Show SUNDAY SERVICES christmas at the Taberna tabernacle elp bishop ahl whitney aney discourses rsm on ea the Chari character teter and massion of christ religious servi services ce were held in the tabernacle salt lake city sunday dec 25 1887 commencing at 2 p m high councilor elias morris morns presiding tho the choir and congre ion aan sang mortals with navels angels join and chant the lay love joy and gratitude com bitic to hail th auspicious auspicious oai bofty L prayer was offered by aldei edward ird i the ite choir sang sane 1 at farat the babe of 1 of meek and ancl humble but next the lord loid from healen heal lie aien en ip in glur glory shall be dmn the tha priesthood of the second ward in the administration of the BISHOP ORSON F ud undressed dressed the congregation he said the lay day the saints had met to celebrate was regarded throughout christendom as ane anniversary of the birth into this world of the greatest obar character acter that ever graced this planet and he be asked the saints in the name of jesus that they would call in their wandering thoughts if perchance they were straying on the things of the world and concentrate them on the sacred themen suggested bug geared by the name and memory of the re de deemer etner that they would wo ula pray for the speaker that he be might be ih iii by the spirit of the lord and speak only that which was manifested by the holy Gli khoat ost and mat all unite in melding homage tu the kida of kin kings S according to tue chronology we ing now w have which is not dot perfect it is 1887 years since there came into the world a bine bina B ine ina who was called upon to perform the greatest mission ever given to man iu tae atesh ab fk rt maters matt cia not whether this be the exact anniversary of that event so lankas lea as our hearts are pure pare and holy before heaven in the worship we here render lender it was to in the days of augustas Auva caezar that chnat appeared we ure are told that on a certain day the decree went forth in the empire of rome which then bore universal sway that mat all ail the world should be taxed that the coffers of this greatt greaf nation might be replenished the land baad of judea was a portion of theJA thed toman oman empire having succumbed ake the rest of the nations to that great power which beat ir ic pi pieces cs all the other nations of the earth having beep been compared by daniel in in the interpretation pre tation ot of dream to iron which beaks b eaks in pieces all other metals and it was during the reign of augustus nephew of juhls cp ar in the goldan golam agge age of rome kome that god sent into the world his only B botten to die that all men in might ight bivol he came not as the sou of a caesar clothed in purple pui pie and nd fine linen swaying a temporal a golden crown he was born in poverty and obscurity his foster faster father joseph tae W m nazareth went up to to pay his taxes he was accompanied by the virgin mary who was espoused to him and the city being overcrowded by bv the great number who wao had nasem bled fuere no place was found in woich the son could be born that was used by man maa fota for a habitation mary was obliged to seek refuge in ia a manger and there gave birth to a also son n who was called jesus jeans we are told ahat shepherds we were re watching their flocks by nigh on the plains ot of judea when an angel ap feared and announced to them the birth of the savior of if the world the angel said to the shepherds who were startled at the glories vision fear not fiot for behold I 1 bring you good ildi tidings I 1 nga of great joy which shall be to all p people eople for unto you is born this day in n the city of david a savior which is J hirist christ the lord and a multitude bf angels can caught 11 lit up the clail refrain singing and se scouting outing glory to god in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men 2 this was the meaning of that great eveni evem the nation had been calling night and I 1 day to the god of heaven to send forth i al Deliverer to briba salvat salvation loh to 0 israel for ages the rolling clouds of incense i irom t their beir altars had ase ascended endel and the tae smoke of their burnt offerings had darkened the heavens the jewish people were expecting a deliverer ahoua they thought would restore the lepp le temporal pp ra kingdom liddo lid do of da daid id damore in more than its i t pristine tine power and glory glo 9 the these sh shepherd el were told that attus de deliverer m e this mi mighty chiv hiv aerol had cot come command and was born that night n i gm in bethlehem bt A few bell believed eved and d flocked round the humble cradle of the son abu of god wise man saw his flis starin the east and came bringing gifts of af gold and myrrh and f frankincense se to hali hail the newborn new born bieg but the va vast st majority were not prepared to accept in this humble blang thia infant cradled ita ah a manger the glorious redeemer Ed eemer of whom the prophets had spoken and thero were men who had been praying tor for its his advent who now that ile hau had come were even willing to shed ill 11 i P blood kir g herod conspired lor the destruction of the son ol of gad on bearid it noised abroad that one bad been born who was destined to be king of the jews herod fearing a rival moved upon by the spirit of jealousy diwok the greatest curses 0 of human nature determined to slay tie child chil dJesus jesus and ana pao it beyond his power to supersede supercede super cede him 94 the carose of david he tord tola the wipe men to return to him after they had found ta ana young 04 and tell hi mth athe h might go and worship him also this vie the action of a cunning ano villainous v aturo aas was doubtless in u the mind af bt Je susin in atter after years when egik he referred to the t then 0 denb herod as 4 s a fox but the wise wig men were warned oath of the jord and having paid their kamage homage to the kug of k angs n 8 r return r eq edby by another adother route tp their own 0 a country while doseph wal kao warned in n a dream adream I 1 to flee fe agypt to preserve q the young childs rife if e herod next issued a decree that authe agthe children chi Adrea two years in bethlehem should be de st troyed royed aut jesus havin departed e I 1 radd did not fail a prey prep tp the b bloodthirsty 0 r t tb hirsty byrad and subsequently tu ti his native lancto fulfill fulfil fil at mission joi for waja he ome earth eart he krew grew up as the carpenter carpnter car puter Js s sop tor for it va was the design of tile the almighty bat thi the faith faith of the world shou should act be tested in the coming of christ therefore ile heam dad not send binin in bower or wed wealth ailt teen 1 I or splendor for fo r that would have been no test to a proud sad and worldly minded gAne generation ration had ht he come aa a 4 mailed warrior warr lor a mighty blead co riding in a ca chariot t a at t the head ol oj irm armies 1 les no doub douba I 1 he e would have beau haded as the promised de liver erby a af but this was as not the degl design m of god for as the heavens are above the earth sp 9 are the ways 91 p god above the way s ot ol man there was a spiritual deliverance del M tendered to this nation they could not discern discerni a ai spirl spiritual wings things cn can only be S seen en spiritual by the humble bumble and the pure in heart hart the he great mass of the nation were unable to appreciate te this fact and while they s scoffed at oe de alsed and persecuted jeise jesus lor for what seemed to them presumption and towering egotism ism in As claiming to be the sod aoh ey 0 of god the kles messiah the they y little anew that in the body oE thai pooi humble man was as toe greatest spirit th that t ever in the it flesh tg tae t greatest gift of the heavens t to the earth the yaden golden link which wa was d destined tined tp to bin bindi this his J na the grand chain of redeemer worlds which circle and bla blae ae in n glory about ot gad he was the arni irni arm of reaching down from the tha tanal Obett ial heights inep the very depths ol of hell to rescue the perishing reclaim an apostate world gather the scattered sheep back into the i fold and bring to light the immortal immortality allty of 0 the souls of men the beginning of chiq hi his history wa I 1 not eighteen or nineteen gi centuries ago to find him out we must rise NE above mortal state and view tun inath in the light of ah n eternal existence a afe himself has no beginning or end in the writings of abraham the great progenitor of the house ut of israel through whose lineage came the savior savio a great man to whom god revealed the glories of heaven some ot of ia the saviors earlier history is elyen god showed unto abraham lal all his creations revealing to him that this avas vas not the only planet plane he had created t d nor this the only family of man mag to which he had given exist existence euce that libat there end to his hia creations that they were numberless to man lie he showed to him and other ancient prophets M bany mys mysteries of the kingdom things were unspeakable unlawful to b be i uttered abaoag the things the lord showed 0 od to abraham and which baa h y 46 come e to light in these days throb through ii au the translation of joseph th ir is thi from the record Which braham left he says lowthe now the borki LOI had sliewa uta beabra b harti h tbt he yvere ere 0 vj zea ea before the worlo wap an and among W these there were matly af the gobr and great reat ones and god saw these souls they were gobol stood in the midst ot of them und and he said these I 1 will mace make my rulers 8 for he sto d aifong those were spirits and he saw that they were ivere goodard goo dand he said unto me abraham thou art arc one of them thou wast chosen before thou wast born bor ad here stood iacong ia pong tem tha that was gifts aire unto god an and ne e sai baid unto itose who were with him we mil go dawn for there is ig sace vace there an and we will I 1 afke take ot of these materials and we wall hit make I 1 an earlb whereon these ma m dwell and anaw we will prove to isee if they will ill do all 11 whatsoever the biord their GJ bod shall command them and nd they who V their theli alx s estate shall sh 1 16 09 added upon and d t they hey who keep not their 4 ix first es estate ate shall not have glory in the r same pame kingdom with those who keel kee their first estate and they who keet keep their second estate ahall have adie dupon their heads for ever and ever i aart 4 n IT the e icord ora said wap I 1 send bend A and n 0 oue answered luice ike unto the son of man pere am 1 I send roe me and another answered ime dand and dHere sai said here ain disend I 1 send me and AM the lord said I 1 will send the first and tile tiie second was angry and kept not his bis firs testate and erkd at that saymany day many followed ter him and in d then the lord said lafit t us go down ano and they i ent the he be annin nt s fand they alicy organized and formed that tg t is ig the godsche Gods the heavens and the earth and the earth after it was formed was empty and desolate because they had not tormod anything but the earth wad darkness reigned upon the face of the deep and the spirit of the gods was brooding broodie broo diu upon the face ot of the vater i 1 this illustrates the great even of 0 the the son of man in the eternal worlds to be dihe he only red cemer of this planet we are told bythe prophet joseph that at that time when jesus was chosen we all were there and sanctioned the decree and when the earth was formed as an abiding place for the spirits which god had created it was waa then the morning stars tang sang together and all the sons of god shouted for joy unto all men are given missions on earth according to their intelligence and ability and the es asand and designs of god joseph says that every man maa who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of tais world was ordained to that very purpose in id the grand counsil council of heaven before t his world waa was 11 it seems that the spirits god had created differed in intelligence even as the stars stare differs in lustre and magnitudes and the noble and great ones god said he would rulers and the great greatest est of 0 all was he who on en e earth rth we call jesus why hy did the second one rebel when the other had been chosen this is made plain in another part of this book boob in the writings of moses who is ie told why lucifer whose name signifies likht light rebelled against god arid and would not sustain the choice which had fallen upon his hia elder brother it ii was because in a his is own heart was a bielin feeling of pride e and ambition a reaching in a after r things which hichi were above hi him and this feeling overthrew him doubtless ess if he had bad remained true a great mission would have been given him great enough to nil fill the heart ol of any yon son of god with rapture they who make themselves the servants ol of servants efi auts on earth are greatest in the kingdom of heaven not those who a aie i e puffed up with pride and vala vain ambition this great spirit lucifer for he must have been great and intelligent tor for he was an angel la in authority 11 aspired to be all in all I 1 not only boyl to be the redeemer but bat to sit on the th throne rone 61 the Hii hestand be god in his bis stead he proposed to save all men unconditionally tio nally and as asa a recompense he asked to give gift him his honor and glory but the other said he was willing to die as a ransom for thel world that he would save all who honored honorea god and would obey his gospel but would not and could not save saive the u un n repentant and disobedient and he would give god the glory glor no wonder the council chose him k for or ills his was the doctrine of ju justice tice rewarding re wardine all men according to their deeds and desires while the others was aks the doctrine ol 01 compulsion the destruction orf of human liberty god bates hates tyranny he disapproves of any system which destroys human agency his doctrines are are broad as eternity tv lie he points out tho the way to life but those who walk not in it aku cannot reach the goal those these who keep in the celestial path will reach celestial celestia glory but those who deviate from that path into byways of their own while they will be rewarded tor for every good deed they do will fall short ol of the highest glory such are the doctrines of jesus christ he came to earth and was despised and trampled led upon in the dust of his hie own footstool ool by those who whoa his own hand haa had created Th ahung him on the pursed ac se tree and there he gave the grandest evidence of tits his noble and godlike nature talk of the greatness of wen men of the demor able words of the heroes of f history luther facing death exclaiming here I 1 stand I 1 cannot recant god gad help me joshua commanding the sun and moon to stand still caesara caesars Cae CEe sars veni vidi wei fi ci or all great speeches that were ever spoken they all pale into insignificance in the presence of that godlike sentiment welling up from the heart of a crucified say savior tor ex expiring in agony but praying 11 father ather forgive them they know not noi what thi they y do ai this is the example we are told to follow this is the redeemer at 61 the world who exemplified in his own life what he required of tybie who tot followed him measure yourselves elves by this standard ye saints ye christians it you yon wish to see how tar short you fall the son of a king nay a king ga himself im self descending biblow all things for our sakes and becoming lipi humble able and guileless as a a child when when his disciples ples asked him who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven he said taking a little child I 1 except ye beco become meas as this little child ye can not enter trie toe king domhof heaven he who would be |