Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-03-07
LRrroRTrD ny ARTHUR wisrERl

Ton, that we have been as united from
the beginning and up to the present
hJur as d would be possible Tor one man
to be united with himself. Never
shadow OF dlsunion has ever crossed the
mnd OF any OF the First Presidency OF
the Church We have been as united
as 1t Is possible Tor men IN The flesh to
be. And we have feioiced 10 this. be.
cause II has given Us strength with the
Twelve Apostles, and with the other
officers Of the Church: and II has
strengthened us also In our associations
with the Saints, In teaching them, anu
In fepfoving them when the Lord has
gwen US the spirit Of repfool or waning,
] speak OF TINS from my personal stand.
point have felt strong because ]
knew that we were one IN our councils,
~ our deliberations, IN our conclusions,
M our views concerning everything con.
necicd with the work OF God and its
management upon the earth. ! desire
also 10 say to the Latter day Saints, that
whoever arrays himself In any manner
against the authority which God has
placed In His Church Tor Us government
no matter who il is-one Of the Twelve
Apostles even, or any number Of them
unless he repcnts God will withdraw lii,
spiut and power from him, aud lie will
show the world, lie will show the
Church, lie will show the officers OF the
Church, that that which lie has spoken
m the past concerning the authority Ut
the Holy Priesthood and the respect
and honor which lie requires His yer.
wants ana people to show to IL, is true
and must be carried out, or lie will
Withdraw His spirit and power from
those who take a different course. u
any Of you, my brethren or my sisters,
have INDUCED IN the spirit OF murmur.
INK and iauIthnding, aud have allowed
your tongues 10 give utteranCr 10
thoughts and words that were wrong
and not IN accordance with the spiut OF
the Gospel. let me say TO you here TO.
day that you ought to repent Of It with
all your hearts, aud get down into the
depths Of humility aud implofe Him Tor
the forgiveness OF that sin-ior Il Is
most deadly sin.
The men who hold the Priesthood are
but mortal men; they are iallible men,
they are sinners. No human being that
ever tfud this earth was free from sin,
excepting the Son Of God, from tue be.
ginning throughout all the ranks Of the
Priesthood In every generation. Every
human being has been a sinner, and has
been forced to confess before the Lord
that he was sinner None Is exempt
In this respect; there Is no exception,
aside from the Lord Jesus in, ell. This
IS true concerning the Presidency OF the
Church, II is true m relation to the
Apostles Nevertheless, God has chosen
these men. lie has singled them out.
They have not done 1t themselves; but
lie has selected them, and lie has
placed upon them the authority OF the
Holy Priesthood. and they have become
His representatives in the earth. lie
places item As shepherds over the ,locS
OF Christ, and as watchmen upon the walls
Of Zion. And lie holds them to a strict
accountability Tor the responsibility and
for the authority which He has given to
'hem, and In the day OF the Lord Jesus
they will have to stand and be Judged
for that which they have done aud the
manner In which they have exercised
this authority. II they have exercised
u wrUngiully and against the interests Il
His work and the salvation OF His
people woe unto them In the day OF the
Lord JeSusl lie will judge them, and II
worthy Of condemnation, lie will con.
denim them. But lie does not give the
authority to Judge aud condemn to man,
only Ia the regularly constituted cOun
ellis Of His Church; and those who lilt
their voices aud their els against the
authority Of the Holy Priesthood, tell
you today, as servant OF Gjd-and |
wish these young men and young women
to hear my testimony this day aud to
remember Il rs long as they live-they
viii go down to he'll, unless they repent,
There are many examples in this
Church OF a character to prove what
here state. o liver Cowdery, VINO re-
ceiyed the same blessings and the same
ordinations as the Prophet Joseph; or
dained to the Lesser Priesthood at the
same time as Joseph. ordained to the
Melchlsedek Priesthood by the same
angels who visited Joseph; afterwards
In the Kirkland Temple beheld the Son
Of God Himself, aud received the keys
OF the gathering from Moses, and the
gospel OF Abraham and the promises
that were made TO Abraham, from Elias;
and afterwards the keys for the turning
Of the hearts Of the fathers to the chll
dren and the children 10 the fathers from
Ellith-this man, SO favored OF God,
alter all this, lost the Spirit OF God
through opposing the Prophet losrphl
lie might ~ one sense, and doubtless
did IN MS feelings, rank himself as the
peer Of the Prophet; but God had given
to Joseph the keys OF the Priesthood and
the authority 20 preside, and because
Oliver CowdeTy did not honor that
Priesthood and that authority, God
withdrew His Holy Spirit from him, and
he lost his standing IN the Church, and
his Priesthood was taken from him and
given to another, as you viii find by
feiding the revelations. God gave the
same authority that Oliver Cowdey
held to Hyrum Smith, the brother Of the
Prophet Joseph and the father OF Brother
Joseph Il Smith here. Before his death
DIVER Cowdery came back, humply
penitent, aud was baptized into the
Church again.
Not only this man, but no less than
six OF the Twelve Apostles lifted their
heels against the Prophet OF God; they
muTmuTed at him, questioned his author
,ty, told lies about MIN, OF believed lies
about him, and ds result they lost
their standing, and others were chosen
to take their places. Sidney Rig.
don, whom God designated as
spokesman Tor the Prophet Joseph, a
man Of great eloquence and OF many
gifts, man VINO was favored OF the
Lord with that wonderful vision which is
recorded in the 76,h section OF the Book
of Doctrine and Covenants, who with
Joseph beheld the glorics OF the celestial,
the terrestrial and celestial king doms, -
this man fell. Why did he falll Be-