Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-02-08
SUNDAY SERVICES.


r.a.,naeie. Salt Lake City, Sunday,
t.n,nary 7. 1892, commencing at :
"a President Angus NJ. Cannon
Tho choir sang the hymn beginning
-, Thou hast searched and seen me thro' )
r,,ns eve commands with piercing view.
p,sv,r was offered by Elder Henry
Slnwoodey'
The choir next sang the anthemi
aLoo1 ~ sud put your trust IN Cod
The Priesthood " the Nineteenth
ward OBLIGATED In the administration
nj the Lords Supper.
ELDER GEORGE o. LAMBERT
va. called to address the con grcgatlon.
n. said that having been unexpected.
lie called upon To speak that afternoon,
A.. trusted that he might be prompted
nv the Spirit Of the Lord. The Latter
day Saints wero termed a peculiar
rooplr, aud onc Of the peculiarities
,ound among them was the custom OF
calling upon Elders from the congre'
,ation to address the Saints without
any previous warning.
he knew that his religion was true,
bu.ii was QUE thing 10 have lesti'
mony Of this fact aud quite another to
I. able to impress others with that
truth. II he were asked how he be.
cine Possessed Of the knowledge Of
the Truth of the religion which
lie prolessed, he might not
be able to make "a very
satisfactory explanation TO those
vino had no faith. While II was quite
satisfying 10 him, unless the person to
whom lac might attempt TO offer the
exclamation we're possessed ~ thesumc
eplrit, he would not be likely TO COM
prrhend the testimonies that had been
given To him through the operation OF
The Holy Spirit. The truth which he
had embraced had been revealed anew
In this age; II was the same Gospel that
was preached by the Savior anj His
apostles. Il had Ooeu restored again 10
the earth after the Inhabitants thereof
had been for long period deprived OF
II, they having followed In their own
way and devised crocj- to suit them
selves. Il was said Of old by tho
Lord through the Prophet Jcro-
miah that the people had cogi-
mittcd two sins-thoy had foreakon
Him, the true and the living God, ana
had hewn out tor Themselves broken
cisterns which would hold no water.
That expression might aptiy he applied
10 the creels which existed both now
and when the Gospel was restored To
the earth. In fact, ho believed the
prophet foresaw aud had Ia his mind
the various religious systems which
existed ut the present time when he
used those words.
1.-THE claims " those who established
these different religious systems were
analysed II would be- found that the
authority which they arr0gated 70
themselves was not very valid. Ger
tainly they did not receive IL from the
Apostles to whom the commission was
given by the Savior, not having lived
on the earth In their day.
The Lord cOndescendeJ 10 make
known His will to the boy Prophet
joseph Smith, who soughtH Ina In
ufntst prayer, desiring TO know
which Of the crecds then extant was
the proper one for him To embrace. To
biz surprise--for such n thought had
never entered his miud-he was told
BY the heavenly messengers who
visited him that they were all wrong,
and tina. he should embrace neither OF
them, The various sects, he was in
formed, were all teaching Tor doctrines
the commandments OF men, but that VI
he proved faithful, the Lord would in
Que tine reveal unto him the true
Gospel, and through him establish His
Church and Kingdom upon the earth.
II was, however, very generally dlsbc-
lleved, and the idea was even ridi.
culed, that heavenly messengers ever
appeared 10 the Prophet Joseph. But
why not such an occurrence In this
age ns wen rs IN the ancient days? II
We believed the Bible we must believe
that such things did happen in past
age; then was II unrcasOn.
able TO suppose that they oc.
CURED In these latter days? The
Lords hand was not shortened that lie
could not save, neither had His eAr
crown heavy thatHe could not hear. It
mightbe, however, with those who'd welt
upon the earth Ia the resent day, as
Isaiah declared Of ancient Israel, that
their iniquities had separated betw cen
them and their Cot, aud their sins had
hidden His iaCn from them. 10 might
be due, again, TO IA lack OF faith. II
people did not have faith In the eX-
hlenee OF God, II was Unreasonable to
believe that He would answer their
prayers. Joseph smith was simple
enonghIto believe that the Lord was
capable OF hearing aud answering
mayer IN this AGE just rs in the ages
that had passed and gone; aud he went
aud bowed Ia faith before Him. The
rather and the Son appeared unto him
k'lwo mortal beings an bodily shapsand
spoke 10 him. The fnilnro Of protesting
Christians 10 have their prayers m.
swered might be- attributed 10 their
lack Of intelligent faith In the exist.
enoe Of the Deity. A person who had
such a faith--as distinguished from "a
Illnd faith-in the existence OF the
Deity had some idea ~ His character,
and lie thought that was the kiud OF
iaith which The Apostle referred to
when he informed us that without
Ialth u Is impossible to please God.
Even now, Notwithstanding that so
many years had elapsed since the
LORD revealed himself to the Prophet
Joseph, there vas a great lack OF inith
throughout the world In regard TO the
Hue character Of the Deity, and II was
now almost universally held that lie
Wasa spirit only, aud not possessed Of
bodily powers or paris. But the Lat.
tt.dhy saints entertained an altogether
Inherent view from that held by profes-
sihgohristians generally. Theybelleved
the Almighty was capable, ~ lie
Weighed to DO no, Of descending and
holding converse with His Prophets
here below, US, for Instance, He did
with Abraham; that He commissioned