Show SUNDAY SERVICES our origin in the supreme being the first principles principle of the gospel inspiration and apostolic organization bell bious services were held in the tabernacle acle salt lake city sunday july 1 1888 commencing at 2 p m president angus angas M cannon presiding T the he choir and congregation ung arise my soul arise shake os off thy guilty fear prayer by elder west the choir sang sane the hymn earth is the place where christ shall reign with all his saints a thousand years the tha priesthood of the eighth wart ward officiated in the administration of the sacrament ELDER GEORGE G BYWATER was called to address tile the congregation he knew by the experience of a long lone series of years that without the aid of the inspiration of the holy spirit a minister of christ stand standing ing up before a congregation to enunciate the doctrine of truth would be unable to divide the aruth aright and so the congregation would be little benefited ile he desired to honor the spirit of the ministry and solicited that the faith and prayers of the assembly be concentrated that we may receive that spirit spiritual u al food divine manna w which aich is ig given by the holy ghost and which is bestowed through ft the divine ministry and advocacy ibi of our lord jesus christ we are living in what is called an enlightened age we occupy a position in the history of the human race that is regarded as preeminently pre eminently superior to almost every other age during the great past the christian world are wilting to recognize the claim of prophets and apostles of other dispensa eions as having been the ministers of a divine god to the human family and that the seallor divinity accompanied their utterances and acts I 1 wish now to leave these generalities and direct your attention more to the particulars of the plan of redemption of the church of jesus christ it t is known from the writings of the old and the new testament that god the maker of heaven and earth and all that in them are has revealed but one method of redemption to the human family it is written there is 10 but one laith one lord one baptism and that there is but one god and father of all these passages are significant and important to all who would understand the problem of being from the pages of holy writ we learn the origin of mans existence and the problem of his destiny and gather there besides intelligence regarding the intermediate and progressive conditions and truths elucidating his duties in the mortal probation here we learn that we have our origin in the being we learn that we derive our existence from him and haye have been created in his image and likeness we can hardly conceive of a more lofty condition or claim than that we are not the production of an unforeseen causel caused the creation of chance but that the creator of all things is our father and we are the sons and daughters of god and this knowledge we obtain not only from the ancient patriarchs and prophets of the old ri testament but more in detail from the dispensation of our lord and his apostles in training his disciples to be seat out into the world to preach he taught them to pray saying our u r father who art in heaven it tc the th latter iatter day saints rejoice exceedingly in that man has descended from the source of all life they are satisfied as to their origin and do not desire to delve in any uncertain ground tor for the pr purpose p 0 e of exhuming any 0 other t h e r orl origin gin we believe in god anit and so predicate our faith in his revelations to man not only ancient but modern revelation as well for it is written Is man bian shall riot not live by bread alone but by every word that proceed the mouth of god kirbis id bis revelations to man the infinite creator has brought to light a most adequate and well defined system of principles and doctrine constituting the necessary plan of salvation for the human family but from certain causes with subtle and false reSSo reasoning ning a great diversity of religious beliefs have grown e wn from a misunderstanding of tte these e principles but bat as there to but one e god d those of the human family who worship any other are idolatrous and whoever an bounces any principle at variance with the declarations ons of god and his inspired ministry are surely in error in the age in which we live there are a great many faiths and doctrines st strangely rangel at variance with one another each Te nomination has its own ritual liturgy and ho milies and apt all claiming to have the right faith in the face of the enunciation there is but one faith one lord one baptism it is of importance vital in its nature and eternal in its consequences to determine if we have anat laith faith which was once delivered to the saints and that there is no doctrine princ principle ipie nor institution nor part nor particle of a system wanting that was revealed to the former day saints and is necessary to save mankind of all these doctrines enunciated the first principle is fath sad there are conclusive reasons why this is so paul says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of god but how qan can they hear bear without a preacher and how bow can he be preach except he be sent faith is the foundation of all righteousness the mainspring of all human himan action but that salvation faith without which it is impossible to please god comes by hearing the word ot of god by those sent of god and not words of men who deny that spirit of inspiration of god which was possessed by the apostles and the prophets prophets before them the word of god must be preached by a preacher who is called of god and is not a volunteer paul further says no man this honor unto himself but he that is called of god as was aaron we all know according to scrip how aaron was called he did not go before god and say that having now BOW addressed himself to the study of the liturgy and ritual of the law and believing he was now qualified he be thought moses ought now to sena send him forth a minister the first we hear of it is that the lord said to moses call aaron and let him be a spokesman to officiate in the tabernacle A man may be animated to do good deeds to comfort the sorrowful give succor to the needy and may beseech god in his mercy to bless his fellowmen fel but has no right uncalled of god to go forth and preach the words of life and administer in his sac sacred red ordinances in such a case the preaching would not occasion that faith of divine power which is necessary to salvation if in a comparison of worldly ethics with the divine faith the believer linds finds be has gone as astray from the revealed law that inam individual or lr people will have occasion to repent of their error indeed it if their faith is strong enough they cannot help but repent repentance then is the second principle and means not merely sorrowing for error or sins committed aut b ut a turning away from all wrong doing and to 10 follow a life of righteousness the next principle in the visible expression of repentance is the conformity to an outward ordinance namely the principle of baptism the mode of baptism of a true christianity as held by former and by latter day saints is by immersion and a true penitent renitent believer will be ready to comply with whatever is required of him not only is baptism man an external symbol an outa outward rd sign of an inward grace but blat is for the remission of sins BIDS by this ordinance we become as new born babes free from sin answering to the scripture unless a man be born ot of water and of the spirit he be cannot enter the kingdom of god with baptism we rise from a liquid grave tal to walk in newness of life in christ jesus it we were unwilling to accept the ordinance it would evidence our faith was insincere and our repentance incomplete baptism is an essential ordinance to salvation being placed between us and saints and communion with the spirit and so the succeeding ordinance is the bestowal of the by the laying on of the hands bands of those who have authority and here as la in all the principles a and d ordinances of the gospel comes thi that t sacred principle of authority anal analogous 0 to which is this that no man can call itsume assume without an express commission to perform for another any official act governmental or personal if this is true in earthly how much more true trae in heavenly thi things go these first principles principles complied with then ot oi course we m must t continue in the course of life was we have entered upon I 1 he that en dureth to the end shall be saved continue on not laying y ng a again n t the e foundation it of repentance pen n tance e from om dead works but going en from principle to principle until antil we r reach h the doctrine of the redemption of the dead and of the resurrection and eternal judgment these are the first principles of the faith and doctrine of the latter day saints and this doctrine never existed but when ben inspired men were on the earth here is a test teat of a true church in ID any age that thereon the renever over was a church without apostles and inspiration that did not teach these principles and in this order and so a church that does not teach faith as the first prin pria ciple then repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands bands for the reception cc of the holy spirit it is conclusive evidence that church is not of god paul to the Ephe ephesians said god had bad placed in the church I 1 first apostles if not popes cardinals cardinala nor bishops iff first wherever his church exists there will be an apostolic organization and inspiration for paul said fur further gher they were to continue until wa we all come to the unity ot of the faith etc why for eighteen centuries has christendom become more and more divided it is because they have not been led by an inspired ministry may god let his spirit move in the heart of the honest among all people that they may search the scriptures and be led to the truth may mav the day come speedily when the earth earah will be filled with the knowledge of god sing singlea ing lna 0 saints have you see noer noler yon mountains proud height the day star of promise so bril bantly beaming benediction by elder A milton musser |