Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-15
|L|FF CHURCH
FREE FROM DEBT.
Mortgage Burned at Jubilee Ser
vice Held in This City
Yesterday.
SERMON BY DR.. H. J. TALBOT.
Historical sketch Shows the Progress
or the Church Since Its Or
gunlzation.

The llff Methodists held jubilee
service yesterday morning, when the
liquidation of the church debt was
signalzed by the burning OF the church
mortgage Of $500 held by the board Of
church extension of the NJ. r.. church
Judge c. w. Morse OF tile district court
applied the match which destroyed the
document Mt the close of the service,
caught the ashes. The pastor made II
congratulatory address, and Rev. Or.
H. j. Talbot, superintendent of the
Methodist mission In this state, preach-
ed the sermon. while special musical
program was given. The church audi
torium was handsomely decorated. The
sermon was from the text; Isaiah
LII; T.; Awake, awake put on thy
strength; put on thy beautiful gar
fGents. o Jerusalem, the Holy CITY,"
The speaker said in part; Zion means
the church; not the Catholic church,
nor the Latter-day Saints church, nor
the Methodist Episcopal church but all
churches. The text is a message de-
IVered Ia the early ages, but 1t Is even
more appropriate In this age, when
the people OF the world are giving them
selves up to the so much pleasure and
iEduglng In a mad race for gold. The
strength OF the church is made up
sometimes OF numbers. but In matters
OF the church he stated that strength
Ia, o..
Ivy, In the matter OF the church of
God, the number are no more sign
OF strength than Is a directory of a
cemetery y sign of life
WEALTH is NOT STRENGTH.
Nor is wealth a sign Of strength
True, the Christian churches are
Weather today than ever before
wealth must not he held In contempt
Poverty is one of the badges OF the
church IN years gone by, while today
wealth Is held by men and women
members of the Christian churches. /
hail with gladness the great spirit Of
selt-denial. when men lay upon the
affairs or churches portions Of their
earnings OF years. But there have not
been infrequent instances where poor
men gladly contributed to the church
but practically became aienated
through the accumulation of material
things. The strength Of the church
therefore, does not lie In numbers non
wealth, nor the adaptation OF the
church TO conditions These things
do not indicate, the strength of the
church,
1.-THE strength Of the church lies in
It's doctrines. The last few years have
witnessed some reactions In the doc
trines, TO be sure, but there can be
no church without the proclamation Of
doctrines Without doctrines, the
church must, therefore, in some way
or another make known the doctrines
of God, as IN them lies it's strength.
The church has but one message to the
lowly, and that Isl Repent, believe
and obey" When the doors of
church swing easier on their hinges for
rich or renowned parsonage than for
the lowly or the poor great destruc-
ton will occur, and there should be-"
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Following the discourse, Mr.. L. u.
Hskey read an historical sketch OF
the Iliff NJ. T.. church II began With
a brick chapel IN 1883, occupied by the
Scandinavian Methodlsts until 1887,
when the Present Scandinavian church
was built at the corner of Second East
and Second South streets. The lliI
church proper was organized In Mo-
vember, 1889. under the pastorate OF
Rev. Il, L. Carr, and in June. 1892.
Rev. DR.. T. c. lift was appointed
pastor. The building was dedicated
in July. 1898, and the church has held
it's own through various, and ut times
strenuous, vlcissitudes. until the pres
ent, when 1t Is now entirely clear Of all
encumbrances. Special reference was
made 10 the revival Of 1900 under F. H.
oliver, when the membership or the
church was largely augmented