The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-05-22


opening hymn
Great God, attend while Zion sings
The ioy that from thy presence springs;
10 spend one day with thee on eartn
Exceeds q thousand days OF mlrtn
was sung by the choir and congregation.
Prayer was offered by Elder Joseph
Horne.
The choir then sang:
Behold the Great Redeemer die,
A broken law to satisfy;
He dies sacrifice for sin,
That man may live and glory win
ELDER CHARLES f. WILCOX
addressed the congregation. The Saints
had met, he said, TO be instructed in the
principles of eternal life and to partake
of the Sacrament in commemoration of
the death and suffering of the Re-
deemer. The Savior had promised that
those who worthily partake of the
sacred embIems which commemorate
His death, will receive eternal life and
be raised up at the last day. In reflect
ing upon the promises made by the
Savior as the result of obedience, the
speaker said that by comparing, &C
cording to the sacred writings, heavenly
things with earthly things a striking
similarity is found to exist between
them. The one is in the likeness of the
other. An earthly kingdom requires
king, officers, subjects and laws. The
king presides over his kingdom and his
officers execute the laws by which his
subjects are governed. So in heavenly
things Jesus is the great King. BE
must have officers 10 see that the
laws pertaining to His Kingdom are
faithfully carried out. He also must
have subjects in HIS Kingdom 10 assist
in carrying out His work. He has given
to His people a pattern so that they
need not make mistake. God in HIS
goodness and mercy has permitted His
Saints to come upon the earth to assist
in establishing his kingdom. In
tracing the history of the Redeemer, 1t
is clearly seen that he selected twelve
men who were called apostles, author
izing them to assist in administering
the laws of the kingdom. In Paul's
epistle tc the Ephesians IL is recorded:
"And he gave some apostles, and some
prophets, and some evsngelists. and
some pastors and teachers, for
the perfecIing of the Saints, for
the work o. the ministry, for
the edifying 6 the body of Christ,
till we all come to unity OF tt faith
and of the knowledge of the Son OF God,
unto q perfect man, unto the measure
OF the stature of the fuIlncss of Christ;
that we henceforth be no more chill
,dren, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by
the s,eight of men and cunning cratti-
ness, whereby they lie IN walG to de-
ceive." Here we have the pattern of
the kingdom with Christ as the head
corner-stone-the high priest and king
with the various officers enumerated 10
preside over the affairs of that kingdom.
''And this is life eternal, that they
might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast
sent" In order, then, to know Him, it
is essential that they should walk in
the paths marked out for them. These
officers are appointed to lead and in
struct the SAINTS until they come to
unity of the faith and become estab-
hsned on the rock of truth, thereby
securing for thems elves eternal life.
The knowledge of Gods existence was
transmitted from our first parents who
knew that He existed for they con-
Versed with Him face to face. They
communicated this knowledge to their
children, and thus by tradition a
knowledge that God existed was pre-
served amongst the children of men
before the food. Noah, on account OF
his faithfulness, received revelation
from God; and through obedience,
saved himself and his family from de-
struction. 1t is also re corded that God
appeared in person unto Abraham,
Moses, and others. Thus was
knowledge of the existence of God pre-
served through different ages. Even
Nature herself unfolds undeniabIe
evidence of His existence. The
stream of revelation and the
testimony of the Scriptures form
one continuous chain of evidence
that God lives and that those
who will strive at ell times to faithfully
observe His laws. shall return TO His
presence. Elder Wilcox also dWelt upon
the harmony which exists between the
primary principles which are practised
by the Latter-day Saints and those
taught in the Holy Scriptures. That
baptism is essential to salvation, re-
mains an unquestionabIe fact. Ananias,
when at Damascus, said to Paul,
"Arise and be Daptlzed and wash
away thy SINS" The Scriptures also
teach the necessity of receiving the
Holy Ghost TO lead and comfort the
Saints, revealing to them the way in
which they shou' d walk. It is recorded
concerning certain ones. taat afterhsnds
were laid on them. they rec lived THIS
Spirit, through the operations Of which
were made manifest the powers of the
gospel. These primary principles, how
ever, are not sufficient for the complete
salvation of man. Those are prin
ciples which initiate men into
the citizenship OF Gods XII lgdom.
Salvation is promised 10 those
who endure steadtastly unto the end. |
The necessity of authority to ad
minister 10 things pertaining to the
gospel is also clearly portrayed in Holy
Writ. $50 then faith cometh by hear
ing, and hearing by the word of Ged."
''And how shall they hear without a
preachers? Aud how shsll they preach
except they be sent?" "And no man
taketh this honor unto himself, but he