Show Alternoen Session The choir and congregation together sang hymn No 244 The Spirit of GodLike God-Like a Fire Is Burning Elder Edward Stevenson led in prayer and then the I choir sang hymn No 334 I j ELDER JOHN NICHOLSON I was the first speaker A brief synopsis of his remarks is as follows The doctrine of preparation is of great interest to the Latterday Saints Whenever When-ever God has any new work that he wants mankind to do or is about to do anything in which man is to participata he always prepares the people beforehand so that they may not be surprised when the event comes to pass This principle is illustrated by the preparation that was made for the coming of the Son of man Mankind must be warned of coming events so that when the looked for consummation con-summation is brought about they will not be unprepared to do what is right in the premises This is particularly true regarding the young people who contemplate con-template receiving the priesthood and taking upon themselves the calling of servants of God These young men should prepare themselves in all respects for the office they are about to undertake so that they may not fail after they take upon themselves those responsibilities This doctrine of preparation comes most strongly home in the light of the great event that is now nearly approaching approach-ing the dedication of the great and beautiful temple For though the Lord may not manifest himself there except to those who have extraordinary faith yet there will be an influence there which will witness to those who are faithful that they and the building are accepted of God Every one who has visited the temples that have been dedicated > Knows that the atmosphere of peace and holiness within is marked in its difference to that on the exterior The efforts that are being made both here on earth and beyond the eil to bring mankind to their heavenly father wore touched upon forcibly by the speaker At the last conference the Saints were exhorted by Apostle Lyman to prepare themselves for the event of the dedication The exhortation was most earnest and most forcible And so potent was its effect that it seemed to spur the Saints to repent of their sins and to do better in all things What the Saints must observe strictly fellow allow are the rights of their men ing all their fellows to do as they have aright a-right to do under the laws ot God and of man This principle liesat the foundation founda-tion of the gospel of Christ ELDER GEORGE M CANNON was the next speaker He said the Saints should not have a desire to go to the temple tem-ple only for the mere curiosity of seeing the dedication ceremonies but to receive new inspiration new faith and new strength so that they can do all that God requires and the Saints should apply all they may learn in these ceremonies to their daily lives and should no more break any of the commands of the father No man will be punished for doing wrong if he did not know he was doing wrong but only those who do wrong wilfully will be condemned The sin of bearing false witness against brethren was spoken on and characterized char-acterized as a great sin the practice of which is striking at the very roots of the work that the saints are carrying on for engenders discord among the people lhe necessity of granting to every man the right to exercise his religion according accord-ing to the dictates of his own conscience was insisted upon very strongly as the I speaker said the saints cannot be expected ex-pected that they shall have liberty of conscience con-science if they do not grant it unto ohters and they cannot expect that I others will not scoff at their religion if they scoff at the religion of others The saints should let their light so shine that I mankind their gospel shall be recognized by all PRESIDENT JOSEPH F SMITH I spoke in substance as follows The work that the saints are performing in this world is but a school to prepare them for the great exaltation that is to come in the eternal world and as men conduct themselves in this life they will be judged in the life to come Thero can be no doubt that God will accept the offering of the temple that will be made next month God will not merely accept the rough stone the mute wood the silent iron tho paint or any other substance that enters en-ters into the composition of the building It is the offering of the people whom God will accept and the acceptance will not depend upon the form or material of the building but on the spirit with which the people have contributed to the fund which has been used to build the temple Nor will tho acceptance depend upon those w were employed in the erection of the structure for some who are not saints have been called in to do help upon the building because of great necessity He save them full credit for fidelity to their contracts The purpose of building temples was spoken of They are built not for a resting rest-ing place a dwelling house for God as he does not need finch a residence but are built eo that marriages may be < < sol emnized that the parties may be joined for both time and eternity and also so that our ancestors who have died without a knowledge of the gospel may have an opportunity to be saved by the gospel of Christ Therefore temples should be built from the free and cheerful offerings of the people Only so far as the offerings are made in righteousness will they be of any I good effect He who makes the offering cheerfully and freely will have the spirit I of God to rest down upon and comfort him but he who mates his offering grudgingly will not receive a full blessing God will not reward the saints in proportion pro-portion to the number of dollars that are given by each of them on the contrary the widqw who has given her mite the poor man who has dropped but a cent I with a heart overflowing with the desire that their offering could be made n thousand thou-sand fold larger will have a greater reward re-ward than he who gave his thousands with a grudging heart The choir sang the anthem Awake My Soul Benediction by Patriarch John Smith |