Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-19
SUNDAY SERVICES.
Bishop Orson =. whitney Addresses a
Large Congregation.

Religious services were held in the
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday,
June 18th, 1873, commencing al PM
Elder Angus NJ. Cannon, president Of
tue Stake, presiding.
The choir and congregation sang the
hymn;
Now let ne rejoice In the day Of aalvniIon'
No longer a. strangers on earth need We
roam.
Prayer by Elder John Morgan.
Tho choir sang selections
Jesus, Imy eros, have taken
The Priesthood u the twentieth
ward OBLIGATED Ia the administration
OF the Sacrament
ELDER oRsoN " wiirrNEY
was the speaker. lie referred to the
words In tho opening prayer IN which
gratitude was CA pressed 70 the Lord for
the restoration OF the Gospel IN this
age. To mos, Of those present this, he
said, IL no new thing, tut TO strangers
40 may seem singular. Somr, ptr-
hans, even rldicuiu IN their own
minds the idea Of the claim put i0tth
that God has restored the religion
Of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless this the
Latter.day Saints positively claim.
We are emphatic Ia this declaration.
We seldom say we believe or think
that our religion is true, hut We Know
~. Hence We orc deemed arrogant
but unless We were positive ln our
declaration we would not Do true 70
our trust, Tor God gave ~ nut uicrsiy
an opinion about religious things uut
knowledge. Yet We do not want 70
bearfogant Or intoa tionaliy offend any
Chrlstisn with whom we may speak,
It Is our duty 10 declare 90 tue WOui
" hat we know l. be the lruts, sud
then leave the result 20 Col.
There are ways by which truth may
become known aud we pteuch that
these vnyA arc open 30 ali mhnkiuG.
We do not claim 10 to the only 1inceru
people In the world. We accord to
millions Of our iellowmen the same
sincerity that VIZ claim Tor ourselves
anu think they ought 10 give ua credit
for. II Ia natural for men TO doubt
and deny the truth Rs long as II appears
new. People tic themselves TO ancient
tradition aud look with uistrust on a
new prophet that may arise. They
honor the dead inspirui men AMI XIII,
perhaps, the living ones. such IA hu.
man nature. Tue things that are
spiritual must be perceived by spiritual
senses. They can not be recognized
with the outward senses alone. truth
cannot be taken into a chumisps labor.
atOrY to be tested by acids as to iis
value. Yet, the Lori can and Will
manifest 20 the utmost degree OF certain.
~ that He lives ami that His teachings
10 mankind are eternal truths. Nor.
monism In the everlasting truth, often
revealed 10 men. This dispeueatiOn dii.
feTa from others only by being the
grandest VI them all. In II IN the full
ness Of all blended together na the vari'
Gus rivers In the ocean. IL lisa little
more than Heventy.three years ago
since II was ngain revealed M prep.
nfAtion for the ushoring In Of thu reign
Of peace foretold by b0th prophets aud
poets. Tho speaker quoted TcnnysOn
and Burns. These gifted wilteTa
looked into tho future predicting u
reign Of peace ana universal brother
hoOd 90 gl0rlously described by ancient
Hsers under the name of tbs milonni'
UNI, when Zion shall rise and shine
ana the Lord dwell In hor midst. And
tue Saints do not regard these things a,
mere dreams, but Rs realities. They
hold that this purpose OF the Institution
OF MormOnism was 10 prepare the
world for this. Either this IL It, OBJ
irct or It has none.
Elder Whitney further referred
TO ths history Of Joseph smith
aud particularly the Incidents relating
60 his calling N the servant OF the
Lord. lie was rejected at that time
by roliglonists ana iniidols alike, but
today hundreds and thousands have
Aeoe pied him for whathe claimed ~ be,
having arrived to knowledge Of the
truth through those faculties In man 10y
which even the invisible Lord may he
cOmprehended TO some extent. some
may doubt the existence Of such facul-
ties, but for all that We may sometimes
be moro sure OF the "invihiblc" AM
this world 10 come than Of the present
one, AZ the ocean IL more Stable than
the rivers than the rivers that iioN
into It. MOrmOniam has revealed "a
W the truth concerning God anu mar
and their relations to each other. TINT
truth dawned on Joseph Smith AS h,
heheld the wonderful Vision OF III,
Father and the Son. Then the idea
OF God being an everywhere dlliu see
spirit generally prevailed but, contrary
20 this idea, no saw the divine person
ages before him In human forms, thu
very image in the likeness of whicl
man was created. Mormonism "a Tia,
religion Of common sense. lt teache
Us the origin and destiny OF the humai
race and shows US tho way by whict
all may become acquainted with truth
True, they are few who lind this way
because No many refuse to listen to Ia
teachings Of those whom God Ia
authorized to proclaim II. Generally
men accept the testimony OF scientist
regarding the facts Of nature, bu
when man, who has spent his day
fasting and praying, says he has fouut
truths regarding God aud eterna
things, we reject him NJ an impostoi
Why Is he NOT us much TO be- credite,
Rs a man OF science, who speaks {
what no has diligently sudden Tin