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THE
DESERET WEEKLY.
PIONEER PUBLICATION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION.
ESTABLISHED JUNE 1850.
TRUTH AND LIBERTY.

NO. 15. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1889. VOL. XXXVIII.

DISCOURSE
Delivered by President Wilford Wood-
ruff, at Springville, Tuesday Morn-
ing, March 5th, 1889.

REPORTED BY ARTHUR WINTER.

Brethren and sisters: I feel to say,
God bless you. I am glad to meet
with you and to have the privilege
of once more bearing my testimony
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
the Kingdom of God. What Brother
Cannon has told you with regard to
the work of the Lord, is true. I
have traveled in my day a great
many miles with the Prophet Joseph
Smith. I once heard him say that
if he were the emperor of the world
and had control of the whole human
family, he would defend every
man, woman and child in the en-
joyment of their religion, no matter
what their religion was, whether it
was true or false. He said they had
a right to that privilege, and the
exercise of that agency which
God had given to the whole human
family. Those were his sentiments.
They are my sentiments today. The
Revelator, St. John, represented to
us that there would be about six
hundred three-score and six differ-
ent religions upon the earth in these
last days—the number of the name
that was spoken of by him. Today
that number, I presume, is very
nearly filled. The whole Christian
world are as diverse in their views
and principles of religion and roads
to heaven or hell, as the stars are
diverse in their position in the
heavens. And while I would grant
this privilege that I have spoken of,
to all mankind, I claim the same
privilege for myself and for all our
people. We have a right to the en-
joyment of our religion and belief,
and to practice the same on the
earth; and all other sects and parties
have the same right.

Inasmuch as I claim this, I want
to give some of my views and tell
you my feelings with regard to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. To com-
mence with, I will quote the words
of the Apostle Paul. You are doubt-
less familiar with Paul's history,
and know what a persecutor of the
Saints he once was, and how he
became converted to the truth; and
his conversion was so thorough and
complete that he finally laid down
his life in defense of the Gospel of
Christ. That same Paul said:

"Though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other gospel un-
to you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be
accursed." [##Galatians 1:8##]

That was a strong declaration;
and to make it more emphatic, he
repeated it.

Now, brethren and sisters, and
friends, that Gospel which Paul
taught is what I believe in. It is
what I have believed in since I was
old enough to read the New Testa-
ment. My belief in that Gospel was
so strong that I never joined any
sect or denomination on the earth
until I heard a man preach to me