The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-07-15
TABERNACLE SERVICES.
DiscOurses by Elders John T. Game
and Junius f. Wells. a


Sunday afternoons services at the
Tabernacle were commenced by the
choir singing the hymn:
Arise, o glorious Zien,
F., Thou joy of latter days.
Opening prayer by Elder VIM. L.
Binder. 1852
The choir sang another hymn:
Twas on that dark, that solemn night,
When powers of earth and hell arose
The Sacrament of the Lords Supper
was administered by the priesthood of
the Twenty-first Ward.
ELDER JOHN T. GAME addressed the
congregation and said the Latter-day
Saints understood that every one of the
elders was liable at any time to be called
upon to speak in public meetings and
to give reason for The hope that is
within them. With other religious de-
nominations it was usual to have min
listers, or preachers, who prepared sub
jects on which to speak on the Sabbath
days. In common with many others
he felt diffidence in occupying the pull
pit, not because he was ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for he knew it was the
power of God unto salvation, to every
one who believed. He was proud OF
the faith which he had embraced, but
doubted his ability to speak of it to the
edification of the congregation, unless
he had the assistance of the spirit of
God. He was aware that vast amount
of ignorance and prejudice existed
throughout the world as regards the Lat
ter-day Saints. The majority of Chris
tan people assume that, as they have
the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, in their
midst, they necessarily have the gospel
among them. But not so; the fact is
evident that a falling away from the
true faith occ;. rred after the death of
Christ and His apostles and that the
Bible-which is simply record of the
sayings and doings of the prophets and
apostles-shows in the revelations of St.
John that an angel would restore the
gospel in these the last days. This we
claim has been done, and we. to-day
present to the world the gospel precisely
as taught by the Savior and His apostles.
The opponents of our faith have created
monster and present it to the people
of the world as being what is termed
"Mormonism." We deny the ability of
and one to explain our principles, ideas,
intentions and belief, better than we
can do ourselves. II correct informa-
toni desired on any subject, it is GER
tainly not correct to go to an enemy or
opposer for that information. We be-
lIeve in Jesus Christ, the Son of God ,
and in the atonement He wrought for
all mankind and we are to-day teaching
the same faith; the same plan Of saliva
til n with all its ordinances, gifts and
blessings as taught and practiced by
Christ, His apostles and their immediate
successors. 1t is not only in our religi-
Gus faith that we are misrepresented,
but also in our political views and
actions. The persecution which is now
being inflicted upon US, by which our
brethren are consigned to prison, we be-
lieve to be brought about by illegal and
methods. Men are not
tried by juries of their peers, but by
juries who not only have no sympathy
with the accused, but who are required
by he government prosecutor to be in
SYM pathNwith the prosecution. Thus
jures are empannelled warranted to
convict. This mode of procedure, to-
gether with many other illegal acts
made the people feel that those liberties
viii, b they had inherited were being
wrenched from them and they felt to
mourn rather than rejoice on Indepen-
dence day; to mourn for their liberties,
Instead, therefore, of hosting flags to
the mast head on the Fourth of July,
few we're placed at half-mast as an ex-
preston of monrning. This act has
been construed by our opponents as an
insult 10 the flag. We know that nos
such insult was intended. The Nor
mons may be fanatics, but they are not
fools, and it would have been an ex-
foolhardy act in them to at
tempt to insult the American flag. The
ring of unprincipled adventures who
seek to rule or ruin Utah and who have
Tor years sought in numerous ways 10
ncite the MormOns to commit some
overt act by which they could be brought |
IN conflict with the government, have |
seized this incident of half-masting the |
Tags as the opportunity so long desired,
declaring it to have been intended as a
deliberate insult to the flag and treason !
gainst the government In answer to |
his / will say that we owe no apologies /
,r explanations of our action to these
men. but to our fellow-citizens through |
nut the nation. who may have been
nislead by the cry of treason or insult
o the flag, that,the Mormon people love
he flag of our country and reverence
he Institutions of the country they be-
eve that the men who wrote the De-
:laration of independence, as we'll as
hose who adopted the Constitution,
we're inspired of God in their labors. 1t /
5 absurd then to assert that the Nor
mons would even think of offering in
ut to the government or its flag, much
ess to be guilty of such an act of folly.
Ne want no conflict with the govern
nent; we have right to protest against
nd object to the biased construction
nd mal-administration of law which
1e have experienced, our faith teaches
is that Offences must needs come but
voc to them by whom they come. For
myself | would much rather be in the
lace occupied by our brethren who are
n bonds and in prison than stand where
he men do who have prosecuted them
We have been told that trials and per-
ecution would come upon US, that they
7ere necessary for our growth and
rogress. God help us to endure these