you, Latter-day Saints, in one sense
of the word, hold in your hands the
salvation of your dead, for we can
do much for them. But I think
many times that our hearts are too
much set on the vain things of the
world to attend to many important
duties devolving upon us connected
with the Gospel. We are too much
after gold and silver, and we give
our hearts and attention to temporal
matters at the expense of the light
and truth of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.

We have not much time to spare
as a people, for a greak work is re-
quired at our hands. I know that,
without the power of God, we should
not have been able to do what has
been done; and I also know that we
never should be able to build up the
Zion of God in power, beauty and
glory were it not that our prayers
ascends into the ears of the Lord God
of Sabaoth, and he hears and answers
them. The world has sought our
overthrow from the beginning, and
the devil does not like us very well.
Lucifer, the Son of the Morning,
does not like the idea of revelation to
the Saints of God, and he has in-
spired the hearts of a great many
men, since the Gospel was restored to
the earth, to make war against us.
But not one of them has made any-
thing out of it yet—neither glory,
immortality, eternal life nor money.
No man or people ever did make any-
thing by fighting against God in the
past, and no man or people will ever
make anything by taking that course
in the future.

This is the work and kingdom of
God; this is the Zion of God and the
Church of Christ, and we are called
by his name. The Latter-day Saints
have to abide in Christ, and we can
not do that unless we bring forth
fruit, any more than the branch of the
vine can unless it abide in the vine. [John 15:4]
To abide in Christ we must enjoy the
Spirit of God, that our minds may be
enlightened to comprehend the things
of God. When I look at the history
of the Church of God in these latter-
days I many times marvel at what
has been done and how we have
progressed, considering the traditions,
unbelief, failings, follies and nonsense
that man is heir to in the flesh. We
have had a great many traditions to
overcome and the opposition of the
world to contend with from the
beginning until to-day. Brethren and
sisters, we should be faithful. The
Lord has put into our hands the power
to build up his Zion and kingdom on
the earth, and we have more to encou-
rage us than was ever possessed by
any generation that has preceded
us. We have the privilege of build-
ing up a kingdom that will stand for
ever. Noah and the Antediluvian
world did not have this privilege.
Enoch built up the Zion of God a
little while, and the Lord took it
away. Jesus and the Apostles came
here. Jesus fulfilled his mission,
preached the Gospel, was rejected by
the Jews, and was crucified. His
disciples had a similar fate, and the
Gospel was taken to the Gentile
nation, with all its gifts and blessings
and power, and Paul the Apostle of
the Gentiles warned them to take
heed lest they, in turn, should lose it
through their unbelief.

You know how it has been with
them—that there has been a falling
away, and that for seventeen hun-
dred years the voice of a Prophet or
Apostle has not been heard in the
world; and now again, in these lat-
ter days, the Lord Almighty, re-
membering his promises made from
generation to generation, has sent
Angels from heaven to restore to
man the Gospel and has given au-
thority to administer the same.
The Revelator John, says he saw

280 JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

you, Latter-day Saints, in one sense of the word, hold in your hands the salvation of your dead, for we can do much for them. But I think many times that our hearts are too much set on the vain things of the world to attend to many important duties devolving upon us connected with the Gospel. We are too much after gold and silver, and we give our hearts and attention to temporal matters at the expense of the light and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have not much time to spare as a people, for a great work is required at our hands. I know that, without the power of God, we should not have been able to do what has been done; and I also know that we never should be able to build up the Zion of God in power, beauty and glory were it not that our prayers ascends into the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth, and he hears and answers them. The world has sought our overthrow from the beginning, and the devil does not like us very well. Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, does not like the idea of revelation to the Saints of God, and he has inspired the hearts of a great many men, since the Gospel was restored to the earth, to make war against us. But not one of them has made anything out of it yet--neither glory, immortality, eternal life nor money. No man or people ever did make anything by fighting against God in the past, and no man or people will ever make anything by taking that course in the future.

This is the work and kingdom of God; this is the Zion of God and the Church of Christ, and we are called by his name. The Latter-day Saints have to abide in Christ, and we can not do that unless we bring forth fruit, any more than the branch of the vine can unless it abide in the vine. To abide in Christ we must enjoy the Spirit of God, that our minds may be enlightened to comprehend the things of God. When I look at the history of the Church of God in these latterdays I many times marvel at what has been done and how we have progressed, considering the traditions, unbelief, failings, follies and nonsense that man is heir to in the flesh. We have had a great many traditions to overcome and the opposition of the world to contend with from the beginning until to-day. Brethren and sisters, we should be faithful. The Lord has put into our hands the power to build up his Zion and kingdom on the earth, and we have more to encourage us than was ever possessed by any generation that has preceded us. We have the privilege of building up a kingdom that will stand for ever. Noah and the Antediluvian world did not have this privilege. Enoch built up the Zion of God a little while, and the Lord took it away. Jesus and the Apostles came here. Jesus fulfilled his mission, preached the Gospel, was rejected by the Jews, and was crucified. His disciples had a similar fate, and the Gospel was taken to the Gentile nation, with all its gifts and blessings and power, and Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles warned them to take heed lest they, in turn, should lose it through their unbelief.

You know how it has been with them--that there has been a falling away, and that for seventeen hundred years the voice of a Prophet or Apostle has not been heard in the world; and now again, in these latter days, the Lord Almighty, remembering his promises made from generation to generation, has sent Angels from heaven to restore to man the Gospel and has given authority to administer the same. The Revelator John, says he saw