Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-19

have been presented this afternoon
has been organized. not By the wisdom
of man, but by the wisdom OF God.
Joseph Smith was secuted as an ignor-
anus. n miserable untutored, unlettered
youth. SO with number of the men
who first assisted TO build up this king
dom. But they were endowed with the
power OF God from on high, and the
fruits of that power were made mani
fest
bear you my testimony as one who
received this Gospel In his youth, In
his native land, that this Is the Gospel
of Christ. God has witnessed II TO me.
| have seen the signs following the be-
levers. | have gone out to preach
this Gospel and wherever II has been
preached and the people have received
It the same signs and gifts and bless.
ings have followed. God has backed
up the testimony OF His servants by the
power Of the Holy Ghost as He did In
former times, for He Is the same yes
terday, today and forever, His truth
does not change,
How does this affect the Christian
world? may be asked, II comes right
In contact with the errors they have.
II IL not to be expected that men whose
Incomes depend upon teaching what
they believe TO be true will relish II
very much. None of these men whose
names have been presented this after
noon are receiving salariesc when We
sustain an officer we simply sustain him
by our confidence and prayers In his
office ana calling, that he may be able
TO discharge his duties properly, They
are not paid for this. We have no hired
clergy Men are called upon from time
10 time TO 20 out without purse and
scrip and without pay. and preach In
the name OF the Lord. and they depend
upon Him for their sustenance and
upon the light that God gives to them
TO bear their testimony, And this great
organization. which has attracted the
admiration OF the world has been set
up on the earth through an "unlet-
tered ignorant youth" who was in
spired OF God and led by His Spirit TO
build II up after the pattern that God
gave to him. / tell you. my friends
God Is with this people. As sure as we
nre In this Tabernacle. this Church,
which has been established upon the
old pattern on sure foundations. VIII re-
MAN, and there Is no power that can
prevail against 1t. They may put
our Prophets and Apostles to death,
as they have In many instances, they
may drive our people from state to
state, from pillar TO post, but they can
not oblterate the truth. God has sent
Il from heaven to remain here and to
accomplish the work OF the great dis.
pensation OF the funess of times In
the latter DAYS. And II will remain and
abide. In the strength and power OF
God we expect to go forward and bear
testimony to all the world. and we in
wife all people to receive the truth, |
can tell you. my friends. that II Is
more precious than the gold of Ophir,
more valuable than the Jewels that can
be culled from any part Of the globe.
This thing called "Mormonlsm" is the
great eternal truth OF heaven.
Some may say. why thought
Mormonism meant polygamy" Not nj
all, People who don't know anything
about it generally think that. There
is n great cutlery being raised by our
ministerial friends that we are teaching
polygamy. But we are not, They are
the ones that are teaching 1t. Why,
how is that? They are publishing the
Bible in various languages and send
ing II out by the shipload TO the hea-
then. Read the Bible II you want to
know anything about polygamy! We
are not marrying plural wives. That
practice ceased some years ago. The
Book OF Mormon does not teach polyg-
amy. Well, where did we get it from?
We got II from the Lord through the
Prophet Joseph Smith; and when the
Lord said Enough" II ceased, so far
as marrying wives Is concerned. But
men who married wives I'm times past
are in duty bound, before God and man,
TO take care Of them. And that Is what
they are doing; and II people don't like
that--well they will have TO do the
other thing We are not bidding def
ance to the world about that though
BY the revelation OF the Lord this sys-
TEN was established; by the word OF
the Lord TO His servant who stood at
the head of the Church the thing was
stopped because the man who stands
at the head OF the Church Is the only
man who has the keys of that author
ity. The idea that these people in Utah
are all marrying wives Is a foolish idea,
which you can sense by reading the
census that tells us there are over six
thousand more men than women IN
Utah.
"Mormonism" Is the pure Gospel OF
Jesus Christ. II IL the truth of heaven
and every principle contained In our
creed may be found In the Bible. We
believe In the Bible We believe that
holy men OF old wrote as they were
moved upon by the Holy Ghost We be-
lieve that Abraham was good and
glorious man. and we believe that Jesus
Christ spoke the truth when He said,
MANY shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit down with Abraham.
and Isaac, ana Jacob In the kingdom
Of heaven. But tho children of the
kingdom shall be cast out" am
afraid some of our kind Christian
friends will not go IN there Mt all. for
fear that Abraham may have his wives
with him. | do not think they VIII
want TO go I'm through the gates Of the
New Jerusalem, that we read about In
which John saw coming
down from God out of heaven. clothed
with beauty and glory with gates Of
pearl and walls OF precious stones, and
streets OF gold There were twelve
gates, aud on the head OF each gate
was the name of one of the twelve sons
OF Jacob. Now, Jacob had four wives,
and they brought forth these sons TO
him; and am afraid our friends won't
go through those gates because Of these
names. Well, that may be taken as n
little pleasantly. We have no quarrel
with our friends In regard to this
matter. "Mormonism" Is simply the
of Mormon. That is where
the word comes from. Mormon was Il
prophet who lived on this continent
hundreds of years ago--one of the peo-
pie who preceded that dark and be-
nlghted race that We now call the
American Indians. The story is told
In that book OF how they came 10 be In
this condition. The history OF this
continent IL given therein, aud Mormon
is the name of the man who abridged
The writings Of the prophets hero and
made them into one book. They call
rs "Mormons' because we believe In
his testimony. Wei, read H. What Is
Il? The same Gospel that | have been
reading 70 you from the New Testa-
ment.
tell you before the Lord my friends.
hat the Latter-day Saints are people
who have come 10 these mountain val
IN t.I cd al lr4an HE