The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-29
SUNDAY SERVICES

IeIuoOn was the one beginning.
t. o Godl oar help in ages past
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blaGt,
And our eternal home.
Prayer by Bishop John Tingey.
The choir sang the hymn begil
ming:
Ye children of our God,
= Ye saints oflztter days,
e Surround the temple Of our Lord,
And join to sing bis praise.
}; ELDER JOHN MORGAN addresse
: the congregation. He said that I'll
saints realized the fact that no ma
knoweth the things of God but b
: the spirit of God; that no man coul
enlighten his fellow man as to tn
things of God, unless his mind wa
enlightened by the spirit of God
thus, whatever knowledge Josep
Smith had possessed did not Suffic,
to bring to him the record that ha
been deposited ages ago, in the hi
| Cumorah. 1t required a revelation
from God to enable him to find tn
record, or the plates, and afterward
it was a sealed book to him. Tn
characters in which the record wa
written We're unintelligible to hin
and also to the learned men of thu
earth; the record was sealed TO all
even those who Transcribed it from
the lips of Joseph Smith. The lattel
could only translate it by revelation
from on nigh. Even that revelation
did not give Smith authority to act il
any other capacity. His power and
authority to establish the gospel
was conferred upon him by the Lord
through John the Baptist. After
wards the Melchizedek priesthood
was conferred upon him by Peter,
James and John. Thus he received
the endowments at different times
acquiring power and knowledge step
by step. His instruction did not
come from man, but through revela-
ton from God. Thus in the early
inception of the church, it was
necessary for Joseph Smith whom
the saints regard as the greatest of
prophets, standing next to Jesus
WILLS W gam LID hhOMACuSC nun
God, and if it were necessary in the
early days of the church to obtain
knowledge of the road to salvation,
it seemed also necessary to-day that
the spirit of God be bestowed upon
his people. Gods kingdom was pro-
greSsiYe, and we should be able to
increase in knowledge and intelli-
nF a ~ ~ IN
years. One of the grandest princi-
pies of the gospel was that the saints
had the privilege of advancing I'M
knowledge and light, throughout
the endless ages of time. Death did
not stop their progress, but the
faithful saints would advance after
this brief life in useful knowledge
and intelligence. By the world the
saints were supposed to be an igno-
rant. unlearned people, gathered
from the lower classes of society.
The same charge was made against
Jesus in his day. This charge
seemed absurd to the speaker, In
view Of the fact that the wise men
IF the world, with all their knowl-
edge and intelligence could not re
5ute the arguments presented by the
elders.
PRESIDENT GEORGE @. CANNON
followed, occupying the remainder
If the afternoon. He said there was
connected with this work |
which was very attractive to those
who were honest and willing to
spouse the truth. When men had
leYiated from the beaten path,
laring to think and act differently
rom their fellows in the matter of
putting in practice higher truths,
hey had encountered deadly opposi-
ion and persecution. The saints
,Ould derive consolation from this
act. They were not the first who
lad had all manner of evil charged
Igainst them, and denounced as I'M
worthy to live. Beginning with
Abel, and coming down to the time
# Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the
,eSt men the world had known had |
martyrdcm because of their
difference to the truth. OF all peo-
lie who now live the saints were
he most favored, and they should
,e the most grateful for the bless
ngs that they enjoy. In CONVERSE
ion with people concerning the
Jews of the saints he had heard eX-
,reSSiOnS of establishment from in
men when they learned of
he principles of the Latter-day
,aints. There was a consistency, a
about those principles
Which was pleasing to the intelli-
ent man. The orthodox relig-
Ons of the day would not
ear investigation. Their prin-
iples could not be explained.
there was a limit to them beyond
which they could not go. This was
lot so with the saints, whose gospel
ed them forward, up and beyond
he knowledge of the day. The
peaker did not believe any man
ould comprehend God. He was in
to mortal mind His |
purposes also were mysterious to !
he wise men of the world, who /
Ould not even tell why man was |
Iere, nor what he should do while
lere. 1t required the inspiration Of
-esus Christ to teach these great
hings, telling why we were on the
.arth and how we should conduct
ourselves while here. The orthodox
knew nothing of that
and therein was chief
Inference between them and the
aintS. The wise men traced their
,rigin to an oyster, or some other
hing, but they knew nothing of it.
The divinity that is in US came
lown, and not up. God created man
n his own image, and not in the
mage of an ape. Jesus was the
mage of his father, so far as bodily |
PARTS were concerned, and Jesus
vas our elder brother, with whom
We are to be heirs and joint heirs, if |
We were faithful. Jesus was born |
# the Virgin Mary, but all
Who believed in God and the
Bible knew that he had an
existence before coming intOl
his world. If he had a previous
why should not others
AVE had a similar pTe-eXistence?
The Bible certainly conveyed the
dea of former existence. The
5welve apostles of Christ were
chosen and ordained before they
we're born in the flesh. Moses re-
erred to Jesus before the latter was
porn. So had the coming OF Joseph
Smith been foretold, because God
Knew he would come to perform a
certain work. We are the children
If God, descended from him; there