Show SUNDAY SEk SERVICES VICES elders G G bywater and H G park speak to the saints religious services were held in the tabernacle sunday june 5 1887 commencing at 2 p in president angus M cannon presiding the choir and congregation sang great god attend while zion sings the JOY oy that from thy presence springs prayer by bishop alexander mcrae the choir sang ye children of our god ye saints of latter days the priesthood of the fifteenth ward officiated in the administration of the Sacra sacrament ineat ELDER GEORGE G BYWATER addressed the congregation he said he had been requested by president cannon to speak to the saints on the objects of their meeting together as a worshiping congregation and he desired that the opening prayer which asked for instruction from heaven should be realized it was necessary for the saints if they hoped to receive the blessings of the lord to place themselves in in conformity to his will they bad assembled on the present occasion to worship him and if they concentrated their faith and desires on the object sought to be attained the spirit of truth would rest upon them and their coming coining together would not be in vain it was the duty of the eld elders ers in isrhel israel to live near to god so that when called upon to speak to the saints they could do so intelligently and under the influence of the holy ghost if an elder lived thus he wai entitled to the light of truth and would be enabled to utter words of instruction to the people the speer said he had been requested to draw the attention of the congregation to the ordinance of the sacrament when jesus came among men and mingled with them in the flesh he revealed the purposes of god and the plan of salvation to the human family the saints believed that mankind had falleni through transgression and disobedience to the requirements of the almighty this disobedience resulted in in introducing evil death was the final penalty of this violation of the lords command so far as the mortal body was concerned but it was also accompanied DY by a train of circumstances the result of which was wag that the world today to day presented the most mysterious condition that it was possible for human beings to conceive of thus through the disobedience of our first parents the doors dlois were opened for the world to come to its present state to the natural eye it seemed as though this condition of things would continue indefinitely but god had prepared a pl plan by which the world coul could d bere be redeemed from the effects of adams fall and man be restored to the standard of moral excellence that god had laid down for him among the many principles connected with this plan of 01 salvation was that of the atonement for sin by the shedding of blood as it is written in IB the scriptures without the shedding of blod there is is no remission of sin this great sacrifice was no other ether than the son burn of god the prince of peace it required infinite wisdom to cont contine life means for foe the redemption demp tion of mankind from the state into which they had fallen A comprehension of this plan could not be attained by man without revel revelation atlon from god nor could mankind with without out this understand the necessity and effect of this infinite sacrifice without the atonement made by jesus christ the redemption of the human family could not be accomplished because the means that could be employed tor for that redemption without the atonement were not equal to the task to be performed the saints had bad assembled to partake of the sacrament an ordinance instituted by jesus who told hi his disciples that except they partook of his flesh and blood there was no life in them according to the pattern he gave his apostles met on the first day ot the week and partook of the sacrament this ordinance was in commemoration of ills his sufferings and death for mankind and if the sacrament were par taken of unworthily il it brought condemnation dem nation to those who dio did so because they were hypocritical in in partaking of that was an emblem of purity and when they were themselves knowingly and wilfully sinful ful and tailed failed to make due recompense or to repent as commanded by the lord the feelings and hearts of the saints should therefore be right before god when they participated inthis IE this ordinance the plan of redemption had been created through the infinite intini te love of god and none should partake of the covenant of the sacrament sacia ment who had malice in their hearts or curses on their lips but with this renewal of their covenants their hearts should be pure and free from the bitterness of sin it if those who were dwarfed as it were in spiritual understanding were to examine closely their past conduct they might find that in apai art pas taking of the sacrament unworthily was a reason for their failure to progress it might be that such would discover that perchance the spirit of greed the love of the things of this world and the love of money had stolen away their hearts that covetousness and pride engrossed so much of their timo and attention oot abat their thou thoughts had bad been drawn awa away Y from the things 1 gs of god so that his love and the spirit of truth would not flow within them but rather that they were barren of the fruits of this love like inattentive students at school such would find that when the examination came they would be deficient because they had bad spent their time in idleness so far as their spiritual Uial advancement was concerned if the saints would be full of the knowledge of god they must he dill gent in serving him and not bow down to a god of gold of waving fields of corn or of herds of cattle not that things should be neglected for they were necessary and ana proper in their I 1 f place but that alace place was not where they were loved love idolatrously love of those professing to be latter day saints for weal h becomes so great that they strain the principles of righteousness for the accumulation of this worlds goods they violate sacred obligations lose the spirit and cease to love their god with all their might and their neighbors as themselves in following such a course they are departing from the worship of the true god and if they would achieve salvation must repent and turn to him in truth ere they can receive his divine blessing it if these divine attributes attending conformity to the laws of heaven were present in a proper degree in those who had received the gospel they would not want to become possessors of the perishable things of the earth for ther their own pride and in order to do so take advantage here aud and there of their fellow men with gods covenant children such a course was forbidden and they would be held responsible for any deviation from true principle they should avoid these snares that they could partake worthily of the emblems emblem 8 oft of the sacrifice of him who so loved the world that t he gave his only begotten son that mankind might be saved the speaker exhorted the saints to follow lives of purity and prayed that they might increase in peace in wisdom and in righteousness until they became acceptable in all respects in the sight of the almighty OLDER ELDER HAMILTON cr G PARK was next called to the stand he said he had bad felt a deep interest in the subject spoken of by the prec preceding edin speaker the saints were not living for for to today day alone or to treasure up the perishable things of this world they were on this earth on a short mission as aa it were and had received an understanding of the will of their father the greatest accumulation they could make was to have ane love of god in their hearts to love him and each other with all their strength if they did this they would receive the riches of the kingdom and be prepared for the great life to come the inest foolish people were those who bartered the things of eternity for a temporal advantage for they were indeed foolish as were also those who took advantage of others in striving to excel the wise would take every opportunity to benefit their fellow beings and thus lay up treasures in heaven the lord had haa been merciful to the saints who had bad been gathered valleys of the mountains through the spirit of the gospel that they might serve him in spirit and in truth how foolish it would be for them to let their love and faith wax cold in order to accumulate worldly goods of what advantage would weal wealth it h be it if they failed to secure their souls salvation the speaker exhorted the Saint sto cultivate the love and faith of the gospel to seek to know and obey the will vall of god that eternal life might be their portion they were passing g through trying times but there was au an object for good with it all they should not encourage a spirit of bitterness in their hearts but should root out evil and leave the result iu in the hands of the almighty they should labor to spread the gospel gather israel and wring bring about the purposes of god till his will is done on earth as it lain Is in heaven after the singing exercises elder milando pratt offered the closing prayer |