The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-15
SUNDAY SERVICES

This bread and cup Of wine,
That We may all rtmember
That Of ring so divine.
PRESIDENT HORACE s. ELDREDGl
addressed the congregation. He salt
he would rather listen than speak
but having been called upon t
talk he desired to be obedient AM
discharge the duties imposed upol
him to the best of his ability. Ill
felt diffident about speaking here
much more so than he would il
talking to people in the world whC
knew little of the principles of TIT
gospel. To them he might give
some instructions concerning the
great principles for the salvation Of
mankind and of the people
who had embraced the new
and everlasting covenant. He
considered it a great privilege to be
a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Ssints-tO re-
ceiye the ordinances of God that
were administered by those in au-
thority, and be numbered as heirs
and Joint heirs with the Most High.
If the saints carried out the pr1n-
ciples taught unto them, it insured
to them life everlasting; hence
there was occasion to rejoice in
being a member of the church, even
though it involved persecution and
having evil spoken of them. He had
been a member Of the church for
fOrty-fiYe years. He started out with
the intention of securing eternal
exaltatiOn, and had never seen the
moment that he regretted what he
had done; he had never doubted the
truth of the gospel, or that Joseph
Smith was a prophet. He desired to
cultivate the spirit of the Lord,
so that he never would doubt,
or regret that he had en-
braced the gospel. His testimony
was that this was the work of the
Lord. When he saw these weekly
assemblies gathered from all cOun-
tries, and reflected that the people
were a unit, he realized that they
had been baptized III the same
spirit. and were acted upon by the
same influence; which spirit and In
Iluence were OF God. He knew that
God was at the head of the work,
that he had spoken from the heav-
ems and given revelations to his ser
wants vino mad obeyed his wishes
The saints should SO live that each
Of them could receive the testimony
of the truth of the gospel, and re-
ceive also Gods blessings which he
bestowed upon the faithful.
COUNSELLOR ID. II. WELLS fol-
lowed the above, saying it afforded
him pleasure to meet with thel
saints, and mingle his testimony
with those Of others as to the truth
IF the gospel. 1t was not until
ne received the testimony of the
spirit from the mouth of the
prophets that he knew that God
lived He was ignorant as tOl
spiritual things until the gospel
came forth. lie had been brought
up in Il so-called Christian faith,
mad attended Sunday school, and
heard a great deal from the Christian
denominations, but he became con-
through their inconsistent
lies, that they did not know what
hey were talking about; that they
lid not know the way to eternal
ife; that they cOmprehended very
title concerning God and the way
% life eternal. Many people were
5O-day in the same ignorant cOndi-
ion. 1t was important that we
should obtain knowledge of God and
eternal life. According to the
christian world, there was no way
n which to learn. They discarded
he only way by which knowledge
,Ould be Obtained-namely, through
'eVelation. There had been a great |
leal said lately about the Bible and
low necessary it was to believe and
the book. The Bible was
obtained through the revelations
rom God; men wrote as they were
and for that reason the
aints approved and believed in it. |
The Lord was not responsible for
he incongruities to be found in the
eligions of Modern times. The
adversary had great influence upon
he minds of men. Satan did not |
ARE how near to the truth a man
anne, so he did not get the real
ruth. The religions were aStray.
They were not true, for they were
lot of God. They had not come
through the proper channel and in
he proper manner. If the gospel of |
he Latter-day Saints was true, it |
vas Just as much scripture as any
hing that was contained within the
ids of the Bible. If the people re-
ected the words of God that had
,een manifested in modern times,
hey did so on their own response |
)ility. They had been commanded
o repent of their sins and walk in |
he paths of God, and if they did
lot do so they could not obtain |
eternal life. The Lord had COM
handed the saints to proclaim
.he gospel of God to the world.
1t was the same gospel that was
taught by Jesus, and those who
it now would be subject to
the penalties imposed upon those
who refused to receive it in former
times. When the world was created
the stars sang together for joy. 1T
was because an opportunity was to
be given to the multitudeS in the
spirit world to obtain bodies and
prepare themselves for the great
hereafter. God knew what was for
the best good of his children, and
he had prepared the way for them
TO pursue. He meant that they
should suffer, otherwise he would
not have brought them upon the
earth. He sent them here that they
might be tried and prepared for the
blessings that would be given to
those who were faithful. His son
Jesus had been made to suffer above
other men. He had been made
to descend below all things
that he might rise above
all. and save mankind. All
would have an opportunity to be
saved, even those who had gone to
the spirit world without hearing the
gospel upon earth. 1t was true that
the way was through baptism in
water, but that could be performed
here by proxy for those in the spirit
world. 1t was to perform that Or
dinance that the saints were build
ing temples. The gospel was now
being preached to the spirits that
had not heard it in the flesh, and
they would go on until all had heard
the truth and been given an oppor-
tunity for embracing it. The saints
had been gathered out from all