The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-07-27

Call on the Lord in mighty prayer,
That He viii lions bondage break,
And bring to naught the fowler snare
Prayer by Elder G. G. Bywater.
Singing OF the hymn:
| He diedi the Great Redeemer died.
And Israel's daughters wept around;
/ 4 solemn darkness veiled the sky.
4 sudden trembling shook the ground.
ELDER JUEIUs F. WELLS, beng called
upon to address the congregation. de-
sired the faith and prayers of his breth-
rem and sisters, so that what he might
say would be words of truth. He re
ioiced in meeting to talk Of the plan Of
/ salvation as revealed from heaven.
| There were present many not of the
/ faith of the Latter-day Saints, who were
| travelling across the continent, and stop
ping over TO acouaint themselves with
! the CITY and its people. There were
many among them who were not &C
quainted with the principles of the
/ gospel as taught by the MOrmons. lie
| = oDed the strangers would be abb 10
/ depart from the city with a better
| knowledge OF those principles. For the
/ benefit Of those who had never heard
the foundation OF the belief of the Lat
ter-dav Saints. Elier Wells read The
/ articles of Faith.
To some, be said, it would be news
that the Mormons had anything Of
Christian nature in their belief. There
! j. great ignorance eKtant regarding the
SAINTS. so much so that il was astonish-
to hear OF. The Saints believed, as the
Articles OF Faith read, in God, His Son
Jesus, the atonem Mt. and IN oDeying
GOO s commandments to them. The
hormons are a religious people; some
might call it superstition, yet it was
that which would ever exist. The laws
Of Go would be hOnOred and peIpetu-
ated by them while life should last.
They would teach men why they were
here upon the earth. the plan of sal
walton; that the truth enunciated by the
Savior OF the world was being preached
by them; that the gospel of Jesus was
upon the earth; that by which the
souls of men are saved is the same 10
day ana would be for ever; that the
same power and manifestations that fol-
lowed the Saints in early days we're en-
joyed by the LatteI-5ay Saints: what
was preached in Christ's day is what the
world now term Mormonism. The Cos
pei has been revealed from heaven in
its fitness. a testimony of these things
had been borne by the elders of the
Church OF Jesus Christ of Latter-day
SAINTS TO every nation on the earth. and
as the result, The gathering together of
all kinds OF people IN the valleys The
mountains was to lie noted. Those whe
had identified themselves with Nor
monism formerly belonged TO the var
ious Sects of the world, but "ghen they
heard that God had spoken from
the heavens, that the Bible was cor
recuy interpret q they re Oily embraced
the gospel. It was gratifying to know
that God had not Withdrawn hims elf
from the world. No one had been en-
trapped into the belief of the pril iples
taught by the Elders OF the Church Of
Jesus Christ Of Lstier-day Saints: they
had been mi lated in the way ordained
by the Savior, Y 'penting Of their sins,
OV Delng O5pIised y immersion and hav-
NJ hands laid on them for The reception
OF the Holy Ghost. all who had put
themselves in harmony with The pur-
poses Of God could testify that God had
His church on the earth. /
For this testimony they had left their
chlldhOod's homes and gathered with
His people. The results Of this gather
ing are fruitful fields, fine cities, the
hum Of industry, the ayocatiCns of
peace, temples reared to Almighty God, |
a commOnw alth Worship g God &C !
cording 10 the dictates Of their con- |
sciences, and according to Others the
same privilege. The reverse was what 1
had been painted in black characters by ]
the enemies of the Latter-day Saints.
Elder Wells proceeded in clea rman-
ner 10 bear dis testimony, and related /
the history of his own family rs q /
sample that of the pioneers OF Utah. |
His parents embraced the gospel IN /
they passed through all the
and prosecutions OF the peo- /
pie in that States they witnessed. the
assassin alton of the prophets. Joseph \
and Hyrum; in tracks of blood and /
much tribulation they crossed the ice
covered Mississippi and the trackless
plains, 10 Utah, where the coyote aud
Wild red men, barren wastes, sage brush
ana uninviting surroundings awaited
them. They suffered the pangs
Of hunger in their pioneer
abors TO establish the infant colony
and lay the foundations Of this now
commonwealth. The pow
srty thst surrounded the people Of those
lines, was brought 10 his mind by
story told him By his mother. Her
iress was made from q wagon-coVer.
iyed, occasionally By tree leaves and
indigo. She walked across the plains,
irving cattle, leaving tracks ( her lfe's
blood on the way, sacrificing all she
leld dear, ia make a home with the
people Of God. Around his youthful
lays we're thrown the peaceful influences
If religion. There were then no Saloons
10 houses of III repute. for every man
md woman had 4 home and = name
hat was an honor to them. He knew
md honored his father and mother,
md what more could any son
ay than that2 He said II was
aise that the homes of polyga-
nists were otherwise than blessed and
happy. Were il not for the principle
Il celestial marriage he would not be.
lie claimed tnat all the honOred OF an
ieut days were the descendants of po-
yesmisis. and none less than Jesus
,hrisi, himself. The Saints believed
he principles of celestial marriage was
he law which should govern the actions
II q l mankind. Christ considered it no
ault 20 declare himself 3 branch OF the
louse OF David. This feature OF
ne religion Of the saints marked
he contrast with the world. Virtue
ras accounted The richest attribute.
Marriage is honorable was commanded