Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-05-02

lowing the rule Of giving the best
Ut the last Of the feast but beng thus
called, desire TO give my testimony
with the rest OF my brethren. Aud In
this vast congregation. while It Is diff.
cult Tor US to make all hear, I would
ask the people kindly to be as quie, as
they can, so that We may most Of us
hear, and will Try to speak so as to be
heard. and Il the Lord pleases to give
US generous measure Of Ills Holy
Spirit we may still be edited.
have been exceedingly refreshed by
the instructions OF yesterday and today,
and realize that It IS an instructive, In.
teresiing aud important time in which
we live; and II we can but understand
the importance Of the times and the
circumstances that surround and attend
upon US. no person who possesses the
spirit OF Zion, can be otherwise than
happy and rejoice IN the multitude OF
the tender mercies OF our God which
lie is beslowing upon His people, It
was said by an ancient wise man that
'thcre is a season and a time to every
purpose under the heaven" There Is
time to SOW and time to reap, a time
to plant and a time to gather. There
are times when /! appears as II all ma
ture was by the frost OF life not only
hidden up, but when the severity Is 50
great that It seems as u il mus, be killed
outright, and tina, vegetation could not
start in the spring. Then again We see
the opposite extreme In the summer,
when the heat Is so great that human
flesh and blood iaints and subsidies be-
fore It. Now, when We look at the
great work Of the Lord in the last days,
there Is quite a similarity in the course
OF Gods pfovidenees to His people to
what there Is In the course OF the sea-
sons Of the revolving years. The work
OF the Lord has had is times OF re.
ireshing aud sunshine, OF sowing and
OF maturing. and reaping the plentiful,
the bounteous, the glorious harvest, IN
the temples OF God for instance, as they
have been completed and dedicated, and
AS we have received the blessings Of
heaven therein. While ON the other
hand there have been times Of persecu.
ton, Afliction, sorrow and distress,
until to all outward appearance Il would
seem as II the tree OF lie which God
had planted IL the earth had been about
frozen to death.
such was time In Missouri when
the Prophet and his immediate asso-
GATES were In prison together; when
other brethren by the score were IN
other prisons, when the voice OF the
military chieitain told US we need never
expect 10 see our Prophet again, and
We we're, with all military stefnness in
formed that We must locate rs other
people locate, and never organize again
IN ward and stakes, under bishops and
presidents. The contamination Of that
serious event looked like destruction Tor
the Church. We were blnished from
the state, and It took all that winter
with all the brethren could do TO help
everybody get out from those distress.
ing conditions and into the state OF
Illinois. There spring opened. There
was found a feeling OF kindness, bene.
violence and generosity on the part OF
the good people OF the City OF Quincy
and the regions round about brethren
came and went. took up farms, worked
them upon shares, hired out, and did
whatever they could TO sustain lite, get
their families located, and overcome the
adyersiiies OF the previous year.
What was the RESULT As this spring
weather opened to them, they got situa-
tons and labor. In little while the
Prophet Joseph came along, having
been delivered by .the almighty
power OF God, also his brother Hyrum,
aud the brethren OF the Apostles,
Directly the work Of the Lord began to
prosper, Brother Joseph purchased a
place Tor NauvOo, bought out Com
merce, because II was so slckly that
other people could not live there. Nau.
WOO was built up In the short space OF
seven years, aud a temple was built
there which cost about million dollars.
That was glorious summers work.
Our Elders went everywhere preaching
the word, explaining 20 the people
around them the faith that we were
petsecuied Tor and driven from state to
state, telling them what was the cause
OF the terrible frosty winter that we
had been passing through; and il had
its effects. Many people were gathered
in. Nauvoo became a glorious city,
People came from New Orleans,
from New 1oIk ana from canada 10
find out and hear the word OF the
Prophet Joseph, and to see what these
people were doing, because they made
the welkin ring from morning till night
with the saw and hammer, building up
that beautiful place
Well, before the temple was COM
pleted our Prophet laid down his life,
having been led like lamb TO the
slaughter. But the work OF the Lord
vent on, Our treaties with our enemies
allowed US certain period to get our
wagons together, aud another terrible
winter set IN upon US. We had the
Journey over the prairics OF Iowa. the
period OF sickness, the cold Of the win
Ter, the suffering in Winter Quarters;
and we lourneyed over the plains ex
led Israel IN the wilderness - the
sinpdom Of God ON whees-ior about
iwo wears, ill we arrived in this great
American desert"-a country OF sage
brush. grease wood, wolves and Indians
Ne got here and winter began to break
again. A little experience soon taught