Show HI lit SEMI FERENCE of the church of jesus chrid of latter day lahdo in lake aly saturday DAV oct 1882 10 am the congregation assembled ambled III in i the large tabernacle and was called to order by prest john taylor the choir akan sang the hymn with all ni my powers of heart and tongue prayer was offered by prest angus 11 cannon tho the choir sang jesus mighty king in zion APOSTLE JOEI jonn HENRY SMITH addressed the audience he ire realized that the position of the lat ter day saints was as difficult as a at t any previous time our Fa father therin in heaven has ilia his work under his own and he will over sec see all things forthe for the best guiding his people as him rim good the tile work in which the saints Saint sare are engaged ia is spreading abroad to all tho the nations the speaker recognized that god has given unto this people a perfect set of I the ultimate end of which I he e had bad no fear but though the principles be perfect there is fear to be entertained that we ire fall away from them and thus be cast away from god and his ways and we ve be carried beyond yond that which is proper and right but the period periodical lical attempts of our enemies to de destroy dearoy aroy us have tended to cause the saints to remember the god and the principles that led us from the bondage of babylon we are led to reflect upon the hand dealings of god willi with us when we observe the efforts of our enemies to scatter u us to scheme and plan for our destruction ho ire felt to recognize the tile present god to manifest his power in in our behalf the tile young reared in this territory are apt to think that the persecutions directed against the tile saints in f early arly days were brought about by the indiscreet i acts of their fathers such young might now ask what is it that brings the wrath of the world upon us today to day harthe the strangers not been protected in our homes have they not been protected in their ir dealings yes but the trials a are re brought to us for the same rea son as before the wicked hate the truth liand and will will ever seek ita overthrow more blore care should be entertained in the parents hearts f for or tile care of their children than for anything else many of our young have confessed that their lives have been blasted and their health destroyed by a lack of a thorough knowledge of themselves it is the duty of every par parent ent to look earnestly to the education of his children not only in book learning but in every item pertaining to their physical organizations as well constitute our ourselves elvas as confessors in our families that our children do not bring sorrow upon us but live to be healthy and grow up to shed a lus lu our crowie crown of life the mother should see to her child that wicked boys have no opportunity port unity to plant in his mind destruction st by secret vice the sons and daughters of zion should be so educated that they can stand before their maker as wt pure in in tabernacle as when god cod first gave them so that in a few au years ears a community of children childre and young people may grow up the like of which in purity can cai not be found in all a I tile earth a community to which god can give the welcome plaudit in a day to come well done thou good and faithful tenter thou th ouinto into my ray rest APOST Ll LORENZO SNOW next addressed the congregation he said it was some years ago that the republican party declared tl aliey ey would abolish therwin the twin relic polygamy they viewed the polygamy of the latter day saints as the practices of eastern nations and as american bigamy when n reality there is no similarity similarity in III the bigamy of america an and england the man violates all the duties and obligations of married life that tho the above named political party should view the polygamy of the cormons mormons Mor mons like bigamy shows how little they understand tile real ins in tent of tho tile law of celestial marriage anciently marriage both plural and single was honorable at the same timo time adultery and bigamy were punished by the severest penalties but our christian states mena roan are offering premiums on licentiousness this is wrong if they would gryto try to enlighten themselves on the purposes of honorable marriage tal they cy would enlighten the nation and bring brin to the earth somes some thin thing good for ilits its inhabitants joseph smith in a published pamphlet to the nation told the government how to abolish slavery davery instead of waging war ho lie counseled that the change could be made on principles of equity that a fund be established and the slave holders remunerated for their slaves slowly making the negro free but this idea was spurned except by a few state statesmen Emell it was iva s not generally adopted A war was tho the result and a blow was struck at the union of the nation it waa the people of the north and the people of the south the religion of the south and the religion of the north with regard to the other twin relic no such divisions arc are entertained entertain cd all ball the churches and the people arc are opposed to it and this because they are lire ignorant of ita its true intent they class it with bigamy which is grossly wrong a nd u nj my has as been practiced by all the ancients and was recognized in all land christ or his disciples said no word in condemnation of this practice while they arc are loud oud in their denunciations of illegal intercourse in all its forms the only passage of scripture which can in in any way be construed to limit the christians to one wife is the passage of st paul that the bishop S should be a man of one wife now this his passage does not say he shall have lave but ut one wife but it is evident that it was meant to imply that he lie should be a man of family for how bow could he govern the church unless he lie knew how tor ta govern a family and if wo ire take the passage as ass literal which we ive do not admit it still proves roves that all others except the bisop bishop were at liberty to b have as many wives as they desired it was a political necessity of the roman empire to limit the number of wives to one and it is well known that that empire under thomoso the koono rule became the most licentious and corrupt upon the earth the speaker had no desire to enter into an argument in favor of polygamy it was rather his wish to impress upon the saints their plain duties in this direction there is no power upon all the earth strong enough to hinder the progress of k the work of god the will of god is made known in tho the bookoff mormon and this book is worth more to the young of zion than any knowledge they can gainan the universe uni versi ties of the world in paying this he did not wish to say anything derogatory to education but the children childre n of zion should hold more precious the word of god and eternal salvation va and life than anything u upon pon the earth parents should gee ee that their children are taught in these things lings ti and rather than let them go without should sell or do without the luxuries or even necess necessaries saries of of life about the political situation ho he thanked god that the liberal party had been compelled to nail their colors at the top of the mast most it shows that the party need whore mongers bongers and all manner of wicked persons to make a showing in ift their ranks make for if these were left out they say there will be no party art in the territory except that P of thye alie people whatsoever god permits ho be will overrule for the best good of those who fear him and keep his com need fear in zion but tem these lie ile will cause to tremble for the wicked fear when no man fursueth purs but the righteous are bold as a lion the choir tan sang the hymn say what is truth ac the meeting anjou adjourned ailed riled till pah after prayer byeller by elder milo andrus SATURDAY pm congregation was vas called to order by prest taylor the choir sang on page pago though deepening deep ning trials throng your way press ou press on yo saints of god elder 11 II S eldredge offered ed prayer the tho choir sang the hymn on page hark I listen to the trumpeters trum peters the statistical report of the various stakes of zion wai was read by preat geo Q cannon also a partial report of the british scandinavian swiss german holland little colorado new zealand and the united states missions A statistical and financial report of the various relief societies in the tile church were also read by president geo Q cannou cannon the reports were ivero unanimously accepted by the congregation gre gation jos F r SMITH addressed tho the audience praying the time he be occupied might bo be profitably crofit used realizing lie coup could d not instruct without the spirit spirit of god he was pleased to tosco see t the io vast nu numbers in in attendance and hoped each individual would bo be repaid for his trouble in coming that this might be the case each r should hould come with a desire to accomplish the purposes which god has bas revealed in the last days daye feeling that wo iso are one and our desires united in the rolling forth of the decrees of our father in heaven the command of god to us is to do go good oil to those who do evil to us our mission is to establish a reign of righteousness and peace i upon the earth carth we are commanded to forgive our elleni enemies ies of their trespasses against u us and if we WO do so 80 it will redound to our own credit we should forgive them then as ns often as they trespass against us the speaker did not now 1101 V speak of the tile class who are ene enemies to the immutable laws of god but of those who trespass against us individually toward such we should carry forgiveness in in our hearts with the other claar god Hini gelf will deal lea do the people love these slanderers slander ers and abusers oi of of the innocent voices from the tile congregation no no y the speaker then said I do blame you but this id is not to the tou law a wa of f god if the had them in his power he would not tou touch eh a hair of t their aver er heads bethe yet he did lid not lovo love them so much that he lie would give his daughters to them share his inheritance with them or take them into his hou household sebold god did not design that we ire should love our enemies so much that we should become like them hut but in a way to bring them from their wicked ways we should be able to draw a dividing line between good and evil ho be ye not unequally yoked joked together with un believers for what fellowship si hath bath righteousness with unrighteousness eb r t ir and what concord bath light t with darkness or christ with i or what part hath bath the believer the infidel or what agreement hath bath the temples of god with the idols fur for you arc are temples of tho the living god and god hath bath said I will dwell in them and I will walk in them and I will v il be their god and they shall bo be my people therefore come out from among them and be yc ye separated saith the lord and touch not tho the unclean thing and I will receive receive you and I will be a father unto you and you shall bo be my sons and ny my daughters said the lord almighty here is tho the word of god to the latter day saints we should let them thein alone and allow them to get all the happiness they can upon this earth for it is all they will ever enjoy unless they repent of their sins sins yesterday it was will ivill the kingdom bo be given info into the hands of tile sainta and wag was an when they are prepared to receive it several things ore are nee nm cessare to constitute a kingdom there must be a king a people territory if wo we sell the king the kingdom is broken the game same with the people and with the territory we those who betray our principles and our brethren but what do we ire do with those who sell out their inheritances in zion pat them on the shoulder and call them brother he lie could not consider this right and should do all in in hii iiii power r to prevent t anyone offis of his family from doing so and also pray god to lie help him to be faithful faithful that ho be all should u bunot not do so mcfear no acar of the triumphant outcome out come of gods work need be bade had for he ile will protect all in their labora labon in tho the cause of truth the choir sang an anthem glorious is thy name gud god benediction was pronounced by elder A smoot on page 21 |