Show NACLE SERVICES SUNDAY may 25 1884 the congre congregation galion was called to order by prest N 0 flygare and the choir sang praise ye the lord my heart shall join prayer was offered by bishop edwin stratford after which the choir sang A all praise to our redeeming lord the sacrament was administered BISHOP EDWIN STRATFORD felt very thankful that he was permitted to come to a knowledge of the truth of god he felt thankful that he lie had a desire to live his res re ligion and do the requirements which were made of him from time to time by the servants of god the lord has always been very merciful to us i in n fact his mercies are so abundant that we sometimes do not appreciate them our sick are healed our prayers answered and our supplications ions heard in the heavens and when we consider what he has done for us we can not help reverting to the prophecy which says that the wisdom of the wise shall perish Su in all efforts against this people this prophecy has been literally fulfilled the prophets and holy men of old desired to live to see the day in which we aliye when the zion of god is established in the tops of the mountains if there is anything in in which we should rejoice T it is that we are counted worthy to be mems bers odthe of the kingdom agod and to live in this day those who among us have borne the heat beat and burden ot the day in the early trials orthis of this church are to be looked up to as staunch men of god whom we respect and reverence early in the history of the church the people built temples and they arc are continuing this labor today in order that the words of malachi may be fulfilled fi wherein he lie says that before e the great and terrible day of the lord he would send elijah to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children childre this could not refer to the days of elijah E lijah for he lived many years before malachi which among the religion except the latter day saints is ready to receive elijah none of them he came to the kirtland temple and eyer since that day the words of malachi are being fulfilled eyen even among the world there is a seeking for the genealogies geneo logies of their forefathers though they cannot tell why nor understand what prompts them in their labors the saints were driven from their homes and temples but through the blessings of god they are now no w established in these mountains where we are permitted to dwell in peace and where notwithstanding the persecutions of our enemies we have now two temples dedicated to god for the performance of eternal principles for the salvation of our dead this is one of the most pleasing principles ples in our religion and we look forward with joyful antici pation to the meeting with our friends who have gone before without a knowledg knowledge e of the gospel after wa we have gone done the redeeming work for them in the temples of god and arranged so that they y may live according to god i in the pint spirit and aud be judged according to men in in the flesh the world scoffs at these ideas but we know of their value val ue and truth jand nd bear faithful testimony to their efficacy the saints have great works to perform in these spiritual things and in order to fully carry them out it becomes also necessary to be united and self sustaining in terns tem matters we must as a people so arjang arrange e our financial matters that no crisis shall affect us in this regard any more than the theolo cical hallucinations of the ministers of the world worl d change or make our religious opinions the choir eang sang an anthem and the meeting was dismissed by prays pray er i bishop robert |