Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-10-24
DISCOURSE
N the oonoa tho Church, Tabernacle
salt Lake city Tuosday, October 9th.
PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.
[RrroRrrD nv ARTHUR WINTER ]

understand the reasons Tor any action OF
the authorities of the Church, we should
not too hastily call their acts IN question
and pronounce them wrong. Perhaps
never since the days oi the great apes.
tasy in Kirkland has there been such
spirit TO do this that am speaking OF rs
there has been OF late years. Whysome
OF Us have ielt as though we scarcely
dare 20 to conference In some places,
We have heard such an arraignment OF
cur motives and such condemnation OF
our actions. This Is a strarge thing TO
say. yet II is true, and many persons
here know II " true.
Yesterdays explanations ought 10 have
the effect to make those persons who
have INDUCED In these ccnsofious re.
marks and IN this condemnation feel 80
ashamed OF themselves rs TO cause them,
u they have any love for the truth and
any desire TO keep the commandments
OF God. to cl0thc themselves In sack.
cloth and ashes aud bescech the Lord to
forgive them for the sin they have com.
miited. For they have condemned
innocent men. They have said that
which Is not true about the servants Of
God, and no man has the right to do
this about anybody. much less about
men who are striving TO do all they can
Tor the work OF God. II these men aud
women do not repent, they arc likely TO
apostaiizc
had a daughter In this congregation
yesterday, and she overheard one sister
remark to another. "Why, | thought II
was only one or two In the First Pfesi.
dcncy that had these i,elinrs. and that
this was some personal difficulty with
one OF them. Why, Il Is the whole Of
the Twelve as well. II is not confined
TO one or two OF the First Presidency, OF
TO the three. but II is also the Twelve"
This SHOWS tue ignorance that has
| prevailed concerning the situation Of
affairs. and u shows how We have been
/ exposed 20 these unjust and cruel re.
marks. Il has seemed as though many
OF our people have taken their inspifa.
ton and their ideas concerning the
transactions OF the authorities OF the
Church from articles In the newspapers,
the writer's of which knew no more
about that which was going ON than an
entire stranger.
speak In this strain to impress upon
you, II possible. the folly OF INDUCING
| IN spirit OF that kind. and drinking II
In as though Il was something delight.
| iul. God has spoken so plainly 10 us
concerning the many influences that are
abroad that We ought by this time to
have understanding concerning them
| President Woodruff yesterday dwelt
upon the many evil influences that have
gone abroad in the world have
known good men and women, sincerely
desirious OF doing right, who have been
brought into subsection to these evil in-
lluences, and they have not known Il
themselves, because they had not dis
cetnment enough to distinguish be.
tween the true and the false. II Is the
case With a great many Latter. day
Saints Yet there Is this about the Lat.
Ter day Saints; they do know the voice
OF the true shepherd, they are able to
distinguish between him that sefyeth
| g ID and him that seryelh him not
There Is a great deal OF the spirit OF
discernment among this people. and
they are hard people - deceive; but
they DO get deceived occasionally.
Cunning men mlslead and deceive
them. and wrong spirits get possession
OF them. The spirit Of falsehood Is
abroad. and Il frequently attributes to
the best OF men conduct that Is vile and
low. Il did Il TO the Lord Jesus Christ
It did il to the Pfophe, Joseph smith, u
did Il TO all the prophets that have lived.
The aim is TO destroy them, and what
better way eau you yet an influence into
operation that will destroy man than
TO blackcn his character and tell lies
enough TO make him appear as a devil
ineafnatei That Is what Satan tries TO
do. Those have been his tactics from
the very beginning. lie would make
out the servants OF God to be- devils in
carnate. And he will deceive, n pos
siblc, the vefy elect by his lies and mis-
representations. The only thing lot
men Of God 10 do Is TO trust In Him.
You cannot meet these ialsehoods.
They are manufactured faster than they
can be exposed. No man can defend
himself against lies. His prolestationi
amount to nothing, because they are
not believed.
In my early life, In publishing, was
always on hand 10 combat every lie that
made its appearance. thought Il my
duty to do it, and do not know but II
was. Ny mission was to publish the
truth and to oppose ialsehood. but as
grew older, there was such a volume
OF lies that found II hopeless TO reply
to them. have not done so for years,
except in one instance, aud then | did
Il at the solicitation OF my brethren, II
Satan lets loose stream OF ialsehood,
il Is useless for man 10 attempt IL
stem IL; you may as well let II How on,
aud leave the vindicaiion TO the Lord
Aud so with US as people. We have
been lied about until there Is no crime
In the calendar that we have not been
accused OF, But We are OUTLYING them,
and we will leave them behind. The
adversary, however, still lives. lie still
manufactures ialsehood, and finds
agents who are willing TO propagate
them; and he finds them among The
I.atter.day Saints, too. | have heard
the most ahominable ialsehoods told
about the First Presidency Of the
Church by those who call themselves
l.atier.day Saints, What will be the
result OF thisl II those people
do not repent, they will lose
the Spirit OF God, II they have
not lost il already; they will &c
into darkness, aud will lose their stand
ing in the Church. When a man losei
the Spirit Of God, the tie that binds hin
TO the Church Is severed; and he won
ders after a while how he could have
thought as he once did concerning II.
My brethren aud sisters, would like
TO impress you this afternoon with III,
importance OF retaining the Spirit o
God, and not allowing ether spirits Il
| t.la unnaagafau al Won. Nuu ghnulf