Show t SUNDAY SERVICES At the Tabernacle on Sunday afternoon the services were opened by the choir singing the hymn beginning be-ginning Father how wide thy glory shines How high thy wonders rise Known through the earth by thousand signs By thousands through the skies Prayer by Elder A H Raleigh Tile choir sang Ye children of our God Ye Saints of litter days Surround the table of the Lli And join to sing his praise Elder THOMAS F HOWELLS first addressed the congregation He said that when he saw around him veterans vete-rans who have been faithful in the gospel ot Christ he felt his weakness weak-ness in attempting to teach in that gospel At the same time it gave him courage when he reflected that they also were once young and gained their knowledge by long and faithful service Elder Howell bore a strong testimony to his knowledge of the truth of the gospel He had been born and reared in this territory terri-tory had associated with the saints watcliedtheircourse andexamplehad been privileged to travel and preach the gospel abroad and from all that he had seen and experienced he knew that God was at the head of this work watching over protecting protect-ing guiding and directing his people peo-ple he cared not what the outside world said or thought to the contrary con-trary Wherever an elder may go he would receive scorns and scoffs from those with whom he came in contact because he brought a testimony testi-mony of the gospel VYlien the speaker went on his late mission he thought he was going to convince all who came within the sound of his voice because he knew the message mes-sage that he carried was true but he soon found that he was mistaken for he was spurned and scorned as one deluded into proclaiming false doctrines some pretending Christians Chris-tians even suggesting that the saints should be killed Hut it was the same in the days of Jesus and his disciples I dis-ciples who were persecuted and finally slain The gospel had been restored to the earth through the I medium of Joseph Smith who with others had sealed their testimony with their blood the saints had been driven and persecuted in the early days it was not then polygamy that excited the enmity of the world for that principle was not taught in those times it was revelationjfrom God that the world opposed and which caused it to drive the saints from their homes to these mountains moun-tains Now God is blessing and prospering the saints while their enemies are again seeking their destruction des-truction As to acknowledge of the divinity of the work anyone any-one could obtain that but he must follow the course laid down repentence baptism etc If the world should investigate the gospel and receive the testimony as it might do it would not be so anxious to persecute the little handful hand-ful of people here in Utah but would know that they are the children chil-dren of God in possession of the gospel of Jesus Christ The world would feel like assisting the people for it would know they were walking walk-ing in the path marked out by Christ and living according to the principles revealed from above Elder Howell exhorted the saints to be faithful to the light that they had received for they would beheld responsible to God for their conduct on this earth If they are faithful their salvation is assured and they will be permitted in the life to come to dwell with holy men who have gone before ELDER C W PENROSE next addressed ad-dressed the congregation He said one of the evidences of the truth of the gospel was the experience of the young brethren who are sent out to preach to the world Everyone Every-one of them who is faithful to his trust returns with a testimony of the truth in his heart having received re-ceived it from God If any of the I missionaries become contaminated with the world and stain their garments gar-ments they do not come back with that zeal but fall away and make shipwreck of their faith The saints were not bound by cast iron rules or ceremonies nor by men but by the spirit of God into which they had been baptised They received the same truths in the same manner and hence they saw and thought alike having a unity of the faith It was said that people could not be made to soe alike He knew it was possible for a great number of men to see a thing exactly alike and this in other matters as well as religion The religion came from God and the saints knew there was a God who was a personal being who was at the head of this work Now that God having created all things had the right to control the earth and all the creatures thereon It was unreasonable un-reasonable to think that this being the case God would not reveal himself to his creatures on this earth The Bible Book of Mormon Doctrine and Covenants all speak of God and as revealing himself and in each of those books some of his revelations are given If these books be true it was possible for people to get knowledge from God as they had done in the past for the benefit of themselves If true Jesus was the Son of God who sent out his disciples disci-ples to preach his gospel to the world There were many things in the world called religion They had a part of what God had revealed and much that had been called religion reli-gion by men but the true religion of Christ mast come from Christ and that religion being the same it would have the same effect upon the minds of those who received it If the Bible were true then the time would come when all would be able to bear testimony to the know ledge of this religion but if times go on as they are now it would take a long time to bring that about The saints had receivedthe testimony individually through their belief and baptism i and with the laying on of hands came the spirit of God with a knowledge that they could receive communication from the Lord that spirit being a light to the feet of the faithful guiding them in the right path It was that spirit which had brought these people here uniting them as brethren making them see eye to eye The outside world accounts for this unity by causes that are altogether foreign to the facts It was because God had en lightened the minds of the saints answered their prayers and given them a testimony that was not a phantom It was said that Joseph Smith was an imposter The saints know he was a prophet of God because be-cause his prophecies had been ful filled literally All the gifts that had been promised had been obtained ob-tained by those who sought them in the proper way They knew this I was the church of Christ having all the ceremonies authorities and forms that existed anciently This church was joined in the church behind the veil The gospel was being sent out as foretold by Jesus as a witness in the latterdays for these were the latterdays the end now approach ing The signs of this as foretold by the Savior were apparent on every hand The gospel was being preached to the world by the elders and the believers were gathering from all quarters of the globe to the place appointed by God where they could perform the things that God had commanded Elder Penrose closed his discussion with a strong testimony his knowledge of the truth of the gospel and that this was Gods work who would see it prevail no matter who fought against it The choir sang an anthem and Elder George Reynolds pronounced the benediction |