The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-09

refer. To-day we are beautifully clad,
we have houses that are elegant in their
exterior and in their furniture, tables set
with the bounties OF the earth. These are
the blessings that the Latter-day Saints
enjoy. They have money in their pockets
with no hardships sucn as I have described,
prosecutions but very little 10 contend
with, no sawiI G a5under, no dwelling in
caves with our wives and children. And
God asks US to give unto Him our hearts,
He asks Us not to worship these earthly
things, but desires Us to choose first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness and
promises to add unto US all other blessings.
He wants our affections, He wants cur de-
votiOn, He wants US to obey Him. These
are the requests which our great creator
makes to US.
The great question before US to-day is,
'Will we do this.n VIII we give unto Him
that which belongs to Him, the obedience
which a child owes to his earthly father,
and much more to his eternal Father, his
creator, the author of his being! Brethren
and sisters, how our hearts ought to swell
with thanksgiving and praise. He has re
warded US a thousand told. So far as your
observation can extend, you will find that
God abundantly blesses His servants who
have gone abroad to preach among the ma
tons. When they return, He muIuplies
His blessings upon them. They prosper in
their lives, in their flocks, and in their
labors. Thus God witnesses unto this peo-
pie by these blessings that He is able to re
ward His servants and His people who put
their trust in Him. This is the case, and
YOU are my witnesses to-day who can
TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH OF THIS.
This shows US that, if we viii devote
ourselves to Gods service and viii be will
ing and obedient to Him all day long, we
Will be blessed and prOspered as no other
people on the face of the earth have been.
Ask of those who have been liberal in their
donations to the poor, and given of their
substance to those in need and have been
strict in paying their tithing, what have
been the fruits, what have been the re
suits of those who have done right in these
directions, keeping the commandments of
Godn' Have they not in every instance
been prosperous! l am sure that your tes-
timOny viii be that they have been pros
porous more than those who have been
stingy and niggardly in these directions
In this way God has borne testimony con-
corning His work and concerning the re
suits Of obedience to his requirements, and
if we will carry them out in our lives, the
blessings of the most High will
rest down upon US in every direction.
We SHAH be blessed IN our houses, in our
flocls in our herds. in all our transactions
anu CLUtdN OlllIt- " DllAAS IiiS L4OiSSI IL
heart from the nations OF the earth. We
snail be blessed in all these things, for the
favor of God viii be with US.
In the words OF the Apostle John, it doth
not vet appear what we shall be, but we
know that when He shall appear we shall
be ike Him. 1t is for His purpose that we
have been sent here, and for His purpose
that the gospel has been revealed. There
are many people who imagine that
WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD
in a spiritual sense, but we differ from
all other people in this respect, from people
at least in our day. We believe that we
are the literal descendants of our Eternal
Father, the offspring OF Deity; that these
aspirations which we have are inherited
from the Great and Eternal Father. They
come to us by descent.
| remember listening a Sunday or two
ago to the discourse Of Elder Penrose in
which he alluded 10 the idea of people hay
ing gods to suit their own ideas. 1t Is an
old idea that every people form an idea III
their own minds OF the god that they wOr
ship. The Indian has had his idea OF a god.
The HindOO has his idea Of god, and the
various nations of the earth have their idea
of a god. We may not comprehend all the
attributes of our God, but we have certain
ideas of that being; and others may have
their ideas and may be correct in these to
certain extent Just as the gospel is believed
in part by various people. You find IN
every form of worship there is some truth.
As men advance they OF course received
more truth. This is the prerOgative Of
those who embrace the gospel of the Son
of God. This IS the great distinction be
tween US and other people. We believe III
A God who communicates His mind and
His will to His children; and if we seek
for this. we believe that he viii reveal
Himself until we shall comprehend Him as
well as it is for mortal man to comprehend
Him. We worship the being who has re
vealed unto us His attributes and the
greatness Of His goOdlike character, and
it is necessary in the very outset OF this
work that there should be a revelation of
this kind. But the first revelation that
was given in our day in answer to the
PRAYER Of Joseph Smith was seemingly the
most necessary that could be given at the
very outset. Two persOna%es. the Father
and His Son Jesus Christ appeared
unto Joseph Smith. Whatever doubt
had prevailed up to that time con
corning the character OF God, was
swept away never to return to the
minds Of those who believed in that
revelation. COD is understood to be being
who talked in the garden OF Eden. Inc
nfidel asserts that those who do worship
any supreme being, worship being OF their
own imagination. We do not do this; for,
IS have said, in the very outset the Father
and the Son were
REVEALED IN INEFFABLE GLORY
me the testimony OF this has been sustained
)y others VINO have since seen the Lord
Jesus Christ and who are living witnesses |
hat they have seen Him and that He is in !
Iced the Son Of God and one of the per |
,onages that formed the Godhead.
In our faith is knowledge concerning the |
,ersonage of God. We know what He is to |
certain extent Brother Lorenzo Snow, !
speaking of revelation that he had, said |
something to this effect that as God now
S. we will be; a man is, God was This is
cry comprehensive, and we depend upon