Show I r Sunday Services ji Religious services were held heM inthe in inthe the Tabernacle Salt Bait Lake City Sun Sun- Sunday Sunday Sunday day Dec 1889 commencing if at 2 p m President Angus M MCannon Cannon presiding 4 The choir sang I How pleased and blest lest was I If ITo ITo f To hear the people cry Prayer by Elder A M Musser The choir sang Though in the outward Church below The wheat and tares together grow row The Priesthood of the ilie Twentieth Ward officiated in the administration administration tion of the Sacrament ELDER WILLIAM SPRY addressed the assemblage I realize he said the importance of the position position position tion of standing before a congregation congregation congregation tion of Latter day Saints and pro pro- proclaiming proclaiming pro proclaiming claiming unto them the Gospel of Jesus Christ In order to do so in inan inan inan before an acceptable manner before our Rea Heavenly venly Father it is necessary that the speaker should be guided by that Spirit which shall lead unto all truth While I have been absent from the midst of the Saints aint and the body of the Church it has been my mylot mylot mylot lot and privilege to labor among the people of the South and in connection connection connection tion with my brethren associated with me of lifting up my voice and warning that people of the judg judg- judgments judgments judgments ments which are about to overtake I Ithe the nations of the earth crying unto them Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand In thus la- la laboring laboring la laboring boring we have been directed by the Spirit of our Heavenly Father anti and thereby enabled to do an amount of good in our weak way in bringing some of the honest in heart ani and the honorable among men to a knowl knowl- knowledge knowledge knowledge edge of God and His command command- commandments commandments commandments ments The labors of the Elders abroad are in every ery sense of the word a labor of love They leave their homes and all that is near and dear to them by the ties of nature and in inmany Inmany inmany many cases go among those who rove to be their enemies They have a testimony for themselves that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ they know that they are en- en enjoying enjoying en enjoying the hl blessings ing of their Father in heaven because of their faithfulness faithful faithful- faithfulness faithfulness ness and that He has again again- et t His hand band to redeem the children of men They The offer unto the people of the word world the same advantages and privileges that they themselves are share It is true that in ina a great measure the Elders are mis mis- misunderstood misunderstood under understood tood and looked upon as were the Prophets and Apostles of old All manner of evil is spoken against t them and not u they have nowhere to lay their heads at night But th the knowledge that they are in the discharge of their duty that they are striving to per per- form perform that which is required at their hands and to prove true to the trust which has been committed to their r care is sufficient to enable them t e gain strength and g go forward with with- w without without Ith- Ith out murmuring searching after r those who are h honest nest enough to re receive calve them and bearing y r l k u as the opportunities are presented before them If we go back tu to the time of our Savior when He and those ass associated associated ed with Him were laboring in the same cause in which we ourselves are e engaged today when they were teaching aching unto the children of men menthe menthe menthe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and preaching repentance we find that even our Savior Himself was persecuted driven from one city to another offered all manner of abuse and finally His blood was shed in order that He might seal His testimony testimony testimony mony Persecution has always pre pre- prevailed pre prevailed indeed whenever the Gos Gos- Gospel Gospel Gospel pel of Jesus Christ has been preached upon the earth and I pre pre- presume presume presume sume it will will continue to be so as longas long longas longas as Satan bears rule over the hearts and minds of the people But there will come a day w when hen the Latter Latter- Latter day day Saints and all who are desirous of living in accordance with the principles of the Gospel of the Son be understood in their true ligh and those rights and privileges which are theirs will be accorded to them I am often led 10 to compare the situation at the present time with that in the days of our Savior We find the Pharisee and the publican going into the Temple to pray to together to- to together gether The publican understanding understanding understand understand- understanding ing that he was not keeping keepin the commandments of God that he was a sinner indeed pleaded with the Almighty A to have mercy upon him because of hib his sins The Pharisee clothed with his self self- self righteousness righteousness looked with contempt over to the poor publican and thanked God that he was not like unto him A similar state of affairs exists today among the various sec sec- sectarian sectarian sec sectarian denominations in the world When they see a servant of God Godan an Elder of Israel laboring in their midst and striving according to the ability which the Almighty has given unto him for the welfare of the human family they fold their righteous robes around them and with contempt ex- ex exclaim exclaim ex exclaim claim We thank Thee 0 God that we are Rore not like unto these men When we come to sift the matter however we find that even out of their own mouths they condemn themselves for they thank God that they are e not keeping the command command- commandments commandments commandments ments which He has given unto them that that they are not following in the ways of that humble servant who is striving to bring mankind to toa toa toa a knowledge of God and His laws One of the great peculiarities con con- connected connected con con- connected with the Latter-day Latter Saints is that they believe the Bible to be the Word of God and inasmuch as there are certain commandments con con- contained contained therein pertaining to the human family which have been given unto men through b the inspiration inspiration inspiration ration of the Holy Ghost through the mouths of the Prophets and Apostles the Latter day Latter Latter- ay taints Saints are peculiar enough to believe that those commandments contained in Holy Writ concern them thein today just justas justas as much as they concerned the peo peo- people people who lived Jived two thousand or four thousand years ago they believe that the is the Gospel same yester day today and forever that it was wa wa ae r r before formulated in the heavens even be- be before before be fore the foundation of this earth was laid and that it shall continue throughout the endless ages of eternity just so 80 long as there is a soul to redeem Great opposition is manifested on the part of many when the Elders teach that there are certain gifts and blessings connected with our obedience to the laws of God and oftentimes they are laughed to scorn reviled and driven from the midst of the people for teaching doctrines of that kind In my travels through the during the fa fall I found not a few professed ministers of the gospel teaching unto their flocks that gifts and blessings blessi shall follow the be be- believer be- be believer liever hever as in times gone by Still there are numbers who cannot or rather will not see the matter in inthis th this inthis is light I can bear my testimony that E these gifts and blessings are identified identified identified fied with the Gospel of Jesus Christ that these signs shall follow those who believe in the name of the Savior and that the Holy Ghost shall be conferred upon them May God bless the Latter-day Latter Saints and the honest in heart everywhere and cause them to see the necessity of bowing in obedience to the Gospe Gospel for by so doing they tb y shall obtain eternal life ELDER DA DAVID R B GILl desired to bear his testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ He had been absent as 8 a missionary for nearly two years and was pleased to have had bad the privilege 0 of going forth to bear the Gospel to the peo peo- people He knew that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and he felt thankful to his Heavenly Father that that boy went out into the woods to en- en enquire enquire en enquire quire of the Lord in prayer whether 1 I or not the th true Gospel of J Jesus I Christ was then upon the earth But s for that Gospel being thus restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph the Saints would not be gathered together in these valleys today and aud worshipping God in that Tabernacle The speaker knew that the gifts and blessings of the Gospel were with this Church for he himself had received some of them in his native land before c coming here He had witnessed the gift of tongues 1 interpretation and prophecy and andI I Y 1 had bad seen the sick healed If the day day Latter Saints were false prophets tobe where he added were to be found the genuine ones to prove them false Let us rejoice as a people that the Lord has quickened 4 our r understandings that we have gathered received the Gospel and been gath gath- J ered together to ether from the nations of the earth Though we may be ted ridiculed or even put to death deach we know that the Lord will comet come and that the time is ia ne near r at hand Latter May God bless us as Latter day t r Saints may we ever prove true to s the covenants which we have made with inthe Him and gain our reward in the celestial kingdom The choir sang the anthem 0 0 give thanks Benediction by Patriarch John a Smith Z |