Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-01
REMARKS
Made Christ of
Days Saint In the Tabe
day Anrl tn.
ELDER FRANCIS M. LYMAN.
[REpoRrED BY ARTHUR WINTER ]

done when God announces it, and not
b. fore. We wait, we listen for the coun-
sells Of the Lord. We do in regard to
the organization oil Stakes, IN the or
ganization OF quorums, and in all the
various details OF organization in this
Church--we listen to the counsels and
inspiration OF the Lord. The Lord doe,h
it. When He speaks and gives direc-
ton to His servants, they have always
the courage to perform that duty. We
labor faithfully; we give careful attention
to the RESPONSIBILITIES that rest upon us
as prominent Elders in the Church; we
try to 1--we squarely up to our duties, and
the Lord is always ready to come 10 the
rescue and TO support and sustain us.
This work is most secure and most
thoroughly established, and is never to
be broken Gown. There is not any
power inside or outside OF the Church,
and there never will be, TO disrupt this
Church and to break it in pieces The
enemies OF this Church have always
watched, and when there has been a
rifle on the surface that would indicate
there was trouble within, they have
grasped at It with avdi,y, and they have
enjoyed the prospect OF the breaking to
pieces Of this work. They thought,
when the Prophet Joseph's life was taken,
that that was the end. Why, ii there
were thousand prophets to die, it
would not interrupt this work; for the
| Lord has established His Church upon
! the earth and will maintain it. Has it
not grown steadily from the beginning
Has it ever been interrupted for one
moment? We have had all kinds of ex-
perience; we have been attacked by
those who have turned away from us, as
well as those who have opposed us
from the outside; but the work has NOV.
! ed steadily and regularly forward; and
where there are now 1900 Elders in the
| field, there will b. IS 900 in the field yet,
preaching the Gospel. We are only
| just beginning the work; for 1t is work
that is 10 spread throughout the earth
| The whole world is to be embraced in
| this missionary labor. The experience
of the world today, in their religious
and ether organizations. is indicative of
unrest. They begin to find that they are
not built UPON the rock, but that their
| foundations are sandy. That is the
| beauty o, this work; when man EN-
braces it, he finds that he is built upon
| the rock and cannot be shaken If he is
| faithful, The reason that there are those
! among US who are shaken from time to
i, time, when troubles come upon us, is
| because men are. faulty. There ave
reasons in the heart OF every man who
| is shaken and disturbed As was init.
mated this morning by President Can.
non, when there is put forth Church
order or rule, it is announced when God
would have it announced; it is published
and given to the people at the proper
time, lust when it should be. The Lord
| is the Judge. We would not do unless
| He directed us; we would not speak
| and give counsel unless the Lord directed.
| And when He speaks thu oush His ser
| wants, all who are in harmony and have
| the proper spirit. having done the mind
| and will Of God, know the voice OF the
| true Shepherd. If any of you have mis-
taken the voice OF the true Shepherd,
| you want to repent Let all Israel know
that II they have not understood the
voice OF the true Shepherd when it has
been uttered, they have occasion for re.
penlance, and they ought to repent. 1t
| is necessary that we should live as close
| and as careful 10 the line as possible,
and to exert every power within US for
the accomplishment OF the purposes of
the Lord. There is reaction setting in
in Israel to day, as there is throughout
the world in regard to this important
work. We are now finding, and we will
more abundantly in the future, that our
kindred are enquiring after us. They
want to know something about this
work; they are enqulring after the Cos.
pel; for they begin to feel that there is a
religious body in the earth that has some
light that is superior to the light which
they possess, The world wants some
thing that they can rely upon, that will
satisfy their souls, and this is not to be
found outside of the Gospel OF Jesus
Christ. This is Gods work, and He
has found few honest in heart, who
have gathered together, and He would
have found more II they had not been
blinded by the receptions OF men. You
know how easily men are deceived in
this world. They are cheated in regard
TO religion as well as in regard to other
matters. and have thought they were
more easily gulled in regard to religion
than anything else. 1t is quite difficult
matter Tor people TO be Saints
OF God. 1t is moi something that is OF.
fered TO YOU as easy 10 accomplish; but
it is difficult, trying matter for human
nature. 1t requires the very first and
the whole attention of every human be-
ing. Has not Jesus said: "lf any man
come to me, and lorsake not his father,
aud mother, and wife. and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
lie also, he cannot be my diseiple?"
believe this is true doctrine. This being
the work OF God, it is worth everything
II man would have all things else,
he must first seek the kingdom OF God
aud HIS righteousness. This work is
more valuable and precious TO us tnan
all other things; for it embraces life
eternal, happiness here and hereafter; it
embraces the riches OF this world, and
everything that we can desire that is
proper. We must prize the Father, and
His Son Jesus Christ, the Savior OF the
world, ABOVE all things else. A man
must not SO love his father or his moth
er, his wife, his children. his brothers,
his sisters, or his own lfs-he must not
love these so well that he would forsake
God for them. But il we love God and
keep His commandments, our fathers,
our mothers, our brothers and sisters,
and our own lives, shall then be made
J secure to us. This is the philosophy OF
It, We are engaged in this labor, and it
will be profitable to us TO give il our first
attention. At the same time it is not
necessary that we should neglect every
thing else; but the very FIRST attention
should be given to God and to His
cause. We may engage in all other
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