Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-04


carried TO a harmful extent The body
then becomes too weak. and the mind
may become unhinged. EVIL spirits can
take possession of the body under such
circumstances We are always safe il
we keep Gods commandments as he
has given them, and do not privately
interpret them. add to them, take from
them, and change them according to
our whms and Wills. Fasting is neces-
sary. but We must not fast all the time.
A TIME FOR ALL THINGS.
Neither can we pray all the timo
President Brigham Young was once
upon ship i'm n storm, and some ono
asked him If he was not going to pray
i have already prayed" was his re-
Ply Il have been down below praying
ana now am up here on the lookout.
am going TO watch the danger" There
Is time for prayer and a time TO be
on the watchtower. There Is a time for
work and time for rest, a time to do
all things in their season
Starvation. l said, has two symptoms:
The first one Is n desire for food Fast
one day, and how delicious the food
seems; you desire it all the more; you
ENJOY IL all the more, and there fasting
after day. and what ensues? The op-
posite condition. distaste for food-a
sure Sign that You arc starving. that
your digestive organs arc becoming too
weak To handle the food they need
Ihey need It. but do not want It, they
have no desire FOR 1t 1t is lust the
same with those who are starving in
the spirit. The first symptom of spirit
tt2l starvation Is u desire for spiritual
1000 III we miss our prayers. we desire
TO pray. to mako amends If we miss
one meeting. we desire to attend the
next one. If we miss the sacrament. we
wish to partakc of the sacrament But
continue to neglect those duties. and
what follows? A distaStc for spiritual
lood. You do not want to go TO meet
ing YOU do not want to mlngle with
the goodi you do not want to hear the
word of God because 1t con-
demns you. You do not want
to go near the light, for It ex-
poses your dcformities and shortcom-
ings; 1t humiliates you In your own
eyes. You have begun to starvc in
the spirit.
The Lord desires us to grow and de-
Velop and increase, and he therefore
commands us to partako of food in
due season-food for the body and food
for the spirit. Why can we not take
him at his word? When he requires us
to rest from our labors and worship
him on the Sabbath day, why do we
imagine that we can find out a more
excellent way, virtually saving that
we know more than he does? Do you
think the allwise God, who presides
over the universe, would have insti-
tuted the Sabbath as Il BURDEN as a
yoke, adding to the labors of the six
days wcarisome weight for tho sew
ent day? Don't you think he knew
what he was about. when he COM
manded us to assemble in the house
of prayer, that we might come under
the influence of the Holy Spirit? We
rest while wo are listening to the word
of the Lord and are being reminded
OF our duties. Whether we are speak
ers or hearers, we are refreshed and
renewed under the influence of that
spirit which comes from on high.
THE LAW OF TITHING.
Obedience to any commandment of
God viii bring a blessing. In the ear
~ days OF this Church the Lord gave
a commandment to the Latter day
Saints in relation to the law of tith-
ing-a much misunderstood principle.
one would think. to hear some COM
ments upon 1t. that IT was exclusively
the Mormon Church ever required
such an observance from its members.
In reality it is an ancient law. and
obedience to 1t has been required of
the people of God in all ages. We read,
for instance, that Abraham, the IA
ther of the faithful" gave tithes to
Mclchisedek, high priest and king of
Salem. Moses. the inspired lawgiver
whose wise teachings constitute the
foundations of modern Jurisprudence,
instituted the law OF tlthing among the
tribes of Israel.
The tribe OF Levi had been set apart
as a priesthood, to officiate in sacred
things. to bear the Ark of the Cove
nant, which was one of the priests
duties; and to carry the paraphernalla
Of the tabernacle, which was one of the
duties OF the Levites. the lesser grade
of the Aaronic priesthood. This tribe.
called and set apart to so officiate, gave
up their temporal inheritance In Israel.
and were not numbered with the twelve
tribes when the lands were divided
among them and this made it neces
sary, in order that the tribal count
might be complete. to number the tribe
of Joseph twice, in his sons Ephraim
and Manasseh. The tribe of Levi was
chosen for a peculiar mission. and the
priesthood. with it's privileges was his
portion, the lands and cities, except
certain towns where priests and Lee
vites dwelt, being all given to the
other tribes. Lewis mission was In
behalf of all the tribes. and the law
of tlthing was instituted for his sup
port. The other tribes were tithcd
for the tribe OF Levi. who gave their
whole time to the service of the God
of Israel
This was the law of Moses regarding
the law OF tithing, and so strict