The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-04-28

forth the law, and the word of the Lord
/ from Jerusalem" Nearly every nation
was represented in the congregation be-
fore the speaker; they were assembled
/ in fulflment Of the prophecy Of Isaiah.
The people called Mormons. but who
called themselves Latter-day Saints, are
the lineal descendants of ancient Israel;
they were here TO prepare for the com
ing OF the King OF Kings: to preach TO
the world the sanctifying principles Of
the gospel. Though everywhere spoken
evil Of. slandered and reviled, persecut-
ed and oppressed, their aim and mission
was the salvation of the world. and the
preparation for the coming of Jesus
Christ. The glory OF that coming was
being foreshadowed; the faint rays OF
light were beginning to be seen in the
east. IL was for this event that the
house Of Israel were being gathered to-
gather. These. certainly, were the lat
ter days. when the eyen's prophesied
concerning them were TO transpire.
For believing this the Saints were
called traitors. Joseph Smith was so
called, fo- asserting his belief in the
prophecy of Daniel concerning the es-
Enlistment Of a kingdom on the earth
which would never be destroyed. This
was considered treason, notwithstaDd-
ing his declaration that the Declaration
OF Independence and the Constitution
were inspired OF God. to prepare the
way for the coming of the King OF
Kings. Put that down." said the
judge who was trying the Prophet
Joseph, that is a strong point for trea-
son." And this spirit has followed the
Saints to the present day.
This was the land of Joseph, on
which the ancient Jaredites dwelt for
- - e.. -
the land for their iniquity, for the Lord
had sworn that no tyrant should dehle
the land, and no unrighteous nation
should prosper here or be permitted to
remain. This had been reiterated by
the fathers OF our country when they
proclaimed and guaranteed religious
liberty. But a change had come over
the spirit of the dream. Our fathers
had never thought men would ever be
fettered for their religious faith and de
prived Of the freedom guaranteed by
the Constitution. We were now told
that all il gave was the right to believe.
but not to act upon that belief. The
Russian serf had that much liberty in
the dungeons of Siberia. The wisdom
of the wise had persisted. and the IN
Outstanding of their prudent men was
bid. Nor was this all. In Idaho they
were Furnishing Latter-day Saints for
their belief. These were matters which
should enlist the attention of true pa
triots.
This is pre-eminently a professed
Christian nation. people supposed 10
be following the footsteps of Christ.
Was the conduct of some Of the leading !
spirits of the land consistent with such |
a profession? Jesus did not advise per- |
secution. the thumbscrew, the rack or
"a fnr tn
from Him in religion. but sent His !
disciples out as lambs among wolves. |
Whom did il injure If the Saints believ- |
ed that Jesus would come and reign as
King of Kings. and prepared themselves |
for that event2 And yet this was what |
they we-e being reviled and prosecuted |
for. They did not desire to infringe or |
trample upon anyone's rights; they |
had experienced too much Of that from
others.
The kingdom of God was Hkened unto
a net, which was cast into the sea and
gathered in all kinds of fish. This was
a day of separation. There were goats
among the sheep; tares among the
wheat; and they must be divided and
assigned their proper places There
were many ways for the Lord to try /
His people; some were stronger and /
some weaker than others, and what /
would try one would not try another. |
The present was the time when the tests /
would be applied and thew who sur
vived them would reap their reward. !
Each man and woman would be re-
quired to give an account of his or her |
stewardship. The wealthy were re-
minded of the remark of Jesus: 60 |
and sell all that thou hast and give to |
the poor" But he to whom these words |
were addressed could not stand the test /
and he was cast back into the world /
from whence he was taken. Ii was the /
love of money-not money itself-which /
was the root of all evil. The speaker 1
would respect an individual who would |
make a wise use of his wealth, but not |
those who Rugged and boarded it up. |
forgetting the God of their salvation /
and the Giyer of all things. II used |
rightly, money was blessing. Labor |
ing men were out of employment and |
their families were suffering in conse-
quence Of this accommodating of large |
fortunes and the misuse of wealth. |
Such were being tested by poverty. |
Others were being arraigned before |
m agiStrates; pure women and innocent
children were insulted and harrassed, |
and in some cases. imprisoned. This |
quired to recant and renounce a princi- /
pie OF their faith. Some had faltered /
and weakened; others were in prison !
for maintaining their belief. The |
names of the latter would grow brighter |
with the lapse of years. There were /
more tests coming than the present /
ones. It would come TO pass, he be-
lieved, in this nation, that il would be a |
matter of life and death to proclaim 1
ones self Latter-day Saint. He ex-
pected to see the armies of the earth I
gathered against this people. and cow
ards and hypocrites would fly 10 them
for protection. Thus would Zion be 1
purified from all remaining dross. In /
conclusion. he exhorted the congrega- I
ton TO prepare themselves for the COM
ing Of the King of Kings, and bore 1
strong testimony tha1 the Latter day |
Saints would maintain the sanctlty OF |
the Constitution in its guarantees. and
lift the standard OF liberty TO all the
world.
Singing by the choir.
Benediction by Elder r. P. Richards. |