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Show Tabernacie Meeting. The congregation in the taternc!e on fc'uLday last, was addretic.i by Elder Orsos Pratt, who commenced by reading lrom the Bxilc cf Covenants, Coven-ants, 'a portion of the word of God S'ven to Joseph Smith, the prophet, eeer and revelator, in Harmony, Susquehanna County, Penoylvania, in the year 1S29," commencing '"But th;i generation shall have my w,jrd through you, and ako through three of my servan s," etc. Filly-two I years will have pied away to mor-;row mor-;row since the Lird permitted his holy aagel to deaod from heaven nd put into tno carce of Joseph Smith plates which had the appear-. nce of gold, aod from which the Book of Mormon was afterwards translated. Tois young man was a farmer's boy, unacquainted with the icucus uu crecus oi ice various religious denominations that existed j around him; and no more versed in iscripture than young men usually I were at his age; he was not quite 22. The question might arise why did not I the Lord select some one more lexperienced in religious knowledge? Tne Lord does not aee as man sees, I his thoughts are not like man's, nor his ! ways like man's ways hence he chose a man unconnected with tho rtliyiuU. societies of the day; oe took a man ol his own choice. Remember the selection se-lection the Lord made when David wag chosen King of Israel. Njt the best favored in appearance or most experienced was chosen, but the boy who was keepirjg his father's Bheep. He waa goodly to look upon, but a simple youth, and when he waa brought in Samuel said "Tnis is he," and the anointing oil was poured upon him. Iq tne days of Joseph Smith no Samuel existed on tbe earth, bo God sent an angel to confer on him the power. If Joseph had .gotten up this book himself, waa it likely that it would have agreed in every particular with the Jewish record, especially es-pecially when there are many thousand thous-and opinions on the doctrines con tained in that recora? And in giving aa account of the people who lived on this continent, it was more loan likely that an ignorant person would, if writing it by bis own wisdom, get the biitory fearfully muddled up in his location ot cities and also of dates, which was no; the case with the Book of Mormon. But one of the most peculiar pe-culiar characteristics of the book was its prophetic character. The speaker regarded It as a most remarkable book; it was a marvel in his eyes. He had read it probably ten or fifteen times more than any other person had rad it, and he had never fouou therein one eolitary contradiction. Could the same be said of the Hebrew record as it now appears? It was generally conceded that the Bible contained many contradictions, introduced intro-duced by the wickedness or ignorance of men. "But does the Book of Mormon Mor-mon contradict many of the doctrines of the present agt? Yes. But it does not cculradict aucient Christianity." There was not a man who could reconcile the doctrines of the present Christian sects with toe teachings of the New Testament, The speaker then dilated to some extent on the necessity of the continuance of ancient gilts and blc-ssiogs. And the Book of Mormon came in direct coctlict with the doctrines of present Christians, and ahowrd the necessity ol the gifts in all ages. It did not seem natural to euppose that a young man, with bis beird scarcely grown, should know how to introduce the gospel gos-pel in all this beautiml consistency with the inspired recor is. But God was with that yom g man, and the angel who revealed the work to him understood his mission. Tbe speaker could not compare that book with any earthly riches or erandeur. They would ba like a disturbed and fleeting dream compared with the Riory of that book, a record given in this generation as a choice gift from heaven. This and the Bible, together with the Book of Covenants.containing the revelations given to the people through the prophet Joseph were beyond priee. He would not be worthy to look upon the face of the heavens without blushing, if heshould be so ungrateful as to deny these works, to save bis life for a short neaaon. He would say that he had telt lor many years, "come dsalh, come martyrdom, by burning at the stake or any other means, but let me never deny the work of God." He hoped be would Dever be brought to this trial, but be felt to raise bis hands to high heaven, and nay: "O Lord, give me strength to endure the atUiction if it should come." Ibe great mats of this people would be willing to lay down thair lives, and be burned at the Btake rather than deny t'.ie revelations of God. How kind it w&s of the Almighty to show th plates, by means of an angel, to those three men, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David iVhitmer, that they might record their testimony. testi-mony. How many witnesses did Gid raise up when he was about to destroy theciith with a flood! There was no evidence that God made witnesses of even the three e')1)s of Noah. Efeu the blasts ol cbe field seemed to have had a better sense of the danger than I the people iu those days, and weuli into the ark of their own accord,) while man refused to be saved.: Xhe floods came upon them and destroyed tbe people, on the testimony tes-timony and warning of one- man Noah. But in the last days God raised up not only one or even three witnesses, but twelve who testified to the plates. Still their testimony did not impart a knowledge to others. All needed to have this knowledge as well as thay. It was not impossible forany soul to obtain a knowledge of this truth. How! by a maoilesia-tion maoilesia-tion from the same God. Not perhaps per-haps in every case through an angel, but by means of the various gifts through the holy Ehost. A person might near a clonj ol witnesses testify Of these things, still that would not impart a knowledge of toe truth to anyone. If a man did not exercise faith eu&cient to receive their testimony and be baptized into the church of Christ thi'ir testimony would only condemn him in the great day of God Almighty. But if he did obey, ho would then not be dependent depen-dent on David Whitmer or tbe other witnesses, Hut be wculai be able to say "O Lord, 1 know thy work is true," and he could then ho a witness him self of the things God bad revealed. Scores ol thousands ol witnesses were now raised up for the work of God. He urged the saints to appreciate these heavenly truths, that they might continue on to the end, and prayed God to bless tbe priesthood. |