Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-11-02

members Of the Church OF Cn1st ought
to be honest. We should teach our
children also to be honest In the hand.
ling of funds aud everything entrusted
TO them
We are also setting an example in re-.
gard TO virtue. Yet fear there IS secret
sin practiced among US. There Is this,
however, for our projections; God is
cleansing this people and purging those
who practice sin from their midst.
Those who commit sin gradually leave
the Church. They get into the dark and
they become cold and indifferent, and
tina ~ leave the Church. II II were not
for Gods power In this respect, we
would soon become corrupt, doubtless,
as other people. But God In His Won
derful providence has so arranged mat
tiers that impurity cannot live IN this
Church for any length OF time. There
Is a cleansing process going on. God
is cleansing His Church and lie Is putg.
ing out the wicked and the ungodly,
and lie is leaving the residue. No man
can be confident Of standing "a this
Church unless he is pure In heart; for
the Holy Ghost will not dwell m unho y
tabernacles. Men may deceive their
iellowmen; women may deceive their
sisters; but they cannot deceive God.
They cannot commit SIN and retain the
Spirit OF sod. IL will leave them sooner
or later II will decrease within them,
and finally leave them, unless tley re
pent vi their sin And this. my sfcth.
fen and sisters, 10 our safety and the
sifcty OF this Chdrch, thai God IS cles.s.
ing IL ar.i removing from the me-, VI
Ia NHs4
practice secret sin may Tide II from their
fellows, as some do. and think Il is
not knO IN; brt God wall ,sakc Il known.
Ills Spirit will leave them, unles, they
repen. with all their hearts add turn
from their sins. God will haze an
honest people. lie will have pure
people, ,le will have a virtu ,us people.
lie will cleatse US, and keep cleansing
us un.il We shall be pure. and ,nefe will
be people found that are not hypO
critics. The hypocrite will be cleansed
from the midst Of the Saints. In this
way we will be built up and the Church
will increase. There are people IN this
Church who are becoming more perfect
every day. and Satan Is having less
power over them every day. AS they
listen to the word ol God aud seek to
comply with the requirements Of the
Gospel. they grow stronger, and Satan
has less aud less power over the people.
He will have inore power over the
sinners, and he will exercise that
power, and he will lead them away
But the righteous who are determined
to serve God will become stronger and
stronger. Aud do you know, my
brethren aud sisters, II Is the great de-
sire OF my heart for myself and family
and for the whole Church, that We may
become so perfect In keeping the COM
mandmenis Of God that Satan will be
comparatively bound, so far as we are
concerned. have felt led TO say 20 the
Saints in my speaking OF late, that there
are some sins that God has pronounced
against that Satan does not have power
over hundreds, and ] hope thousands,
oil Latter.day Saints to lead them astray
In these directions. will instance
adultery. believe here are thousands
at least, | hope there are, AMI | be.
lieve there are, IN this congregation Of
LaileT-day Saints, that would rather die,
rather meet any kind Of late that could
be inflicted on their mortal bodies, than
commit adultery Do YOU not be isve
IN MANY responded, Yes.) | do be-
lieve 10 with all my heart. Then so tar
as this is concerned, Satan has ceased to
have power over all the men and women
who are In this condition | believe
there are hundreds aud thousands in this
Church, who would rather die than com
nit whoredom-haye Illicit association
with the other sex believe there are
A.f a
who would rather die than commit
those sins. Now, do you believe there
is In any community as large a mum Der
OF people to be found In this condition
as can be found among the Latter day
Saiutsl do not believe there IS.
have no idea that there is. Therefore, so
far as those two crimes are concerned,
Satan has less power over Us here than
he has IN some other places.
might go on aud speak about stealing,
and dishonesty. aud many other sins.
believe that the LatteT-day SAINTS as a
people are a more honest people, that
they respect their obligations more than
other people. We show this Ia our
business associations and dealing. We
have the credit for Il everywhere. Men
Who have found fault with our religion
frequently ack iowedgc that we are an
honest people, and our credit Is ''gilt
edged" But there are some things that
we are still guilty OF. believe, how.
ever, that the young and rising genera
ton will outgrow them. II Is strong
temptation Tor man, when he has got
a piece of property and he has chance
to trade IL or sell to let the buyer think
Il Is better than II is. Now, II we we're
strictly honest. we would tell exactly
the character OF that which we have to
sell. We would not allow a man to de.
ceive HIMSELF we would tell him tho
facts. But know that we are all under
the influence OF the old traditions. The
old traditions were that mau should
have his own eyesight and that the
Sc Ter should no, furnish him with any.
thing to aid his perception or TO enable
him to perceive something that he would
not otherwise see. II Is hard thing Tor
men who have grown up under that
system Of things TO refrain from II. You
see everywhere where things are for
sale the endeayoT to make them an
pear better in the eyes OF the purchaser
than they are. We have got to change
in this respect. Whenever a man Yields
to do dshonestih he yields to Satan.
and Satan has influence and power over
him to that exte /, We have got TO
learn to overcome these things, and TO
have Satan bound.
| do want with all my heart-l pray
for Il incess antly-ihat God will lessen
the amount OF apostasy among US. How
will He do IN II can only be done by
a horror OF sin growing up In the
hearts OF our children, so that the con