| Show at all times THE SUBJECT OP ELDER BERGS DISCOURSE elder hardag on the restoration to of the gospel tho usual sabbath ervice of the church of jasus christ of latter day saintil were hold in tho meetinghouse meeting house on sunday afternoon at 1 president H H cluff presiding choir eang MT god tha spring of all my joys the life of my prayer waa offered by eidar wilson IL dusenberry tha choir bans ahila t thea emblems we partake in namo and for his sake the was administered by the bishopric of the first ward ELDER 0 EL BEEG felt thankful for the goodness of god towards his people and it was with pleasure that ho arose to bear his testimony to this tact the principles which god has alad are cal mated to bleda all regardless gard less of society the emperor on his throne the farmer in his humble habitation providing they ara faithfully lived up to we who have accepted christ and theao laws and to all who are willing to listen we have a desire to preach those principles many thinking people are ready to say if you will tell us how to got rich and enjoy this life I 1 am willing to obey tha gospel there is u passage in scripture which says seek yo first the kingdom of god and all theao things shall be added unto you now the gospel is for the purpose of bringing happiness and salvation if therefore money can purchase these blessing there is no necessity for the gospel but we who with tho scriptures know that riches cannot secure the things of god christ preached hia principle to his disciples who were told by their lord that they should maefs with persecution and adversity in this life but if they proved true they would not only bo where he would bo in the life to come but would enjoy the riches of thrones and principalities nd eternal riches those promises vre not alone for the of christ but on the day of pentecost Pente coit when peter preached to the assembled jews they were promised to them also and their children and all who were afar off even as many as the lord our god shall call now we aro asked what is this gospel aad how are these aches obtained you must lapent of your eina cealo lying cease the name of god in vain forsake tho error of your tray turn unto the lord and have your sins remitted by the ordinance of baptism then you aro ready to receive the holy ghost by the laying on of hinds which mil teach you of things pro seat things past and things to come when you have done this you are then qualified to know how to conduct yourselves Q as to receive of eternal glory in the hereafter some might bay oh well I 1 would rather risk it chaa go through all that very good there is no compulsion the consequence however will come you will see your folly like the ante ns did when after laughing at noah building an ark they found the rains descend and tho predicted de struxton ton take place gods promises arc infallible they cannot help but come to pass man may laugh at the prophecies uttered by the servants of god man may deride tho claims of tho priesthood but as sure as the liveth word to fall to the ground unfulfilled god is the sanao yesterday today to day aad forever his arm is not shortened no more chaa it was two thousand years ago in a way that we think sot does he causa his words to ba fulfilled god moves in a mysterious way hia wonders to perform he plants his footsteps in tho sea and rides upon the storm this is a broad saying but it is 5 as true as we live lake ancient israel aud soo shethar it ie not lbook at tho history of nations ind yon will find that god lu deed moves in a mystery way to accomplish his purpose why is it that th nations of it world look upon na in the way that they do Is it because of our wickedness we all know the object of our being hero we know that when the gospel was proa chad to us in the old world that juit as soon as wo accepted it our friends became our enemies our own kindred cast us out and they called us deluded but it was tho same ift the days 0 the savior they called him an impostor and his followers deluded but did their saying so make it so did it with noah when they laughed him to scorn for constructing an ark of salvation no history tells us a different tale it is the same today to day wo have been called out of the world therefore the world hates us but yot withal wo should b charitable and see that we give no cause to the world for the manner in which they aro treating us the speaker then alluded to tho mission upon which he was about to start and asked tho saints to remember him while he should be absent that he might fulfill fulfil hia mission with credit B and that he might be the instrument in the hands of god of doing much good he did not expect any pay for doing this work but a satisfaction thatis above worldly riches and which brings joy and consolation in a life to come SELDER EDWARD Hip DiNa alluded to the manner in which the servants of god were called to preach the gospel they were not prepared like the ministers of the world but they relied upon the inspiration of the holy ghost to say those things that god deems fit to say to his children from time to time ministers of the various denominations study out their sermons in the week so they might give them to their congregations oa the sabbath day the saints believe that there has been a time when the gospel of the son of god and its power has beon taken from the earth hence man has been loft to shape out his own religion consequently we find one sect saying 10 lo here is christ while another will say 10 lo here is christa Chri str resulting in a general confusion in the fourteenth chapter of revelations at the sixth vers you will find the following and I 1 aaa another anyel fly in the midst of cavan having the gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to avery nation and kindred and and people saying with loud voice fear god and give glory to him for ah hour of his judgment is come and him that made heaven and aarah and th sea and th fountains of water among the many beautiful things john saw in vision was this angel flying towards the earth bearing with him the gospel of christ calling upon all to fear god and give glory to him for the time of his judgment has come hewak to deliver this mes sage to the baptist to the methodism methodise Meth odise to the presbyterian and to all who had thought up to time that they were in possession of the true plan of salvation you read the ninth chapter of the f the apostles and you will there find a good man by the name of cornelius to whom an angel appeared this man was so devout that ho used to go on the housetop three times every day to pray but this angel appeared to him and told him to send to joppa for peter and he should tell him what to do to be saved just think of it my friends such a good man as this to bo told what to do to be saved the lord would not permit such a good man to die without receiving ce iving of the falness of the gospel hence ho sent an angel to cornelius to tell him how he might receive of this falness ful ness well peter was sent for and he went to cornelius and preached christ and sim crucified this gospel which we have had committed to us we say is the same that was preached by jesus and his apostles the same peter preached to cornelius but no man can understand this fact unless he humble himself before the lord and does the things he has commanded let a man believe on god let him go down into the waters of baptism and have his sins remitted let him continue to live acceptably before the lord and you will find that he can declare in all soberness and truthfulness that god has restored the gospel to earth again that he clothed joseph smith with his priesthood and committed into his caro keya of power now this gostol cannot bo purchased with money such a thing ia impossible in the eighth chapter of the acts of th e apostles you will find that a man named simon watched the apostles conferring the holy ghost upon the saints and he offered gold to peter to give him that power that upon whomsoever ho might lay his hands that they also might receive the Holy Ghost what did peter say they money perish with thae the blessings of god aro without money and without price they are free to all who will believe on the name of jesus and do the works he has commanded them work we are engaged in has come from god and notwithstanding all our evil nets there are good men and women enough among us to carry on the work of god let us leave the path of error let us forsake conr evil ways lot us return to god repent of our sine and we will enjoy lacure of the power of god than we are doing at the present time the choir sang the anthem lord now aly servant depart in peace benediction was pronounced by bishop J P R johnson |
