Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-07-31
DISCOURSES.
o bel they came hele and arc dwel-ing


lisclples might b one, even a. He ana
he Father we're one; and tn s spirit
ineness has sted wn upon this reo-
)le called Mormons.
Another mani, sta ion VIII CHI accom-
,anies the Gospel s. persecupon Paul
ays: All that WI ! live cody Christ
tsus sha suffer per. ecuion.' Peise-
luton such as NJ other denomination
las suffered has teen the lot oil The Lat
len day Saints Inns and again they
laye be- n driven from Their homes.
Time and again they have had the cho ce
offered to hem II abandoning their Ie-
igion or beng driven forth nv mobs.
They have chosea rather TO stuff the
spollat,on OF their goods, and even
death iseli, than to lorsake Their re-
lgion, because they now 1t is the truth
of heaven. TIL S was The ruling spirit
that prompted tie settlement OF The Sc
valleys. Ii was religion that brought the
Mofmons to the Rely Mountains. 1t
was that they might live in place where
they could worship God without 4 ar
and moestati n In coming here they
came W tn that desire and determination,
wi ling that everybody else should rave
equa rights with themselves and have
the privilege OF worshipping God with
out hndrance. As proof OF this we
can point 10 the practice oil opening our
places oil worship TO rangers WI came
into our midst. I he gold emigration OF
IS4e-5o and succeeding years, brought
with It numbers Of prominent minister's,
and whenever one was known to be IN
town he was invariably invited to speak
10 our people. Ard this was before
there were any churches erected here
by other Denominations, and when The
entire population was Mormon. Inc
people would turn out in large numbers
TO hear bishops OF the Methodist church,
ministers Of the Episcopal church and oil
other denominations, and these ministers
were always listened to with courtesy
and attention.
But 10 return to persecution, which in
this connection is important evidence;
whenever the true Gospel OF Jesus is on
the cath, you may depend upon 1t that
its believers will be prosecuted, because
Satan is not dead and has not lost his an
cient luminosity. lie slew the prophets;
he crucified the Son OF God; he killed
His apostles, with the exception OF John
the Reveator, aud he was immersed in
a caldron of boiling oil, hut there was
a providence around him which pre-
vented his enemies from killing him,
though he was cruelty prosecuted and
banished to the Isle oil Patmos.
These fruits or evidt nces OF which |
have spoken, have characterized the
preaching OF this Gospel fir M the be-
ginning. But there Is another iiuit
which consider OF the utmost impot-
lance and beyond everything else.
Every person that embraces this Gospel
has this promise made to him. that it he
will have faith in God and in Jesus
Christ il he will repent of his sins, il he
will be baptized for the remission OF
sins by one having authority, and have
hands laid upon him Tor The reception OF
the Holy Ghost, he shall receive that
glorious gift.
Now, impostors might make promise
OF that KIN but appeal 10 you who
are here tonight, is it possible for an
impostor to bring down from heaven
the power OF Goa? Can an impostor
make a promise and then expect that
The Lord will fulfil that promise? Such
a thought is abhorrent to every Christian
mind; It is impossible. But these E.
ders who go out, without purse and
scip, to the nations OF the earth, go
forth and make this promise; and the
thousands who have gathered to these
mountains from these various lands
bear testimony that they did receive
the Holy Ghost when they submitted to
these ordinances, as the Elders prom
ised they should, and that they know
this is the work OF God, by the out
pouring OF the Holy Spirit aud the be-
stowal OF its gifts upon them.
| look upon this as the most impor-
tant fruit OF the Gospel. This is an
age of infideliiy. Skepicism is sweep
ing over the land. Ministers OF various
denominations are adopting some OF
these false ideas concerning the Bible,
concerning the creation OF man, con-
corning our Father in heaven himself
Doubt is being spread and propagated
by so-called ministers OF Christ, con
corning God himself. Now, this Church,
through the providence OF God, has
been raised up TO be beacon light, a
witness Tor the Almighty that He does
live.
How do we know He lives! We
know He lives, because He hears and
answers our prayers, and He gives us
that which He has promised. We have
obeyed His Gospel, and He has con-
Tered upon us the gifts OF that Gospel.
We know by the gilt OF the Holy
Ghost that God lives, and that man IS
the child OF God. We know that we
have not descended from lower order
OF creation, but that we are the off
spring of Deity. The Lord has raised
up in these mountains, through The
preaching of His Gospel, an lnnumer-
able host of witnesses, who bear test :
mony to these truths They declare
that God is the same today as He was
yesterday, and that He will be III :
same throughout eternity, Interchangeable
and unalterable. And our cnildren are
taught to seek unto the Lord for this
testimony.
Today is our Fast day. We fast once
a month, aud every family contribute, TO
the poor that which would be cons umed
in the household on that day. on the
afternoon Of the first Sabbath OF the
month we assemble in our various ward
meeting houses, and these meetings are
open Tor all to speak and bear les limo ~.
/ attended such meeting this afternoon
in the ward IN which ! live. | heard
boys and girls testify that they knew
that God lived. How did they know II?
They said they knew it because God
heard and answered their prayers. They
knew that they could appeal TO Him as
their Father, and that He would grant
unto them the righteous desires OF their
hearts. My heart was melted within me
IN listening to these young people bear
this testimony, You could feel that their
words proceeded IRON the depths q