The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-10

nlnS.
4. Zion stands with hills surrounded.
ell Prayer by Bishop Whitney.
OF The choir sang the hymn begin
b ming:
: Well sing all hail to Jesus name.
PRESIDENT GEORGE @. CANNor
: addressed the congregation, reading
e from the 18th chapter 1st Corinth
e ians, concerning the spiritual gifts
. and wherein the church IS com
: pared TO the human body. He saiG
it was blessed thing for US who
: live in this age to have records
that had come down from OldeI
times, and which were recognized as
containing the void of God. People
i without such records were to be pit.
led, fo- they were deprived of the
knowledge of God, which was a
great stay to those who possess 1t
1t was a comfort to one in affection
to read the lives and experiences
1 of others who were similarly situa-
ted in other times and to learn of the
ldeliverance they received through
the hand of God. 1t was comfort
for one to nave the experience of
others who have preceded him in
temptations, trials and difficulties.
The Bible, therefore, was of priceless
worth; its value could not be fixed.
If we did not have it, and it could
be given to US with the testimony of
its divine origin, there were hun
dreds in the Tabernacle who would
give all they had to obtain a copy.
The fact that we had always had it,
had made us, fin a certain sense,
careless about it, not valuing it as
we might have done if it were new
to us. The Latter-day Saints should
value it beyond any other people on
the earth, for the reason that it con-
tanned an epitome of the plan of
salvation, giving them the highest
consolation and the greatest
strength. 1t was a constant fOun-
tain sending forth streams of life.
With the Bible in their possession
their condition was bad enough, but
without it, it would be much worse.
However much the sects may differ
from modern Christians, the Bible
shows that they are believers in the
same doctrines taught by their Lord |
and Savior Jesus Christ. There was
a time when it was deemed almost |
a crime to believe in revelation, in
prophets and apostles; they had |
been indicted and mObbed for be-
lieving in miracles; they had been
driven from their homes for belieV-
ing the Lord could heal the sick by
the administration of the elders.
How would it have been if they had
not had the Bible to show that it
was no new departure for men to
have these ideas? With the Bible
in their hands they could test all
men who profess to be followers of
Jesus Christ, who was the same
yesterday, to-day, and forever. He
was as near his people to-day as
ever, and as ready to hear their cries
and answer their prayers to-day as
IN any age. 1t would have been
L trying thing for the saints
N their gloomy days had they not
1een assured that God would answer
their prayers. Without that assur-
lnce many could not have endured
heir Affections; but with it they
we're comforted, sustained and filled
with hope in their progress. The
was more precious than
my other, for the darkness, unbelief
md denial of God was so prevalent
today, that the man who had knowl-
edge of God had cause for great
Paul understood this
perfectly. His life resembled the
ives of many who had preceded
him, and the lives of the servants of
God in this age resemble that of
Paul and the apostles of old. All
mad thought of the character of the
men chosen by Jesus to be his
apostles. They were stumbling
blocks to those of his generation;
they were not learned, dignified
men. Jesus himself was of lowly
origin, his father being a carpenter.
The men whom he chose were
fshermen-men of low degree; but
he filled them with the power of
God, gave them the plan of saliva
ton, and endowed them with power
from on high. They laid the foun-
dation of a system that had accom-
plished marvellous results, and
through their work the name of
Christ had been spread throughout
all the earth. 1t was a peculiar
manner in which God called his
people. Not many of the wise, learned |
and noble had been called to his ser
vice; but the lowly were selected by |
him. He could have sent Jesus
among men at time when he |
would have been irresistible, and
men would have to receive him; but
that was not the way in which God
did his work. Jesus was born under
which did not carry
with them conviction that he |
was the son Of God. God |
desired to test and try the peo-
pie to the uttermOst. Had men
found it to their worldly interest to
follow Jesus, their agency would
not have been tested. If they es-
poused truth rather than error it
was because they loved it, and not
because it was to their worldly adj
vantage to do so. The prophets and
apostles of old were unpopular, and
the truths they declared were not
popular. Those who followed them
did so out of a love for the truth.
1t had been said in regard to the
restoration of the gospel through
Joseph Smith, that if God desired to
bring the gospel again upon the
earth, why did he not do so through
the president of the United States,
or some person whose testimony
would be universally believed -?
God chose his own instruments
and worked in his own ways, and
those who accepted the testimony
did so from love of the truth itself
and not by reason of affection for
the instruments employed by God
for his purposes. The teachings for
generations previous to the coming
of Joseph Smith were that the
canon of scripture was full, that the
days of miracles were over, and that
the times for the gifts and signs had
passed. But this was not so. The
same gifts and blessings followed
the gospel in this days as anciently.
God had restored the old gospel,
and rebuilt the old church, and with
them had come the old gifts and
blessings, and also the old persecu-
tons and determination to destroy
the work of God. How gloomy
it would be to think that
the world was cut off forever