| Show RELIGIOUS sunday services religious sermet series were held at the tabernacle salt lake day april 1890 commencing at 2 p m counselor J joseph E tay the choir sang aang come we that love the lord and lot let our joys be known prayer by elder A M musser the choir sang the hymn commencing come hither all ye weary souls ye heavy laden en sinners come the priesthood of the eighteenth ward officiated in the administration of the sacrament ELDER CHARLES W STAYNER addressed the congregation it is always a source of gratification after an absence of several months for an elder to mingle again with the p people dople ea in our mountain home particularly ticul arly so when he has been visiting exclusively adang those who are not of our faith and has been deprived de priced pr ived therefore of the privilege of hearing the inspired teachings and counsels of the apostles and elders of the church As I 1 am about to leave shortly on a mission to the northern states where I 1 have been appointed to take 0 charge arge this may perhaps be my last appo opportunity for some months of aspea speaking king to the saints who assemble here ere my recent visit to the city of washington was entirely of a professional character hence I 1 have no special jre report port to make to the brethren and sisters upon my return I 1 desire now how everto state that while in labh washington I 1 met with mady man genial gentlemen and intelligent ladles ladies who took considerable interest in the affairs of utah it was a pleasure indeed to me to have the opportunity of conversing with others upon the condition of the people in these valleys and of explaining some gome matters which had not been made thoroughly clear to their minds regarding our position as latter day saints religiously and otherwise 1 I invariably found much friendship manifested for the pioneers of this portion of the country those hose who have to a large extent contributed to make it what it is with one exception and that was in the argument before the supreme court of the united states in connection with the idaho test oath case 1 I uever heard an unkind expression pres slon nor even an insinuation regarding the mormons cormons during my stay in the east but I 1 regret to say that there is very little opportunity afforded one in the course of a conversation to establish a belief in the great principles of our religion people care more about the worldly aspects of utah the prospect of financial advancement than for the fundamental da principles v which have fathered hered together here so many mally peo raf alto from I 1 different parts of tha th ivorid iv world orld forming ing as it were a commonwealth in the midst of the mountains it to is a matter of indifference to the generality of veo peo pie whether baptism be performed by ammerson im merson or sprinkling they trouble very little in regard to the deity except that in a general way they believe that there is a god who lothe is the supreme ruler of the universe and that all things are more or less controlled as well as created by this invisible power still I 1 believe that if any religion at all would attract the worldly minded today toda y ll 11 it is that which proclaims that a something om ething has been received within the present generation for they appear to utterly despise thin things 98 which are old the old kroph prophets eta have bal j little influence with t this III generation the spiritual marvels mar vel of the past do not attract as much attention as the scientific fie wonders of today and but little belief to is manifested in the future except that which may be the result of scientific skill the misrepresentations which have gone forth concerning us have more or less turned away the hearts of the people from our belief they fear that there is something deceptive in the doctrines of a people who are so much maligned and like the saints of old everywhere spoken against they seem to ignore the fact which the savior himself predicted as one of the signs of his coming that his people should be hated of all nations for his sake they turn a deaf ear to anything in the shape of doctrine or the principles of the gospel as revealed through through the modern prophet nevertheless erth eless they are willing and evo even n anxious to know how we conduct our affairs how matters are regulated executively judicially and politically while some enquire relative to our domestic concerns despite the various obstacles in the way there are opportunities both by precept and example to bring the religion of the latter day to the attention of the people to show them that it is a practical religion that it involves something more than mere belief and that it requires a life of self annial of purity of heart and of righteousness of purpose to become what the lord has designed his people must be before they can receive receive the ful ness of his glory I 1 was exceedingly gratified to learn in conversation with business men that the financial standing of the latter day saints through their various institutions was as consider consides 4 no 1 and that when whenever ver they have had any dealings with bals they were always well treated one gentleman I 1 well remember stated in the presence of quite a company that he had bad done business with the latter day saints for a number of years to the amount of many thousands of dollars and in every case he had received bis big money the same gentleman remarked that when he be came afi into this community community comm unit he was surer to find people of D capital trus tru their poorer brethren to a aw sid erable amount although knowing that they had no property upon which to levy in the eventov event of its being necessary to enforce payment he expressed the opinion moreover that he be lid did not believe the he tame name could be said mid of any other community in the united states I 1 exhort the latter day saints to continue in well doing in this re gard to be as prompt as possible in the payment of their debts and care ful in all their publio public and private dealings to set that example before the world which shall cause mankind to realize there is something more in this gospel called mormonism naon ism than many in the world suppose let men we see that our religion is not a deception and a fraud that it is not intended to hoodwink the people but that it is a religion designed of heaven to purify the hearts and lives of the human race and to bring mankind into closer com communion with god I 1 pray dray that his holy spirit may rest down upon zion that she may glow with that spirit of truth and rl righteousness by which the earth will w I 1 eventually 1 to cleansed and pre pared as a residence for the pure in heart BISHOP ORSON F WHITNEY was the next speaker it is no news he said to the great majority of these here assembled td 16 hear that the elders of israel do not prepare their sermons beforehand it would be a strange innovation if this were the case we are called upon unexpectedly to deliver to the people those things with which we may be inspired on the occasion we arise trusting in that spirit which proceeds forth from the father of light from the fountain of all power and intelligence to make manifest unto the children of men the things of god this in a lesser degree ts is the Spirit which ligh teth every man that cometh into the th world which is the light of the sun and of the moon and of the stars the light of intelligence which is kindled in the soul of every son and daughter of god and in everything that lives and movas moves and has a being beneath the broaca canopy of heaven such an essence as this is called by the christian world god this is the being without body parts or passions which the christian world profess to worship and is thus described by pope it worms warms in the sun refreshes in the breeze glows glewe in the stars and blossoms in the trees lives through all life extends throughout extent spreads undivided operates unspent but this is not god our heavenly father to the latter day saints we understand that there is a trinity il in the godhead which is composed of the father son and holy ghost the father is a being of tabernacle he lp if a man perfected and exalted by his obedience to the principles of truth and righteousness he once dwelt in mortality he passed through the be trials of a life similar to this he dwelt in mortal clay and conquered and subjected the flesh by obedience to the principles of the goal GOS el this is the secret and the only secret of his power intelligence and authority at the present time the son is also a bet being ng of tabernacle in the express image we are told of his fathers person insomuch that when he was upon the earth in the meridian of linw and his hie disciples asked him to show unto them the father he be replied have I 1 been so lonia with you and ye have not seen me he that hath seen me hath seen the father P we are boldin told in genesis that god made man in his own image but the holy ghost is a being without tabernacle and as a spirit or essence extends throughout the immensity 0 of space it is the minister of god who in the beginning when his spirit moved upon the face of the waters and said let there be light and formed the earth temporally as he had before formed it spiritually doubtless there is much concerning the holy ghost or the spirit of god which is not understood by men because it has not been entirely revealed but we are taught that it is the third person in the trinity and the difference between it asa personage age and tha father and the son c on is that the holy ghost does not have a tabernacle a resurrected body of flesh and bones while the father and the son possess such bodies certainly it is a reasonable doctrine one to commend itself to the judgment and consideration of any intelligent god is our father and we are his ells children we belong 0 to o the same species and while the spirit of god in one sense is that light which shines in the sun glows in the stars and blossoms blossom sin in the trees lives through all life and gives to the different tribes and families of men that measure of light which they are expected to live up to and by which they will also be judged at the last day when we consider god as a personage of tabernacle as our heavenly father in whose image we are created cre sited it is certainly reasonable to think of him as a maw man and of our mother in heaven as am a woman if god made man and woman in hia image and they are his children then men aud and women on the earth are in this respect like unto god and are destined to become more like him as they advance this opens to the view of the student and thinker a glorious field for thought and reflection it ia enables nables us to be patient in the midst of tribulation ula tion of trials and sorrows to evince that courage and fertit fortitude do which have in every age been so 80 prevailing prevailing a characteristic of the saints S ints of god why because they were the children of light unto them hem it was revealed that they were indeed the offspring offs p ring of god and that he whom thy worshiped was once as they were that he endured for the sake of education development dea and eventual evenou a perfection and exaltation all the ills that flesh is heir to they could therefore gaze upon and endure with stoicism their afflictions even when tied to the stake to be burnt for their opinions when immured in dungeons dragged at the tails of horses thrown to wild beasts or set fire to and used as torches to light the imperial gardens of rome borne crucified sawn bawn asunder persecuted loaded with calumny and opprobrium sub eject to proscriptive prescriptive and legislation so long as they kept tho the faith and bore that light which god kindled in their bosoms until death put an end to to their sufferings tt it is this knowledge and the sustaining power of the holy spirit which enables the he saints of latter days to bear with fortitude and patience the trials to which they are subjected they expect leand they know that it is necessary troubles and trials are the ministers of god they teach us his truths 1 they save our souls by whipping u us into the path of duty and obedience from which we are fo feo prone to stray to ray eay that our trials are too aumer oua ona or too severe is to impugn eternal wisdom to attempt to judge re the justice of an all wise god of an all merciful father and to cast reproach who holubin the hoj low of his hand the desti destinies nies of men and of nations who zetteth up one and down another according to the judgment and wisdom of his omnipotent will who gives to the stars the orbits in which they revolve who sets the waves their bounds and controls the acts of men and nations suffering them to go no further in their treatment of his people than will best beat his purposes when satan afflicted job chedid he did it with gods permission and could not have done it without job was a righteous man and the lord declared him to be such which seemed to make satan angry just as it does men sometimes to hear others spoken well of and honored and he desired to destroy him but he failed because job was faithful and patient and maintained his integrity saul was jealous of david and persecuted arse ted him but david avid bore it t patiently patient forgave and returned good for evil and came off more mere than conqueror he suffered no more than was waa necessary for his good neither will any man neither wit wilt any people W wn WH H latter ater day saints expect trouble we do not believe I 1 in n going half way to meet it but we do move believe wa in preparing for it when we see t the e I 1 clouds gather and hear bear the thunder roll we know enough to put on our overcoats and wraps if we walk out or to stay indoors from the inclemency of if the weather and so when we see the clouds of persecution filling the horizon and hear afar off the thunder muttering and bellowing presaging coming trials for us as a people we know it is time to put on the armor of god to gird u up p ou our r loi loins no and be all the more diligent and faithful I 1 was asked once if I 1 were a pessimist a sin ilat because I 1 said that I 1 ca bad learned pt aped to expect trouble in this world I 1 answered no I 1 was RU an optimist for a pessimist bel believes leves that all that happens is 19 for the worse while an optimist holds that all is for the best I 1 expect sorrow and trouble here because I 1 know it to is I 1 inevitable n but I 1 also regard it as es sentral sent fal and that it is for the best good of those who suffer we are clim climbing the steep and prickly path by which god our father was exalted and jesus our elder brother arose to sit down own a at his a right hand it is the path which he has marked out for asand as df and with humble and acx pure hearts fae arte and cd a desire to serve god and ami blew bless maD mankind kind we should walk that straight and narrow way which unto life eternal it to discourage a people who believe this wnm look upon life as only a link afan of an eternal chain who regard death ila as a mere incident in their career a milestone on the great and eternal journey we are am not living for this world but for eternal life although sometimes it would seem that we are in no very great hurry to obtain it we often put the temporal first and the spiritual comes lagging after there are latter dv day saints who allow their business to come between them and god there are men working today in their of offices flues stores and houses when abon they should be here partaking of the rn nourishing their spiritual life there are men deeply engrossed in the things of this world making idols of df that which peri when god wa has said thou worship the ihu lord thy god aud nd him only ADA thou serve i still I 1 do not believe that these are the actions or of feelings of the main body of the |
