The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-10-09
FIFTY THIRD SEMI AN
NUAL CONFERENCE.

THIHD DAY.
| Sunday, 10 am.
The choir sang
Crest is the Lord, 'tis good to praise
Els high and holy name.
| Prayer by Apostle George Teas
dale.
The choir song
Though deepening trials throDg your
| way,
Press Oh, ye Saints of God.
| PRESIDENT GEORGE @. CANNON
said eighteen centuries had elapsed
since God had been recognized as
revealing his will to man. 1t was,
during that time. as if the Almighty.
| His angels and the heavenly powers
had been dead, or as if communities
ton had been cut off between this
world and the realms above. Ira
dition and ancient writs had kept
up the idea Of Gods existence, and
even this was largely the
result of speculation. Joseph
Smith startl d the world by
declaring that he had seen God
and angels, and that they had COM
municated divine truths unto him.
For this the world doomed him to
death. 1t was indeed wonderful
that in the midst of all the doubt
and skepticiSm so widely prevalent,
one should be found with faith suf-
ficient to receive such things and
declare them to his generation.
Joseph testified that God was d
being Of body, parts and passions,
that angels were exalted men, with
out wings. and that God and His
son Jesus Christ were distinct indi-
viduals. Since then others have
been enabled to corroborate that
testimony. The ancient faith had
been restored. The pendulum which
swung between skepticism and
credulity, moved from one to the
former extreme. Spiritualism made
its appearance, and faith in super
natural manifestations increased.
But the same unwillingness to re-
ceive the truth remained. There
was only one medium through
which the powers of goodness could
| with any safety be made manifest.
This was the priesthood. With
that taken away, the world would
be left as it was before.
The speaker claimed that all that
characterized the work of God in
ancient times was manifest in mod
ern times, and said that the young
elders in Israel should GO forth with
out purse or scrip to preach the
gospel, that their faith and reliance
IN the Lord might be developed,
and those parents who provided
| their sons with money to go upon
missions were doing them harm in
stead of good.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
would prefer that the previous
speaker had continued. Individu-
ally, he felt strong in the faith. The
kingdom was being established. The
organization was more perfect to-
day than in the days of the dis.
ciples of Old. Truth was re-
ceived through men, but SIM
ply as mediums of the ALL
mighty. This church did not
receive the Book of Mormon
or the revelations of the Doctrine
and Covenants from Joseph Smith,
bat from God. who chose Joseph as
the instrument. While we honored
Joseph, the prophet, we honoled
God more as the author Of all good.
A man who was kept in the church
by another mans influence was not
man himself, but q vassal and
serf. All should know for them.
selves and stand upon their own
accountability. otherwise their
house was built upon sand and
when storms came it might fall.
The church of Christ was full of
life and light, and those who drank
of it were qualified to know of its
truth, and they then hearkened to
the counsels of those placed over
them simply because they willed to
do so. This was the case with the
great majority of the church. They
knew what they were doing, and
could not be moved, except by
something better presented to them.
A good saint would always be found
willing to receive that which was
better than what he already had.
The choir sang an anthem:
The Lord hath brought again Zion.
Conference was adjourned till, 2
o'clock pm.
Benediction by Bishop John
Sharp,
Sunday afternoon, 2 p. N.
The choir sang,
Come follow me, the!Savior said
Then let us in HIS footsteps tread.
Prayer by Counselor John w.
Young.
The choir sang.
Twas on that dark, thst solenn night,
When powers of earth and hell arose
President George @ Cannon then
submitted the following additional
who were unanimously
sustained by the Conference vote:
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