The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-09-21
TABERNACLE SERVICES.

II congregation present. An event T
t garding himself had happened, whic
. generally happened but once in til
course OF ones life. Fifty years Sc
to-day be was bsptised into the Churc
OF Jesrs Christ of LaItsr-5sy Saint:
: hence it might be said it Was yes
OF jubilee so far as be was concerned
) There was another thing connecte
With this day of importance t
him; sixy-Dine years ago to day b
was horn into this world, making {
him, as it we're, double birthday
He felt he should be very Thankful
for the great privilege thus bestoWeI
upon him. The entrance into tn
church in his early youth, vas Ger
taiuly g privilege for which he shoulC
thank his creator; there we're hun
dreds CT millions On this globe tina
did not enjoy it. Some fifty year
ago TIE Lord saw proper TO establish
his kingdom on this earth by the
ministrstion of holy angels, and by
sending down authority from the
heavens, and by bringing forward
that great and precious work, the
Book OF Mormon, and cause !. to be
printed. How grea. 6 privilege tC
live in the day and age when Goo
did again communicate with The
children OF menl A long time haC
passed during which no such favor oil
revelation from God had existed. 81
e. - tha rbo hitanga - Tho oa,forr
hemisphere we're concerned, they
were without proper authority tC
preach the gospel for period of 170C
years; those on the western we're moi
60 long left without this privilege
mere they were left in darkness foI
nearly 400 years; and during thai
period there was no church OF the
living God in any quarter of the globe,
90 far as is known. True, during thai
time, the people possessed work con-
tanning a history Of the teachings OF
the Savior; but a book containing the
history Of the gospel, and the author
ity to preach the gospel and establish
the church OF God, are very different
things. The Lord never called any
one to do his work by books. Would il
be reasonable TO suppose that man
was called to sit in the presidential
chair because We possessed a book
containing the fact that Washington
once sat in the chair? The idea would
be absurd, and the whole people
would rise ur and resent such an as
sumption. The Lord is a lord of Or
der, and it is not reasonable to pre-
sumo he is less wise than his creA-
lures. But says one. how do you
know thai during fourteen centuries no
one has been commissioned with
divine authority? There are
various reasons TO prove this
assertion. One is that among the
8 O,O0O. 900 OR 100000 who pro-
Tess to be followers of Christ, it is
claimed that God has given no new
revelation to them. l. is impossible
that a person should be commissioned
by God and yet there be no revelation
given. Bat, says another, could not
the authority be handed down from
one to another in regular succession
from the days OF Christ to the present
time? Tnat is possible; but where
bai there been an unbr, ken success
siOo? The very moment that revela-
tions ceased to be given 10 the human
family the succession was broken; in
the eastern hemisphere divine auther-
ity ceased about the first century Of
the Christian era. because after that
date We have DO account of new reve-
lation being given, and when new
revelation ceases 10 be given divine
authority on earth ceases. New
revelation must be given in
order that it may be known
on whom the authority shall
he conferred and on whom the divine
spirit does rest. Ia those days no
man had authority TO go abroad as q
missionary without the laying on Of
hands and being set apart for the
work. l say it would be utterly im-
possible for man to fulfil mission
favorsbly in the sight OF heaven I'M
less the Lord should give him revela-
tons from time TO time to guide his
movements. we have abundance of
testimony to. prove this in the
New Testament, where some OF the
greatest revelaiors were led directly
contrary to their own judgment, when
they intended to use it without the
advice of Col. He cited instances Of
Paul and others. He mentioned these
to show that without the epirit of God
and bis revelations, no man could full
FL mission OF God. Nov regarding
the statement that during ell this
period there has been DO man set
apart for the ministry Of God. The
Catholic, Protestant and other
churches, in their own testimony.
show that during these years there
has been no new revelation. They do
not know that in aveIring these
things they cut themselves of from
all connection with the Lord, because
there has been no revelation. Then
says one, if your arguments be true,
there has been no Christian church
OF the earth during the period you
speak of. That is the substance of it;
there is no half way business sbout it,
and this brings me to the Book OF
Mormon. Flfty-three years, next
Wednesday, will have passed away,
when the metallic plates containing
the Book OF Mormon we're placed in
the hands of poor boy, ignorant oil
the languages, Joseph Smith; an Tilt
crate, ignorant, poor farmers boy, IN
educated save in the common schools
OF that day. These plates were
delivered into the hands of thu
farmers youth, then not % years o.
age. This was nearly the beginning
OF 8 great revelation; l will not say
this was the first revelation given tc
him, for the first was given him when
be was about the age OF 10 year,
then be was given 6 manifestation o
God, the eternal father, and Jesus,
his SOD. They descended from
heaven, stood before this led and
revealed themselves TO him; be s.W
their countensDces, and heard the
glorious words that proceeded from
the father: "This is my beloved son;
hear ye him." This was new reve
l.lion. have often read with interest
OF the translation of the Bible duIiuC
King James time. The various
books were compiled in one, ald il
vas given to the world as the only
religion they should have. Ii vas
declared .hat all the revelations o.
God were completed in it, and any