Show sunday services religious services were held in the tabernacle salt lake city sunday march 24 1889 commencing at 2 pm president angus M cannon presiding the choir and congregation sang when godlis goda own people stand in in nn need 8 his goodness will provide supplies e prayer by elder john the choir sang the great and glorious gospel light has ushered forth unto my sight the priesthood of the fourth ward officiated in the administers tion of the sacrament ELDER CHAS W PENROSE was waa called to address the con congregation grego he said he had not language to express his joy and gratitude at A being again in the midst of his friends he hoped that by the aid of the holy spirit he might say something edifying and interesting i it is nearly four and a half years ars since I 1 had the privilege of meeting with you I 1 have traveled in many lands aud and among many peo peoples 31 wherever I 1 have been on land or OU on sea the blessing of the lord has been with me and I 1 have rejoiced in the god of my salvation and this afternoon I 1 praise him for his goodness no scene that I 1 have witnessed during my absence has been half so pleasant as the one I 1 behold today an assemblage of saints who have come here from many nations to worship the lord their god it is often said add that we are pec peculiar U and we are particularly so in IJ our religion people cau call itanen it a new religion but it is not new except to the We generation ration in which we live it Is an old religion the everlasting gospel the one plan of salva salvation tIOU for all worlds it is the one religion that will bring man back to god it embraces all that mat is true and good all religious systems in the world have some degree of truth enables them to live but they SM are mixed with error having been made by men their weakness consists in u thi this error the distinctive feature of our religion is that every prindle princile ya pie was revealed from on high vye W s did d not make it joseph smith did not make it but the god of heaven revealed it to his prophet there t is not an ordinance a doctrine or a regulation in our religion but has hag been revealed from heaven for our guidance and benefit and our sal 1 1 the religious systems of the world have been founded by men though thong A many have endeavored to base their ideas upon the bible men have adopted a set of rules or ideas but none pretend that they were revealed reve alea from heaven no doubt a great deal of good has been done in turu turn ing people from evil ways but bo none of these different systems NO has a been authorized by heaven true tro religion com comes es f from ro in god no nooner one A j can understand him unless he T re himself and in this finite condition we cannot fully comphel 1 I J hend deity 3 our father revealed himself lv i H the early history of the world our 00 lord jesus came in the meridian of 0 time to lead men in the path 0 j r right g h in this age god and his is I 1 a bof ul je jesus s appeared to joseph who rec received elved authority to creaco i the gospel and administer in its our a finances din ances this is is the foundation was revea revealed Jed atoa on high every truth revealed to v us 41 81 with the truths of the bible ible our religion came direct fam ona heaven as john foretold when upon pon the isle or or patmos he said and I 1 saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the ever ting gospel to preach unto them that hat dwell on the earth and to ev wy pry nation and kindred and tongue and nd people saying with a 9 loud voice olce pear fear god and give glory to m for the hour of his J judgment 14 M come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the 1 aea and the fountains fountai of 0 waters no one on the earth had the fildew of the everlasting gospel in this age until it was revealed to joseph emith the gos gospel I 1 having been restored the aez servants va of the lord have gone gon 3 ferth rth as did the apostles of old having ving received freely they gave freely feely most of the nations of the earth have heard the sound of the offid apel and people have gathered NIA WILst almost every part of the world wherever the people have received abl gospel they are bound together by y bonds stronger than those or of kindred the gifts that were enjoyed by those in the primitive hurch church are enjoyed by the saints today their hearts are filled with jy OY by the holy spirit and they bow ow they have received the gos alof pel of the lord jesus they have eted here to build up the zion of w our god we did not come here merely to acquire wealth but our object is to learn the ways of the lord and nd walk therein having obeyed the ie principles of the gospel the spirit rit accompanying it rests reste upon khelu em and they gather to practice lose principles there are many foolish ideas concerning our religion 1 I remember a conversation with a prominent cori tt fessman gressman who actually believe bel levei a church had a lien upon the land td parceled it out to the people and assessed upon it a tax of one tallah tall wh th until we gave him correct information which surprised him greatly there is another thing which dis dia our religion from others our elders go out as men having authority ut hority not authority from olneq but endowed with power from ou high and they are the depre of the lord as far as they tecal and act righteously they promise the people that if they will obey y this gospel they shall re celva a witness from him of its w truth those who have reed the gospel testify that god All mighty has given to them this it comes to all who re etive e the gos el in sincerity it mes notto those who do not re but there are no exceptions ing those who are sincere they gw ow that god lives that their re sion Is ig true this testimony enters Is to ro every part of their being this because god is in this work WWI 18 the he themselves people keep D in C do e honest Rostand and u upright and seek the agthe tho will of god this witness of ev flocy y spirit 8 arit abides with them in every CoN edition tion if they defile deffle tf if they turn to evil 8 spirit nt leaves on them and they be COMB bome darkened the spirit of mormonism leads man to serve god with all his heart anything contrary to this is not mormonism the gifts of the spirit have ceased among the christian churches but they are with the church of jesus christ of latter day saints as the fruits of the holy spirit the lat ter day saints have similar blessings to those bestowed upon the former day saints saints they can not only read of the sp spiritual ritual food enjoyed anciently but have the feast today and the promises of the almighty are fulfilled u bato arto them another peculiarity with us is the principle of the gathering what is it that causes us to assemble in these valleys of the mountains it is the spirit of the almighty aleigh Z Y those who have been called to I 1 lead the people have been called of god to that position god is still with his people and his power is with their leaders today we are also a temple building people another feature that distin us from the world this we luishes 0 because god commands us to and all who have received the privilege of ministering in the temples of the almighty can testify to the holy spirit that is poured out there accompanying compa nying the ordinances for the perfection refection 0 of the liv living n an and for or the e redemption ou of the dea dead we e are actually engaged in preparing for the personal appearance of the lord we do not pretend to know the day the hour or the year when he will come he has not revealed the time to us but he has commanded us to prepare he has told us that he will come and we know that he will mine come suddenly to his temple to a place and a people arre prepared pared for him him and who sh shad I 1 abide the day of his coming there will be a people prepared there will be wise virg virgins insO there will be men and women who who have consecrated all their powers to the service of the lord and to them will he appear we also believe in a practical real heaven here on this globe which will be purified and cleanse for the habitation of resurrected beings god will purge the very elements and out of them will be made a new heaven and a new earth and jesus the first born of every creature will reign with his saints these will be real men and women not mere ghosts or shades but those who are raised from the dead will dwell with christ in the holy city all of these peculiarities are bible peculiarities but the world have shut their eyes to them we could not find out these truths from the bible but they were revealed to us by the almighty through his servants and by the witness of the holy spirit I 1 rejoice in this testimony in knowing that god lives that jesus is our savior that joseph joseph smith was a prophet of god my religion is my life I 1 bear my testimony that mormonism has been sent from heaven that it is the gospel of christ and will bring salvation to all who obey it I 1 know also that it will triumph it will spread forth and fill the earth with the power of god who wih bring his people off tri um I 1 exhort you to be chaste to be be true to be hondt to be faithful to seek and db the will of god let us not waste our time in finding fault but be filled with love charity and kindness toward all that we may be continually found foula building up zion then will we receive our reward and while the endless ages of eternity roll around our joy and dominions will increase god will bless us and he will be above all and in all and through all forever and ever the choir sang the anthem 0 holy jesus benediction was pronounced by elder H J foulger |