Show tabernacle SERVICES SUNDAY june 1881 the meeting was called to order by bishop critchlow the choir san sang great god attend etc E elder mer E stratford offered up the opening prayer hymn arise arise with joy survey ELDER L PARR first addressed the audience he ile referred to the primary associations whose quarterly conference was held on saturday and endorsed the caution there given in regard to associating in with the outside elements we he especially especially warned the N parents arents against sen sending i ing their children ren to sectarian schools and depicted tic ted the persecution of the saints by the enemies of the gospel ill in fy former r mer times and present days all these persecutions dobbings mob bings rob erics and murders had originated with and been executed by parties bl claiming aiming to be followers of christ the speaker e aker was a personal witness that hirel lurching lur cling in priests sectarian clergymen beam headed those assaults on the latter day saints in missouri illinois nois and elsewhere elder farr as an illustration of the mock piety and false religion of the day mentioned st peters cathedral in rome where the bronze and marble statues of the apostles received homage while they themselves if returning to earth and preaching the doctrines they did 1800 years ago would bo be persecuted and mobbed to death the persecutions to which the latter day saints have been subjected for half a century never were nor are justifiable the rho salaried isa idle priests odthe of the so called Chri christian stfan churches arc are afraid that b by tho the spread goa gospel pe they will become superfluous an and d they will have to work an and d toil honestly for their living elder farr closed with exhorting the lat ter day saints to stand steadfast to their religion specially admonishing the parents to use care and diligence that their children bo be brought up in the principles of life and salvation BO so that they grow up tip to bo be honorable men and women JOB jos P spoke next he pointed out tho the necessity of faith and of the observance of the commandments of god mere belief is not sufficient for salvation it requires the practical application vo ica tio n of the principles of the gospel p el we may attend tabernacle services ward meetings sabbath schools etc and ands go through any or all formal matters but ilive if wo do not apply to our lives and conduct the principles principles fles qualifying us to walk the straight I it and narrow path we will never regain regi iiii the presence of god all blessin blessings are based upon certain laws we can obtain no blessing unless we comply with the law upon which it is predicated redica ted it says blessed are ie pure in heart for they will see god the im impure p ure of healt will never receive the smile and approbation of the almighty nor be admitted into the joy of f the presence of tho the lord no being in any other condition will enter into the joy of the lord but the pure in h hart true the wicked will also enter into the presence of god at tho the day of judgment to stand at the bar of the eternal judge to be judged according to their works every one whose name is not recorded in the lambs book of li life f will vill bo cast out into outer darkness whence there is no revelation that they will ever return this banishment ashment is termed by revelation the second death and is like to the death of our first parents adam and eve when they transgressed and became spiritually dead thus becoming subject unto the temporal death this spiritual death that betel our parents is the same that will be pronounced upon the wicked when god shall say to them depart from me ye accursed therefore wo we are today to day suffering bring from the effects effiec ts of this spiritual death and the gospel aims to restore us or resurrect us if you please into tho the light and life of t truth ruth the whole world at the present day is under the effects and in the darkness of the first or spiritual death from this first spiritual dea death tai there is a certain and sure p promise romise of resurrection or restora ti on but there is no premise promise in in aej any scripture or rev revelation elation so f far ar a as I know that any person p erson will be redeemed f from rom the second death all manner of sin and blasphemy shall bo be forgiven except the sin against the holy ghost for which there is no forgiveness neither in this world nor in the world to come the ordinances din ances of the holy gospel arc are for tho the purpose of redeeming man from the first death fr from om gi spiritual ritual darkness and sin to tho the light of truth that we may sec see as we arc are seen the gospel is ordained to redeem us into the presence olour of our heavenly I F father ather wo we are commanded to yo do the same works that jesus did who is preparing pre preparing parin mansions for those who ar are faithful that they may dwell and receive an inheritance with him blessed is ho lie that dieth in tile lord it is said in the scriptures for he rests from his labors and his works do follow him and th they ey a shall ball not taste of death such persons may succumb to tho the temporal death but they will retain sp spiritual ii igual and eternal life in the presence of their lo 10 lord rd and creator notwithstanding tho the world have como come to regard the outward ordinances of the gospel as mere form the speaker gave emphatic testimony that they illy arc are indispensable dispensable requisites sites for the tile ine reception tion and raid retention of the gr I holy G ghost lost thero there is not one solitary la 11 principle rin ciple or ordinance accepted or deeded ceded by this church that is not corita contained ined in the holy bible we read that it is impossible i for any ally man to see the kingdom of god until lie be born again president smith here re referred ferrea to nicodemus who wag was a firm believer of the di vine vine mission of jesus but did not dare to be seen with him in daytime wherefore lie went to him by night nicodemus did not understand the principle of baptism hence lie d did id not understand christs expression about being born again the saints know that being born again means immersion in III the water by the ordinance of balabin no intelligent man anywhere in in christendom but knows that baptism originally and 11 now ow literally sig signifies i fi es a burial in water we are buried with christ in baptism as paul says out of which we come in similitude to the literal birth of man into the world now is there any one to presume and maintain that this word of christ has been abrogated and annulled those who say it has been lie knowingly what christ said he was not mistaken in it applied to man then and it applies to man now in the same manner and degree the whole world is spiritually y dead and while iu ill the midst of their darkness they ma may seek god from their cadler cradles to tt their air graves but they will never find him with all their intelligence I learning earning science and find art unless they yield co compliance in to the ordinances of the gospel of christ baptism is a bible doctrine the latter day saints are bible believers and inasmuch as they live their religion they arc are true christians doing the thin things that christ did and commanded commande god will not acknowledge the works of any man outside the pale of his bol holy law the world to find out god and be redeemed must com comply ply with the requirements re repent ent of their sins and be baptized by y one ba having v i ng authority ut herity only in this way C can an the they i be redeemed from death a spiritual or temporal unto life eternal na I among the few people called the lords people there arc are many that have been merely bom born odthe of the water but not of the spirit remission of sins eins is is promised on repentance of sins and baptism therefore if wo we repent of our sins ac we can be restored to spiritual life to hold communication with angels and receive revelations from the Almia almighty lity becoming g like unto christ who biad n no sti stain ri nor blemish transgressed no law being perfect these arc are the standing laws of god to all the world beye perfect as your father in heaven jesus who coin comprehended hie ilie souls and bodies of men and spoke truth gaye faye this law god requires nothing of the sons of men but that he provides the means with which to accomplish it he lias has means to restore the unregenerate to life to have the unborn bom born again to life and brath arnth every man mail can bo be restored to spiritual life and be perfect but in what shall we be perfect per feet here the speaker read from the new testament honor hono r t thy h y father und thy mother love t thy I neighbor as thyself this lat latter te r commandment man dment the speaker considered next to the highest and lie pointed out liow low it is to be carried out in life dealing equitably fairly justly with our neighbors constitutes a good deal of love prest smith illustrated frustrated fust lust rated who is to bo be understood as our neighbor by a recital of the parable of the good samaritan those who use charity kindness befriend us and our children they are our neighbors and we are to love them as we do ourselves coill doing to them as we would be done by it also says thou not murder we ought to be able to be perfect in this matter the speaker then referred to the pious gentleman in the east who claimed to have been a six ix years a school teacher in utah and wanted assistance for the education children tn his dis district brict who were buffering suffering r for lack of edu tion such good Cli christian risti an liars we cannot be expected to love as ap neighbors ebors unless they repent of their iriqui iniquity it y the same gentleman referred to above a teacher among the latter day saints had defined as diabo ii mohammedanism ism animalism etc air from om which terrible condition these pious ones propose to rescue the A mormon lormon children even if it lias to bo be done b by y inciting the government to f forcibly put ut down mormonism r tho the it had ka pd to bo be done at the point of the bayonet these damnable murderers at heart these infamous thieves and liars are begging and swindling money from the ignorant christians in the east to squander in luxury and rioting in salt lake city ogden and elsewhere w here while they pretended to need the finances to educate the poor ignorant multitudes of mermon meron in on children at this point the speaker in vigorous terms denounced the diabolical I lies ies and calumnies calum nies circulated in the stat states es by certain infamous scoundrels wearing the cloak of religion and gave it as his candid opinion and honest belief that every parent amon among tile saints who sends his or r her children to schools under such venomous us vipers calling themselves christian teachers will be dai damned nod and go down to hell he also contrasted the innocent peaceful indus industrious trio us condition of things in these those christian missionaries came in with the present demoralizing concomitants of an apostate degan erato crate christianity whose agents arc are endeavoring to christianize the latter day saints with their gambling hells grog chopa and houses of ia ailt fame in III conclusion prest smith spoke on oil the inalienable civil rights ofilio saints urging the nece necessity sity especially of the people ogaden of of being united und erthe principles of the priesthood of tho the living god resisting and subduing subdue ng all the inimical influences brought brou glit against the kingdom of god the tile meeting which had been highly edifying was dismissed dismiss d aft after e r singing of a it beautiful anthem by the choir and benediction by apostle F D richards |