Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-03-16
MD seed OF The WORD OF GOD.
,.uyorod at Tabernacle. salt Lake City Sunday,
course February t7th. 1895. by
PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.
[pEroRrrp ny ARTHUR wfSrEal

belief They had the idea that they
were elected by the Lord 10 20 to
heaven, while others were elected to 80
TO hell This doctrine Is horribly false
An mankind are elected TO be saved.
No man IS a tare unless his conduct
makes him such. lie Is not prcdcstincd
10 be tlrc dr to be damned, hut he b
prcdcstined to receive, u he will, saliva
liou and glory in the presence OF God.
We should understand that there IS
difference between iorcknoWledgc and
iorcordination. Because the LORI knew
before the birth OF Eslu aud Jacob
what their course would be, Dc did not
follow that lie had pfcdcsunCd one 10
be n faithful man aud the other to be
uniaithiul. but by HIS forcknowludgc lie
was able to comprehend that. By Ills
iofckuowicdgc he Is enabled TO comprc-
bend all ouI lives. but because lie
this knowledge 10 docs not follow that
We are impe.iCd, despite ourselves, TO
take the course that lie may iorg5eu we
shall take. God has given ua our agency
aud we can exercise 10 in doing that
which is right or In doing tiat which is
wrong. Tbs lies with ourselves, aud
would like the young who are here to.
LAY TO understand that their lives are
before them good and evil are before
them. They have the power TO choose
the good and reject the evil Or to choose
the evil and reject the good. To- no
other way can we be held accountable
Tor the deeds done in the body We
shall stand before the judgment seat OF
Christ, and each OF as will have to
answer Tor the deeds done in the body
whether they be good or whether they
be e'il, and the judgment that will be
pronounced upon as will he q righteous
Judgment n we have done wrong, we
shall have to atone Tor that wrong. II
c.hayc done that which IS right boo the
sight Of God, il We have walked before
! Him uprightly. cunicssinE our SINS and
| obtaining the forgiveness OF them aS We
| have gone along rom day 20 day then
the reward that will be bestowed upon
COS will be because Of our hithiuInlss boo
| keeping the commandments Of God. A
/ great many have misunderstood the
scriptures on this point and have lanCicd
/ that some were elected for cNaltlti1n
aud glory and others for damna,iun.
| But they have lost sight OF the other
/ pass ages OF scripture to the effect that
every man has his agency and will him
| self be held accountable Tor that which
| he does.
Now, there are a great many people
I who are asking the Elders Of this Church
/ what evidence they can obtain that that
which the Elders teach Is true. They
| say that u the Elders would work
/ sign or perform a miracle, Il would fur.
| nish them with evidence that they were
| true servants OF God, / suppose this
/ request has been made thousands Of
times In various lands and by different
people OF the Elders OF this Church.
| They say, "Nour Church processes TO
have the gifts that once accompanied
the preaching OF the Gospel. Now let
as see the exhibition OF this power Do
something that we will be forced to
admit Is done by the power OF God, and
/ We will believe YOU" Invariably the
/ Elders have declined TO do this because
/ they have been commanded not 20 work
/ signs to satisfy curiosity, Signs are
/ gwen TO follow the believer, not TO con.
/ vince people. The experience OF the
/ Elders In preaching the Gospel has
| been that where men aud women have
/ Joined the Church through seeing some
] wonderful manifestation of the power OF
! God, II has seemed to require a cOntin.
! ucd exhibition OF this power 10 keep
! their faith alive. This Is the experience,
/ suppose, OF an the Elders that have
noticed these things. There have been,
however, a great many who have seen
! the power OF God manifested and who
have been led by that to seek God and
10 know for themselves, and have not
Joined the Church merely because they
have seen the power Of God manifested,
| but because their hearts were touched
| and their faith was aroused TO believe
that this was the Church OF Christ. The
best evidence that men can get, SO Tar
as ] know, concerning the divinity OF
| the work OF God Is to take the course
recommended by the servant OF God
whose words have read In your hear.
ing, lie compared the word OF God TO
a seed. II Il were received IN the heart,
and It began to swell, aud TO sproul, and
to grow, those who received Il might
know that Il was good seed. This IS
the effect that the preaching Of the Cos.
pei has had upon the honest IN heart IN
every land where the Elders OF this
Church have gone The word OF God
has been like seed. IL has fallen In
many instances IN good ground and
where It has thus fallen It has sproutcd
aud grown and brought forth fruit.
which, as the prophet said, IS sweeter
than all sweetness, whittier than all white
ness, and purer than all purity, ! am
sure the Latterday Saints will see the
appropriateness OF the figure used by
the prophet In their own case. When
they heard the Gospel they knew but
little about the power Of God, but they
received 1t IN their hearts, they cherished
Il, they nursed IL, and h began TO swell,
and to sproui, and to grow, and II has
filled them with Light, with Joy and with
peace, and they know beyond an ques,
ton that the seed which they have re-
ceived IN their hearts Is a good seed, and
that the fruit 1t has borne has been good
lru. II has satisfied the longing oil
their souls, and they testify before God
and angels that Il is the truth that they
have received. They may never have
seen an angel; they may never have
seen the dead raised TO life; they MAY
never have seen the blind made to see
or the deaf made TO hear, they may moi
have even seen the sick healed by the
laying on Of hands; but because they
have not seen these mighty works Il
has not deprived them OF a knowledge
concerning that which they have re
Ceyed, That has rested upon them ir
power. and they know for Themselves d
Is Of God. They have cherished tn,
SEED; they have dug about It, and nour
ished It, and It has grown IN their hearts
until II has produced most precious
fruit, filling their souls with Joy, viii
peace, ana with a heavenly feeling
Ana this IS a greater testimony my