Discourse 1895-04-07 [D-131]

THE DESERET WEEKLY.

Truth and Liberty.

No. 19. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, APRIL 27, 1895. VOL. L.

THE POWER OF EVIL.

Discourse delivered at the General Conference of the Church, in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 7^th, 1895, by

PREST. WILFORD WOODRUFF.

-[REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.]-

I ask and desire this morning the faith and prayers of the Latter-day Saints in my behalf while I stand before you. This is not merely an idle ceremony, for if I possessed all the oratory and learning of the ancient Greeks and Romans it would not give me power to edify one immortal spirit in the children of men or to point any immortal soul to the way of salvation. I am entirely dependent upon the Lord. I always have been during my life, and in my travels and pilgrimage, preaching the Gospel of Christ to my fellow men. It does not make any difference what age a man is in the preaching of the Gospel, whether he be twenty-five, ninety, or five hundred years of age, if he is only inspired by the Spirit and power of God. Many of the ancients lived to a very great age. Father Adam up to the last speech he ever made to his children, according to the revelations of God, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he was nearly a thousand years of age.

I have some things upon my mind I would like to present to the Latter-day Saints if I can get the spirit of them. I think it would be profitable to us to spend a little time in reflecting and meditating upon the powers that be— the powers that exist today on the earth and have existed from eternity unto eternity—good and evil, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, or Lucifer, the son of the morning. When we look over the history of the world we can see from the creation of Father Adam down to our day the operation of these two powers. And these powers will exist until the end of time, and from that time henceforth, until there is a change in the destiny of the spirits of men. It seems that from the time of the great rebellion in heaven, when one-third of the hosts of heaven were cast down for their rebellion against the great Eloheim and Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, there has been a warfare against God, against Christ, against His Church, against His Priesthood, and against everything that would tend to salvation and eternal life. And in looking over the history of the world, from the revelations of God to us, we can see in the peopling of the earth and in the building up of cities by the inhabitants of the earth, the powers of evil, of darkness and of sin have had great control over the children of men. Men were led to sin and to do evil until those ancient cities, like modern ones, were filled with iniquity. The Lord raised up prophets and inspired men in all those dispensations, when cities and nations became ripened into iniquity, to give them commandments, to warn them of the judgments of God, and to tell them what to do to escape those judgments. And when these cities and nations were fully ripened in iniquity and would not repent, all that those prophets proclaimed unto them came to pass. You may take all the ancient cities— Thebes, Nineveh, Tyre, Sidon, Babylon, Jerusalem, and others—and they had prophets raised up among them. They were warned of God, and were told what awaited them unless they repented of their sins, and all came to pass as the prophets spake unto them. My mind rests upon Jeremiah. The Lord called him in his day to go and warn King Zedekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the prophet told them what would come to pass. The king and the inhabitants were wroth against him and they persecuted him, and he had so many trials to go through that a man in reading of them would not be surprised if Jeremiah felt like saying, "You may all go to destruction for what I care; I'm not going to stay with you." [##Jeremiah 37-38##] But the Lord had said unto Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." [##Jeremiah 1:5##] All that Jeremiah said to the inhabitants of Jerusalem came to pass, and the history of Jerusalem is terrible. The whole house of Israel had warning; prophets were raised up among them, and they prophesied unto them. All the judgments that visited them were foretold.

I speak of these things because they are on my mind, and we are in a somewhat similar condition ourselves. Take the days of Christ. As soon as Christ was born how quickly Herod sought His life! Joseph had to take Mary and the young child into Egypt in order to save the child. [##Matthew 2:1-16##] The power of evil was after Him for His destruction. And did the Savior, when He was grown to manhood, escape that power? Was there anything about Him in this respect that differed from others of the human family? There was not. He was tempted, He was tried, and the enemy labored for His destruction through His whole life. His mission was a short one. It was only three and a half years from the time he entered into the Priesthood until He was crucified, and that, too, by this power. And the sorrow that has come upon the Jewish nation in consequence of this act of theirs, and the bill that they have had to pay, has been indeed great, and all that the prophets said concerning that has come to pass to the very letter. Nearly nineteen hundred years have rolled around since the death of Christ, and that yoke has been upon the neck of the Jews from that day until this. They have been trampled under the foot of the Gentiles, in fulfilment of the words of the prophets of God, and because they shed the blood of the Savior, their Shiloh. And it has not yet come to an end with them.

John, while upon the Isle of Patmos, clothed with the glory of God and wrapt in the visions of heaven, portrayed, prophesied and wrote concerning the events that should take place down to the coming of the Son of Man. He told us concerning the restoration of the everlasting Gospel. He says:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come. [##Revelation 14:6-7##]

That has come to pass. The time has come when the Lord has set His hand to fulfil the flood of revelation contained in all the records of divine truth. The Lord raised up a man, ordained and prepared from the foundation of the world, to stand in the last dispensation and fulness of times, to receive the Gospel and the Priesthood, to organize the Church of God, and to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man. We know that these two powers were manifested with the Prophet Joseph as they were in the days of the Savior. The very moment that he received these revelations from God and proclaimed them, it seemed as though all earth and hell were let loose for his destruction. It appeared as if the devil was afraid that he would live to carry out these prophecies. You know his history. Some of us have been associated with that Prophet. We have seen this spirit of the evil one manifested. The Prophet Joseph was never let alone by the powers that exist until he, like the Savior and others, sealed his testimony with his blood. But during the short time that he dwelt in the flesh he accomplished all that he was ordained to do. He not only organized the Church, but he brought forth this book of revelations that I hold in my hand—the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which contains some of the most sublime revelations God ever revealed to man on the earth. The Lord also chose Twelve Apostles, High Priests, Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons, and set in order the whole organization of the Church of

God as it exists today. And what has been the consequence of this? I desire to bring the minds of the brethren to those days. Just as quick as the Twelve Apostles were appointed and the Church was set in order, the devil labored with all the power that he possessed to turn aside these men and inspire them to leave the Church of God. Because of this it seemed to be very hard work many times for men who had received the Priesthood and even the Apostleship to magnify that Priesthood and to stand in their calling until they could finish their work in the flesh. I have made a re mark once or twice in my teachings with regard to the great apostasy in Kirtland. I passed through that scene, as did some others who are now with us, and I wish now to refer to it because it is something we should lay to heart. Even Apostles took occasion to rise up and endeavored to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. Here, brethren and sisters, was a manifestation—and a very strange one, too—of the power that the devil had over the leading men whom God raised up to assist in laying the foundation of this Church and in bring ing forth the Book of Mormon. Those who testified to the Book of Mormon were led away through not keeping the commandments of God and thinking that they themselves were great men. Some of them were learned men; some of them considered themselves very smart men, and they were so smart that they wanted to dictate and direct the Prophet of God. The consequence of all this was that they turned aside from the commandments of God. Some of them had been true and faithful in their labors in the ministry. I have heard Oliver Cowdery testify of the Book of Mormon by the power of God when it seemed as if the very earth trembled under his feet. He was filled with the Holy Ghost and the power of God while he was faithful; and so were many of these men. But Oliver Cowdery yielded to the temptation of the evil one, and we may say he apostatized. So did Martin Harris, and several others connected with them. They left the Church, they turned against Joseph, and they said he was a fallen prophet, and they themselves wanted to direct the Church. I have remarked that there was a time when there were but two of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles then in the town of Kirtland who stood by Joseph Smith and upheld him as a prophet, seer and revelator. I was not a member of that quorum at that time; I was a Seventy. Several of these men called upon me in the time of this apostasy and asked me to join them against the Prophet; the Prophet was fallen, they said. Now, I had seen enough myself of the Prophet of God, and I had read enough of the revelations of God through him, to know that he was a Prophet of God and not a fallen prophet. I saw that these men were yielding to the devil, and I told them so. Said I: "You will all go to hell unless you repent. Joseph has been raised up by the power of God; he has organized this Church, he has been true and faithful to God and to the Church and kingdom of God here on the earth, and you will fall and go to perdition unless you repent of your sins and turn from the position you are in today." A good many of them did fall. I will here name one instance. I saw one of these apostles in the Kirtland Temple, while the Sacrament was being passed, stand in the aisle and curse the Prophet of God to his face while he was in the stand, and when the bread was passed around he reached out his hand for a piece of bread and flung it into his mouth like a mad dog. He turned as black in the face almost as an African with rage and with the power of the devil. What did he do? He ate and drank damnation to himself. He did not go and hang himself, but he did go and drown himself, and the river went over his body while his spirit was cast unto the pit, where he ceased to have the power to curse either God or His Prophet in time or in eternity. I may say that David Patten was not in Kirtland at this time; he was in Missouri. He never apostatized, but died a martyr.

Brethren and sisters, I have passed through these scenes, and it was a serious time. And I will tell you the devil is not dead today, but will war against us and against this Church, as far as he has power, while we dwell in the flesh. I thank the Lord, however, that I know for myself that this Church will stand, and the Lord will bear it off triumphant. We have passed those days of affliction and sorrow; but I want to say to my brethren, one and all, we still have got to watch unto prayer. If there is any place where the devil can lead us astray he will do it. We are not safe until we get through with this probation. I thank God for one thing: I am satisfied for myself that those days are passed and gone. There is no man in heaven or on earth will ever live to see such a day again. We are too near the end; we are too near the coming of the Son of Man. The Lord Almighty has called a class of men upon whose shoulders He has laid the responsibility of this great work. He has chosen the weak things of the world, and we have these responsibilities resting upon us. I am satisfied for myself that the servants of God whom He has chosen will, as a rule, be true and faithful unto death. How dark a man must be in his mind to get into such a condition as these Apostles were. I heard some of them bear testimony before God, angels and men that they had received the ministration of angels, and having that knowledge, what a condition they must have been in when they apostatized! We want to guard ourselves with regard to these matters. We have got to look to the Lord to assist us in the cause in which we are engaged. I hope and pray that I may live to see the perfect union of the Twelve Apostles with the Presidency of this Church and the union of the whole Church. We have this work upon our shoulders, and the Lord is watching over us. I will say to all the nations of the earth, you cannot turn aside or overthrow the designs of the Lord; they will come to pass in the earth exactly as they have been promised to the children of men.

We are here upon a mission, and it is a great mission. We are blessed in living in this day and generation. We ought to try and make the most of it we can. We ought to try and improve our time, magnify our calling and do our duty. I will say to the Latter-day Saints, the Lord has called and chosen us to stand as the leaders of the people —the Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and the various quorums and positions which we are in, and we are responsible to God for the course we pursue in these matters. True, we need the faith and fellowship of the Saints; we need their assistance; but inasmuch as we do our duty the blessings of God will be with us. I know for myself that the Lord has set His hand to carry out His great purposes and prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man. We have passed through a long period of time, as men count time, in our history. I will here refer to one incident: When Christ and Peter, James and John, went into the mount, Moses and Elias were manifest to them, and Jesus was transfigured before them. [##Matthew 17:1-3##] The last time the Apostles ever met with the Prophet Joseph Smith, there were eleven of us present —nine Apostles, himself and his brother Hyrum. He likewise was transfigured before us, as far as mortal man can be. The room which he was in was filled as with consuming fire by the power of God. His face was clear as amber, he was clothed with the power of God. We did not know he was going to leave us any more than the Apostles knew the Savior was going to leave them in that day. But he told us what our duties were. He laid before us what God required at his hands and the ordinances unto which he had been ordained by the power of God. He said the Lord had sealed upon his head every ordinance, every key and every power belonging to this dispensation of the fulness of times; and, he added, "I have sealed these things upon your heads; now you must go forth and bear off this kingdom or you will be damned." That was a very strong remark to us. I have never forgotten it from that day to this. I realize that God was with him. And He has been with His people. He is with Zion today. He will continue to be. Though all the powers of darkness may war against us, the Lord is our Friend, and He will sustain us and give us power to build up Zion and to carry out this work until the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, let your hearts be comforted. These Apostles, I am satisfied, are of one heart and mind. I know they are united with us; I know we are unit[e]d with them. This is a great joy and consolation to me. We all should be united in the cause in which we are engaged. Inasmuch as we do this we shall come off [t]riumphant. I have no fear about Zion; I never had. It is written, as with a pen upon a rock, and is the voice of God, that Zion shall stand. All the prophecies that the Lord has given as contained in the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants will be fulfilled to the very letter. Not one jot or one tittle will fall unfulfilled. Zion will arise and flourish, and the glory of God will rest upon her. When I cast my mind over the signs of the times, when I look at the fulfi[l]ment of prophecy and observe what is taking place in the earth I see the hand of God manifest and the fulfilment of prophecy and revelation. These angels of God that have been standing in the temples of heaven holding sharp sickles day a[f]ter day pleading with God to let them go forth to reap down the earth have been commanded of the Lord to wait until the wheat was gathered into the garner, and then they might go forth and reap down the eart[h]. If the world wants to know what is coming to pass, let them read the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants; let them read these revelations of St. John. As God lives they will come to pass. Not one of them will fall unfulfilled. And the

hand of God is beginning to be mani fest in the earth. Judgment is at the door; calamity awaits the nations of the earth; but we ourselves should be prepared to stand in holy places while the judgments of God are manifest in the earth.

Now, brethren and sisters, let us be humble before the Lord; let us remember our prayers; let us try to do our duty; and when we do this, the blessings of God will be with us. I felt yesterday that I wished I could see all the young men in Israel before Brother J. E. Talmage while he spoke to us for half an hour (it ought to have been two hours) on the evil of this tobacco business. We should let alone all these evils, and our children should also, that they might be prepared to go forth as holy vessels and servants of God to bear record of this Gospel]]. We are not yet through preaching the Gospel. We send our sons abroad, and many of them go before they know whether this is the Church of God or not. I need not stand up here and testify before this congregation that this is the Church of God on the earth. Thousands of you know that for yourselves. You have been abroad; I have been abroad; these Apostles have been abroad; and we have administered the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ. We have laid hands upon the sick, and the sick have been healed; devils have been cast out, the lame have leaped, the deaf have heard, the dumb have spoken, in this Church in our day and generation. Can men go through and experience these things and not know for themselves whether the work is of God or not? No. Any man that has gone forth and administered in the ordinance of the house of God knows that these things are true, if he has kept the commandments of God.

Before I sit down I want to say a word to the Elders of Israel on another subject. I am called an old man; I guess I am. I was thinking just now, in speaking of the apostles and prophets, that were with Joseph Smith when he made his last speech, I am the only man living that was with him at that time. The rest are today in the spirit world. How much longer I shall talk to this people I do not know; but I want to say this to all Israel: Cease troubling yourselves about who God is; who Adam is, who Christ is, who Jehovah is. For heaven's sake, let these things alone. Why trouble yourselves about these things? God has revealed himself, and when the ##Doctrine and Covenants 121:28-29|121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants## is fulfilled, whether there be one God or many gods they will be revealed to the children of men, as well as all thrones and dominions, princi palities, and powers. Then why trouble yourselves about these things? God is God. Christ is Christ. The Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost. That should be enough for you and I to know. If we want to know any more, wait till we get where God is in person. I say this because we are troubled every little while with inquiries from Elders anxious to know who God is, who Christ is, and who Adam is. I say to the Elders of Israel, stop this. Humble yourselves before the Lord; seek for light, for truth and for a knowledge of the common things of the kingdom of God. The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. He changes not. The Son of God is the same. He is the Savior of the world. He is our advocate with the Father. We have had letter after letter from Elders abroad wanting to know concerning these things. Adam is the first man. He was placed in the Garden of Eden, and is our great progenitor. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are the same yesterday, today and forever. That should be sufficient for us to know.

I pray God to bless these Apostles, and to bless us all, and to give us wisdom and power to magnify our calling and to do our duty before the Lord, that we may be prepared to give an account of our stewardship while dwell ing in the flesh. I pray that the Lord will be merciful to us as a people, and give those who bear the Priesthood power to build up Zion and prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man, which may God grant, for Christ's sake. Amen.