Show SUNDY SERVICES J a J f The services in Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon were opened by the choir singing the hymn on page 132 r Sweat is the work aaj G11d myiuBf To praise thy name gIve thanks and sing To show uTy love by morning light And talk of all thytruths at night Prayer by Elder W W Taylor The choir sang the hymn on page 1 53 Spirit of faith come down Reveal the things of God And make to us the Godhead known And witness > < with the blood ELDER DAVID EVANS addressed the congregation He had lately returned re-turned from a mission to Great Britain Brit-ain and he gave a brief account of his labors abroad He had allayed a great deal of prejudice among his relatives and former friends in the old world He had been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints forty years and during all that time had a testimony of the truth of the gospel PRESIDENT GEORGE Q CANNON next addressed the congregation In his travels through the Territory with President Taylor he had found the peoDle feeling well and prospering prosper-ing in their temporal circumstances circum-stances living in peace and happiness It was a remarkable remarka-ble faet that notwithstanding the attacks made upon the Saints and their religion from the outside they were undisturbed and quite happy It was remarkable that so quiet and inoffensive a people should create so much disturbance in the world They seemed so insignificant insignifi-cant as to numbers that they might be left alone to pursue their quiet course yet there was nothing in the country which was a subject of greater discussion and study than the Mormon question Congressmen Congress-men were making it a specialstudy their purpose being to devise plans to remedy its imaginary evils President Pres-ident Cannon considered this a remarkable re-markable feature of the work that these few people should excite so much comment t and disturbance Yet it had been foretold in the earliest ear-liest days of the church that this would be the case When the church was organized it created a sensation in the neighborhood which was aroused and the excitement spread One of the first predictions that the speaker remembered was that the work should excite the attention of townships counties states and nations and call for action It ws also predicted that the gospel should be preached to all nations and peoples gathering members from every land and clime Among the earliest of the revelations revela-tions given to Joseph Smith was that the Lord intended to establish Zion to which he would gather his saints from every kindred tongue and people This revelation was given before there was even an organization or-ganization of the church or any gathering place There was nothing noth-ing to indicate the taking place of such an event Those living today were witnesses of the remarkable fulfillment of prophecy in this instance in-stance The circumstances surrounding sur-rounding the people have been of such a character as to work against the fulfillment of the prediction Two years ago Secretary of State Evarts sent abroad a circular to prevent the immigration of Mormons Mor-mons There had been mobs to frighten people from coming to Zion etc Yet notwithstanding this the people were coming and would continue to come because God had said they should When the elders first went out to preach the gospel they were not qualified in the matter of education to teach Joseph Smith himself was uneducated yet inspired of Gods he stood up and preached the word of the Lord making mak-ing many converts He took men from the plow and workshop work-shop and laying his hands upon their heads set them apart for the ministry and they went forth in meekness and humbleness carrying the gospel to the world wherever they went they met with honest people who accepted the testimony and the latter were seized with a desire to gather to Zion God did his work in his own way In the world if there were a great preacher he and not God got the glory for it as well as the salary Neither God nor the Holy Ghost was accorded any credit With the saints it was different Here the Lord was taking the meek and lowly and if they were successful they must have Gods spirit and power hence the credit was given to Him not them No one thought of giving Joseph Smith praise for this great work but to God belonged the glory and credit The people look behind the man to the power which inspired him to perform the work The world said it was the shrewdness add executive ability of Joseph Smith and Brig ham Young which made a success of the church but the saints knew it was otherwise that to the Lord was due all the praise God was building up the church Men thought when they killed Joseph Smith the king dom was gone and there would be a going to pieces but after his death the work went on and would do so because God and not man was directing di-recting it In this age there seemed to be a feeling that murderthe taking of life was the proper way to get rid of an organization > that was not pleasing to others This feeling was found among the alleged ministers of the Savior who notwithstanding not-withstanding their calling were actually calling for the use of the sword in destroying Mormonism But the Saints did not fear for they were in the service ef God Their lives even were as nothing as compared com-pared with the eternal salvation which they were striving to attain If they wee faithful saints they Moved tIe gospel better than all els i andhadno fear for God patched over them Persecuted as they had been they were the happiest people on the earth They reverenced God but did not Year man The efforts to destroy them and their work would fail and the gospel would continue and the work grow Men might apostatize and leave the church as many had done but that would not shake the organization Within two years six of the twelve apostles had left the church but the latter did not not stop If all the apostles today were to apostatize the work would go on because it was from God The Lord had made good promises to the Saints This land wai a blessed land for those who lived righteously but was cursed to those who were wicked There would be trouble on the earth as long as man worked wickedness The United States government would meet disaster unless itrepentedThis continent had been hidden from the the world for centuries because God had reserved it for his Zion God had said that so long as the inhabitants served Jesus Christ they sliould be prospered Now the Saints were denied the privilege of worshiping God according accord-ing to the dictates of their consciences con-sciences herein the land was in danger President Cannon said this would bethe last time he would have the opportunity of addressing the saints before his return from Washington He asked the Saints to give him their faith and prayers while away for they gave him strength and happiness hap-piness The choir sang an anthem and Bishop Burt pronounced the benediction bene-diction |