this, my brethren and sisters, when yul
+ are tempted or aloused by anger to sa
, evil things concerning your brethren
or sisters2 II you but thlnS OF tn,
; consequences that may follow the IN
/ | duigeuce IN such spirit, am sure tina
. you will RESTRAIN your speech and yo
| will not give uIteranCe 10 anything {
the RInd Win | do thing that
, going 10 cause me to ose the Spirit q
81 God and my standing in the Church q
/ God2 No. In my youth, when III
, tide OF passion as II were began TO man
} lest itself Ia my veins, as ~ the wen
, OF all young men the thought that h
Z who luokuth upon woman to la.
4 ! alter her shall deny the faith woul