We wish the entire attention of the congregation; the assembly being so vast, it will almost be impossible for the speaker to be heard unless there is great order and strict attention. We wish no disturbance on the outskirts of the assembly, as we wish all to hear.
I will read for the edification of the assembly, a portion of the 21st chap. of Luke, contained in what is called King James' translation of the New Testament, from the 5th to the 36th verse.
I will remind those who hear me this day of one fact which can be clearly demonstrated to the mind of every careful reader of the Scriptures, and which fact is a guarantee, as it were, to the rational mind, for the manner of the fulfilment of that which is future; it is this, that the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible, spoken by Moses and the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, have been fulfilled literally and naturally, so far as they have been fulfilled at all. Not in the sense, however, that modern blindness and priestcraft have tried to throw over them, but in a plain and common sense, as plain as if a man were to rise here and tell that the wall around this Temple Block would be overthrown, and not one stone left upon another, and then tell the circumstances that would transpire before it, and in connection with it, and after it, and then it afterwards be fulfilled and recorded in history; so plain, so clear, so full, and so exact have the predictions of the Prophets of God, and the Apostles of God, and of the Son. of God been fulfilled, except such portions as remain to be fulfilled.
Keep that one fact in view, and then search the prophecies, and trace them out; search history for their fulfilment, and give diligent heed to the things that are written, for these are the commandments not only of the ancient Apostles and Prophets, but of the Apostles and Prophets of the last days.
Jesus himself, while he travelled upon the earth in his mortal tabernacle read the Scriptures to the people, "he opened the book and taught;" his manner was to do it in the synagogue every Sabbath day—he exhorted them to search into the things that were written.
And after he had risen from the dead, and received all power in heaven and on earth, he refered his disciples to that which was written.
On a certain occasion he said, "O fools and slow of heart to believe that which the Prophets have written."
When he appeared to the Nephites, in his risen body, as you will find it written in the Book of Mormon, he took pains to refer them to the written prophecies of Isaiah and many others, and quoted many of them, and exhorted the people to search the things contained in the prophecies of Isaiah diligently, bearing testimony of their literal fulfilment; and said he, "A commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently, "for they have been fulfilled, and will be fulfilled according to that which is written, not in some other way.
Not only are we included in these general exhortations and commandments of the ancients, and of Jesus Christ himself, but the same commandments have been renewed to us by our great Prophet and founder, Joseph Smith, and by our Prophets and Apostles that still live.
How often have they told us to treasure up the words of God, those things that are written for our profit and learning, and to search diligently and treasure up in our hearts continually words of wisdom from the best books.
Says the word of God through Joseph Smith to this people, search the Scriptures, treasure them up in your hearts, put them in a good store-house—the store-house of your memory; then the Holy Spirit will be at liberty when you are called up to teach others to select from that well-stored treasure things new and old.
It is not to study up what you shall say particularly, but to treasure up truth in your hearts, to have them well filled with it, kept well stored, and then give free liberty to the Spirit of God to operate upon you, to collect out of that treasure that portion which will be best suited to the wants and condition of men who do not treasure up the words of life.
If the Holy Spirit should come upon a man of that description to select out of that store-house, he would find it empty, and he would have the trouble of putting it there, or it would not be there; hence he would be barren and unfruitful.
Search the Scriptures, ye Saints of the Most High; among all your cares, and all your duties, search the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, of the Book of Mormon, and the revelations of God that have been written for our profit and learning.