Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-08

to practice fighteousnessr Is 1t any
wonder that he seeks to decoy and lead
astray our children No. it is not. That
is par, Of his plan. II he can be sue
cessful in this, then he will triumph.
But the duty and the mission is en-
truste to us 10 seek to make better
condition And it will have to be done
by the intlu nee oil the Priesthood. We
cannot get away from that. Now, | do
not mean by this that the Church will
interfere with the State. That is the
constant cry, you know, that is being
raised to irighten us and to make us
AFRAID 10 do things, lest we shall be open
to the charge OF interfering with the
State. 1t is stale cry. There is moth
ing in ii, and il should no. intimidate
people like the Latei-day SAINTS. We
have not interiered with the State. We
have built the State. The influence Of
the Priesthood in the Church of Christ
has made this country what 1t is. 1t has
transformed it from desert into its
present fruitfulness. Do you think that
II the men who bear the Priesthood
cou d have their way they would Cypress
| anybody in this country? They would
| MOI. 1t is a truth that we may as well
| recognize, that because man bears the
Priesthood it does not necessarily PILLOW
that he must abstain from all partcipa-
ton in state affairs This would be a
terrible condition Tor ths people, be-
cause every reputable m'n IN our
Church is bearer oil the Priesthood;
| aud ( this rule were to operate, 1t would
| exclude the entire Mormon male popu-
lauon from all pa ticipation IN the aft hrs
| OF the State Bul, we have endeavored
10 concede everything that VIC could to
meet these attacks; we have done every
| thing in our power, without sacrificing
our rights and liberties. At the sam /:
| time there is no reason why man that
bears the Priesthood should no, act in
| any capacity in the ate His bearing
| the Priest God should not preclude him
in the leas, degree from that. He can
be as true to the State an to all its obi
| cations as if he were a private citizen.
One does not Interfere with the Other.
We have been taught from the begin
| ming this important principle, that the
| Church of Coz is distinct from the KING
dom OF God. Joseph gave Us the pat
tern before he He'd He gave his bre,h
I'm an example that has not been for
gotien up 10 this day. He impressed 1t
| upon them. that men, not members OF
| the Church, could be members OF the
kingdom that the Lord will set up when
| He reigns He picked out the youngest
| among them, and told them TO be sure
| and remember this. In the minds of all
OF us VINO understand this matter there
| is clear distinction between the Church
| in its eccle siastical capacity aud that
which may be termed The government OF
God in its political capacity. No people
| are less open to the Charge OF mingling
the two and seeking to destroy the dis
tinctions between church and state than
the Latter-day Saints, and especially the
| leading men OF this Church; and any at
tempt on the part OF anyone to say that
we have any such designs, is the attack
| of an enemy and is untrue. But no mat
| ter how scrupulously we walk, or how
many declarations we may make OF our
| Intentions, or how many pledges we
| give, there is class OF men, and prob
ably will be for years, who are always
| ready to misinterpret and TO make false
| charges against us concerning these
things. And many OF our own people
have been as much to blame for this as
| those not of us; they have drunk into
the same spirit, and they have yielded to
| the influence OF it, thus Strengthening
| the hands Of those who have attacked
US from this standpoint. Many oil our
people have helped them, and yet they
have called themselves Latter-day Saiutsl
They have been untrue to the people,
untrue to their fellowship, and to the
| covenants which we make with one an
| other. We have never made a covenant
| that will not bear exposure, that we
would not be willing that the whole
world should know. We have made nc
secret covenants and oaths 10 prevent
us from loving mankind and treating
them as our brothers and sisters. But
we do covenant to love one another and
to love the Lord; we do covenant to
build up righteousness in the earth, to
be the children of God, the servants oil
| Jesus Christ. We make covenants o
that kind when we go into the waters o
baptism. But men have broken those
covenants, and unwitingly, perhaps, il
many instances, they have injured the
work OF God. Therefore, | say tina
they must repent, no matter who the,
are, and turn away from these things, o.
the Lord will withdraw His Spirit from
them, as well as His gifts and blessings
We may as well understand this first a.
last. cannot lift my hand against thi.
people and be prosperei in II, nor cat
any other man. No man can join will
the enemies OF this people and hope tt
succeed; for God will desert him, NJ
matter how high his nding may be
and all who follow in his footsteps vii
find themselves dreadiully deceived
We may as well warn you OF this, au,
tell you the truth, whatever may be sait
about it. We do not want any of you
blood clinging to our garments. We d,
not want 10 stand in the positions we d,
and hoId our peace and see the peopl
misled and going astray. God ha
placed us as shepherds over His flock
and il we do not look out for the flocl
He will smite US and remove us. w,
are placed as watchmen upon the wall
OF Zion, and il we do not give warniuj
when we see danger, then we are cuipa
BILE and will be condemned OF God
Now, il you want to know why we tall
this way, understand that this is tn
reason: We are responsible to the Lor,
for you, and we cannot shirk that r,
sponsibility. Our opponents may b
offended at these remarks, and misquot
them; but that does not make a partic
OF difference. Must we stand and lie
the people go astray, and not lit up on
voices in warning? Why, we might a
well die today and be done with it, an
let some body else come and take on
places and do the work. What is tn
use of our being in this position unles
we are men AID have the Willingness /,