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

SUNDAY MORNING.
There was a very large attendance in the
morning. There were the usual opening
preiminaries.
Apostle George Q. Cannon.
Apostle George Q. Cannon, after having
read portion of the third chapter of Johns
first epistle said: In standing up, my
brethren and sisters, to address you, I do SC
depending upon the assistance of your faith
and prayers. 1t is Il serious responsibility
to stand up before On audience like the one
which has assembled within these walls
and to address them upon the principles OF
life and salvation. I should not attempt il
if 1 did not hope that I should be assisted
by the Spirit of God. We are, as a people,
in very peculiar circumstances. 1t seems
to me there never was a time when we
needed instruction and counsel from the
Lord more than we do at the present. In
fact, we as a people cannot live without
this counsel and this instruction.
The gathering toget Ter of the Latter-day
Saints has been in compliance, as we be-
lieve, with the requirements of heaven.
The organization of this people, the extern
sion of their settlements throughout these
regions, are all due to the fact that God has
spoken and that God has given command a;
and in obedience to that command, the
Latter-day Saints have gathered out from
various places where they have heard the
gospel to this land. Our preservation. our
growth, our union and strength that we
have are all attributable, as We believe, TO
the blessings Of our heavenly Father upon
US.
GOD HAS HEARD OUR PRAYERS,
He has pointed out to US in answer to
prayer that which we should do, and though
we have had evils 10 contend with, though
afflictiOn may beset our pathway and per
secution has laid its heavy hand upon Us,
we have had the assurance that we were
not left to ourselves, that this great work
has not been deserted, that God has not for
gotten US nor withdrawn His favor and
Watchcare from US; but that amid all these
circumstances, He has ever been near to
hear and to answer and to lmpart knoWl-
edge and to give unto US light and certainty
and strength and everything necessary to
enable us to endure the difficulties that we
have to contend with. Now this has been
a great and a peculiar blessing. It's worth
more than all the riches OF the world. 1t is
more to US than all earthly honor. 1t IS
worth more than all the popularity men
can give. VINO is there that values eternal
truth! Who is there that loves God and
denies eternal salvation in His kingdom
who would not give everything that we
possess on the face of the earth in order to
have the blessings that God has 50 bOuuti-
fully bestowed upon US, His people: Men
have made sacrifices for principles not 50
valuable not so gOd-like, rs those which we
have in such profusion; and they felt as
though they would give everything they
had in the world, and sacrifice life itself, if
they could have one communication from
the eternal world; If they could have enc
heavenly messenger to communicate to
them the will of God. If they could have
the Holy Ghost, with It's gifts and bless
ings. descend upon them, they would gladly
have sacrificed everything they had on the
earth, even their life itself, to have those
blessings or even d small portion of them.
Men have prayed to God to give unto them
the priesthood and the authority to admin
lister to their fellow men; and they made
boundless sacrifices to obtain this authority.
What would Luther have given to have this
right and TO reform the people, and to ad-
minister in these holy ordinances necessary
to salvation! AS it was, he was willing to
die for the truth that he possessed; but how
much stronger he would have been if he
had the blessings of God as placed within
our reach.
Now, in speaking in this strain, do not
do it to please your vanity, or make you
think that you are better than other men;
but in the providence Of God, IN the carry
ing out of His great purposes,
IT WAS NOT HIS WILL
that the priesthood should be restored until
thes, last days. 1t was withheld Tor rea-
sons in the mind of Omnipotence. The earth
had been drenched by the blood OF apostles
and prophets and righteous men; and the
priesthood was taken back to God until the
time should come when it should be again
communicated; and those men to whom
have made reference who in ages past hau
so earnestly desired to receive the truth
will not lose their reward; they will be
blessed in the good time of the Lord Gods
work is not confined to this probation, but
il extends throughout eternity; and
no son or daughter of God will ever
be lost except the sons Of perditlon.
In the good time of the Lord, our ances-
tors who mad lived without those blessings
will leceive them in their fitness. But TO
us who nave been born in this &c leratlon,
IN rs who have beheld this glorious day, |
these blessings are bestowed. we are
chosen as it were to be the Saylors OF men.
to be the saviOrs of our ancestors, to be the
saviors of the world; and not for any merit
off ours that we know of, but because OF
the grace of Cod and His ineffable goodness
and mercy that He has shown to US. and IS
still willing to extend to us. What peo-
nile we should be! How our hearts should
swell with gratitude to God for that which |
He has done for US. The apostle Paul, |
speaking of Gods people anciently, says
they wandered in sheepskins and IN goat
skins, dwelling in caves and IN de9s Oh tne
earth. They were sawn asunder ana
were tormenfed in various ways and their
lives were sought after; yet, through their
fidelity. they chung to the truth, preferrin1g
to dwell in caves and in dens Of the earth; |
preferring to be clothed in sheepsklns ana
to be Ihated by all men, rather
than deny the great truths God revealed
unto them. But
CONTRAST OUR CIRCUMSTANCES
with the circumstances of those to whom |