Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-09-11

Have they not been trying 10 make
men pure and Godlike? Have they not
been continually seeking the welfare
of the people. the building up of Zion
and the establishment of the kingdom
Of God In the earth? What did Joseph
Smith do all the time he lived after
God revealed Himself to him and he
became an instrument in His hands OF
bringing forth the Book of Mormon
and the revelations contained in the
Doctrine and Covenants? Did he seek
to trample upon he rights of the peo-
people or to curtail them In their prlvi-
leges? Did he seek to fasten chains OF
superstition and bondage upon them?
No. He sought to strike OFF from their
minds all the shackies of tradition
and superstition and to instill into
them pure principles of knowledge
truth and understanding which came
from God. He taught the people cor
rect principle that they might be able
to govern themselves. He gave as a
reason why he could control so many
people so effectively, that he taught
them correct principles and they
therefore We're easily governed. When
you teach the people true principles
and they obey them they need no gov
ernors or rulers. because they are
united, they see eye to eye, and they
seek each others good. When the
Spirit Of God IL with II people they do
not need rulers. and they will not have
rulers. There are no rulers in Zion.
There are teachers, eXemplars, coun-
selors and advisers. but there are no
rulers. There In nothing so dangerous
that 1 can conceive OF as man at
tempting to become a ruler in the
midst of the Latter-day Saints. When
a man undertakes to rule, he Is on
dangerous ground, and unless he re-
pentsof that ambition he will assured
ly fall. The Lord has not called us to
he rulers in the midst of the people,
He has called us to be teachers. to be
eNemplars. to eNhOrt, to admonish, re-
prove, counsel, and to guide the people
In the ways of truth and righteous
ness, and to say to the people. Follow
us as we follow Christ" That IL what
the Lord requires of His servants.
And we are not seeking to fasten
shackles upon the Latter-day Saints;
but we are seeking to make them free.
by the reception of truth in their own
hearts, that they may be free from
sin, and when n man is free from sin,
he is a free man indeed. for he then
becomes a son of God, and he Is not
In bondage to error, or to darkness, or
to any foul spirit, because the liberty
wherewith Cod has surrounded him
has made him free indeed. Therefore,
you need not be afraid of your
brethren. Even II they should at
tempt to counsel you sometimes with
regard to temporal matters, you
need not be afraid of them, because
If they ever deign to counsel you on
such matters 1t win be according to
the light and wisdom they have re-
celved from God for your good, and not
for your hurt. They are not going to
advise you for your hurt; they are not
going to wrong you: they are not GO
ing to lead you into traps; but they
are going to lead you out of traps, and
enable you to escape the pitfalls that
"a mn ira
to cut you loose from the leading
strings of designing politicians, OF
atheists, and of unbelievers In God
and the truth, that You may be led
more fully by the spirit of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. You do not need to
he afraid of President MILFORD Wood
ruff you need not be afraid of Brother
Cannon, nor OF Joseph +. Smith. be-
cause we are not here to injure you,
or to counsel you to do that which is
not right in the sight Of Cod, neither
are we here to deprive you Of any
privilege or right that God designs you
should enjoy-nnd He designs that you
should enjoy all rights and all privlle-
ges, and that you should be free peo-
pie. and the richest Of all people upon
the face OF the earth. AS we were go
Ing home last night one Of the breth-
rem remarked how true the saying of
the Lord was that we should be the
richest of all people: he said 1t was in
deed true. Poor as we may seem to
be. there Is not another people OF the
same number gathered together any
where in the world with n community
of interest that are possessed of so
many blessings and are so universally
surrounded with the favors of heaven
and earth as are the Latter-day
Saints. There Is not another people on
the face of the globe. to my knowledge.
that possess their own homes to the
hat t1t., ut
nor another community In the world
that possesses as many of the comforts
and blessings Of life as this communi-
ty. A greater percentage OF them
own their own homes. are better cad,
better fed, better housed, moro intelli-
gent. and are nearer God than any
other people that ] know OF, Take
all the different churches rs you find
them. and they cannot show parallel
to this Church in this regard. They
may show very rich men, and larger
amount of property In the hands OF a
few: but among them wealth Is not
so evenly distributed as You find 1t
among the Latter-day Saints. What
does that prove? 1t proves that the
leaders, the teachers and the counse-
lura of this people have been wise
leaders and counselors and they have
sought to establish sound doctrine and
Principle in the hearts OF the people.
They have sought to teach hem In
dustry. economy, prudence, and alb
stinence from every practice and ap-
pctite injurious to them. They have
sought To teach them love. charity,
Kindness and forgiveness one towards
another. Indeed. they have sought to
teach them the truth. And as far as
tito people have learned to listen to
their teachings and have adopted their
instructions and counsels, they have
prospered. for God has blessed them,
and they have their own homes and an
abundance of this worlds goods This
is what God designs they shuuld have,
aud more ahundantly, too. If they Will
only be wise in the use OF II and still
remember Him from whom these bless
ings come; for II would be sinful to
scrFet the Oliver of the gift In the on
,oymcnt of 1t.
Another thing: Men that have been
true to the principles of the Gospel.
and to their wives and children, God
has prospered and blessed them; their
fruit has not cast itself before its time.
and II has not been destroyed by the
Gevourer. The blight and the gildew
and the curses that lnfest the earth
when God is displeased with men, hnNe
not followed and rested upon thofe
who have been faithful and dllig"nt
In the performance OF their duties.
Any man would be foolish TO say that
God will bless the idler, and him who
squanders his time, and who does not
seek wisdom In the direction OF his
la bors. II il not expected that God VIII
bless such people as this. When
man seeks the spirit of wisdom and OF
Inspiration from the Almighty he