| 798 called you, and he will deliver you from every snare, pit, and temptation that await you. I would rather trust in God for bread, than to trust in the princes of this world. I speak of these things for your interest; then let your hearts be comforted. When we (the Twelve) left this place, on our mission to England, a journey of near five thousand miles to be accomplished without a penny in our pockets, our only resourse [resource] was to trust in the disposer of all events to supply our returning wants.-And our prayers were heard and answered according to the desires of our hearts.
When you go forth, lift your hands like kings and trust in the name of Israel's God; for the very hairs of your head are numbered and will not fall to the ground without notice. Remembering at all times to uphold each other by the prayer and power of faith, and God will bless you and your labors.
The following prayer was made by President Joseph Young on the fourth day of the dedication.
O God, our heavenly Father, we humbly pray thee in the name of Jesus Christ, thy Son, to bless us with the remission of all our sins and vanities; for we are subject to follies and vanities. But we thank thee, our Father, that thou hast prepared a way and provided means whereby we may be enabled to overcome, and to elude the grasp of the distroyer [destroyer]. We ask thee, our Father, to guide us by thy spirit, that we may feel thy love shed abroad in our hearts, and fully appreciate every blessing that flows from thy liberal hands. As thou hast seen fit to break the silence of heaven, and again communicated thy will to the sons of men that dwell upon the earth. We ask thee to indict our petitions as we present ourselves in thy presence to dedicate this Hall, for we now dedicate it and ourselves unto thee, and ask thee to let a special blessing rest upon him who has bequeathed to us the ground upon which this hall now stands. We remember before thee, our Father, the building committee, who were appointed to build the Temple. Let their hands be strengthened to carry on the work, and grant that the house may be finished according to thy commandment unto thy people, that thy servants may receive their endowments and be clothed upon with power and authority, to carry thy word to the scattered remnants of thy people. Let the council of the Twelve come in remembrance before thee. Bless them, O Lord, with all that pertain to them. Also the Quorums of the seventies, who have built this hall, not particularly by thy commandment, but in honor of thy name. Bless them and their families when they shall go to the Islands of the sea, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and declare the truth of heaven, the gospel of the Son of God. Let them become mighty men in pulling down the strong holds of satan, and bursting the prison doors of darkness, and spread the light of the everlasting gospel to earth's remotest bounds. Bless the poor who are destitute; open the hearts of the rich, so that the principle of sympathy and charity may predominate nnd [and] reign in their bosoms, that they may impart of their substance to feed the poor. Finally our Father, we ask thee to guide the destinies of this meeting to thy praise, for thine is the kingdom, power and glory, worlds without end. Amen.
Elder John E. Page having arrived here a short time previous with his family from Pittsburgh, being present, was requested to render an account of his stewardship, which he cheerfully assented to.
He arose and proceeded in a concise manner and gave a very interesting narrative of the events connected with his mission during his absence from this city. He also made many pertinent remarks upon the principles of the kingdom of God, and the organization of the same. He then added that the seventies were in the hands of God as a lever, by which he would turn the world upside down and establish his covenant with the inhabitants of every land; that light and truth should prevail where the powers of darkness, superstition and error, had long swayed universal dominion; and finally concluded by assuring the saints that he was one with them, and gave his testimony to the present organization of the church in the most solemn manner, and gave place.
December 30th.
Elder O. Pratt took the stand and after many appropriate remarks upon the principle of union, he made a quotation from the Book of Mormon: Adam fell that man might be-men are that they might have joy, and reasoned upon the correctness of the saying. He said that if Adam had not partook of the fruit of the tree of life, he never could have obeyed the commandment enjoined upon him and the woman, which was to multiply and replenish the earth; (as will appear in the sequal [sequel]) neither could he have appreciated the blessings of Paradise without an experience of the opposite. The Apostle Paul plainly declared that the man was not in the transgression, but the woman; hence we infer that Adam was acquainted of the penalty annexed to the law of God, and with his future destiny, before he partook of the fruit. It might be said that out of two evils the man upon reflection chose the least. The first was the seduction of the woman, by the
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