Show SUNDAY SERVICES r The opening bymn of tbe services in the Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon after-noon was the oqe beginning How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord Is laid for your faith in his excellent word What more can he say than to you he hath said You who unto Jesus for refuge have lIed Prayer byElder Edward Stevenson The choir sang the hymn beginning begin-ning School thy feelings oh my brother Train thy warm impulsive soul Do not its emotions smother But let wisdoms voice control ELDER G BYWATEB addressed the congregation He ead there wa one unerring method of deter mining the value of subjects and matters pertaining to humanity and the method was the one determining the results tho e subject sub-ject or matters That method reached up into the realm ol mind spread ing itself over the entire field of thought Jesus bad given the rule the tree is known by its i fruit men do not gather grapes Irom tnistle nor figs from thorns Tbe surroundings surround-ings of the saints tbeir comforts and pleasures did not determine the true character of their religion At other places there are costly churches magnificently finished and furnished showing a remarkable deyelnpmen of the sciences arts and industries But here what excites attention is i the faith of the eaints There was a marked distinction between that faith and the faiths of the Christian I sects of the world The difference consisted in the saints having accepted ac-cepted Christianity as a whole whereas other denominations had accepted ac-cepted it in part The saints accepted it as Heaven revealed it with all its obligations ordinances etc They recognized re-cognized Christianity as all being for and applying to man supplying all his wants and developing all his attributes attri-butes It was because the saints accepted ac-cepted Christianity in Its entirety that the Christian world fought I against them The world said its opposition was because the saints practiced certain principles that were obnoxious Christianity but this was not true The Christian world was not engaged in the pursuit of the Lord but were developing secular ideas and industries The saints placed at discount the fractional deteriorated Dhristianity 01 tbe world and thereby > avo offense Envy marked our race n all stages of progress whether in ipiritual or secular affairs There sat a vein of charity running through ill plases of Christianity yet tbe wickedest and bloodiest persecutions had come from those Drofeasinc to be followers of Jesus Tbe ignorance and superstition that bad incited men to persecution of their fellows were not the product of Christianity in its purity The history of the Latterday Saints bad been before the world for many years and should convince the candid that the conduct of the world towards them was similar to the conduct con-duct of the world towards former day saints The saints had received the gospel through the several stages of progress since its revelation in this I dispensation until today it came gradually and by degrees growing stronger and showing more and more until it was full It came line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little They first received it in the simplicity of their minds as a message Irom God not fully understanding nor comprehending compre-hending itj but they weie finally i enabled to grasp it and were proclaiming pro-claiming it as the plan for universal salvation to the world Very naturally they encountered opposition Human nature seemed to make opposition necessary though it was not pure Christianity that incited to that opposition oppo-sition Christ never taught to coerce men into an acceptance of the gospel but taught peace and persuasion So also had not the saints employed force to bring men into the fold They had shown a degree of charity which the Christian world had not manifested towards them The saints had been persecuted and oppressed but they had received evidence of the divinity of their faith and had continued con-tinued to grow spread and gain strength Opposition had helped them to advance Those who thought tJ crush or suppress the religion of the saints by persecution were poor readers of human history Truth would prevail It could not be destroyed de-stroyed The saints were seeking to do good to all men and evil to none and they bad come to the conclusion bat God would approve tbeir conduct con-duct Storms may gather and trouble hover but the darkest hour is just before day ELDER 0 W PSSEOSE followed with a brief discourse on the subject of the saints faith That faith was not confined to a certain number of tenets nor was it bound by the Bible There were principles connected with their faith which went beyond all the faith of the Christian world It contradicts nothing in the Biblo but went beyond that The doctrines had been sent to them by revelation in their own time and therein was the difference between them and the doctrines doc-trines of the various sects Tbe latter found their doctrines in the Bible which was the foundation of all creeds They did not look to present revelation but stopped with the written writ-ten word as it had been given informer in-former ages They did not think man could commune with his maker but that the canon of scripture is full The saints believe in the Bible that God inspired holy men of old believe I in Jesus Christ and his teachings and those of his apostles but their faith I was founded upon revelation from I God in the present age through inspired in-spired men of this time They be lived the way was still open for receiving re-ceiving further communication l through the same source hence t their faith was not full They believed that they had the poorer to receive revelation from the same holy spirit which had revealed re-vealed a few things to them and that they would continue to receive revelations reve-lations as they required them not only in this world but in the world to come They were advancing here and would progress after death Christ was at tbe bead of the church and all principles had come from him through messengers to holy men on earth Christ received his instruction from God the Father The privilege of communicating with the Lord did not belong to a few men but to the whole church It was the spirit of revelation and each could receive it for his own good and government if he ought for it in righteousness God revealed what he desired for the guidance of the church through the head He had established the order of revelation in the time of Joseph Smith but individuals for their own benefit and guidance could receive revelation The way was open to all to obtain truth direct from the fountain of life God bestowed many gifts upon the saints M the gift of tongues of prophecy etobut those upon whom these gilts were bestowed were in danger of being lifted up in their pride and going astray The saints cbould be ready and willing to receive tbe teachings which came through those men whom God bad placed at their head and to pat into practice those teach logs The speaker knew that if the saints would put into practice what had been revealed God would give them further revelation for their guidance and advancement The choir sang an anthem and Bishop Thomas Taylor pronounced the benediction |