Show SUNDAY SERVICES necessity of purity of life the theme of the discourses religious services were held in the TL tabernacle bernacle sunday july 1887 commencing at 2 pm high councilor ellas elias morris presiding the choir and congregation sang the hymn 0 I 1 god we raise to thee thanks for thy blessings free we here enjoy prayer was offered by elder william raul paul the choir sang 0 my father thou that dwell est in the high and glorious place the was administered ay iy V the priesthood of the twentieth ward ELDER ARTHUR STAYNER was called and addressed the congregation aticy ati cn he read from isaiah ali 11 ell 14 1 4 and said haid it might be considered by the world that the he latter day faints saints were arrogant in ia claiming that isaials Isaia hs prophecy was being fulfilled by them the prophets words had great significance for the latter days if there was a people on the earth of whom it could be claimed that they were endeavoring to practice pra clice righteousness I 1 ou ous ness that people were the latter day saints they claimed to have been divinely inspired that revelation irom from heaven was called into requisition to found their church and had bad been the ruling power of guidance since its establishment that during its entire history y the voice of inspiration I 1 had been beard by the I church that notwithstanding the most trying circumstances the saints I 1 were the especial objects of providential Provi Jen care to those not spiritually minded it might be difficult to see th this 1 s but the saints could well discern toe the protecting and guiding hand of omni omnipotence lp I 1 in their history if there was one duty more than another that devolved sn the saints it was that they should gain power from the li heavens cavens their instruction was of the highest order and attainments and placed within their reach the power necessary tor for their well being and success their faith was evidenced by their works and the principles tiley they had received were in advance of those possessed by the world they had built temples and in ahem them were performed ordinances for the dead which could not be done by any other people these temples were not built for show but in obedience to gods goals command and were endeared to the saints because in them could be performed ordinances for their dead in having these ordinances the saints differed from others of the christian world through them they mad had otta obtained ined a more advanced idea of the eternal justice of god how ho w he had provided provided for all of his children the earine doctrine of salvation salvat ioa tor for the dead was in advance of the knowledge know ladee of others of the religious world and had been revealed by the almighty men were in the habit of taking the credit to themselves tham selves of any advance in science and failing to give glory to god for what they had bad received but bat in the spiritual knowledge the saints had received they gave god the glory realizing that it came from him yet there was room for improvement iia ia the lives of the lat ter day saints there were principles of righteousness which had been neglected by many of those who call themselves saints and consequently y their righteousness did not shine for tile the benefit of the world as it should do if ever there was a time when spiritual sp things should be in the advance and when the people should live near to God that time was the present the saints could not accomplish their work by means of the powers of babylon it could only be done by the help of heaven which could be obtained only through right the saints must come into possession of the holy ghost which would manifest the course in which the people should follow and their success depended on their earnestness and perseverance the ho holy ly had bad been granted unto them whether it was increasing among enem or not depended on their own actions the speaker prayed that the would enable the saints to understand their true position and live to him BISHOP 0 P F was the next speaker ile he desired to address ve utie with a pure heart aud and it A conscience cua science void old of offense and irian iaan ile he had partaken partaker par taken ot of the ilie sacrament with this feeling of cri clarity arity aud and kindness to all men that he might blight not parr par take unworthily lie he wished tile the kind le elinus of his hearers heare s in re beurn urn and if anything had bad occurred during the past wherein he had injured any one of them by word or deed he now asked forgiveness and if any injury had been dane hirn him he was waa willing to tor forgive give the saints together to worship god wb pure hearts and clean hands handis and the nature of their mission the building up ol of zion required that this should be their condition A people who were to build up that which is pure and holy must he be pure and holy themselves tor for this I 1 is zion Z ion the pure in heart ages ago while the world was young enuch enoch built a city and by obedience to principles of truth purity and righteousness that city became sanctified tit aed and was taken up to heaven being detached det from this planet and by reason of the purity of its people taken nearer to the throne of gud god this was no fairy tale or idle superstition sti tion it was an eternal truth for it is the nature of purity to go upward and onward and the tendency of that which ts is impure is downward it was the mission of the saints to build the earthly counterpart of enochs zion and the day would come when that thai city would return and it would he said the Th lord cLord hath bath brought down zion irom from above the lord bath brought up zion from beneath mercy and ana ti eliuth uth nave have met and kissed each other truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness righteous neba nebs shall 1 ook look down from heaven tho the saints are to build up zion and aad the best place to begin tiepin is in our own hearts in the depths of our souls fhe lord anciently called his people zion because they were of one heart and mind and were equal having all things common sharing alike in labor and its results consecrating themselves unto god and being made stewards over their several inherit inheritances an c C S there were no poor and no id idlers lers among them all earning their bread ny by the honest sweat of their brows efforts to establish this same order ot of things had been made among the latter day saints the lord had revealed a si s stem by which his people could be made one in all things spiritual and temporal but the efforts to establish atso farhad been comparatively in vain vaia why was it that they were sot not successful the lord said that zion could not flot be built up except upon the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom and the united order was not established because the people V e did not obey those principles truly r ly had it been said that there was a war warfare aarein in mens hearts between the love of the things of ef earth and the things of heaven and as long as mens hearts were set on oa earthly things to the neglect of things heavenly they could not build build up the zion of god they could not serve god and mammon and it was only by seeking his kingdom first of all things that the kingdom could be established the possession of wealth was not a crime it was the worship of w balth that was a sin in the sight bight of heaten beaten when men cabaot sacrifice their wealth their covetousness their pride and self will they are far removed f from om zion an aud d are unfit to build up zion but when like abraham they are willing to lay all upon the altar then they are in a condition to be used for gods glory when tiey they cease to defraud and wrong each other and love their neighbors as themselves laboring laborin with an eye single to tile the glory ot of gog god and the salvation of souls then they are zion the people of god the pure in heart it was because the saints as a body were not all that they should be in these respects that the cause of zion was not farther advanced than it is today to day in early days of the church the spot was pointed out where zion the city of god should be built in jackson county missouri As early as 1831 a colony of saints went there from kirtland ohio to lay t foundations ot of tile the most glorious city the world has ever seen upon whose towers the glory of god shall rest and the gentiles shall come to her light and kings to the brightness of her rising and it shall be called zion a new jerusalem ia a land of peace a city of refuge a place of safety tor lor the saints of the most high god and the glory ot of the lord shall be there and the terror of the lord shall be there insomuch that among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and say let us not g go 0 up against zion for the inhabitants of zion are terrible wherefore we cannot stand what is it that will make zion a terror to the wicked will it be the sword the bayonet or the cannon no it will be the righteousness of her people eo le and the glory of god which pa sh shall rest upon her this was a great work which involved not only the building of cities and temples but the conquest of the hearts of the people by themselves the grandeur of the building up of zion will be in her people sanctifying sanctify ing otheir own hearts then the battle will bo ba won this work is no childs play it was difficult to eradicate selfishness and evil from our own souls the greatest test labor any man had bad was in greatest Erea beeping himself right light we should sot feel uncharitable or disposed to condemn a man for an appetite ur or that lie ile way may hwe hive inherited we do not know the secret springs riHa of men Hiti iio buros bunia lays days done yo partly inay compile com pule but know uit resisted icsis md when a brother falls fails or a sister sius sins the world may know it and conde condemn in 0 but do they know how many times the the temptation was battled against and withstood do those who are fortunate in having no DO evil passions k know DOW how difficult it it is ia to control the therefore men should bu be anar bitable and fr give as often as sin is repented ot of if it be not sin ain unto perdition it is a work of years for this pe people ople to bring themselves to a condition aben god will say it is enough and choose from their midst thol these le who will be worthy to redeem redee ni von Z on many of those who in ia early days established themselves upon the the land of zion labored earnestly and faithfully faithfull y is in tile the service of god but they were mixed as we are with the unfaithful and there were jar rings aud and envy ings and strafes fes and covetous and lustful te cle sires among them therefore by these things they po polluted I 1 thel their r inheritances heri then the L lord ord permitted the gentiles to drive them from the goodly land not because the a worse people than those around them tor for they were not but were a better people but satan has his work to per form as well as christ men are arc permitted to persecute the saints not dot tie he cause the persecutors are righteous but because it is necessary that the children of zion should learn obedience if it must needs be by the things which they suffer the mormons cormons Mor mons were accused of being a very bad people because thet they had had bald trouble wherever they had bad been een was ancient israel more wicked than the philistines who harassed them was job less righteous than satan because the evil one afflicted him the beaker speaker had bad no apology for the sins of his Is people but they ware were better today to day than were their oppressors but the lord expected more of the saints thad of those who oppressed them because they had received greater light from him la in may 1834 zions camp went from kirtland to recover the land A in jackson county from which the fie saints had been driven and of which toey they had been robbed and plundered this baud numbered souls who went forth to assist their suffering brethren and sisters they took their lives lived in their hands no man knew whether he be would return alive for the country was aroused against them but they went forth that they might fulfill to the glory of god the mission I 1 laid ald upon them the othe effort looked f foolhardy and ta fanatical to those of li little faith but god fights abot with numbers num bes it takes but a few in his bands to accomplish won wonders deria three hund hundred d Sp part artons ons at the of ther mop k apt t back millions of persians U until ti betrayed e ed by one of their own countrymen it took but three hundred in the days daya of gideon and without striking a blow I 1 to put to fit flight their enemies that lay like grasshoppers for multitude upon the moun moua talus and valleys of israel this latter is an instance of the power of god dwelling in the righteousness of his people samson was invincible as long as lie he was true to god and not till he broke his vow and was shorn shorn of his strength did he fall int into 0 the power of his enemies a helpless victim in our own nation over a hundred years ago a little band of heroes declared their freedom and equality to all the world and backed up their words by their swords and the result is the greatest nation on the earth patrick henry said three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty libert y are invincible and so they were and if god had willed it t the he result would have been the same it if there had been but three thousand or three hundred of them it was not in their own strength that zions alons camp went forth and not till disunion crept into their ranks was the power of god withdrawn from them the thunders and lightal and hailstorks hailstorms hail hall storms spared them and smote their enemies again and again but when they allowed selfishness to predominate and there were rebels is in the camp they became a prey to the destroyer dest royer I 1 the cholera broke out tin their midst and they were decimated by the scourge many of them were faithful but they failed to their object because of the sel selfishness lishness and weakness of some of their number tile the lord told them why they had not succeeded it was because they and the people they came to succor succo rhad had not learned obedience and were not united as the lord required there is an instance recorded in the journal of heber 0 kimball while they were suffering and dying from the cholera surrounded by foes and perils berils that might well have daunted daunte X the stoutest heart some of them went to a brother one of those who had been driven out of jackson county for a sin small all fowl to make a little broth for those who were dying and he be denied it for said he be we are going to move back into jackson county in a few days and ill want them all if this be an index to the condition of even a portion of that people now how could the lord have used them to build up zion it is not to be expected until the saints can love their breth brethren renis as themselves and be willing to impart of their substance to the poor wid and afflicted among them as be cometh saints until then eaith the lord it is expedient in we hiie that jnue elders should wait for a little season lor for the redemption of zion the stints will wait in vain until they are ready and worthy to perform gods will think of it you whose hearts are set on the things of the world who are heard hearted cruel proud selfish and who labor not act for the glory of god and the salvation bal of your fellow men I 1 tell you in the name of jesus christ such are not tit fit instruments lor for the building buil diny up of afon but I 1 have faith in this people for there are many who are pure in their hearts comparatively righteous although against faults which are the common heritage of hunna ity Butth but the lord eLord |