Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-18
REMARKS
. ~ the Conference Sunday December ct
by
PRESIDENT MILFORD WOODRUFF.

a,,,,do IL the gate, and broad Is the
rot leadeth to destruction, and
~ - there be which so in thereat:
'.rscnuse strait is the gate. and mar
the way, which leadeth unto life'
low there be that find it,
,ook upon TINT as one of the most
nortant sayings of Jesus Christ while
.o,ps the people in His day. Few 4
- are that find the straight and
,,,, ,yay. To read such sayings OF
- Savior as those sets one to reflect
'"r If 1t is necessary for the children
n men to receive the Gospel OF Jesus
christ and TO attend to the ordinances
:, mis- house, in order TO be saved in
~. hingdom of God. certainly 1t would
~n,eer as IL very few Will he saved
II the celestial kingdom of our God.
whom the Lord called Joseph Smith,
Mo received the mlnistrations of Mo-
uni an angel Of God from heaven.
According to the teachings that We're
,,ven to him by the Lord and by the
angels of heaven, there was no organi-
-.,ion on the face of the whole earth
At that time that was accepted of the
Lord as His Church. Joseph Smith
had received the holy Priesthood by
the administration of angels from God
ant of heaven before he himself was
prepared to preach the Gospel. The
work that he commenced was like n lit
lie mustard seed. Those that followed
him were very few in number;
and the same spirit of opposition
which was manifest in the days of the
Savior and in the days of the prophets
vas manifest in his day and time.
He met with the same fate as the Son
II God and His Apostles did. All laid
down their lives and sealed their testi-
mony by the shedding Of their blood.
excepting John the Revelator, and he
was preserved by the power of God
This is subject of vast Importance
to the inhabitants of the earth. in
cluding the Lattcr-day Saints. Accord
ing to statisticians, there are about
fourteen hundred millions of human
: beings on the earth Now, If the Latter
day Saints are all who have received
the Gospel of Christ since the organic
ton of the Church, then the numbers
who are preparing to go into the
CELESTIAL kingdom of God are certainly
very few. Even II the Latter-day
Saints numbered half million, they
would be a very small prcentage OF the
Inhabitants of the earth.
There was n small congregation OF
Iatter-day Saints here this morning,
and we listened to n number of the
Bishops represent their wards and tes-
tfy concerning tithing. the expense of
caring for the poor, and the position
they were in. thought TO myself that.
="
be one Of that number who will go to
receive eternal life In the celestial
kingdom Of God and to be whereGod and
Christ dwell. 1t would certainly pay
Us to thoroughly keep the command
ments Of God and do our duty. 1t
causes singular reflections to look upon
the history of the inhabitants of the
earth. 1t does not make much difference
what part of the world you take, nor
what age, mankind have been prone
10 evil and to yield to the enemy. One
third Of the hosts of heaven are repre-
sented as having been cast down from
heaven to earth. They are fallen
angels, who have been on the earth,
] suppose. ever since they were cast
out Of heaven. What Is their
mission? II is to work against God
and against Christ; to lead the chill
dren Of men TO do that which IN evil,
that they may have power and domin-
lon over them in this world and in the
world to come. The children of men
IN every age have had these fallen
spirits to contend with These powers
nave been manifest from the fail of
Adam down to our day. and will con-
q ilnue until He who holds the keys of
4 ceath and hell win bind Satan and
n shut him up in prison for one thousand
years, after which he will he liberated
II 70 perform his last act for the destruc-
H uon OF the sons of men.
IN rejecting over these things. and
teng how IL has been In days that are
past and gone, 1t seems, II we are to
Judge from the revelations and from
'he saying Of the Savior which I have
quoted, that there are very few who
ma the straight and narrow way that
sads to eternal life. But the Latter
oay Saints have n desire to be saved in
we kingdom of God. This Is n great
.aesire, and II should be with all men.
we should understand that 1t will pay
Us 10 STRIFE TO do right and to keep the
commandments of God, that when we
81 through we may receive those
Blessings that we are looking for; that
We may meet with the Lord. meet with
rather Adam. with Abraham, Isaac
ana Jacob, with the patriarohs and
= nets and W. the few Saints that
re been in the flesh on the earth. |
believe this is your desire II Is my
.ood up. have thought sometimes
uat | have made rather n poor at
nWnpt AT IL: perhaps many OF us have
~ INC same. but I think that the lit
" ume we have to be here II will nay
10 look carefully to our ways and to
Aeep the commandments of God. IT
w pc worth our while to pay our
mmnlhE aud attend to every other duty
mat god requires at our hands while
W dwell here. that when we get
trough We may be satisfied. This Is
~ ueSlre with regard to the Latter
,y saints. For when we realize the
Nv mat will enter into eternal life
semlared with those that win go the
'Iad road. 1t is lamentable.
Latter-day Saints we have re-
.sd the Priesthood: the command
I. Of God have been made known
and we have set before us,
,sough the mouths of inspired men,
NJ principles that shall lead us in
h psth OF life and salvation. Now.
lew OF these things. what viii 1t
l M US TO sin? What is there In this
NJ NAV viii pay us to lose all those
,.sIgs which belong to the first
Action and to the kingdom OF
- 1t is within our power. by
nm the commandments of God, 10
4, H. tVrth out of our graves clothed
NJ, immortal, celestial bodies. with our
no,, our children, our fathers, our
liners our relatives, and our friends.
h hpceupy high and exalted positions
srss presence Of God and the Lamb.
tes, NWen with them forever and for
VI tsrs what is there, brethren and sis
VI bat N mis- world or anywhere else,
"a VIII paw us IN n,,rqt,n a ro,r.,,