His First Sermon
The good people of Brighton ward, Salt Lake county, were treated to an interesting experience in their Sabbath meeting yesterday. Among those who were present with the regular home missionaries were Elders H.C. Barrell and Laron Pratt, respectively superintendent and assistant superintendent of the deaf mute Sunday school in this city. Brother Pratt is a son of the late Elder Orson Pratt, and was deprived of hearing and speech at an early period of life, by sickness. He has made his living by intelligent work as a compositor. He can articulate fairly; and yesterday, in common with the other visitors, he was called to address the congregation. He responded, and in a speech of some ten minutes’ duration, bore a strong testimony of the truth of the Gospel and pointed out to his attentive audience the Divine providence in his behalf in placing him under what most people regarded as an affliction, but in which he realized a blessing for the situation in life which he had occupied. It was Brother Pratt’s first sermon; and notwithstanding the difficulty in the way of expressing himself, his remarks were clearly understood by every one present, and his testimony made a deep and lasting impression upon the people, who felt the force of a remark by him to the effect that his apparent affliction was proving a blessing from which the disguise was being removed to his own comprehension.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sept. 9, 1894, 2]
[Deseret News, Sept. 10, 1894]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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