Show SUNDAY SERVICES Services at the Tabernacle on Sunday Sun-day June 6th 1881 The choir sang the hymn on page 100Lord Lord we come before the now At thy feet we humbly bow Do not Lord our suit disdain Shall we seek thee Lord in vain Prayer by Elder Edward Snel grove The choir sang the hymn commencing We here approach thy table Lord At thy command through chosen men Ob may each heart with one accord Thy spirit feel inspiring them This peacful Sabbath day we come To drink this cup to eat this bread In memory of the d ys to come When we shall sit with our great head ELDER JOHN NIcHoLsON addressed ad-dressed the congregation I have been unexpectedly called on to address r ad-dress you I desire that you give me your faith and sympathy that I may speak clearly whatsoever may be put in my mind by the holy spirit I have no special subject laid out on which to speak and am therefore dependent on the inspiration of the moment It has ever been the privilege priv-ilege of the servants of God to enjoy en-joy a portion of this spirit to aid them in their ministry This congregation con-gregation is very largely comnosed of those who believe with myself in the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints There are doubtless many who do not understand un-derstand these doctrines and who are desirous of gaining information regarding us There is one particular particu-lar point to which I desire to call the attention of this congregation A prevailing opinion exists that there is among the Latterday Saints a species of bondage or serfdom and that two or three men exercise a power almost despotic From an experience in this church lasting half my life my judgment has been taught that the Latterday Saints are a free people The very element of the doctrines is freedom for the greatest serfdom of the world is the result of evil I do not wish to say the church or the people are free from evil Such would not be true I it would not be consistent but there is one feature connected with i our church which is gloriousthat so far as the laws are concerned all high or low must subscribe to them alike However there is an organization and an order and it extends to the beautiful from that all the main measures of this work in order to be in accord with the strict law of this church must have the consent of the people before be-fore they became binding on the people We have a book called the Book of Doctrine and Covenants containing the revelations of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith To show you that what I have said is according to the law of the church I will read a portion from the Doctrine and Covenants found in the revelation revela-tion of July 1830that all things shall be done by the consent of the people Therefore here is no one man power here there can be no despotism There exists among this people a reverence for law that I have not seen in any community in which I have mingled There is a despotism almost phenomenal now existing in the world particularly in Europe a desire to throw off every species of restraint Because of the increase of this influence in the hearts of tho people the governments govern-ments of Europe are being shaken from centre to circumference We not only hear of threatenings to destroy de-stroy governments that are existing but attempts are actually in progress pro-gress I might draw your attention to the fact that the revelations of Joseph Smith pointed to this condi tion of affairs and that his revelations revela-tions referred directly to the existence exist-ence of such things It is the spirit of this church however to recognize recog-nize and observe laws that tend to the good government of mankind It is true that European governments govern-ments are not based upon correct principles It may be asked If you Latterday Saints have such great regard for the law why is it that you make exceptions r Why is it that you refuse to obey one lawreferring to the polyg gamy law of 1862 The reason rea-son is that we regard the Constitution of the United States as sacred and the will of the Lord as supreme The Constitution of this land says that Congress shall have no power to pass laws taking away or interfering with the rights of religious worship It may be argued it is nevertheless a law Outlay I Out-lay it down as my own individual opinion that no law can be legal which interferes with my just rights It is said that our system is not apart a-part of religion It is my fervent hope that I may never get into a position where any person or persons are allowed to dictate what shall be my faith When that day comes then farewell to religious liberty It is said that our religion is obnoxious to others on the same principal were we in the majority would it be right for us to put down all faiths that were obnoxious to us It is a poor rule that will not work both ways Wherever we travel in any country we will find a large proportion of the people who think the Latterday Saints should not be interfered with The sensible part of the people of the would believe that the solution of he Mormon problem should be left to the Mormons them elves A great many erroneous ideas prevail regarding this people I have seen people surprised to learn that the Mormons were like other people who seem astonished to see hat they do not go about with slouched hats and belts full of weapons There is only a percentage percent-age of the people who visit this community are willing to speak the truth about the people Many persons belonging to other reunions reun-ions have been treated with kindness kind-ness here have been allowed to build their churches and to teach their tenets and they have gone abroad and to my certain knowledge have perpetrated the deepest lies that ever fell from human lips and have thus been able to ply their vocation vo-cation of passing around the hat and collecting more money to save the downtrodden women of Utah and solve the Mormon problem I I cannot say I am like the Saviorwho says love your enemies for I do not love such characters I told you the measures of this church are adopted by common consent and any person who sees this building filled on a general confeience will notice that our missionaries are called from all classes of people by the authorities of this church and the voice of the people is given to sustain or not those who are called There is a statement in the Scriptures Scrip-tures which says to the pure all things are pure There are many who attribute our marriage system to a desire to gratify the lower passions pas-sions I do not say the church is free from this crime for crime it is when it is done for unholy passions The church demands that its members shall be pure The principle is designed to be pure This kingdom must have peopleand if the people of the world will not come here then we must build the kingdom up from the internal strength in the church There is a great cry to stop the influx of the immigration of Latterday Saints to Utah 1 have no fears that any measures of that kind can obtain in this country because it would be a direct overthrow of the provisions of the Constitution Many state that the youth of this territory are becoming demoralized Some of the youth are becoming demoralized and are leaving the faith which their parents suffered for but thereat the-reat bulk of them will rise up and carry off the church and 1 will say having recently returned from the mission field that those most fearless fear-less in the enunciation of the doctrines trines of the church the most indefatigable fatigable laborers are found in the boys reared in this territory and this I very city This brings me again to the idea that men embrace the principle of plural marriage gratify low desires have preached in the ministry for five years I have labored and traveled with other elders find I know as a rule that they are as pure as the angels in regard to the matter to which I have referred There is a singular thing connected with this work which I wish to note There have been a few who have departed de-parted from the principles of purity and I will say that the spirit of purity has departed from them and they have wilted Has a violation ofw these principles of purity been sustained if it has I know not of it and I say that any person who has sustained it is guilty of a violation of the principles of the gospel and should be cut off Now what is there about this people that is so erroneously wrong There is peace respectability and a large amount of honesty among this people peo-ple and I wish to know what it is that shocks the sensibilities of these holy people The people say the United States is coming down upon us to crush us out or crush otit our institutions but we have been crushed out so often in theory that we are getting used to it We have great faith in God Now that is a good quality in any people is it not and we have so often seen the clouds gather around and grow dark and then seen them dispelled by the shining sun that we believe all olir clouds will be dispelled That ist we put our trust in God and believe that God helps them most who help themselves The choir sang the anthem Make a noise unto the Lord Benedic tion by Elder Elias Morris |