| Show BISHOP 0 P WHITNEYS DISCOURSE LAST SUNDAY the latter day saints rot understood by be world the usual sabbath services of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints were held in the meetinghouse meeting house on sunday afternoon at 2 president A 0 smoot presiding choir sang father how wide thy glories shine how high thy wonders rise prayer was offered by bishop J P E johnson the choir sang ye children of our god ye saints of latter days tho sacrament was administered by tha bishopric of the fourth ward BISHOP 0 P WHITNEY hoped the congregation would give him their attention end support and sympathy while he responded to the aall made upon him to speak unto them I 1 know the power that lies in unity and I 1 sometimes think that a congregation do not realize the extent of the they might wield for or the one who rises to address them IQ unity there is strength we have seen this manifested iu many ways and there is no intelligent per eoa who has lived upon the earth but what has had this illustrated it was said of the great napoleon when going into battle that he would concentrate cen all his batteries upon a sin glo place in the defenses defences de fences until ho thoroughly annihilated it and then ho would concentrate his guns upon another position until he annihilated that this is how he won his great battles he did not shoot off ona gun here and another gun there but he knew that by concentrating all his artillery and forces in one place he could gain the point the world did not know napoleon the world seldom does know and appreciate a man of genius the greatest things this world casseen has seen not only in war but in peace have been accomplished through a concentration of forces it is the sama with a congregation U the saints when they congregate together could only realize the power thoy might wield in behalf of a speaker if they only concentrated their faith and sympathies together we would have a rich outpouring out pouring of the holy spirit the sooner we realize this fact the better will it bo not only for ourselves but for the kingdom of our god we will then begin to see the groat power wo are in the world our father is all power he is omnipotent ni wo accept these things and admit theca as truths how is it then we fail to recognize that within us there is power when wo realius we are the sons and daughters 0 god of power Is it anything strange that a child should become like itic father or mother why no we expect such a thing for earthly things are typical of heavenly things then if we are tha children of god we shall become like him unless something prevents us and the only thing that can prevent us becoming like our heavenly father is our disobedience to the principles of salvation which he has revealed for our redemption we can become powerful po as god is powerful omnipotent as he is omnipotent ni we can create worlds as god has created them the only thing that can prevent us is refusing to walk in the path he has marked out for us to tread this is mormon ism in brief the world do not understand der stand it notwithstanding they array themselves against the work ol 01 god they do not understand oven him whom they pretend to worship with the lord there is no beginning or end we make divisions of time and call those divisions days and years but with the lord there is but one day and that eternity we are as much in eternity now as wo ever will be this god whom wo worship once walked in the weakness of mortality upon an earth like this we inhabit he descended below all that ho might rise above all ahinga and it is the duty of every boa and daughter of this eternal being to do as ho did if they expect similar blessings and dominions that ho now possesses wo must as were become as clay in the hands of alio potter when wo do this we will then understand what true unity is wo must not bo pulling apart the lord says bo united come together often and drink in of my spat but man says pull apart do f not concentrate but let every man havo his own way this is the gospel of mankind hence I 1 requested you in the beginning that you would concentrate your faith and support that I 1 might bu inspired to say those words that would be of benefit unto us it ia much easier to speak to a crowdog congregation than to rows of empty beaches why because there is mora power in a largo congregation two souls petitioning the lord for strength is of more value than the prayer of I 1 was reading a few baya ago a letter in one of the local newspapers signed A methodist m regard to the proposed methodist university and taking to task the utterances te rances of another local newspaper on the subject now I 1 do not want YOU to think that I 1 am going to take part in this controversy not at all want to refer to a sentence that occurs in the letter I 1 have ment ja to destroy propose not by destroy t saon but liati t u n hilr elsm and let at go back whence it n is very kind of such individuals to spare vs lathis very much but let me ask ou what would you think of a lot of littau boys who said that they intended to build mud houses until they reached the sun which ahey would blob oat or what would you think of a man who says 1 I am going to drink and drink until I 1 drink up the ocean or of tha person who says 1 I am going to swallow the earthy As well might a man say these things as to say he intends to destroy mormonism man does not know whereof ho speaks when he dukos anch a boolish assertion mor is truth and truth never can ba destroyed this work mormonism was created m the eternal world before the foundations of the earth were laid it is truth and truth goeth onward while error inevitably goos downward truth cannot be crushed out of existence this is why god saw fit to call into requisition the truths thai we find in his goabel that they might rise and conquer tradition and elroi god in the creation of this world took matter and spirit and this earth into form as a boy would take the snow and make a snowball yet we are told by these kind people who are going to destroy mormonism that god created this world out of nothing mormonism is not understood der stood by such people men are so filled with hate that thoy will not listen to tha truths of eternity gods work is a plan so simple and yet so perfect that the most ig borant person can comprehend it while the wibo are compelled to marvel in wonder at its beauty the first round of this ladder of salvation is belief in god himself without faith it is impossible to please god no wonder for without faith we cannot do anything if we did not believe we could rise from our beds in the morning wo never would riso hence faith is the first principle of the gospel for faith is the wanda tion of all action jac is the principle of faith by which wo move and hive a being it is the principle by whish men have to creep walk and run it is the principle by which he learns to climb to the godhead and become like god himself we havo but a portion of this great faith but we are 1 trust living for more man must be clean when he enters the pure and holy presence of god hence the reason man has been called to repent of bis sins that he become cleansed and prepared to enter gods presence repentance is not a sorrow for sin when found stealing but it is a turning away from evil and forsaking lors aking it there is no repent ence in standing in public places like the pharisee of hotd and lifting up our eyes to crying out 1 I thank agos ahal 1 am not so and so but there is true re pan tanae in acting like the publican who standing apart from this pharisee said lord be merciful unto me a sinner he did not even so much aa rase his eyes to leaven he wab too humble for that he who woula be greatest among you let him bu your minister jesus was once asked by his apostles tell us mastor who shall be the greatest in the kingdom of god now jesus did not say teter will bo the greatest among you or john is the chosen one but he took a little child and sel it among them and taid except ye become as one of these ye cannot enter tha kingdom of heaven 30 with those who become truly hum ble they repent of their sins anu are not afraid to go to their father and say lord be merciful to me i sinner they go to their brother whom they have offended and say brother so and so I 1 ou to forgia me it is not de grading to ask the forgiveness of a person whom wo have offended there is something ennobling in a per son who when he has done wrong goes to the injured one and makes retribution Orson Pratt the great apostle of this dispensation was not too proud to arise before a congregation of thousands of the saints and acknowledge his shortcomings J am aware that in these limes persons are apt to be ridiculed for acknowledging their faults they are talked about all over creation but a man does not lose influence in asking forgiveness gi veness with those who have the spirit of god he is held in esteem I 1 was reading a little book today to day by ingersol the great infidel there is one thing I 1 find with this man and that is this whenever he pulls to pieces the inconsistencies of chris endom he builds up mormonism he makes the remark 1 I am told that if I 1 steal from smith I 1 havo got to ask gods forgiveness how does that benefit smith this 19 mor nio niam when we injure our broth or wo must seek retribution after which we go unto the lord and obtain his forgiveness when a man repents and confesses his sins he is baptized then this ordinance must bo symbolical of something for there is power in symbols and types what is more appropriate than the death and burial of our lord and savior hence we are buried with christ by baem after which wo become recipients of tho holy ghost this power kindles within us the lamp of salvation by the light of which our feet tread that wo might not stumble but walk in safety to the end these are donao of principles of mormonism principles which are not understood der stood by the world but which wore formulated in the beginning wo have and groat and important obligations placed upon us and it rests with us whether we will discharge them in honor and credit god is pleased when we do his will and manifest a desiro to keep his laws god is not always on the side of the majority quite frequently in the history c this little world has he stood by the minority and caused their utterance to be fulfilled ho did so in mhd days of noah when bat eight souls were saved notwithstanding the derision and the cofas coffs of the hosts of antediluvians who watched their building an ark of safety we cannot afford to go to sleep we must prepare ours olvea for tho great work that is ahead there is not that confidence among us that there should be wo aro too fond 0 at the faults OJE our leaders instead of at the perfection of the gospel it is possible that the fault lies within ourselves the things that an r fathers and our mothers are telling us to do now we will in turn in our children to do and if we disobey our p irenta in what they tell us we may expect our children to disobey us let us venerate our grey haired sires and not class them as old bogies fogies and as fools there is an old saying and a very true one that young folks think old folks fools but old folks amow young folks to be fools it is the same with us liet us look unto our leaders and ao capt their counsel that wo may be found doing the will of god there is no going back our watchword is onward goda work never can ret man mav turn back but the old ship zion will steer onward and clear the breakers and land safely in the haven of rest we must not look back lots wife looked back and ceased to progress we must look to the rising not the setting sun niemis destined to overcome and conquer all things and w need have no fear the choir sang ao anthem benediction was pronounced by president EL H cluff |
