Show RELIGIOUS sunday services religious services were held at the tabernacle Tarjer nacle salt lake bake city sunday april 10 1892 commencing at 2 pm president angus M cannon presiding the services commenced by the singing ringing the hymn commencing god moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform player by elder david H cannon the choir sang jesus once of humble birth now in glory comes to earl earth the priesthood of the seventh ward officiated in the administering of the sacrament cram t BISHOP ORSON F then addressed the congregation he WB perfectly sincere he said in the statement hent that he would have been as well pleased if the lot had bad fallen to biome one else to address the assembly this after afternoon noOD he had seen times when to speak on such oce occasions had been a great pleasure and he hoped he would feel the same before the services were over at present however he was somewhat ailing in body and more or less indisposed to occupy that position but he responded to the call made de upon him in the hope that weakness auld would give way to strength and that abat be by the power of the spirit blight be able to say something profitable 41 the speaker had bad been a happy and an interested auditor during the conference just closed and rejoiced in the fjord 1 biord that he had been permitted to see this day to witness the imposing ceremonies attending the laying of the capstone cap stone on the temple the pro aeo feedings edings ee clings of the late ge oral era conference were among the most enjoyable he had ever experienced in viewing the badt congregations that had assembled here during those proceedings he could not but contrast the work ot of god as seen today with the past history bastory of his bis people contrasting the then and the now tike the small beginning with the present achievement in so BO doing we can some extent the truth of the prediction of sixty years ago behold marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men it is now about seventy two years ince isiace the prophet joseph smith then a boy about fourteen years of age felt loop inspired ired tofeek to geek the lord in prayer and aau obtain from him a testimony concern ing the truth as it is in christ jesus it wag on just such a right bright spring morning as 98 that which dawned today that lie he went out into the woods and in quiren of the lord which of all the churches then existing was the true one he was born in a land of churches and bibles he hb was surrounded by toots each claiming to be the true church of christ and it had bad never dawned upon him but that ono ond of them wow was indeed right but which this was he did not know reading beading in the IB of james that if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of god who liveth ve th to all men liberally 21 he deter to put the word to the test teat and aft sought the th lard beseeching him to Z baar w 1 aul and answer his prayer he ae anti bee that at this his bis first at tempt to pray orally he was seized by a which paralyzed his tongue and threatened him bim with destruction but he continued to pray in his bis thoughts and just as he be seemed about to give way to the antagonizing iL ii fluence that thai had bad seized him he be saw a light descending from heaven which delivered him from his foe antho in the midst of the luminous pillar there appeared two personage ps one of whom pointing to the other said this Is my beloved son bear him this was in itself a strange revelation to the boy the scriptures teach that man was created in gods image jesus told his disciples that those who bad seen him had seen the father paul says christ was the express image of the fathers person but notwithstanding these testimonies the world had forgotten the fact that god is a person and they had conjured up a god without body parts or passions they rhey had no definite idea of deity they could describe him no better than by saying he warms in the sun refreshes in the breeze glows in the stars and blossoms in the trees this was the prevailing idea of god when joseph smith prayed tor for enlightenment lighten ment now the prophet testifies that the glorious boi beings n g a who answered his prayer were in the form of men and this was doubtless a new revelation to him after having heard beard nil his bis life that god was ra a being without personality he te testifies stifles that he was told all the churches had gone astray there had bad been a universal apostasy doctrines of men having been substituted for the pure word of the lord the p people honored god with their lips their hearts were far from him he was therefore instructed not to join any of the existing churches the heavenly visitants tants then withdrew this took place in the spring of the year 1820 th three reo years later moroni a holy angel whose representative figure now surmounts the capstone capa tobe of the temple visited him and proclaimed himself a messenger from the presence of the lord he said he be was the last of a line of prophets who had bad ministered to the Nep hites an ancient people who inhabited this continent he showed bowed joseph where there were records golden plates hidden giving an account of the dealings of the almighty with these ancient people with the records were deposited an instrument called the arim and Thum mim by the aid of which the plates could be translated joseph was told that god was about to be began 1 I a great work necessary to prepare the world for the glorious coming of christ and the establishment of the kingdom which should never be thrown down ile he was afterwards enabled to obtain the plates from the hill cumorah Cumo rab this being the name anciently given to the hill hil where moroni the last survivor of the great battle in which the Nep hites bItes were destroyed had bad deposited the sacred records this happened bened about the year A D joseph obtained and translated the plates which translation is now known as the book of mormon a history of the house bouse of joseph and the dealings of god with them similar to his dealings with israelian Isra israel elin in the orient angels again visited the youthful prophet and cont conferred erred upon him the priesthood the aa priesthood waa conferred upon joseph smith and oliver cowdery by john the baptist who ordained them in the following words upon you my servants servanda ser vanta lu in the name of I 1 confer the priesthood of aaron which holds the keys of the ministering of angels and of the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of levi do offer offe again ragain an offering unto the lord in righteousness rif ap this event took place on may 15 1829 while joseph was engaged in translating the record by virtue of this ordination they had power to preach the gospel of faith and repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins but they had bad not the authority to lay on hands and bestow the holy ghost to give this power another priesthood the melchi sedek should in due time they were told be conferred upon them this was given to them when the time came under the hands of peterj peter james and john who held the keys of this priesthood As A a soon as they had received the pries Priesthood chood joseph and oliver were told to baptize each other by imin being the only true mode of baptism typifying the burial and resurrection of christ the redeemer they ey were given to understand that 8 sprinkling ril lkling or pouring water upon the head bead or the baptism of infants were rites unauthorized of god joseph and oliver therefore baptized each other by immersion after having received authority from god to do so on the ath of april 1880 1830 these two men and a few others met in the house of peter whitmer at fayette seneca county new york and organized the church of jesus christ of lat ter day saints six n members embers participated in the organization many have had an impression that the total number of saints at that time was only six but there had been probably seventy five persons baptized by joseph and oliver prior to the formal organization of the church it was waa in order to comply with the law of the state of new york which required at least six members to incorporate a religious society that this number participated but there were others present at the meeting to whom the matter was presented who consented to the organization and declared them solves selves willing to receive joseph and oliver as their spiritual teachers this fact should be a sufficient reply to those who imagine that Mormon lem to is a system of coercion that the indulge in high banded pro cedore regardless of the rights of the people prom from the first thib the doctrine of common consent has prevailed with the latter day saints the book of mormon was now published and scattered abroad the work of god progressed at t e close of the year the church was commanded by revelation to move westward to the state of ohio one hundred and atwon ty seven soul shad been baptized there s by certain elders who bad gone west jar ward on a mission minion to the indiana law or as the book of mormon styles them Lama these elders land bad then proceeded on to jackson county missouri th the church chuich followed and located at Kitt kirtland land ohio in 1831 they numbered about 2000 souls a fact which gives some gome idea of the progress of the work th in its first year later a conference was held in jackson county missouri where the saints saint had been directed to build up zion joseph smith declared that the whole american continent was the land of zion but that jackson county was the particular place where zion should be built up there should be reared by the tribe of joseph a preat great city called the new jerusalem while the old jerusalem was to be rebuilt on the eastern continent by the other tribes of israel the word of micah should then be fulfilled it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the lord shall be established in the top of the mountains and it shall be exalted above the cilip and people shall flow unto it and many nations shall come and say come and let at us go up to the mou tain of the lord and to the house of the god of jacob aud and he will wili teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths for the law jaw shall go forth ot of zion and the word of the lord from jerusalem joseph smith designated the spot where the city and temple of zion should be built and in the summer of 1881 1831 the land was consecrated sec rated for that purpose and for the gathering of the saints in 1883 1893 our people were driven out of jackson county the saints were inis misunderstood understood and misrepresented then as now it was said paid that they had come to missouri to forcibly dispossess the earlier settlers of their homes and the rumor was circulated that their intention was to unite with the indians indiana in indian territory now kansas for the purpose of carrying out this design the truth was however that the saints had been commanded to purchase the land and to oppress no one they were to commit no avert act their mission was one of peace they were to lift up a standard of peace to all nations they taught the indians to cease their wars ware aud and bloodshed and to lecome become civilized the book of mormon taught caught them that the indians were their brethren descendants of joseph to whom god had given this land jand as an inheritance that these indians today so loathsome and degraded would yot yet become a white and delightsome people and take part in the building up of zion this was the message the mormon elders conveyed to he be indians indiana there was not the slightest thought of stirring them up to war against the gentiles another charge was that the saints believed in the abolition of negro slavery this was sufficient to blacken their characters in the eyes of the mis so sour lans most of whom were from the south they were also accused of communism which was falsely said to include not only their property but their wives they were also charged with being poor and the missourians Missour ians of that period bad no use for poor people the consequence was that in the fall of 1888 the saints numbering from twelve to fifteen hundred souls were driven with fire and sword from jackson county they have never since been permitted to return and a nd possess ther lands io in that locality but the work of god went on mes mee were sent gent across the sea the british mission was waa opened and the word of the he Prop prophet bLet aloah began to be fulfilled the people of other nations COMMe commenced Deed to flock to zion joseph smith had bad been told at the outset oi of his career that his name should be spoken both well and evilly of among all nations today we can see how this has been fulfilled the prophets prophet a fame from being unknown outside his hie native village has become the property of two hemispheres in 1838 far west was founded io in caldwell county missouri in the latter at part of the year the saints numbered in that state alone besides thousands in great britain and the several states of the ut ui 10 in the winter of 1838 9 occurred the exodus from missouri the entire community men women and children being forcibly ejected from their homes under the inhuman order of governor boggs that the mormons cormons Mor mons must be exterminated or driven from the state this was for differing religiously and politically with the Missour missourians ians they next founded nauvoo in illinois which was at one time the most densely populated city in that state and was talked balked of as the coming capital while chicago was little more than a village in 1846 owing to troubles similar to those in missuri Mie Mip suri surl and after the murder of the prophet joseph and his brother hyrum the church was compelled to flee into the wilderness halting on the missouri river their march westward was delayed by the enlistment of of their best men sent to help the united states in the war with mexico hence the mormon li pioneers could not commence their journey to the rocky bocky mountains mountaha till the following spring in 1847 brigham young at the head of pioneers started for the west and entered this valley in july they were told by colonel bridger an experienced mountaineer that they ought not to taini think of planting a colony in this valley until it had bad been demonstrated that grain could be raised here salt lake valley was then a wilderness of sagebrush and sand the paradise of the lizard the cricket and the rattlesnake he said he would give 1000 for the first ear of corn grown here cache valley although cold was thought to be the most promising spot in which to locate but in spite of the barren condition of the country and the advice received as to colonization brigham young declared that this valley was the first to be settled he had seen men it in a vision A tent had bad settled down from heaven and a voice bad declared to him hereto here is the place where my people israel shall pitch their tents the world can now see that he was right today there are about in the church and the work accomplished has been done by a people despised and downtrodden scattered and peeled from the beginning they have redeemed a desert colonized the waste places dotted the landscape with cities towns villages farms fields and vineyards vineyard ent enthroning broning civilization in the midst of solitude and sterility ty the speaker was reminded of the tea testimony ti of one who came among us some years since mr phil robinson a celebrated englishman who said to the gentiles in his bin correspondence to a great new york paper you say the mormons cormons are deluded that their religion is ia a delusion and a fraud but I 1 defy you to stand upon the bench of cache valley and survey the scene spread out before you |