The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-29
SUNDAY SERVICES.

At the Assembly Hall on Sun
day afternoon the services were
opened by the choir singing the
hymn on page 81:
How are thy servents blest! o Lord,
How sure is their defense!
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help, Omnipotence.
Prayer by Elder B. f. Cum
mings.
The choir sang tbs hymn on page
4O2:
0 Lord Of Hosts, we now invoke
Thy spirit most divine,
To cleanse our hearts while we psrtake
The broken bread and wine.
PRESIDENT MILFORD WOOD
RUFF addressed the congregation.
He said that owing to cold ,on the
lungs he had not for several months
felt at liberty to address a congre-
cation, but he would attempt 1T to-
day. He read from the Doctrine
and Covenents, 47th section, from
the 18th verse forward foretelling of
the coming of the Lord in judgment
upon the earth. He said he had
heard Joseph Smith say that if he
had control Of everybody he would
give all the privilege of worshiping
God according to the dictates of
their own conSciences, leaving them
responsible to God. The speaker be-
|lieVed that sentiment, and claimed
that privilege for himself under the
constitution of this government and
the law of God. The Lord had
guaranteed this right from the be-
ginning, leaving all to choose for
themselves. 1t was upon this prin-
ciple that the Latter-day Saints
tried to enjoy their religion, re-
ligiOn that was taught by Jesus in
his time, and the only gospel that
had ever Ibeen revealed by God to
man. The saints believe in the
revelations from God, all of which
contain the gospel Of Christ. There
had never been a diSpensatIon in
which more important events had
taken place than in the present dis
penSatiOn which was preparing for
the coming of Christ. There is no
one who believes the Bible that
does not believe that in the latter
days the Lord will set his hand to
build up his church, gather Israel
and build up Zion. This is the
period when the prophecies ale
being fulfilled-the time that John
referred to when he saw al angel
flying in the midst of heaven bear
ing the everlasting gospel. The
saints differed from the world in
this, that they believed no man had
power to administer Ia any of the
ordinances Of the gospel except he
had the priesthood. Now, the Lord
had established this his kingdom
Anciently the gospel was upon the
earth in its completeness, but it had
been rejected by the Jews, and had
been taken from the earth. The
saints however, had received all
the gifts and blessings and power to
administer in the ordinances. One
who proposed to be a believer and
teacher in the gospel of Christ, the
gospel that had been taught to the
Jews and the GentileS anciently,
was looked upon as an impostOr,
nevertheless, the saints know that
they have the gospel, and that God
is directing the work in which
they are engaged. They have the
testimony for themselves, and there
fore they were here, having come
from the nations Of the earth. If
the elders of Israel had been de- |
cievers, and when preaching to the
world they had promised the Holy
Ghost to believers, the fraud would
soon have been discovered, and
Utah would to-day be a barren will
lerness, for the MormOnS would not
nave come here. The saints had
arrived at an important time in
heir history. There had never
)een man who preached the Cos
'el who was not unpopular. Jesus
vas called a publican and vinebib-
Ter, yet he was the son of God. His
postles had lost their lives through
reaching the gospel. The Same
npopularity existed to-day. The
aints, however, should Ecare nothing
)r the fact; their duty was to live
leir religion, Obeylng the COM
lands Of the Lord, when he would
rotect them. God was going to &C
0mplish that which he had set
is hand to do, and no power on
arth could stay him. If the Lord
ad not called his people out of the
-Orld, the world would not hate
lem. God had called upon this
and through his SER
ants was warning the people to
,pent and believe. The speaker
rged the saints to be faithful in
leir prayers, in reading tie Bible
Id the Other caurch books. They
ould be l;,,d, but ii they were
ue to the gospel they need not fear.
he nation Y as arrayed against
ZEN, but tue government was
I'D responsible to God for its acts
der Woodruff said the nation need
1T weep for the saints, but should
eep for themselves and their
ildren. The Lord never brought
dgmentS upon any peoDle
It'll he had sent proph-
TO warn them. The saints were
w warning the nation which was
the hands of God who would deal
Ith it as he thought proper. A
eat change had come over the