Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-08-28

1 very little before.
| Was not this the time when this
| love Of which I have spoken was be-
| gotten In your hearts? | think II you
| We're to have the opportunity today of
testifying, you would say, Yes, that
J was the time. 1t was when / heard the
| Gospel and obeyed 1t. 1t was when
| was baptized by servant of God and
| received the Spirit OF God through
| the laying on of hands II was then
| mat my heart was changed, and i
FELT that was born again-born of
| iod, and that a new love had been
| aroused in my heart which changed
| my whole being and all my desires"
| This was the change that was
| wrought in the hearts of the people
who received the Gospel through the
| preaching OF the Elders. And this
| change has not been confined to
| one nation, or to one people,
but II has been as universal as the
| preaching Of the Gospel. Everywhere
! where the Elders have gone they
| have carried this power with them
| You who had Joined thcChurch in other
| lands know that this was the case
No matter where you were born, or
what language you spoke. whether you
were baptized in the sea, or in u
river, or in. n place where there was
only water enough to lmmerse you.
this effect followed In every instance.
Why was this? Was the power in
men themselves? Did they possess It
by inherent right, or did they derive
1t from some other source? You Will all
say-for many of you have had the
same experience In operating upon
, others az others had in laboring with
you-that this power and this infu-
ence was not inherent in the men,
but 1t had been bestowed upon them.
| Where did IL come from?
II came from God.
1t Is wonderful story to tell-won-
! derful In its condescenslon, wonder
full In the glorious effects that have
followed 1t, wonderful for this genera
tion to hear, wonderful for us to live
In an age such as this and to be so
| favored as we have been-that God,
the Eternal Father. the Creator of
heaven and earth, the Fountain of all
existence and of all power, has con-
| descended In our day to come down
| from heaven, from His glorious abode,
accompanied by His Son, Jesus. To re-
store to the earth this love and these
gifts, to give to men this wonderful
| power and these extraordinary gifts!
| Is II not wonderful to think OF? Ought
! we not, ofall people, to be the most
| humble, obedient and loving people
that live or ever did live upon the
earth? 1t seems to me that we should
be. Think OF living at a time when
| this event so far reaching in Import
ance to heaven and earth has taken
place-the Father Himself. accom-
panied by His Son Jesus Christ, con-
descending TO come from heaven to
usher in this dispensation and to pre-
pare the way for the restoration OF
that authority by which He Himself
ucts and governs all things! And this
has actually occurred.
Our Father and Our Savio,
d'd not ,,o confer nn,, this sn, author thor,
| Inqnnh Smith. htIt Cod 10
ants who held authority to do this. He
honored the authority that He him
self had bestowed. He had bestowed
that authority upon Peter, James and
John, and lie sent them. They were
preceded by John the Baptist, who
Priesthood. The Lord honored that
man because he had received the au-
thorlty and held the keys,and He sent
him to restore the authority TO baptize
| He then sent the three Apostles whom
| have named to confer the MelChls-
edek Priesthood. with the authority to
lay on hands and to perform all the
duties connected with that Priesthood.
! My brethren and sisters, this ia the
origin of this authoity by which this
wonderful change that has taken
place In our hearts has been accom-.
! plished. II is the authority by which
you were baptized, by which you were
| confirmed members of the Church, b!
which the gift OF the Holy Ghost wal
conferred upon you. II was that
Priesthood that came from heaven. II
Is not our gathering together that has
brought this about. The gathering OF
the people to these mountains Is the
fruit of the love that God has begotter
in our hearts, which has inspired Vi
with a desire to be with our brethren
and our sisters and to be within the
sound OF the voices of the servants OF
4 ~ hut
"Oh! / do so want to see the Prophet
OF God. / want to go to Zion and b,
with the Saints of God. My heart yearn'
continually for this privilege" ! have
had this said to me thousands Of tlmei
in various lands. And this has beer
brought about by being born again, by
the love OF God descending upon u'
and filling our hearts-transformin
us. Now, where we have retained this
feeling, II is as strong with
In us today:ycs, and stronger thar
IL ever was 1t is not a feeling that Ii
confined to the first week, or month
or year; but It increases as the years
20 by, and there is only one thint
that will cause its decrease. and tina
is the commission of sin and the for
getting of the covenants that have
been made with God
call your attention, therefore. t.
| the power which has produced al
these delightful results TO which
have so briefly alluded. What is tina
power? II In the Priesthood of tn,
Son of God II is the power by which
! all things were created and are helC
In their place. Shall l startle yot
when i say that our Father himself
controls the universe and occupies HI.
exalted station because Of the Priest
hood? Whether IL Is startling or not
II Ia nevertheless true. Our Eterna
Father IL the creator OF all thing
through the power of the everlasting
Priesthood-that Priesthood which hai
been bestowed upon and exercised b!
the servants OF God In our day. Tina
Is the power which has produced thu
fruits to which have alluded
Now, l believe that many of us hav,
forgotten all this. | am sorry to sa,
that | discover among the Latter-da1
Saints fear OF that Priesthood. {
dread OF it's exercise. a shrinking from
contact with Il, for fear that some un
due influence will be brought to bea
upon us through 1t. Today the great
est sorrow of my heart, the feeling
'utud lsOm 5ul atu s9suB5 luq
arises from the fact that the Latter
day Saints, in many instances, ar
turning their backs on the Priesthoo,
of the Son OF God. and are disposed t
treat II with contempt. l do not car
for myself personally. / believe / cal
truthfully say that | have had littl
Of the feeling to seek the applause o
the multitude or to seek the favor o
men. / have not sought Office.
have not sought for place in tn
Priesthood or In any other capacity
When was a little boy tn