My mind had something to our intelligence relating to the creation of this great work. Brother Ronald said, struck me, that the people used to be taught differently. This is something that I've heard all my life. The people used to be taught differently. God has never taught the truth differently.

of the frailties and the desires of the people. There have been times when he has had to give them the law of Moses, or a lesser law, and this people has not been accepted. Knowing my father longer than anybody here, I presume. Because of the agitation of the people having dreams and wanting to get started on chopping a tree down or something else, it would influence...

me that i might be not going as fast as i should so i'd go to his office and bother him so one day i was talking to him about making progress in the work of god he's a great god guy what's wrong with you you want to get into trouble because i'm working with the president i'm in harmony with him and we're prepared to lead and direct you and the rest people the way you should go now if you want to get into trouble and have a hard time getting out of it keep pressing it about trying to get me into things well that's a good enough answer for me i i thought that way all the time i heard him talk like that when brother willie used to come into our home and i was a small boy the people of god are given what they want that's the tragedy

sisters that's the tragedy we walk out of the world instead of saying father i want what you want say father i want what i want he was just as much a god and a father to ancient israel when they wandered in the wilderness back and forth over the same thing for 40 years his prophets represented him just as faithfully as the prophet Joseph Smith represented. He gave perhaps a thousand more revelations to Moses, to the children of Israel, than he gave before or since. And yet all they had administered to them was laws that helped them live here upon the earth, that with death they would part with. The law of carnal commandment, of how to treat each other.

when they got up in the morning, of how to punish each other when they spit on each other, of what a woman should do while she was carrying her baby, and what she should do after she had her baby, of how they should keep their tent, of how they should do this. In other words, he revealed to them a law of carnal order so that they could live in some kind of order, while he let them wander day and night, back and forth for 40 years, having their babies, bearing their babies. He even brought manna from heaven. That's more than he's done for any of our people. I've heard of our people dying of hunger. He even brought water from the rock. I've heard of some of the saints dying of thirst.

and yet when the presidency looked over to the promised land father said none of them are worthy to go into priesthood has never taught anything else but the truth but because of the pressure the desires and the fairies of the people they have had to administer to them laws of a lesser degree in many times in many instances also they've had to administer to them after their desires and give the people what they wanted. They have always, the prophets have always stood ready to teach the people the word of God that the people wanted to receive. So there's no such a thing, technically speaking, that the doctrine has been singing. There's no such a thing. We've just got to admit that man, in his failed condition, has developed ideas and circumstances

There's an institution which they have got the priesthood to endorse in order to keep themselves alive. And that's just about the lengthy breath of it. So my dear children, the thing that I'd like to dwell upon today for a few minutes is what do we think is the most important thing? And what do we want to do? As I was thinking about my own humanity, and weaknesses, past evils, and of what the Lord has done for us and is doing for us. My greatest concern, my dear people, is not whether I have a certain type of food in my house to eat or a certain type of house to live in or a certain type of suit to wear or a certain type of car to drive or a certain type of woman to live with. My greatest concern

It is whether I'm expressing to my father and the brethren associated with him on the other side and to my brethren here, whether I'm expressing vocally and in my labors an intense, sufficient gratitude in proving it to people for what they have accomplished on my behalf as a child of Israel. It's my greatest concern.

and it humiliates me and embarrasses me. The only sadness that I ever have, ever have, is when I realize I am not expressing sufficient gratitude to my laborer, my intent, the Father, for what he has accomplished through the sacrifice of his only begotten Son, the present brethren, for my sake and the sake of...

keeping the principles of the gospel alive. There's where my sadness rests. And I am brought low into humility. And I am embarrassed. And my associates might say, why are you sad? It's not because of what anyone has done. It's not because of any pain. Because I have discovered that through my carelessness, I have accused my father.

And this is my joy, Dorgan insisted, that before the foundations of the earth, a plan was laid for my redemption. And I am supported by this word. When the sun of the morning went among the people to lead them astray, there was a council in session in the spirit world, and that council was formulating the plan.

for the redemption of the house of Israel from the beginning to the end. They realized many of the things that would take place here among the children of men. They realized there would be restoration and apostasy. And they made preparations and certain men were set apart and assigned to come to the earth at certain times because of their relationship to that council in the spirit world and because of their intelligence and capacity and because they would be able to stand without giving in and these men were allotted their time on the earth and were designated and there's still some designated who are coming, who will come in the future. So the father knew that down to the last second of time, power and authority and his way would be represented among his children. Even that should fill our hearts with such gratitude that we would be unable to express it with the language we have.

in our control. Most all of us here are sons of Jacob and daughters of Jacob. What happened? What terrible thing took place? And what other thing took place that could fill our hearts with gratitude? Nine, the Lord came to Wilford Woodruff and said in substance, in answer to your question, I don't want you or the rest of my brothers.

to make any further compromises with the enemy because the enemy is setting a trap destroy my people i'll fight your battles if you'll let me incidentally perhaps you know the history of how that little revelation was obtained another indication of how this council is working things out my grandfather when he was church historian assistant historian brought Brother Woodruff's journal to my father. And at that particular time, I don't suppose it ever entered into either one of those men's minds how that revelation would be used. The grandfather said, Joseph, I want you to take down this revelation word by word in the circumstances under which Brother Woodruff received it. Because someday you'll have to use it. Think of that.

And so we have that wonderful revelation. A few months after the Lord spoke to Brother Woodruff, he said to Brother Smith, What will I do with this manifesto? Brother Smith said, Why don't you put it before the people? And they'll vote the damn thing down. So Brother Woodruff put it before the people. And instead of voting it down, they voted it up. And then comes the great, saying that the children of Israel misinterpreted. Brother Joseph F. Smith says, this is a revelation to me. It was a revelation to him to think that Israel would sustain it. Brother Woodruff takingly signed his name to it when he turned to Brother Smith and says, my God, what have I done? Tell you what you've done, President Woodruff, he says.

You have signed an agreement, a covenant with death. That's what you have done. This was a great plan of the evil one. This was a trap. And with that covenant with death, an agreement with hell, went every covenant-born child of Israel, born and unborn. And I was one of them. unborn my mother sold me traded me to the world with a covenant and promise and bring me up honor the world and its institutions and to sustain perhaps the destructive known by those faithful brothers with that agreement you went and i went mother may have bowed her head and said well I really didn't intend my children to go this far. It was just like when we're trying to get a half a million dollars from the bank. And the banker says, this includes all of your property, doesn't it, Mr. Matthews? So I was told. The Holy Covenant children today, they were taken into bondage. Those who were alive in 1890 went into bondage.

And their children and children and children's children after them have been born into bondage. The trap has sprung. If it hadn't been for the preparations of that great council and the faithfulness of the people that they appointed to do certain things, we would be in the dark today. There wouldn't be one vestige of light for us to cling to.

The records of our fathers would be burned and buried in the musty archives, locked up. We would not have them. We would not know the history of our fathers. All that we would know is the history of those who controlled them. But Isaiah saw this, and he predicted it. He said, because ye have said.

We have made a covenant with death. With hell we are at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come to us. We have made a covenant with you, old world. Now you protect us. For we have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. Therefore, Thus saith the Lord God, after they have said this, therefore saith the Lord God, I lay in thine a foundation, a stone, a side stone, a precious stone, a foundation.

disannull this covenant. That's what they're doing. My prophet did not build cities and redeem the earth, but he disannulled the covenant and the agreement. He was willing to worship him next to my father. For that act, the Lord has said, judgment also will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet.

And the hail of truth shall sweep away the refuge of lies. And the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled. And your agreement shall not stand. And be released from bondage. That he will disannul the covenant my mother made. When the overflowing skirt shall pass over, disagreement and covenant shall be trodden down with those who make it. It shall be so terrible that it'll be vexatious just to hear the report of it. For the bed is shorter than the man can set himself on, and the covering narrower than he can wrap himself in it. A lot of people say...

to us a record of the 1886 meeting. Why should it be so secret? Why should it be so secret? Because it was a meeting that was calculated and set up by God to start the process of annulling the covenant with death and the agreement with hell. How could it be done? If it had been done in any other way, while all the sons and daughters were in bondage, there hasn't been a prophet or a faithful man or woman who has lived since that day, who has taken part in disannulling this thing, that hasn't felt the hand of Babylon have laid upon them. They have barely escaped.

They have given up all, this and all, this covenant. And if it had not been for them, still a battle. Changed with the awful chains of superstition and ignorance and bondage. I can't give enough praise to those my brothers, beginning with my father. I can't thank him enough. And when I...

find myself complaining even mentally I am humiliated to think of the little that I have done in my redemption from the pits of darkness compared to their noble labor my mind includes all those noble prophets in my Lord God took this noble stand and who is willing to prepare themselves and come here there's no doubt that my father knew when he came upon the earth it was reviewed to him many times the many things he might have to suffer and go through no doubt he forgot those things that he was willing to do it as was president taylor although president taylor stood high off to the floor and he was telling the people of the preparation the council was making to disannul the covenant and the agreement. He said, this covenant and agreement will be made when I die, but these are steps that will disannul it. And although he rejoiced and felt good to stand there with the prophet Joseph Smith, I'm sure his heart was bleeding.

for Israel and for the picture he saw of a whole nation born and unborn being taken into bond with the thought that the work of father be destroyed. But how ingenious is the power of God. Every step was prepared before him. Every angle thought of our father in the faithful every emergency could be met, perpetuate the truth. And yet, we have had more of these sons and daughters arise and try to interpret the truth, keeping with their circumstances and needs as they're true and faithful. It has been done. Sometimes, no doubt, just as I used to hear Father say and Brother Barlow, I wish we had left the damn fools in the church. Oh, no doubt. On terror in the prophet and the lost, the councils shake their heads. They sometimes would repent of us and try to redeem the people. This is what I'm grateful for. And I can obtain peace and happiness in any other place but with my people. I cannot be satisfied with any other blessing.

except those promised to my father Abraham. How wonderful, how wonderful it is that at last I am out of prison, that I can mingle freely with my brothers and sisters who I work with in the spirit world, that I can labor freely with the rest of the faithful sons and daughters of Abraham in this great and dreamy world.

fills my heart with gratitude and i know that the covenant has been disannulled and the agreement has not stood in the heavens is now shorter than the man who lies upon it and the covering will not cover him and it is only a matter of a short time when the overflowing will pass over those who have agreed to the covenant. My father told me once, don't be too anxious to see it. Say, and your heart will be broken. The old exasperation will extend. President Woolley said, if I remember right, that there won't be anyone who agreed to the covenant.

with death and the agreement with hell will be given any blessing in the work of God unless they repent. And the only people the Father will work with is the generation that comes after them who did not participate in that agreement. Now, brothers and sisters, I relate these sentiments to offer and express my own gratitude.

For what we have. Try to get you to see. What this work is about. To quit holding on. To the foolish institutions. And desires. That surround you. Because we are a people that's in preparation. To finish. The process. Of disannulling the covenant. Establishing. Everlastingly. Trying to survive more every day.

What my father meant. Your mother and myself. Made a covenant with you. To the earth. According to the will and plan. You cannot find out. What we have gone through. Except to be redeemed. In order to do it. I have kept your mother. To set aside. In agreement with her. To the daughter. As has every other faithful man. Since your work is much as mine.

We've got to disannul this covenant, governance and disagreement. We've got to have it set aside, and we've got to covenant and lay our lives on the altar to establish the new and everlasting covenant of our Father and our God. That's what we've got to do. We've got to work at it, don't we? Or we'll be caught.

with the overflowing stretch. It will not pass by us. We cannot accept, expect to be well followed by babblers. We're escapees. Powers beyond their control have loosened the chains of bondage. Why shouldn't they hunt us and drive us and pillage us as they did our brothers before? We are not.

How can we expect? Why shouldn't we plan our attack? Why shouldn't we try to protect ourselves? Why shouldn't we realize who we are and that we are subject of the world? We are against it. Brethren, our father, Lord Bondi, you have agreed to the covenant and the agreement. You have no right to the priesthood because they shall be cut off as well as to the ordinances of the house.

of god the lord bless you better jobby begin to equip ourselves with the articles of battle and with the weapons of our warfare because before the final scene