The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-12

Elder James E. Talmage and Elder
Charles w. Penrose preached the SER
mons at the tabernacle The attend
ance was large and President Angus
NJ Cannon presided as usual
Elder Talmage made the first ad-
dress When Latter-day Saints meet
together he said. they should be able to
exercise a. powerful influence upon him
who speaks and bring the spirit of God
into the gathering.
Men exercising what they have call
ed their higher reason he continued.
have come to the conclusion that
there is no God and that there was no
Lucifer. l confess that 1 cannot see
the force of their reasoning. One of
the beauties of the gospel is it's SIM
plicity and literalness. Christ, of
course, spoke in parallels, but it is not
difficult to distinguish these and in
terpret their meaning. But no meta
physical meaning should be placed
upon the ordinary sayings of Christ
and his apostles.
III requires no long training in the
exercise of philosophical reason to I'M
derstand the gospel of Christ. This is
no disparagement of educational adj
vance. But intellectually alone does
not necessarily produce faith.
The avenue to spiritual wisdom is
not scholastic training but acts of
pure life which make q free and open
communication between man and his
maker When an obstruction occurs,
as in an electric current, the illumina-
ton ceases
Elder Talmage referred to the neces-
sity of freedom in worship, and said
that, unless free it should not be dig
nified by the name worship. The Lat
ter-day Saints should consequently go
on in their simple faith. with implicit
belief and untrammelled by the many
sophistries which prevail in the world.
CompulsiOn was not a part of Gods
plan, and he did not wish a supplica-
ton which did not well up freely from
the heart
Communion he said, may become
so perfect between man and his maker
that he can feel the supporting hand
of the father even in the darkest hour.
This is one of the greatest joys which
God has provided for his faithful ones.
The spirit needs refreshment even as
the body does, and the acts of a SIM
pie and pure faith are necessary to
such nutriment. Admonition was given
at the last conference that we should
cling to the iron rod Of faith and that
we should be entangled in the spiritual
mysteries which surround us. These
mysteries. such as spiritualism, are
counterfeits which Satan puts forth for
the time to confound original faith. The !
gospel of Christ is not complicated. 1t |
is simple and can be understood by the
illiterate as by the erudite and intel |
lectual.'
Elder c. w. Penrose amplified the
subject treated by Elder Talmage. and |
said that God would accept nothing |
which did not come from the heart. |
God accepts, he continued, the prayers |
Of the faithful heather, but the wor
ship of the hypocrite is an abOmination /
to him. One of the greatest objections
to present Christianity is that the peo-
pie worship with their lips but their
hearts are far from him. They follow
the vain imaginings of their own
minds. Paul, at Mars hill. criticized
the Athenians for worshipping blindly
and for having more superstition than
true faith. That speech of Paul'S is
really Mormon sermon. God has not
changed with the fieeting years, but he
IS approachable now as he was in those
lays, and his spirit permeates rail-
things. God is not a personality of
mighty mystery, but is in the same
'orm as man and Christ was in the
express image of his person. Men to-
lay are as ignorant of the true nature
If God as were the Athenians when
hey erected an altar to the unknown
Tod. His gospel was revealed anew
n the last dispensation. that this blind
less and misconception might be dis
,elIed. To understand the true rela-
ionship between man and God, the
people must free themselves from the
and superstitions which have
,een upon the minds of men during the
ong ages when ministers came not to
men from the courts of heaven. All
,eople are of the same blood and all
re the sons of God. There is a spirit
nan came to this world. The body is
f the earth earthly but the spirit
5 of a divine essence. Men from the
eginning were left free that they
night overcome the flesh or be him
elf overcome by it. God left Adam
nd Eve free to choose that which ,
ends to life or that which leads to
cath, as he does today.
That is according to the doctrine
reached upon Mars hill. Paul said
hat If we yield obedience to the father
{ our flesh, we should much rather be ]
4 subsection to the father of our
pirits.. We should be here not TO do
ur own will but his. Knowing, i
therefore,, that we are brethren and sis
ers, we should love our neighbor as 5
urself There are spiritual laws as !
ell as temporal laws. and these were
ointed out by the Son of Man. They
re very simple and there need be no t
rror in following his ways. Faith
as the beginning of the gospel then
nd it is the beginning today, and
blowing that is obedience. The time 6
as when ignorance was wnnked
t. but there has been a new revela- s
on. and now there will be no longer c
n excuse for error. Gods spirit is q
onferred by authority, and this Z
i'll teach us all things necessary for q
aviation and exaltation.
Every spirit at the last will find its
vn level. Some will receive stripes {
nd others Will be exalted to great
ory. The Lords authority is upon
lie earth today as it was formerly, =
I'D his servants have the power to
nd on earth so that it shall be bound
heaven. Primarily, the mission of
le people is to disseminate the light p
ley received and to preach the gospel o
all the world as a witness I
COMO III