Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-08
DISCOURSE
the Church Christ
Saints Salt Lake City Monday.
PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.
[REPoRTKp BY ARTHUR WINTER ]

I -
manifesting itself among men. A new
| era is dawning upon mankind. It's true
| that the Lattei1ay SAINTS are but
small people numerically; but when we
are united and obedient to the voice OF
God. there is no people, no matter how
numerous they may be, that attract at
,ention 10 their movements and opera
tons as the Latter-day Saints do. 1t is
astonishing the interest there Is felt in
the movements of this people We
have been opposed all the time; we have
had difficulties OF an aim lst insuperable
character to contend with; and yet here
has been power accompanying this
people and lmpelling Them forward and
| sustaining them that mas been miraculous
in its operations We have only to re-
view the history Of the Church during
the past few years to be conscious of
this. We need not go tack 10 the days
OF New York, nor TO the days of Klrt-
land, OF Jackson COUNTY, Clay County or
| Caldwell County, or Nauvoo, nor to the
beginning O! our settlement here; we
have only to go back few years 10 see
how wonderfully God has wrought in
behalf OF His people. We have had al
most every kind OF opposition TO con-
tend with, yet that opposition has been
overcome. The Lords providence has
! been over this people, and they have
manner 1t can be said OF us that winch
was said of Mordecai, as recorded in ihe
book OF Esther When Haman's friends
found that Mordecai and Hannah were
opposed, they said:
II Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, be-
fore whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt
not prevail against him. but shalt surely fall be-
| fore him.
So 1t is with the Latter-day Saints
There is no power on earth, no matter
now formidable and threatening it may
be, that can stand in opposition to this
work, and every plan that is framed for
its overthrow will TALL to the ground
Nothing will ever succeed against this
Church so long as the Lat,er-day Saints
are united. We shall triumph. Our
trials will probably be severe, and we
we will have to pass through ordeas
that will test us to the very centre; but
we shall emerge from them victorious
| in every instance, # we are faithful to
the truth which God has revealed to us.
The Lord will have tried people. We
shall have dark hours; we shall have
times when it will seem as though the
| Lord had apparently forsaken us; when
the whole heavens will be covered with
| clouds, and it will seem as though we
cannot escape; but il we are faithful to
the Lord He will bring us through, and
after testing our faith RE will crown us
with success and triumph He has done
l. in the past; He will do it in the future
| But il any Latter-day Saint thinks he
can get through without being tested,
| then he makes sad mistake.
We have had tests here OF late. As
| said ia my remarks yesterday morning,
| we have been threatened with division.
| Men have become unsettled in their
| Views; darkness has taken possession OF
many mnds, and they have doubt about
| that concerning which there ought never
| to be any doubt, namely. the Priesthood
| of the Son Of God. When you doubt
that, where are your What are you to
rely upon2 Why we had better distrust
| the solid earth itself on which we stand
and think it trembling and unreliab e,
than TO think that the Priesthood cannot
| be relied upon-that Priesthood which
God Himself, accompanied by His Son
| Jesus, came to earth to prepare the way
| for its restoration. | would just as soon
think of the starry heavens falling into
chaos; l would just as soon think that
the throne OF our Father in heaven was
| in danger OF being shaken to its founda-
tons, as ! would think that the PRIEST
hood OF God, through which all this
slowed upon us has come, would be
permitted by the Lord to mislead this
people. Never Never! The Father
did not come down from heaven HIM
self, accompanied by His Son Jesus, for
any such purpose as this. The Lord did
not pour out His Spirit as He has done
upon the honest in heart wherever the
| Elders have gone, 10 leave this work
alone, to be mismanae ed, and the people
| to be led astray. The Lord has not led
us to these mountains and blessed US as
| He has done Tor this purpose. No, mol
Though impenesrable darkness should
surround us, we ought, as a people and
as individuals, to cling to that truth
which the Lord has revealed concerning
this work; cling to the Priesthood; cling
to the rod OF iron," which is the word
OF God, and the word OF God comes
through the Priesthood. Let each one
say: 81 will serve God, no matter what
happens; will cling TO His Priesthood,
which God has put in His Church to
govern it, no matter what the conse-
quences may be-" That is the integrity
we should cherish, and which we shou d
teach to our children. Unless we do,
we will never accomplish that which
God designs for us.
| feel, to some extent, keenly upon
this point, because love the Latter-day
Saints No heaven would be heaven to
me unless the Latter-day Saints were
there. | would rather die any time than
to see this people turned away from the
truth. | love the LatteI-day Saints bet
ter than | can express. and | desire
exceedingly to see them do right. |
have, therefore, felt grieved to the bot
tom of my soul when have seen them
watering, and have asked myself Fl rs
it Gene to this, that in the Church OF
Jesus Christ Of Lat er-dsy Saints pro-
phet OF Co will not be listened , that
a proph, Of God shall be limited in his
authority, and snail not counsel the
LatteI-day SAINTS as God shah insp re
him1 To me the thought OF this mas
been terrible. And yet men who ar
the Priesthood have manifested thai
spirit in z on. They did not want to
listen 10 The voice oil God through His
prophets. They did not want the First
Presidency, nor the Twelve, to counsel
them. In effect, they said: Keep of.
There is limit to your authority We
do not want you to exercise 1t beyon
| ra,t,;,, I;n,,ta - IN Ia awftil IN thiuL, af