Show SUNDAY SERVICES i The Assembly Hall was s crowded 00 hs utmost capacity bnSuntiay afternoon many strangers in the city being in the congregation Thee The-e > vices were opened by the choir singing the hymn beginning Softly beams the sacred dawning Of tbe great Millennial morn And to taints gives welcome warning That tbe day is basting on Prayer by Elder William TV Taylor The choir sang the hymn commencIng Vbile these emblem wo parttke In Jests name anoTf his sake Let us member and bo sure Our hearts and hand are clean and purl President A M Cannon introduced intro-duced the Rev Dr Fisher district superintendent of the American Bible society fur the district of Jtali Idaho and Montana Dn TiiiEii said it ways afforded him pleasure to be introduced as district superintendent of the Bible society All Christian people received re-ceived the Bible as the foundation of their religious and moral belief lIe had listened to discourses from this stand and the one in the Tabernacle from which he had gathered as well as from thehistory of the church and church books that the Mormon people believe with the common run of people that the Bible was Gods work that there were holy men of old to whom God had spoken in ancient days and that ill modem times lie had spoken to us by his Son whom he had appointed ap-pointed his heir by whom he had maHn this world and in whom we 4iitVC the Iig Caiid the hope of eternal salvation that the truths contained in this book were made mown by special revelation The Bible had been remarkably well preserved pre-served Tie American Bible Society prompted by the Holy Ghost felt a desire to disseminate the Bible to put it witliin the reach of all the people and make it so cheap that every one might possess a copy The doctor was not ignorant of the fact that men differed on points of religion but as the representative of the society it was not within his province to discuss other subjects but to furnish the Bible by the bes methods This book was the oldest in the world Some thought that ii India China or other old countries books might be found to antedate it but the opening up of those countries showed that the Bible was over 20 vents older than any other book He had no time nowto give the reasons why the society desired to put a copy into every hand lbs American Bible Society had existed sixtyfour years Since coining into this hal he had seen by a legend on the wall that th Mormon church was organized 50 yeirb agoor 14 ye irs after the Bible society The society had issued nearly 40000t 00 copies of the Bible distributing them in Americaludia Africa China and the islands of the sea so that there was scarcely a I people on the face of the earth who had not received some knowledge of the good book The greatest possible possi-ble care had been taken in its trans lition Foriymne of England s most learned mn Lad spent seven consecutive year at institutions 01 learning carefully comparing each book chapter and verse before giving giv-ing it to the printer There may be some errors but recent efforts iii England prove that the text is comparatively com-paratively correct The revisers had made a few verbal changes bu no changes of the sense Some su o the Bible was but a history of the Jews but if so the Jewish peopl were thQ chosen of the Lord through whom the Messiah was to come The Savior was the central figure of the inspired scriptures which teacl of his work the final exaltation of mankind The doctor might say a President Peterson in banpet County had said t him What would I know if it had not been for the Bible V What would the world be if it were not for the holy scriptures scrip-tures The American Bible Society is engaged in the noble cause of spreading this book over the earth i for the benefit of mankind The society is sustained by charitable Christian people There were over I 00000 contributors to tub work The country was divided into eight teen large disricts each under a superintendent I was the duty ot superintendents to organize brand societies Dr Fisher was happy to say that in this hall yesterday he had organized an audliary societ for this stake which proposed to obtain an ample supply of Bibles and put them on sale at the Juvenile Instructor office and perhaps at the Daeret News office He had organized organ-ized branch societies at Logan Manti Beaver Provo and other fmt cities where he had met hearty cooperation in the work lie had to aesist him three judicious colporteurs who had been instructed to atteud strictly to their duties He had requested them not to enter into debats and asked t e people i uot to engage with them in discussions Their business was simply to distribute the Scriptures and not carry tracts or other publications cations of cliitrches The societ vas nonsectarian it did not ask whether a man was a Methodist a Baptist or a Latterday Saint but > miplyf Have you a Bible Do you WLt one We seek to bringto ether represent itve men of all lh istian denominations We believe be-lieve our enlightenment comes niough the holy spirit that if am lacks wisdom let I them ask of God who giveth liberally to all Dr Fisher said he regarded the hours most profitably spent by him were vhen with his brother in a shop h sought an education that he might become useful to his fellow man Lhere by the dim light of a candle he read the Bible to leant the will of God He now looked back with pleasure to those hours He believed if a man would read the holy scrip MireS and ask for the spirit of God he Lord would give him light and direct him in the path of right The nation needed a most clear under cear standing the Bible I would be outside of his duty to say that the careful reading of the Bible would lead any one into any branch of the I church but if all would read the i Scriptures and obey them wars would cease peace would dwell upon he earth and the second coming of he Savior would be early received by the nations He Lad recently visited Montana and organized several branch societies The socie ties in Utah had brought here thou sands of dollars worth of Bibles and hundreds of copies had been distributed to persons unable to pay for them He was satisfied that very lover of God of purity of righteousness would rejoice in the dissemination of the Scriptures I vas the privilege of each sect to distribute its own books in its own way and it was not the business of he American Bible Society to interfere in-terfere in that distribution Its instructions to agents was t devote I their entire time to the distribution of the Bible He had Jetter from the home office in New York saying it gave the managers great pleasure that so good a feeing existed here goo in regard to the dissemination of the book The society would supply Sunday schools with Bibles at half price I applications for the reduc tion were made to him they would receive his cordial endorsement and he thought they would receive favor from Xew York able response York I While the society desired to put a copy of the book into every hand itl also desired that it be carefully read at studied Dr Fisher said hh time wa limited He had to attend iwo other meetings this afternoon tbne of which he expected to organize or-ganize a branch Bible society Ht gize sincerely hoped Gods richest blessings bles-sings would fall ppon those who read the holy scriptures and seek to know the will of the Father It had been his desire during for years public life that the reign ol God would be established and ht hoped as agent of the Bible societ > to facilitate the coming of the glon ou day BISHOP THOMAS TAYLOR followed the above saying he believed ever peon > of mature years in the Mormon Mor-mon Church was acquainted more or less with tho Bible From his earliest youth he had been taught to red the holy scriptures He baa stood by his mothers knee and rents for hours for their enlightenment As a people the saints were thankful thank-ful for the book that God had permitted per-mitted them to have in so rood and correct a form With President Peterson and Dr Fisher he could repeat what would we be were it lot for the Dblei I had led tire saints to where they were today When he first heard Mormon elders proclaim the principles of the gospel gos-pel and sustain them from the Bible it gave him great pleasure The first principle that he herd was concerning the existence of the true and living God and when the elder portrayed a being that had body parts and passions the father of our spirit and the father Jesus and proved the correctness of the portrayal out of the Bible it gave him Taylor great pleasure He listened with deep interest and when it was shown from the good book that men were created in the image of God and his son Jesus it struck him that the elder preached doctrines that were worthy of investigation in-vestigation He began to investigate investi-gate and found that the faith 01 gte saint was a living faith sustained sus-tained in all things by the Bible that the faith was not dead and that it had not been given solely for people who had lived 3000 or 4000 years ago but was a faith for every age in the word that Gods words were good anciently and were none the less so now and would be good forever all being inspired by the holy spirit He found that it had been promised that certain signs should follow those who believed and that those promises were subject sub-ject to the same rules and ordinan es now a formerly that God wa the same at all times It was taugh in theBible that we must repentil i we had sinned we must do so no more but do good and benefit and bless mankind Th elder to whom Bishop Taylor Was r ef erring went on t teach the same baptism taught by Jesus and his apostles on the day of Pentecost when men who had been touched jy the holy spirit were led to cry Jut Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved Peter said llepent and be baptized every one ot you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye hal receive the gift of the holy Ghost The doctrine gave Mr Taylor great joy and pleasure as it did also to learn that those who beyed the command did receive the gist of the Holy Ghost Those who oreached the principles of the gospel according to the Bible were denounced de-nounced as false prophets hut the peaker told his friends that the elders taught the same gospel that was taught in the Bible namelj repentance baptism and the other ordinances and they promised that the blessings should follow the believers be-lievers today as they did anciently He embraced the gospel notwithstanding notwith-standing the opposition of his friends and one day was readin the Bible to a young companion when he came to the fourth chapter of Isaiah And in that day seven women shaH tate hold of one man saying We wit at our own bread and wear our own ap parl only lei us b called by thy name to take away our reproach His friend asked what he thought of that passage when Elder Taylor said it was in the Bible and he did not place it there At that time he had not heard of polygamy but hp said that one of the prophets had foretold that all things should be restored Do you think this will Ie > restored asked his friend He said he did not know but it would and that he should not object if assured that the order came from God Bishop Taylor here read the frt chapter I Samuel in which is given the account of Elkanah and his two i wives He said he referred to the chapter merely to show that God honored and blessed a man who had two wives and that the man was good and upright before God notwithstanding not-withstanding his marital affairs One of those wives had the desire ot all good women t be a mother Sire prayed to God who answered her prayer and she was given a man child Samuel who became c one of the greatest prophets of God He was the polygamous offspring of a good man The bishop said when ne read these things in tIre holy criptures ard heard men talk and threaten it gave him no fear He felt that God would sustain every principle of his gospel and the king dom of the Lord would be ettb haired that Jesus would come again and stand bv those who had been faithful to him In conclusion tl bisho i exhorted the people to carefully care-fully read the Bible and put its teachings into practice PRESIDENT A M CANNON next addressed the congregation He et cogegton linil hpf > n frmrifir in listptiinrr tn the remarks of Dr Fisher io advocacy advo-cacy of the Bible and was pleased with the testimony of Bishop Taylor Tay-lor He was glad that men and women lived today who believed the doctrines preached and practiced prac-ticed by the prophet and apostles 4 of old God had spoken in modern times as well as anciently an-ciently and had gladdened the heart of his people Jesus taught his disciples to seek the father saying say-ing as his father sent him forth he sent them and those who received 1 them received him He promised that he that believed and was baptized bap-tized should be saved On one occasion occa-sion the Savior asked his disciples Will ye also go awayi and eter replied Lord to whom shall we go thou hat the truths of eternal life And they continued to follow Chrst who commanded them to feed his sheep They had seen the blind > made to see and devils cast out and they rejoiced in the Savior Jesus commanded them to continue commande contnue aithf til as he must needs go away but he would send them the corn orter who would be with them He also told them to tarry in Jerusalem and not minister in the ordinances ornmc until they received the holy ghost I When the spirit did come Peter proclaimed claimed Christ crucified inspiration i etc and men were pricked in their hearts and cried Men anti brethren what shal we do He answered Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins when the blessings would descend cend upon them Concerning the coming of the Savior Paul warned the people against being deceived Jesus said as it was in the days of Noah so would it be at the second coming of the Son of Man there would be eating and drinking But eight souls entered the ark they only hearkening to the voice of God while the others rejected it and of perished After the martyrdom the apostles John on the Isle of Patmos foretelling of theerents of the future said And I saw another an-other angel fly in the midst of t heaven having the everlasting gos pci to preach unto them that UAvell upon the earth add to every nation na-tion and kindred and tongue and people > saying with a loud oice fear God and give glory to him tcJ7 Also Another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers 51 her sins and that ye receive not her plagues The angel seen by John had come He touched the icart of Joseph Smith and enabled It to comprehend the thing of God nd committed to Joseph the gospel in its purity Jolin had also come nd ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery commanding them to baptize each other Peter James and John conferred upon them the Melchizedelc priesthood and commanded com-manded them to carry the gospel t every nation Joseph had sealed the acred message with his blood a lad many others After being robbed pillaged and plundered the saint had found a resting plac in these valleys which the Lord had blessed and made to yield to their rants The saints were believers in the Bible President Cannon said if he believed in any thing not in the Scrintures he would irlaalv ret rid if that belief His parents had l left him an orphan at an early age and iis belief 1 the Bible had brought him to what he was today The scrp ures contained the gospel which the < aints were commanded to preach and if any one rejected it let his blood be upon his head President Cannon said it Ayas not right to dis regard the laws of the land God md made ifcasacred obligation upon us people to obey the law of the and But the Mormons had come to this territory when it formed apart a-part of Mexico Some of their best and strongest men had been taken by government to wrest the land from Mexico When the territory was ceded to the United States the occupants were guaranteed in their rights and privileges as they then existed At that time plural marriage mar-riage was practiced and there a no law in the United States against it In 1802 Congress made a law on the subject and some had gone to prison for obeying the revelation of God instead of the congressional one For himself he could not forsake for-sake the doctrines and principles taught t him from his childlio9d put away his wives and proclaim his children bastards no matter if prison bars threatened him He exhorted ex-horted the people to be faithful when God would bless them I The choir the congregation rising and joining in the singing sang the hymn beginning Praise fo the roan who commnad with Jehovah Jesus anointing thit Prophet and Seer Bles ort to open the tdispensation Kmg hll extol him and nations vera Elder Parley P Pratt pronounced the benediction |