Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-15

Gus parts OF the continent OF Europe,
are meeting with success All they lack
IL more Elders to preach the word OF
the Lord. There are many. many cities
that have not yet heard the voices OF
our Elders, and therefore we cannot do
otherwise than believe that this work
win grow and Increase. Aside from
that. people who have been prejuGiced
towards us. and who have been op-
posed to us because they did not UNDER
stand our motives are becoming soft
ened in their hearts. The Lard IS pour-
ing out His Spirit upon them. that they
may be led TO investigate th,s Norl,
and seek for a testimony - them
selves Our Elders do nor require any
one to accept their words alone. They
besccch all to seek God to know n their
words are true. Those who VIII DO this.
II they are believers IN the true and
living God, can know of surety II this
Gospel be of God or Of man. II would
be a miracle In our eyes u we were 10
admit that It Is OF man; for there
is nothing that can cope with IL IN all
the world. All the fragmcntary pieces
| of Christianity that VIC ind throughout
the world are only remnants Of the
grand old organization that existed In
the days of our Lord and Savior. But
here in the United states Of America.
through the instrumentality Of the boy
Prophet, has been organized the Church
of Jesus Christ, II was organized on
the 9th day of April, 1880. with but six
members. We can see how IL has
grown, and how 1t has met all oppo-
sitlon ard overcome every power that
has attempted to thwitrJ its progress.
Therefore. we are encouraged, and we
are not wont to believe that the work Is
going to the ground. although we are
surrounded with temptation. We al
ways Will have temptation. because the
Almighty Will never rob US of that free
agency which we exercised before we
came to this world to tnke upon our
selves bodies. But this Church has been
organized with Apostles and Prophets,
and with the various offices of the two
Prlesthoods which have been restored.
Our Elders go forth bearing this tes-
timony. But sometimes when they re-
turn. they neglect their duties. on ac-
count of the lack of efficient work on
the part of the Priesthood, every
quorum not having performed its duty
as 1t should have done. II has been
deemed wise to send out n
great number Of missionaries
to labor here in Zion. Do you suppose.
my brethren and sisters that If we all
had been doing our duty in every or
gnnization of the Priesthood-if the
Priests had been going among the peo-
pie and explaining the Scriptures, If
the Teachers had been Visiting from
house to house as they are required to,
in every ward Of Zion--do you sup
pose II would have been necessary to
send out missionaries among our own
people? OF course, 1t would not. We
must admit that there has been a lack
of energy on our part in this regard.
Elders who return home. or those who
are not appointed to any special mis-
sion either at home or abroad, feel that
they can be little dilatory in regard
to the performance of their duties as
members of quorums and still be un-
der no great responsibility. But 1t is my
understanding of the Gospel of Christ
that If we allow sin to exist in our
midst and do not warn the sinner;
II We allow conditions to
to the the teachings of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, those upon
whom the Priesthood has been con-
ferred viii be held responsible, at any
rate to some extent. Now. we can di
vide this responsibility just as we
please, and take Il to ourselves as II
fits us, because 1t does fit us all. We
must acknowledge that If these quo
runs had performed their duties faith
fully, If this whole body of Christ had
been in proper, healthy. working con-
dition, there would be no need of send
ing missionaries to labor among the
different Stakes of Zion. But this con-
dition exists and we must deal with it
as best we can. Therefore, It has been
a source of JOY to me In meeting with
the Saints throughout the Stakes, to
see the awakening interest that the
young people are showing in the Cos
pei, and many of them have expressed
themselves that they would try to do
better. a great many of us get the
idea that we are going to live forever.
and that we do not need to trouble
ourselves about anything excepting the
things pertaining to this life: but how
mistaken we will be- and how we are
1ah .axs n,,I
uncertain this life of ours Is, and how
helpless-how useless, / may say-is
this body without the spirit was
reminded of this few days since by
being Mt the deathbed of n little girl.
the daughter of President Uriah Il.
Jones. OF the Parowan Stake of Zion.
The little one died of Group. While at
her bedside and in being present when
her spirit took leave from the body, i
was led to think over these matters.
and 1t strengthened my testimony; for
am of the firm opinion that the
sreater part of man is not his body,
but the spirit that gives life to the
body. At any rate. 1t is quite as much
OF our being as is this material body
What is this clay after the shirt hns
departed2 How helpless, how useless
II lies before us We see that those
powers that have been the very life OF
the being have departed. The little
one I refer TO had been sur
ferins very much In the evenin.
and the father who was AZ
priesthood meeting had been sent for
He went home and found her In a very
bad condition; and after the meeting
Brother David II. Cannon and myself
returned there. and we were Requested
to lay hands on the little one. We knoll
down by the be dslde, and laid orr
hands upon her. and the mother and
brothers and sisters knelt down also
and laid their hands upon the bed, and
we pcr'ed out our souls to God that He
would pare that child, If 1t were His
VIII; but we felt to say, Thy will. q
Father. not ours. be done" As a result
of our administration, the little one
was very much eased and rested quiet
ly until morning, when we were again
called and got up to find her In d very
bad condition. struggling for life. We
again laid hands upon her and prayed
God that the child might be released
from her pain. and II consistent with
His VIII TINT she pleht hr e-'--."
her parents, who loved her SO dearly. The
motne1 seemed as though snu ruatd
not be reoonclled to parting with her.
The little one was easier nfter onr nd
minlstration and appeared to be at per-
feet rest as compared with her previous
condition. | could see that the family
were grief-stricken, and that the father
and mother did not want to part with
the little one, and went into nv room
Nnclt down and prayed To my Heavenly