Show ON SINCERE PRAYING A PRAYER OFFERED FOR 18 A HOLLOW MOCKERY the grand discourse by elder J E talmage last sunday tha usual sabbath services of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints 1 wore held in the meeting house on sunday afternoon ut 2 tho choir sang be it my only wisdom ikeie to the lord with filial fear with loving gratitude prayer was offered by elder W C A smoot jr the choir sang 0 lord of hosts we now invoke eliy spirit most was administered by the bishopric of the third ward JAMES E TALMAGE stated the work of god was so extensive that there was little doubt but that there were plenty of topics an elder could speak upon when called to occupy the pulpit but it was necessary that he have the spirit of god in that he might be enabled to exclude every other topic save that the lord might choose for the people to hear expounded we have met as a worshiping assembly and the lord requires as to worship him in spirit and in truth the very first words god wrote amid the thun demings of mount sinai were thou have no other gods but me he also tells us he is a jealous god yet he ib pleased wib his sons and daughters when they meet together to serve him the true and the living god I 1 have always felt in my mind to place considerable confidence in th spirit of prayer I 1 do not believe an man can please god without prayer neither do I 1 believe that any mau can displease god with sincere prayer rdo not refer to prayers offered for effect many prayers I 1 am sorry lo 10 say are offered up among us just foi show many prayers are offeree around the family altar simply for ei feet the prayer of him who realizes his weaknesses and goes into hifa closet and pours out his soul in prayer before the lord is acceptable before the father we believe tha there are records kept not perhaps on perishable paper or written ditl fading ink but in heaven in which are entered every item of our lives and those records we will some da have to meet there are times in oui lives when we realize our weakness but wa have the avenue of strength opened up whereby we can go to thi lord for grace and if we are wise we will take advantage of this channel wo must bo sincere howader ho waver if we expect to obtain the blessings we for the savage that bows bebon his god of itono stono or wood and aels foi certain things does BO in faith anc sincerity they do not know the lord yet god has his ears opened to them an unsteady staff is worse than no staff at all is an old persian proverb and we can readily sense its truth so far as prayer is concerned god is with those who place their reliance IL earthly things he has said he wih grant the blessings of those who ask him in faith I 1 believe these are especially applicable to us iii cheso days when the enemies of godac work are seeking the overthrow oi israel they are seeking to root HI every structure established by oui leather woe then unto those place their strength and their trusi m earthly things frequently GOG demands at our hands little things that we do not heed our lives an made up of little things yet at end our whole life seems stupendous A century is a great deal of time ye we can separate it into years chesi years can be separated into months the months into weeks the weeks into days the days into hours the hours into minutes and thac minutes into seconds hence I 1 say our lives are made up of little simple duties and it depends upon our actions in these little things as to what the grand total wil be let us analyze each day om actions weigh them carefully ant see whore we have made missteps mis steps anu done wrong jt requires no great ef fort to be initiated into the kingdom of god but it does require great care and a vast amount of integrity to keep faithful to end it is recorded in the history oi ancient israel that oa one occasion joung maid was taken captive from the land oi israel and placed in household of naaman who was cap tain of the host of the king of syria naaman was afflicted with lep doiy a very loathsome disease when this girl heard of it she said would god my lord were with the people that is in samaria for he would recover him of his learoy ono ol 01 nuns servants went and told what this girl had sai dand the king getting to hear of this sent a letter batho king with of silver six thousand pieces of gold and ten changes of rai ments aheu the king of israel read the letter lit rent his clothes and said am I 1 god to kill and to make alive that man doth send unto me to recover i man of his leprosy wherefore consider I 1 pray you and soo how ht a quarrel against mawhee mo WheE echsah the man of god heard thai the king of israel had rent his clothes he sent to the king saying where fore hast thou rent the clot hest ie him come now to me ad he ahal know that there is a prophet i israel what did elisah dot H sent a messenger to naaman saying 0 o and wash in jordan seven time and thy flesh shall come again t thee and thou ahau clean J this enraged naaman ato j ht to come out in great pomp to ceide him and thought that h vou id stand and call on the name 0 the lord his god and strike his ham iver the place and recover the leper ui said are not Abana anc barpar har par rivers of damascus bette nn all the waters 0 israel may 1 lot wash in them and be clean anc 10 turned and went away in a rage but naamans Na amans servant reasoned ditl him and said if tho droplet had bid theo do some great thing would est thou not have done it naaman then humbled himself and into the river jordan and himself n its waters once twice thrice did he wash himself yet he was still a leper the fourth fifth and sixth times he did so and still he was not cleansed but the seventh timo the leprosy left him and hi ros efrom the waters whole his flesh came again like unto the aleah ot L little child and ho was clean bm now mark ahat occurred and see ii it does not savor somewhat of aln experience esperi ence of somo who once balleu latter day manaster man after being restored to his health desired the prophet to receive a prea ent from him as a token or reward but the prophet would not do ao knowing that it was god to whom tin glory belonged naaman then starter nome but was soon overtaken b gahazi servant of libba ahl had heard naaman urging a present upon the prophet when yaw him running after him he lighted down from the chariot to meet him the servant said my master hath sent me saying behold even now there be como to me from mount ephraim two young men 01 the sons of the prophets give them 1 pray r thee a talent of silver ani awo changes of garments of course naaman gladly done so and aher the servant returned he hid up tin presents he had falsely obtained ana went into the presence of elisha thi prophet asked him where he had beai io and the servant replied that h nad been nowhere but leisha Li isha thi prophet of god knew ku dowed with the power of jehovah ln could discern anat had been toli aim and he know that hu had lieu elisha then said ahe leprosy ox shall cleave unto clieo alii onto thy seed for ever and he wen jut from his presence a leper ai white as snow what an antul judgment for lying to the lord anat i ebson does it not teach us to tell thi ruth there was once a young mau jamed gideon a son of doseph lo seph win aved in the land of israel who win threshing out como wheat by a wine press to hide it from the in individual appeared to him undo in oak while he was thus enga gedanc at down beside him and gideon commenced talking to him about thi situation of the israelites how tha noy were being harassed and nero was no like as at alu ime of moses this individual dideon that he was to bo the delivers jf goda people but gideon argues him and said that he was alu youngest in his fathers house ani a thing was impossible dut this individual aavo cideon i coign fow he should kno anether ether he was to bo the deliverer ched soon afterwards the sign was gideon realized that ne waa indeed chosen to lead and deliver israel that night he into th camp of the when he go biere he found the iiii Ama lekites and all the children 0 ahe east lying n the valley like grasshoppers tor multitude ahik heir camels were like the sands OL ulie sea shore while inspect mg alk army of tho enemy he overheard i conversation between two of the gen brals one was telling the other L bream ha bad bad through the nigh how that a cake of barley braai tumbled into the host of midian ani amo unto a tent and smote it that ii bell and the other baid this is dithing else save the sword of gideon JL man of asrael for into his hant aach god delivered midian and al ais host gideon then got the arm jf israel together find on numbering hem found there were tw housand men god told him that nere were loo many men to give to ho lest israel vauni themselves hem selves against the fjord saying mine own hand hath saved me rho lord then commanded gideon ta proclaim in the ears of tho army whosoever is fearful and and afraid him return so gideon hem together and told them thai whoever wanted to go homo could do 00 twenty two thousand took advant uge of the invitation leaving but ten tousand usand xo men god could see thai this number was too many ana 10 told gideos so instructing him a same tune to take them t ae water when they got to the brool he said unto gideon aveo ane that lippeth of the water with is tongue as a dog lippeth lap peth him aalt thou bet by himself likewise avery one that bobeth down on hia aides to drink gideon dia so out ot that ten thousand only three hail jred lapped water like a dog all jhb reat went down on their loides to drink tho water the lord then aid to gideon by the three hundred men that lapped will I 1 save you and deliver the into amno aana gideon then divided his three amundred men into three companies and put a trumpet in every man nand avith empty pitchers and lamps within tho pitchers pite hers and he told ahe men to look on him and do whatsoever they saw him do 10 also told them that ahen he blew his trumpet they were to do the same on au sides of the camp of tho eno mv and shout the sword of the lord and of gideon eon ordered his men to encircle the They did so when ihly had encircled sword of ord and of Gideon the three hundred men did the ey then took the lamp from the pitchers and smashed the pl Echers folding the lamps in ahe trumpets is heiy ight cods tc blow at the amu time the shouting tb clanging wd thel irethe midland from abr anc not knowing alo W ane eamy w apon each other and were destroyed dere we and th power of god and above all his mysterious ways wo aust be humble if we expect to be of the care of god wo must 3 eibest in our prayers when the lour of drath drew nigh christ went nto the garden of gethsemane and here poured out his soul in prayer a the lord and while drops of like drops of blood stood upon its brow said father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless th eless not my will but thine be done here is an illustration of sincerity prayers that are not sincere are a mockery before god and are tantamount to taking the name of god in vain we must pray without ceasing and do all the good we can believe it would bo gustand ju stand only juht if our father in heaven was to treat is in the manner the anthe habit of crying wolf wolf we often ask for things we never esi e t to receive let i s ask god in af doubting for what we want indas god lives if the things wo ask or are for our good we will receive hem we should not ask for things or personal aggrandizement let us edition eti tion for what wo actually need let us ask for our daily bread and ahon it comes lot us be grateful let is ever be found doing what is right let us walk consistently before the lord that finally we may be exalted n the kingdom of god which is my in the name of jesus amen JACOB GATES made a few closing remarks endorsing the remarks of brother talmage and testifying to the goodness of god and the anal triumph of hia work the choir then sang the anthem be glad in the lord benediction was pronounced by elder allman |