| Show SUNDAY SERVICES i to ou 9 us services were held in the ale Is salt lake city sunday t timber wj be r i 9 1888 commencing at 2 lock p m mi president angus M can awid N J ing m choir 0 ir and congregation sang agod d our help in ages past our hope tor for years to come oar r shelter from in the stormy blast aud and our eternal home e her er by elder lorin farr air sang ivied ed the great redeemer died ari IRra israels ells daughters wept around i priesthood of the eighteenth officiated offIciate din in the administration sacrament OSTLE MOSES MOSBS THATCHER assed d the congregation the OB ot of the voice like those of the c become weakened by disuse and tuis this to be the condition of my own I 1 I 1 today yet I 1 nope hope by the blessi god to make you all hear I 1 am grated than I 1 can express to the sweets of liberty and the ge of speaking to you yoa today great satisfaction to me r since society was formed into Dimi unities ties civilization has pro led d the tendency of the human is to improve and where the lers 9 of darene a do not prevail to always the case so tar as ash hu u are concerned this us to is the broadest deepest and idt of any ot of which we have an ant t lt it was born amid opples and d it was the outgrowth of tyr and misrule I 1 out at 60 years ago an aa illiterate boy me a student io the ethics of re band and the science of government uthe toe tuition of ef the lord himself result suit of the knowledge revealed alm m we have today in what vrn as mormonism a system huglon ton which is called a theocracy the sense in which carlyle the emit scotch historian historia a uses toe the word macyie rac yie the government of god S men the organization of this fab is theocratic but in the sense eh the term is usually under ml among the masses of the people jar common country that th at is cen bation tion of power and rule in the stoof of irresponsible men believing the exercise of autocratic power church organization is not theo fc hacks a all elements of tyranny au fracy y and injustice and is the land endmost most absolutely just form stas government on earth day be called and is a theo damoc f it t is not in the power of the bersot of the church to enforce any dare are or exercise any form of rule minion without the consent of the le ie we e nominations of church officers not lot come from the people they from god through their leaders I 1 k aid that nomination among the ills to is equivalent to election so it ald id be where the people have the e mind as their leaders and are fired d by the same spirit bat but there it t not to be a child in the abe arch ii in ignorance of the fact t any an member of the church 1 l right to vote against any man or aure re that may be proposed for acceptance of the people the d commanded the prophet joseph kmitto the church for its ap apa ril or rejection the names of men plated ted by revelation to nil fill offices es in the church al is never willing to permit the lot coercion upon the be human mind I 1 can we be intelligent if we are alree e to choose the good and reject bad d god goa revealed the plan of on onie one of the chief corner Ms of which was common consent tied led captivity captive and gave k unto nto men and among those i there ere was none greater than that e gency agency the right of choice in a abe council of the gods held bethe world was created lucifer faed a plan of salvation the chief ire of f which watch was coercion it was cited jesus proposed to come up ahe earth arth and suffer his blood to teed to redeem and secure liberty ate children hildre ii of men and his plan incepted apted i strongest sentiment felt by in flat beings in heaven or on earth re hatred is weak so is coer but love loke is strong therefore if mormon leaders have great rover er the people it is because eople le love them the he law of god e latter atter day saints is that unions us dominion most mast not be alsed the prophet joseph said almost ost all men were prone to do hen en clothed with power and for reason n said that of the many who called ed but few would be chosen B of the chief doctrines of the abe 1 I is s that of reconciliation if robber er offend to him alone leek to effect a settlement and latida should this effort be the next step is one of atlon on A third party Is called in ia vor to effect a reconciliation U this attempt fall fail bishops u may maybe be I 1 resorted to and they authority at hority to adjudicate differ Q between brethren from this pan im appear may be taken by either ato to the high council of the stake la it a body of fifteen high priests pir whom liora are supposed to bedia be diemen bated imbued with the spirit of god they are commanded not to judge in favor of the rich because they are rich nor the poor because they are poor but in all righteousness the members of a stake blygh agh council ought to be righteous me men n free from pre prejudice udice and able to rise above all bias should this court err an appeal ifil lie to a still higher court the book of doctrine and cove covenants 1 hants declares that the decisions of the high councils in the stakes are equal to those of the twelve apostles but there is spoken of inthe doctrine and covenants a court which is the hignett of all it is called the high council of the church and is presided over by the president of the church this is the highest tribunal in the church and its decision is an end of controversy in spiritual matters but from this court there is still an appeal to god and the angels for decisions made beany by any tribunal on earth which are not made in accord with equity and justice will fail f ail to receive the approval of god the speaker further explained the j jurisprudence of the church and expounded the fu nations and authority of its courts and officers and maintained that running through all of the revelations god had bad given upon this subject for the government of his fits church there is found the principle of common consent the speaker then referred to the last hours of jesus upon the earth saying that when his enemies were upon his track he asked a few ot of his friends to watch while he prayed and by struggling in prayer obtained the strength streng ti he needed for the trial which was at head band but bat his friends slept again and again he asked them to watch but they were heavy eyed their ingratitude fruit of the flesh was a blow that almost crushed his bis heart must at times try us to witness the ingratitude of friend st he be malice of others we should patiently bear thank god I 1 owe no man malice I 1 am thankful to again enjoy my liberty I 1 v rust that the trials I 1 have endured have dave made me a better man and I 1 am grateful that they have not embittered me the speaker closed by invoking the blessing of god upon the saints APOSTLE HEBB R J GRANT I 1 rejoice in the testimony of the gospel and in laboring in my humble way tor for the advancement of gods kin kingdom dom I 1 can also say t that hat I 1 feel trefly toufy thankful for the privilege I 1 have had bad of listening to the remarks of brother thatcher That caer I 1 can to a certain extent enter into the joy he feels after having been separated from the saints for years and now can bear testimony to the truth as known to him we should all appreciate highly the knowledge we have that we are engaged encased in the work of god this knowledge will grow and increase only we keep the commandments of the lord but bat if we do not keep the commandments of the lord this know knowledge ladge will be our condemnation it we have received light in advance of our fellow men this will condemn us unless we live so that we are worthy of that greater light the world believe thit that joseph smith was as an impostor the saints know that he was a prophet of god the elders of the church go forth alorth and proclaim this truth to the world and the world will be condemned by it if 11 they reject the testimony three men testified that the BOOK of mormon was translated by the power and gift of god and in addition to this we h have e the testimony of eight witnesses ayd and that of the prophet joseph himself have we any such testimony to support the inspiration of the bible the testimony of two men is sufficient in any ordinary case cas of human affairs but the world Is very slow to believe say that they have obeyed the commandments of god the signs promised are manliest manifest among the promised latter atter day saints they nave have many evidences that this fe the gospel of christ but the world will avill not receive it so it was atthe at the time of christ the disciples of our savior proclaimed his comial but the world rejected their testimony those that have not the spirit of the lord cannot discern the signs ol of today for no man knows the things of god save by the spirit men bien have said to me if you know that you are engaged in the work of god explain it so that we can ban know it it as clearly as we know that two and two are four now I 1 may tell such my experience and of the influence of the he holy ghost and the manifestations I 1 have hae seen but this may not bring conviction to them I 1 may tell a man that hat I 1 have got get the voth acne ache and he ie way may say he be d does es not believe it but this can not change my experience so no mans denial can change my conviction that 1 I have heard tongues spoken and inter prated by the gift of god and that 1 I have feted ve seen the sick raised such manifestations destat fe one convince me of the truth of the gospel we may tell people that joseph smith foretold the war of the rebellion and the place where it should break brelik out years before it came and they will say that this was only a autell cute guess he also predicted that this people 8 should hould be driven from county to county from state to state and finally be b driven from the confines of the united states slates and become a mighty people in the rocky rock mountains coulgan Coul dan impostor by such prognostic hope to gain folio followers wets no and yet such wire his predictions and we are witnesses that those prophecies have bave been fulfilled he said that the united states would be ar arrayed against tue latter day saints has this prediction been fulfilled we see in the daily papers papers in the proceedings of the courts the united states versus the church of jesus christ of latter day saints we see these things going on but we reject not the testimony of christ we are a happy and contented people rejoicing in the gospel I 1 find this on my travels from one end ot of the territory to the other the saints bear testimony that they are engaged in the work of god how many of those that have suffered for the gospel t tarn rn and deny the testimony of goat none that I 1 have heard of persecution never changed the convictions of anybody all honest men follow thet their convictions although they may have to endure trials for doing so we ought to be cheri charitable table and kind to all so that men by seeing our good deeds praise god for them we should live so that all could see our int integrity egr ity it we neglect to keep the commandments of god people would look upon us and turn way away without seeking for that testimony from god without midch no knowledge e of the truth can be obtained the lord has called upon us ua to pray with our families and in secret that we may not forget god it if we neglect this we lose the inspiration and power from heaven beaven we become indifferent lose our testimony and go down into darkness the me mission of 01 the me latter bauer day aay saints dainis is a great one we not only proclaim the gospel to all nations nation kindreds an and d peoples but we also Is 0 have eve a work to perform for the dead we are not as we are accused of being nar row minded we believe that even our enemies will be saved la in the lords own due time read the revelations given upon the subject sad and you yoa will find that all mankind except those who have had bad toe testimony ot of christ and rejected it denying the blood of ef christ will ultimately ultimate be saved we spend thousands la in erecting in temples where we can administer ehg the ordinances for those who are dead the world asks how can that be that one can be baptized for another but it if we believe in the vicarious work of christ we must believe that one can do work for another and that we also may become saviors upon mount zion the apostle in speaking ol 01 the resurrection refers to the subject saying baying 1 cor xv 29 09 I 1 else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not all this shows that baptism for the dead was known at that time all saints have a right to the revelations of at god the great majority of this people know that joseph smith was a prophet and anat the revelations he save gave came from god I 1 therefore te beseech myself as well as you t to 0 be faithful and to seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness it is true that god is willing to bless the saints if th they ey will keep his commandments but if we neglect to do this our knowledge will wither and die like an armIt admitted arm tied ted up and never put to use that we may be faithful tin the discharge ot of our duties is my prayer in the name of christ amen amed the choir sang the anthem hail judea happy land benediction by elder ellas elias A smith |
