Show THE KEYS OF POWER ELDER K G mS assers SERS LAST SUNDAY A atlan must of necessity be faithful in all the usual sabbath services of the charch christ of latter day saints were held in tho meetinghouse meeting house on sunday afternoon at 2 counselor david john presided the choir sang with all my powers of heart and tongue ill praise my maker in my song prayer was offered by bishop J P B johnson the choir sang he died I 1 the great died and israels daughters wept around the sacrament was administered by the bishopric of the second ward ELDER KAKL G desired to bo sustained by the prayers of saints and that a spirit of understanding might be bestowed upon people who should listen herein lies the difference of ono of the man differences between the church 01 jesus christ and tho various denominations of the world it is not enough that the speaker endowed be with the gift of language of oratory or fluency of speech suppose foi the moment he possessed all these qualifications yet still his gordh would fall powerless if the other pan is wanting that other part is the spirit of the living god and the listener must also possess this spirit in order to understand and appreciate the words that are uttered under iti influence the listener must come with a heart prepared by faith and humility how was it on the day of pentecost when tho holy ghost fell upon peter and the apostles as cloven tongues of fire the audience having partaker partaken par taken of tho same influence felt the weight of what that spirit said while some who had no this influence ridiculed the words 0 peter and said that he in commod with his brethren were dundei the influence of new wine I 1 is tho same today to day we fini two classes among us one of whom imbued with the spirit of god enjo the of truth uttered by one en dowed with power from on high anc the other making fun what a grea lessia we have got to lem in thi direction it would appear there an some of us very dilatory scholars we are all in ono school but we cannot help but acknowledge tho fac that there are some of us more capable than others we do not all sec eyo to eye we have had a standard given us by which we can cepure i ourselves when we go into a store to buy a pound of this or a pound of that or a yard of this or a yard of that wo know wo get what we ask for because the merchant has these different weights and measures to go by it is tho same with the kingdom wo have had a standard or measure given unto us by which wo can gauge ourselves consequently we should apply it and see that we are not lacking we are required to be faithful in all things not in one direction but in all directions it is not enough that we bo kind fathers indulgent mothers devoted sons loving daughters and good citizens wo have other things to do the heathen may take the life of his fellow man thinking be is doing good and yet ho may be a kind and indulgent parent but ho has done that which is wrong the destroyed in the flood were undoubtedly good and kind parents devoted children but they had disobeyed tho will of the lord in other words they bad nol been obedient in all things the destruction st of the people of sodom anc gomorrah tho Nep hites and people was simply because they hac not been faithful in things goo had commanded them wo read in regard to some of who were destroyed that they were kind fathers and good citizens yet they were not faithful in ajl things there is a higher and c a more glorious sphere awaiting us and for this we have to prepare religions have grown up to suit various nations the traditions customs and views of these various nations have been inculcated into them and the religion that has done one nation good has failed to prove of much benefit to others god has allowed the authors of these various religion fc to continue inasmuch w they wore doing good there are forces and powers at ork which god has allowed man to control for the good of his children but there aro other forces and powers that are not for man to see but which will bo revealed to his children in his own due time the priesthood of the son of god is the greatest of all these powers B the exercise of the priesthood of thac almighty god jesus christ arose from the dead holding the keys 0 hell and the grave by th exercise 0 this priesthood adam and eye were expelled from paradise for their disobedience bedi ence by this priesthood joseph smith in this day was ordained a prophet of the living god by the exercise of that priesthood wo heard tho glad tidings of joy and salvation by the exercise of that priesthood we partake of the emblems of the saviors body by the exercise of that priesthood I 1 speak to you today to day and by tho exercise of that priesthood you enjoy tho words being uttered we are speaking of the keys of tho priesthood yes a veritable key by it we can unlock the door of the kingdom and partake of the glories contained therein if you were to keep that key in your what use or what good would it do you wo would be like the man to whom was given the talent who wrapped it up in a napkin and buried it in the ground it didham no good and no one else any good wo have ke oe healing tho sick but if we do not nse it can we expect to obtain the blessings not at all these keys blut we hold give us when we leave this the privilege of opening the door and mingling with the spirits there are ve prepared to go bavo we aai been disobedient and unkind are we not guilty of back biting and slandering are there not many sleeping in their graves whom we have bitterly wronged and with whom wo have made no reparation are there not hearts we have saddened wo have as I 1 said before the keys of healing tho sick yet we are unfaithful to our families we probably make the children tremble and the poor wife weep at our conduct amid all this probably there comes a knock at the door the door is opened and a brother stands there and says you ire wanted across the road some one is sick and they desire you to help administer can such an individual feel free ain opening his soul to god and praying for the blessings attached to this ordinance di nance nol why not has he not got tho keys yes lived uprightly why is it that so many of our children die we have got the keys to save them from the grave if they are not appointed unto death then why is it we can not eave them simply because we are not at we have the keys but we cannot exercise them we must be faithful in all things we cannot lay our priesthood aside and say 1 I do not need you today to day there is nothing done in this life but what we can exercise the power of the priesthood m may god bless us and help us to do right is my prayer in the name ot jesus amen the choir then sang the anthen blessed be the lord god of israel benediction by elder isaac bullock |