The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-08

game a Drdncn BlDl6 Society. lit
hoped Gods richest bles-
sings would fall upon those who
read the holy scriptures, and seek to
know the Will of the Father. 1t had
been his desire during forty
years of public life that the reign OF |
God would be established, and he |
hoped as agent of the Bible society
TO facilitate the coming of the glOri-
Gus day.
BISHOP THOMAS TAYLOR followed |
the above, saying he believed every
person of mature years in the Nor
mon Church was acquainted more
or less with the Bible. From his
earliest youth he had been taught to
read the holy scriptures. He HAD
stood by his mothers knee, and reau
for hours for their enlightenment
AS a people the saints were thank
full for the book, that God had per-
mitted them to have in so good and
correct a form. With President
Peterson and DR.. Fisher he could
repeat, what would we be were 1t
not for the Bible? 1t had led the
saints to where they were to-day.
When he first heard Mormon elders
proclaim the principles of the Cos
pei, and sustain them from the
Bible, it gave him great pleasure
The first principle that he heard
was concerning the existence of the
true and living God, and when the
elder portrayed a being that had
body, parts and passions, the father
of our spirits and the father of Jesus,
and proved the correctness of the
portrayal out of the Bible it gave
him (raylOr) great pleasure. He
listened with deep interest, and
when it was shown from the good
book that men were created in the
image of God and his son Jesus,
it struck him that the elder preached
doctrines that were worthy of in
vestigation. He began to investi-
gate. and found that the faith OF
the saints was a living faith, sus-
tanned in all things by the Bible;
that the faith was not dead, and
that it had not been given solely for
people who had lived 5000 or 1000
years ago, but was a faith for every
age in the world; that Gods words
were good anciently, and were none
the less so now, and would be good
forever, all being inspired by the
holy spirit. He found that it had
been promised that certain signs
should follow those who believed,
and that those promises were sub
| ject to the same rules and Ordinan-
es now as formerly; that God was
the same at all times. 1t was taught
in the Bible that we must repent-if
we had sinned we must do 50
no more. but do good and
benefit and bless mankind. The
elder to whom Bishop Taylor was
referring went on to teach the same
baptism taught by Jesus and his
apostles on the day of PentecOSt
when men who had been touched
by the holy spirit were led to cry
Jut, Men and brethren what shall
we do to be saved ?" Peter said
'Repent, and be baptized every one
OF you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and "
shall receive the gift of the Holy
lGhost." The doctrine gave Mr.
Taylor great joy and pleasure, as il
did also to learn that those who
,beyed the command did receive thu
i git of the Holy Ghost. Those wh(
| preached the principles of the gospel
according to the Bible were de
nounced as false prophets, but the
speaker told his friends that the
elders taught the same gospel thai
was taught in the Bible-namely
/, repentance, baptism and the othel
ordinances, and they promised tha
the blessings should follow the be
/. levers, to-day as they did anciently
He embraced the gospel, notwith
standing the opposition of hi:
friends. and one day was readin;
the Bible TO a young companion
when he came to the fourth chapter
of Isaiah:
And in that day seven women shsl
take hold of one man, saying, We vii
eat our own bread, and wear our own ap
parel; only let US be called By thy name
70 take away our reprosch.
/ His friend asked what he thought
of that passage, when Elder Taylor
said it was in the Bible and he die
not place it there. AT that time hi
had not heard of polygamy; but he
said that one of the prophets haC
foretold that all things should bt
restored. "DO you think this will JG
restored ?" asked his friend. He SAID
he did not know but it would, and
that he should not object if assured
that the order came from God.
Bishop Taylor here read the frst
chapter, l Samuel, in which is given
the account of Elkanah and his two
wives. He said he referred to the
chapter merely to show that God
honOred and blessed a man who hao
two wives, and that the man was
good and upright before God, not
| Withstanding his marital affairs
lone of those wives had the desire OF
all good women, to be a mother
She prayed to God, who answered
her prayer, and she was given
a man child, Samuel, who became
one of the greatest prophets of Cod
He was the polygamous offspring OF
a good man. The bishop said when
ne read these things in the holy
scriptures, ard heard men talk and
threaten, it gave him no fear. He
felt that God would sustain every
principle of his gospel, and the king
dom of the Lord would be estdb-
lished, that Jesus would come again,
and stand by those who had been
faithful to him. In conclusion the
bishO eXhOrted the people to care
fully read the Bible, and put its
teachings into practice.
PRESIDENT A. NJ. CANNON next
addressed the congregation. He
had been gratified in listening to
the remarks of DIR. Fisher IN advO-
cacy of the Bible, and was pleased
with the testimony of Bishop Tay-
lor. He was glad that men and
women lived to-day who believed
the doctrines preached and pTac-
ticed by the prophets and apostles
of old. God had spoken in
modern times as well as an
GENTLY, and had gladdened the
hearts of his people. Jesus taught
his disciples to seek the father, say
ing as his father sent him forth he
sent them; and those who received
them received him. He promised
that he that believed and was bap-
tiZed should be saved. On one Occa-
sion the Savior asked his disciples:
will We also go away" and Peter
replied: Lord. to whom shall we
90? thou hast the truths of eternal
e. - 81 10,