| Show SUNDAY SERVICES synopsis of remarks by elders george S taylor and wm win H king services were held in the assembly hall salt lake city sunday jan 22 1888 cona 11 at 2 p in president an angus 11 us M cannon presiding the choir and congregation sang praise ye the lord my heart shall pin join in work so pleasant so divine prayer by bishop frederick kesler the choir sang sane 0 god the eternal father who dwells amid the sky I 1 the priesthood of the sixth ward officiated in the administration of the sacrament ELDER GEO 8 TAYLOR was called to address the tion he said it was a great trial to him to talk to ao large an audience not accustomed to it he felt however to respond to the call made upon him as an elder i n k israel for upwards of three years he had been on a mission to new zealand and aad had labored among the natives of that island the mabries Ma mabnes Tries he left salt lake city in october 1884 and on his arrival in new zealand was appointed tc labor in tue the hawks bay district where ne remained six months there were then only eight elders in the mission he was next sent to the mabia district where be met with ereah success many being added to the church during the year and nine months he was in that neld toe last six months of nis ais time had bad been spent in preaching in the Waira rapa district the only one in which there was a branch of european saints and that but few in numbers as the europeans generally in in that thai land paid little attention to religious matters since the revelation given to president taylor directing that the gospel should be preached to the branch of the house of israel the work of truth nad had made rapid progress among the Ma mabries ories who were regarded as of israel when elder taylor first went there the island was divided into inte three districts now there were eight districts on the north island and about thirty elders toe preaching of the gospel had been confined almost entirely to the natives there are about 2500 members membris of the church in the missi in probably of them being 1 europeans europeans uro most of the latter residing in auckland elder taylor had greatly enjoyed himself in his missionary labors and had realized the fulfillment fulfilment of the blessings pronounced upon him by ane apostles before he be left salt lake he had near had better health or more joy than while on his mission he had bad lound the mabries to re ie a ho race and but on one occasion had he been refused entertainment though all of his time had been spent in traveling among strangers Th the spirit eSpirit of the lard was resting upon the natives many of bf whom are being added to the church every month two elders are now translating the book of mormon into the maori tongue about two thuds ds of the work having been already performed by them the saints there are anxious to get the book and assist all they can it is only about forty years since the Mao mabries rieti ceased the eating of human flesba but at the present time they are pretty well civilized and have adopted many european wisdoms cl wi those who have obeyed the tae gospel have greatly improved in their manner of life since their baptism formerly they were batly greatly addicted to the use of strong rink drink and tobacco men women and cn ildren partaking of this in indulgence dulgen e ne nearly arly all who have become members odthe of the church have ceased the pernicious habits lia bits many of them are very desirous of gathering to zion but this thih is not deemed wise at present tiey they are anxiously hoping however for the privilege they are not as yet very well acquainted with tile the custons custo ns of the world and have but few books translated lato weir their language faey have however two mout monthly tily papers which give them some idea of anat is going on the bible is pretty generally read among them and they are firm believers in its teachings the majority of those who have embraced christianity are members of the church ot england those of them who have accepted the gospel will fearlessly stand before bd ire the ministers alq and maintain the truth and the speaker had sever never known of one being defeated by a sectarian RF recently bently there have arisen aifsen among 11 the natives some who claim to be prophets one of this class who professes profi asea to be an israelite has haa quite a large following his people ti believe elleve the old and reject the new testament A few of those who were saints have been led away by him most of the saints are however very steadfast in the gospel some of them are well educated and very efficient in spreading the knowledge of the truth it usually takes an elder about a year to learn the language so that before that length of time he cannot do much elder wm president of the mission travels about in all parts of the field and is an energetic and effective worker As he does not talk abe language betakes betakas along with him an elde who is one of the best speakers in abe native to tongue ligue A number ot tracts have been and are widely distributed thus materially aiding the elders new zealand while it has drawbacks as a missionary field has many rood good features there is now no persecution there though at crie cde time two elders were held in custody three days the ministers of various denominations are stirred up I 1 by y satan to oppose the elders and tell the natives not to alst listen to or have to io do with the mormons cormons Mor mons it the natives generally disregard this advice and extend their hospitality to the elders elder taylor bore testimony to the truth ot of the gospel as taught by the latter day saints and prayed that the lord would bless the honest in heart in all the earth ELDER WILLIAM 11 KING was the next speaker he felt that there were many who bad devoted almost their entire lives to the preaching of the gospel who were better qualified to edify the saints but all ot of the servants of god realized that they were minute men who should always be ready to answer any call made upon n them for the lords service urh the e saints received instruction in their meet gs when the holy ghost 1 inspired aspired the speaker it was gratifying to them to learn of the spread of the gospel mud and that even the he athens were turning to the god of israel jesus said that the gospel would be preached in all tae world for a witness before the end came the saints have a mission to declare that diviak message to the human family and they rejoice in seeing that work accomplished the gospel is being promulgated in the same manner and is belag being received by the same class as it was anciently it also bigo calls out a similar opposition it is considered by those who believe that majorities are generally right that the paucity of the numbers of the lat ter day saints argues against the cor sess of their position but the latter have consolation in knowing that and his disciples met with opposition similar to that with which they have to contend the lessons of 0 history show that these who love god are always the Laino minority rity ot of the worlds inhabitants habitants ia there are fewer devoted to the building up of the kingdom of god than are a re engaged in thle the effort to tear it down in the light of history and experience the position of those abo say the saints are wrong because of the smallness of their numbers is not tenable from this point of view it looked as though there were more against than for the truth it if the call made by joshua had bad gone forth choose you this day whom ye will serve it would appear as though the majority had followed after strange gods but wherever men try to te improve the condition of the human family their motives are misconstrued by the generation in which they live the opposition to the gospel always parta partakes kea ot tae nature of misrepresentation it would seem that the message that brings peace on earth and good will toward men would be accepted by the world with w ith pleasure but experience has agas shown this idea to be a rai mistaken staken one when the gospel was first received by the saints it brought to them peace and joy jay and they thought how gladly relatives and friends fi lends would greet the message they were greatly digap disappointed pon led however when they carried the t tidings I 1 d I 1 bugs to their friends and were branded as fanatics this ill illustrates estrates the lesson that gods truths come in contact with mens notions that his laws differ from the philosophy of mankind in the meridian of time jesus called the meek and the lowly to de declare clarethe the G and the same class received it gladly the scribes and the pharisees Pharis ees and the learned men of the day were nut not willing to receive the teachings of humble fishermen they wanted their own philosophy and not the simplicity ot of the teachings of the son of god they were sticklers klers for the law of moses and rejected the higher law presented by ca notwithstanding the boasted liberty of the world that thai which is newis new is resisted and those who present it are frequently required to offer their lives as martyrs to 10 the cause they have espoused it seems but it it has nevertheless been the rule that the world rejects that chich most tends to good when the of the equality ot of men politically was announced it was resisted by many of those whom it would bene fit most moat those who sought nought to bring mankind to a higher plane always met with relentless opposition principles of truth are opposed till the feet of the persecutors are planted on the graves of the martyrs As in the days of the savior the gospel is being taugh taughni L to the meek and por poor of the earth and is by them received with gratitude tula this is an argument in favor of the divinity of the cause espoused by the latter day saints it demonstrates that the gospel is given to the few and received ived by ane pure in heart when paul declared the unknown god to the people of athens there were but few who heeded his teachings the great bulk rejected the principles he proclaimed his experience and that of the other apostles was the same among th people everywhere empry where paul says the gospel gopel was preached to all men but it was a comparatively small number who accepted the divine mission of jesus and it was not long before there were only a few branches of the church for the apostle john to proclaim the word of the lord to soon those these had bad disappeared and for centuries the world was devoid of the gospel and the people were led astray by their teachers was the reception lon ac corded the truth by the world in the meridian of time and what is it to day examine the history of the lat ter day saints of their struggles ruggles it for existence and the obstacles they had bad to te encounter it is recorded in the graves of their martyrs in ahn th lurid name of the torch in sorrow and in blood and in every pease phase of persecution it is a counterpart of the history of the disciples of christ but Buthe here rethe the parallel will cease the th e saints ancien anciently were ove overcome roode but today they will r maintain the struggle to ultimate triumph anciently the reaching preaching of the gospel served its purpose olge the son of man was born per ormed formed ills his labor and was crucified and the priesthood priesthood was removed from the earth but bat today is the dispensation of the falness of times the gospel abeen has been restored to remain forever and god will establish his kingdom on the earth the gospel was driven from among men anciently but the work of today will result in the overthrow of wickedness it might seem impossible with so small amal a number of people opposed on every side to accomplish ish so great a work but bat therod of heaven has de dared that it will ili be done his purposes will not fall fail because because of the enmity of men it if the claims of the latter latier day saints are true treze is a power in mormonism that will brook no opposition there is in it a power that will give it the victory over all hat is false its tand principle ale is the truth teve revealed aleO from god it t gives the true covi conception eption of the great creator AS far as the finite mind can giamp spit it itis it is the plan of salvation from heaven one god one faith one baptism the latter day saints are laboring to io establish the falth faith taught b by jesus christ they accept that faith and that alone they are sincere in their maintenance of that saph and it has prompted theato them to perform the good they have lecomp bed their sin carity is surpassed only aly by thelt their faith they do not antagonize the the world in their own awu strength but simply teach the gospel of christ they preach repentance pen enhance en tance as did john the baptist As ge he prepared the way for christs first coming they are preparing lor for his glorious second coming they believe that kis his preparatory work is necessary for the world which is not sufficiently pure pare and that the gospel has been restored as the means by which abich it will be accomplished ac P dished inn those 0 e professing christianity claim to be declaring the gospel but in all the isms iams of the day there is not to be found that vitality and the characteristics of the gospel of christ as taught oy ey him and b by the former and latter day saints there there is a gulf between them that plainly indicates that the world have not the truth and that they make professions they cannot substantiate they have not the complete plan and god must therefore reveal it to whom whom shall he make it known willi will i be to those sects who deny revelation no but to those who are looking for and wilt will receive it to such god goa has restored the gospel with all its ito gifts giffe and powers it is this gospel which tue tae latter day saints proclaim they do not offer the work of joseph smita or of any set of men but bat the revealed will of heaven and by it they are will ins ing to stand and if needs be sacrifice sac altice their lives for its establishment the lives of the saints should be a complete vindication of the principles they uphold upheld they should live by the truth which god has given them that they may become better and draw nearer to him god has established on a mighty summit the light ot of truth and bids his servants to herald the tidings to the world that by his grace mankind can enter into the enjoyment of light and peace eternal this to is no fancy picture but a glorious reality that will be wro wrought tight out through the gospel which is a savor of light to those who accept accent it and of death to those who reject it the saints are engates engaged in the work of the almighty which chic will roll forth to the accomplishment ment of his purposes and the triumph of truth after singing by the choir benediction was pronounced by counselor daniel H clis wells |
