Show mita FROM EW ZEALAND ELDER ELIAS JOll MSO oi HIS lans THERE and bears a strong testimony tc he truth of lie gospel the asni sabbath services of the church of jesus christ of latter da saints wore hold in tho meeting bonsi on sunday afternoon at 2 elder isaac bullock presided the choir sang hark ye hist be still voiced from Cumo fiill prayer was offered by elder david holdaway the choir sang on that dark that solemn night when powers of barth ami hell arabe the sacrament was administered b the bishopric of the first ward ELDER ELIAS felt thankful thank fu to the privilege of meeting with the saints bouce moro and for ane opportunity port unity of partaking of the of the lords supper As VOL are all aware 1 have lately returnee from a mission to isea zealand or the ath day of april I 1 lei provo in company with my fataei for anki which place I 1 wan to leave on a mission to isea zealand in salt lake 1 was set apart and in connection with four other started over tho central pacilio liaci road for san francisco where aate a few days spent in visiting tha great city wo embarked for le zealand we wore twenty four dayi on tho water and we had somo ver rough weather wu landed at abc land whore we spent three week recuperating when 1 was assigned u labor in tho poverty bay had a hard time studying the lan guage but by tho aid 01 ano spirit 6 broil and by earnest studying am und praying I 1 managed t bear my testimony hi the alafa language six monias after my arnou JL labored ayio two an 2 J days was assigned to jab in another biero 1 wu warned by one of the chiefs of thi aicon race that I 1 would be treats violently if 1 attempted to preace the Cro apfl I 1 told him wo warn all those who would hear th glad word after this wo went U another place to preach and thi same cheol was charu wih his tab haf took us and bound us to a fenc chero wo remained for or tou hours after which wjk were loosli and imprisoned bina ly tha chief told ab it we did no cease ching tho gospel we bo 1 answered him tha we did not fear those who could dy stroy thu body but rather hiim t could destroy both body and soui j soon utter our release from j we preached to a largo body ot out siders many of whom boli oved th tidied wo drought unto thorn am baptized baptised sed people soon bo gan to befriend as and as a conse quence toward the chief chob the way was a minister of the church of england wu continued preach ing thu gospel and much success attended our labors afterwards I 1 wa appointed interpreter to and subsequently appointee president of ono of the districts thi natives of bow zealand are of house of israel and consequently receive tho gospel gladly they havi tho bible printed in their native language and aro so thoroughly con verdant with it doctrines that the know ahen they hear its truths IL tho chapter of we annu hat god that ho wil gacher his people from all nations and these natives are entitled to promise commencing at the verse of this chapter it bays As I 1 live saith the lord god surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched out and with fur poured out will I 1 rule over you and 1 will bring you out from the people and will gather you out of tin countries wherein you aro scattered with a mighty hand and with ii stretched oufa arm and with fur poured and I 1 will bring you into tho wil berness of the people and there wil I 1 plead with you face to face like as 1 pleaded with your father in chii wilder of tho land of egypt so will I 1 plead with you saith th lord god an 11 will cause you to pass the rod and I 1 will bring you into tin bond of the covenant and I 1 will purge out from among you the rebels and them that gress against iab I 1 will bring forth out of the country thoy sojourn and they shall not into tho land of israel aad e shall know that I 1 am tho lord has not our father pleaded with as acce to face Is ho not causing ut to pass under tho rod yes ho is and our enemies aro permitted to persecute us in order that we might bt brought under tho bond of tho covenant ho says further along in the verso of this same chapter for in mine holy mountain of tho height of the lord god thero shall all ahr house of israel all of them in the land serve me there I 1 will them and thoro will I 1 require your tho first fruit of your oblations with all your holy things our heavenly father has given unto us this land for an inheritance inherit ence and we have got to prove true to our covenants if wo to maintain our possessions posses siona tho scriptures aro full of promises that wo will bo persecuted we are told in tho blessed are ye when men shall hate yon and whon they shall separate you from company and shall reproach you and cast out your as evil for the son of jaako rejoice ye in that day and lea or joy for behold your reward i ayat in heaven lor in like macnei lid thair fathers unto the prophets wo azad in another passage tha alio avo godly in christ jeow 11 suffer persecution in fact w i ive abunda of testimony will be afflicted by kicked yick ed it was so in the days ol 01 the saints then were persecuted and put to death apostles killed and the gospel taken rom off the face of the earth in ho chapter of revelations Keve lations commencing at the ath verse we read lo of tho restoration of this gostol by an angel it says and I 1 saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the ing gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nalon and hundred and tongue and people ying with god and give glory to him for the houi jf hia judgment is come and urn that made heaven and earth anc ho sea and the fountains of waters wo are told by some that this does biot refer to our day but on reading passage before this we ari old that the angel who showed those jungs to john said to him comour aither and 1 will show you things hat are to transpire hereafter too diat wo see this gad message was to e restored alter the days 0 john jhb was then the only surviving apostle odthe quorum organized b arist joseph camith tinned thai his gospel was restored un him j via concurred contu the authority of jhb nesi hood to in theal he received rece ivea this author sy god tor as paul baid to ih j jno anan tali etli tho couo except he be called jud aa hiis auron joseph t received ece ived this honor from god and ht AI turn it upon others burch consequently liaa been dished even aa himself chuu ji ahe organized it V u huab endowed aitu irom alie lord all or thu of god not one buiji uio to bay to the otner 1 have no eed ol 01 thee aenid one may aal dowlong Ao are theao to ro gaii m lue church Jh it you WIL tier to the ath chapter of ephesians alth and iban verses louwill you will nd how long it says 11 or the perfecting of the ailts or the work 01 the for the dicing 01 the body ot christ lui we all como in tho unity of the aith aud pt the knowledge ot ilon ot god unto a peri eci man ue of the ot ahe nu oss ot christ look around you at tho present ime and se s e if we have all come to jiu unity of the faith if wy havu aien WH no of r we have not then there is a neca s iby for a continuance of their opera ions 1 am glad to be home onci diore to seo my many intends 1 bould exhort you to DO to no lord to your covenants to priesthood 1 know that joseph mith was a true prophet of ani biord I 1 know that the gospel WL is true and that it has been uv caled high heaven somi ask how do you know this i would that we have the aromise of the savior it any maii ill do the will of the Jj ather he shah mow by the doctrine whether it bt jf god or whether 1 speak of myself we are also told A tree ia mown by its fruit 1 have he fruit of the gospel and I 1 can tea afy thai it is true may god bacs us and help us to endure to the end ja my prayer in the name of jesusa men the choir then sang the anthem thine 0 lord ia the greatness benediction was pronounced by elder W 0 aperry |