Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-29
Truth Exemplified
I'm Popular Hymn
An Address Delivered at Salt Lake Tabernacle by Dr.
S3 G. H. Brimhall, on Sunday, October Is, 1910
n,cportcd BY r. W. ot,ers,romo

+, tellicence, was cu-existent with God.
he put upon the man the responsibility.
/, rightly, that belonged there. IL man
| were the creature. IL lie were the thing
made without taking any part In the
! making, he is justified in holding the
Maker entirely responsible for his ma.
turc: and as he acts In accordance with
/ his nature, the Maker must be entirely
| responsible for his conduct. heard an
| eminent educator SOY. not long since,
I, that this doctrine removes from man
| the possibility of consistently accusing
God Of making man as he Is. 1t Is a
| protest against shufflins off mans
| weakness and his wickedncss on the
| Almighty. The great popular cry. to-
day, is. People are bad because they
cannot be otherwise" believe that
! am, first, what ! was before ] came
here: second. what my ancestors nave
been: third, what my environments
have physically. and spiritually.
mentally and morally: hut finally. am.
more than anything else. what my
choices have been. | have chosen my
points of interest. and when ! choose
| what shall be Interested in. then lay
the foundation as to what my desires
shall be, because n mans desires are
the frutage OF his interests, and these
desires based upon the points OF inter-
est. become the foundation OF new lie
examinations. A mnn will determine
IL the direction of his desires. ana his
determinations are at the base of M:
actions his conduct Hence clIaraccte ter
luilding starts with choice Of points
Of interest Know this. that every
soul is free. to choose his life and what
he'll bc"-how far? How far Is choice
free? Choice is free as to causeE. but
cnoice Is not. free as to results or ef-
fects. One can choose effects through
causes only. And what of those choices!
a man chooses a point of interest, OF
nobility: but he will NOT. cannot choose
the effect of that choice. A man chooses
point OF interest, of debasemnnt, but
he cannot choose the results OF that
choice | can choose to make my hom1
on the hillside where the mountain
breezes blow. where strength and VI
tally come to me from every zephyr. or
can choose to make 1t on the mar%e
of some swamp where malaria turks,
but cannot choose what the climatic
effects OF these locations shall! have en-
me. we were ircs agents before we
came here--nOt so free as we are now,
because we have more power: we have
yielded more obedience We have mortal
privileges. O that beautiful thought.
WAS I nurtured near thy side?" To
my mind there Is something so beauti-
full about that term--nurtured? Yes,
nurtured. cared for until We grew to
be adult spirits. until we could vote on
great questions in the councils of the
heavens The Prophet Joseph says that
In the first grand council--we were
there, and We heard the plan of saliva
ton. and we consented to 1t. We took
upon ourselves. there. the name of
Jesus Christ, as we have done here:
to which latter choice we testify when
we partake of the Sacrament. Let us
so on little further:
For wise and glorious purpose
Thou hast placed me here on earth.
And withheld the recollection
or my former friends and birth"
DESIRE FOR MORTALITY.
Oh, that glorious purpose. brethren
and sisters! The fundamental purpose
of our coming here was to get bodies.
Having bodies is one great difference
between our privileges and the priv
lleges of the spirits that rebelled in
heaven. Their punishment Is that they
cannot have bodies: and how eager
they are for this privilege They know
the power, In n measure, that we have
over them by our having bodies;
privilege, wherein the spiritual organ
IZation combines with the physical or
ganisatlon. where matter and spirit
are comparatively flnctloncd In beauty
and power. When they are insepara-
bly, connected. 1t Is the highest form of
existence. There is such an Instinc-
tive tenacity to this union that even
old people struggle against dissolu
ton. With wthered cheeks, pale lips,
and shrunken forms, they still cling
to mortality, and rightfully too The
evil spirits preferred to have the bodies
of swine rather than to have none.
=, IL,
"And withheld the recollection OF my
former friends and birth" That Is the
second part OF this wise and glorious
purpose. We'll, 1t was a fortunate thing
for all of us. 1t is said that some kept
their first estate better than others.
The Lord started us out to earth on u
line of certain equality. The declara-
ton, IAN men are created free anc
equal" Is theological. We We're all
born into the world with no re-
membrancc of our ineQuality-those
who fully kept that estate. and grad
uaied with honors. and those who
partly failed, aud those who just got
through This forgctfulness merci-
fully prevents some from becoming
arrogant, and others from failing
through encouragement. No one can
sav to another, II always was better
than YOU" No one can say, 81 know
/ was always a failure" What ever
difference Of power we may have
brought with us. we brought no knowl-
edge with us, we brought no knowledge
Of that difference. 1t was indeed glor-
iously wise to withhold the recolec-
ton OF our former friends and birth.
Then we go on:
yet ofttimcs n secret something
Whispered You're 4 stranger hcre.