Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-07-28

ins hymn commencing:
The time is far spsnt-ihere is Ii,ts r..
naming
To publish glad tidinss by sea and BY land
Prayer by Elder VIM. l.. Binder.
The choir sang:
How sweet communion Il on earth
With those who'ye realised the brit.
The Priesthood Of the Tenth
Ward oaiciat.d ~ bic sdrrinislra.
ten OF the Sacrament.
ELDER ORsoN 4. wooLLEY
was called 10 address the congrega-
ton. He said the Latter-dAy Saints
were engaged In the <atk Of God
in the redeenllng OF the human
family. The religion Of Jesus
Christ was n practical religion--n
religion which called for action 10
our everyday lift, 4 religion that
should influence all cur dOings.
Whatever our avOcatior might be,
we should .at eli times be allie TO ask
/ Mo blessing Of our Heavenly
Father upon all we DO. IL
was only through obedience TO
the principles Of the Gospel VI Jesus
Christ that We could be saved and
exalted in the celestial kingdom. We
forgot the great promises which the
Lord had made 10 us rs people in
the revelations which he had given
unto US from time TO time. IL seemed
to him that We lacked faith in those
promises, or that we did not desire
TO obtain them. The speaker exs
! hortsd his hearers te nay strict
obedience TO the Word Of Wisdom,
and said that the latter day Saints
gere. engaged in the WORK OF God,
| which BAD been established for the
| last time, nsverIhore 70 lie saken
from the earth or given tn another
people.
BISHOP ORsON =. WHITNEY
mex: spoke. In the course Of his
remarks he said that among the first
things told to the Prophet Joseph
Smith by the angel Of God in rela-
ton 10 this work OF the last days
was that the Lord was about 70
commence in the earth a marvellous
work and a wonder, before which the
wisdom OF the wise should perish !
and the understanding OF the pru- !
dent should Ire hid. The angel |
quoted these words from an ancient |
prophet, who had spoken them con-
corning the great work which the |
Lord purpOsed 10 perform in these |
days. When Joseph Smith went 1
out into the woods 10 pray on that |
spring morning in the year 1870, |
and the Father and the Son de- !
scended from Heaven in a cloud Of 1
glory. according 10 his testimony. |
aud opened this dispensatiOn upon |
the world, that marvellous work and /
wonder was begun.
II could scarcely have been COM |
menced in any more marvellous |
manner, and it is no wonder that |
Joseph Smilh-lOOking at things |
naturally-was deemed an aulaciOus |
impOst1r or a mailman, when at |
the age Of fourteen he declaredd
that God rs m an had appeared AMI /
spoken TO him, and that, too, in the
midst Of a generation which had de-
cided for itself that the heavens l
were closed. that God no longer /
communicated with man, and that |
God Himself was 4 Being OF such a
character that il would be difficult
Indeed for Him q 50 communicate
in such a manner that man cOnli
49, NTEwa a. HHanH HfHHn.. I
IL was taught, as il is taught now
by many sects, that God was q
Being without body, parts OF pas
sions-l spirit universally diiiG-Ci,
but with no personality.
The speaker next referred 10 the
visit OF the angel MOrOni % tine
Prophet Joseph and to the subse-
uuent visitatiOns Of John the Bap-
tist, and Of Peter, James and John.
the comforting OF the AarOnic and
Melchisedek priesthOods upon the
Prophet and Oliver COwdrry. and
the work they were commissioned I
by heaven 10 90 forth and perform.
Some came forward, he said, listen
ed 10 the Gospel which was pro-
cl9imed to them. aud received the
blessings Of God, while the great
mass Of the people, as was the case
today, stood aiOof and regarded |
the claims Of the Prophet
and his cOnfreres with cold
contempt, o. poured upon them
hot and hostile criticism. Tens Of
thousands can today, however, de
clare that "Mormonism, rs IL j.
called. is divine, that il is Indeed
the "marvel0us work and wOndef''
which God promised ages ago that
He would bring TO pass ia these lat
ter days.
The time has gone by-if il ever
was-when men can say with any
show Of reason that the LatteI-iay
Saints are deceived and lei astray
by designing and scheming men.
The secret Of the unity Of this peO-
pie, of the emphasis and assurance
with which they claim these things
to be true, is that each man and
woman has received a testimony
for himself or herself. Norare they |
their feelings and views,
for they turn with an open ami
generous hand TO the people 81 the
whole world and say, III you Will
follow in the same path and obey
the same principles, you, too, may
receive the same testimony
Some people say, "lt is presUmF-
tuOus for you MoTmons to claim that
you can see more clearly than We
can, and that your position is the
safe one" IL may seem prtssLmp
tuOus to them. Joseph Smiths
claim appeared presumptuous; but
We can only say, in reply, "lf you
will have faith enough in God 10
put these things to the test for yOur-
selves, and investigated them on their
merits, you shall know a. we
do, that they are true, and
that what you call presump-
ton, impudence, cOnceit, and,
is only that natural
zeal and. desire for your welfare
which any child OF God ought 10
feel and dOes feel for his fellow
who are IN danger and
need help. I.-
The natural man is an enemy Of
God. When We look at things
il means doubt, darkness
and despair, but when we look at
them spiritually it is light. hope,
assurance. 1t Is the prediction In
our hearts Of glory, triumph and
life. We must not look
down, we must not take an earthly
view Of things. IL we do we will
doubt everything,untIl bye and bye
we will doubt our very existence.
The Greek philosophers went 50 far
as to do this, spoke Of things which
were happening around them as
things which seemed TO be, and
could not make any positive asser-
ton.
1t is the spirit Of this world which
par1saa mon fn dgfitf ,rT dariH. |